NuStar’s Public Affairs Representative C. Michelle Unda serving as keynote speaker for Class of Summer 2018
Article by: Rosa Linda Reynoso
Finishing studies, taking finals and anticipating walking the stage is on the minds of 443 prospective Del Mar College students who have applied for graduation this semester.
The College will hold its Summer Commencement in Richardson Performance Hall next Friday, Aug. 17, beginning at 7 p.m. with approximately 265 graduates walking the stage. During the ceremony, the College will award 576 certificates and associate’s degrees combined to 443 prospective graduates.
The Class of Summer 2018 commencement speaker is C. Michelle Unda, the Senior Regional HR Public Affairs Representative for the Central West South Region of NuStar. She is responsible for charitable contributions, sponsorships and partnerships and coordinates milestone celebrations and volunteer efforts both locally and regionally. Unda also works as a liaison between the media and NuStar Corporate Communications.
Serving as campaign leader for NuStar’s Central West South Region United Way Pledge Campaign, Unda has continued the tradition of 100% employee participation since taking on the role in 2009. Prior to joining the NuStar team, she worked as the Director of Communications for the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce.
A South Texas native, Unda graduated from Del Mar College in 2003 with Associate in Arts degrees in liberal arts and journalism and then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2005. She completed her Master’s degree in organizational leadership in 2016 from the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Unda also participated in Leadership Corpus Christi and is a member of Class XXXVI (2008).
Unda’s current volunteer activities include serving as a member on Boards of Directors for the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend and the Coastal Bend Community Foundation, as a Trustee on the Del Mar College Foundation Board, as secretary of the Port Industries of Corpus Christi Public & Government Affairs Committee and on the St. Patrick Catholic Church RCIA team.
Among other credits, Unda has served in various roles for the Leadership Corpus Christi Alumni Association, The Spirit Center, Corpus Christi Mayor’s PRIDE and Downtown Redevelopment initiatives, YWCA Corpus Christi and St. Patrick’s Church ACTS team. She also was a founding committee member for the reinvented Corpus Christi Under 40 Awards during her time at the Chamber and honored by the organization as a recipient both in 2010 and 2014, serving as an Event Co-Chair in 2011. In 2015, Unda was named the Del Mar College Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni.
Unda and her husband, Raúl, are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary this month and have four spoiled dogs: Maggie, Mya, Dino and Susy. She enjoys reading, graphic design, hiking, trying new recipes and camping during her down time.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.