UA Colors Fly High Down on the Bayou
The University of Arizona flag flew at a Texas high school thanks to a UA alumnus whose son is a student there.
At a fundraiser for Houston Christian High School, ExxonMobil executive Eric Carmichael outbid alumni from Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin to win naming rights for the school’s “Raise Your Flag Week” on October 16-20, 2017. His son Jackson Carmichael is a junior at the school.
“I am convinced that my UA mechanical engineering degree has been instrumental to my professional success,” said Carmichael, who earned his bachelor’s degree in 1990 and is the Americas fuels marketing manager at ExxonMobil. “The discipline, commitment and logical approaches I learned during my four years there have served me well.”
Carmichael, a Phoenix native who also has an MBA from the University of Houston, has lived and worked in Australia, Singapore and many U.S. cities. But the University of Arizona remains close to his heart.
“It was a great experience, accelerated my maturity, and helped inform my choices around pursuing a career that blended technical knowledge and commercial skills,” he said.
The dedicated alumnus has provided financial support for College of Engineering programs and student organizations through an ExxonMobil matching gift program. He also has cohosted gatherings of UA alumni at the ExxonMobil campus.
Now, with “Arizona Week,” he has found yet another way to fuel Wildcat spirit in the Lone Star State.