Spirit of St. Thomas Award
The Spirit of St. Thomas Award recognizes the professional and/or personal achievements of Tommies under the age of 40. Introduced in 2021, this is the newest alumni recognition award.
Nominations

2025 Spirit of St. Thomas Award Recipient
Teron Buford ’10, ’18 MSWA
Teron is the Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, where he is a driving force for equity in the healthcare space. Through his leadership, Teron champions initiatives that create inclusive environments, ensuring access and fairness for all communities.
A graduate of the University of St. Thomas, Teron stood out as one of the most intelligent, empathetic, and inspiring individuals among his peers. While at St. Thomas, he collaborated with the Dougherty Family College, leading efforts to recruit and support underprivileged students. His compassionate and curious approach to addressing societal challenges left a lasting impact on his classmates and the broader university community.
Teron has a long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. His work extends beyond his professional role, reflecting a deep passion for creating equitable opportunities and fostering understanding.
His nominator said Teron does not “shy away from issues facing our society. Instead, he approaches them in a compassionate and curious manner.” Beyond his work at BCBS, he is a proud father, husband, mentor to Tommies, and NCAA Basketball referee.


2024
Jazz Hampton ’12, ’15 JD
2023
Georgia Fort '11
2022
Solome Tibebu '12
A 2012 St. Thomas alumna, Solome is an award-winning mental health and patient advocate, digital health investor, and social entrepreneur. She has worked with organizations, universities and associations to change the conversation around mental health and the use of technology to find new and innovative solutions to address mental health needs, especially among young people.