Through a contract with NASA, Graham was an IBM programmer supporting the Apollo missions, processing data for mission controllers and performing computing used to determine coordinates for the missions. When Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon, Graham recalled feeling a blend of relief, pride and the realization that something once thought unimaginable was truly happening.

“We just all of us breathed a sigh of relief that this was really happening,” Graham recalled. But as Graham told President Connie Ledoux Book on the latest episode of “�鶹��Ƶ Beyond the Bricks,” she does not believe she arrived at that moment by chance.

A few years earlier, Graham was a student at Queens College, where faculty encouraged her and her peers at the then all-women’s institution to think beyond the roles society traditionally expected of women in the 1960s. One prompt from religion professor Mary Faith Carson asked students to consider the lives they expected to lead and posed a simple question: “Is this then enough?”

“That has been my mantra, I think, probably the rest of my life,” Graham said. For her, the answer was not simply to fulfill what was expected, but to consider what she could do best and how she could continue moving forward.

Graham was still unsure exactly what she wanted to do after continuing her education in mathematics when another mentor suggested she apply for a programming role connected to the Apollo program. She had never taken a computer science course, but IBM trained her to program, and she became one of roughly 30 women among 600 programmers working there at the time.

For Graham, the Apollo missions reinforced the value of contributing to something larger than oneself. “You have to be a part of the team that makes it happen,” she said. “And every part matters.”

Her career continued to evolve after the Apollo missions. Following a move to Tullahoma, Tennessee, Graham worked in technology before spending decades teaching computer science and mathematics. “I didn’t have to change what I know,” she said. “I had to change what I did with it.”

That willingness to adapt has carried Graham through technology’s tremendous advances, from mainframe computers to personal devices and now artificial intelligence. She and Book agreed that each generation faces change, and the challenge is to understand new technology, use it thoughtfully and continue learning.

As the first Queens alumna featured on “�鶹��Ƶ Beyond the Bricks,” Graham sees a similar opportunity in the future of Queens and �鶹��Ƶ. She hopes the institutions continue educating what she calls the “whole person” by giving students opportunities to look beyond a single field, see how disciplines relate to one another and develop a lifelong desire to learn.

Graham believes that breadth helped carry her from Queens to IBM. Mathematics gave her technical knowledge, but art, culture and the liberal arts taught her to communicate and approach problems from different perspectives — skills she believes mattered on a team attempting something that had never been done.

“They were trying to get to the moon,” Graham said. “They wanted a team that could think outside the box.”

Learn more about “�鶹��Ƶ Beyond the Bricks.”

Kat Wallace ’05 has turned her car into a moving message across Jacksonville, Florida. At red lights, in parking lots and in drive-thru lines, it gives strangers a chance to learn about kidney disease and living donation without forcing Wallace to make a direct request she has never felt comfortable making.

“I work better when I kind of throw the idea out there, let people consider it and mull it over themselves,” Wallace said. “I hope that it reaches someone who really feels a calling to donate a kidney, whether it’s to me or someone else.”

The message eventually reached Crystal Moyer ’11, a First Coast News journalist and fellow �鶹��Ƶ alumna. Moyer saw Wallace’s story on social media while she was at work and recognized a personal appeal that could also open a wider conversation about kidney disease and organ donation.

Neither initially realized how much history they already shared. The two had met years earlier at an �鶹��Ƶ alumni event in Jacksonville. They rediscovered that connection while reporting the story.

“It gave me a sense of community knowing that I’m not only trying to help her but also extending that conversation out to people here in Jacksonville and, if the story gets out digitally, to everyone,” Moyer said.

For Wallace, the search began with routine blood work in November 2020. The next day, her doctor told her to go immediately to the emergency room. She had not felt well, but she had no idea how serious the problem had become. After a week in the hospital, she left with a kidney-failure diagnosis, a catheter and an urgent start to peritoneal dialysis.

Dialysis has reshaped her days. Wallace says she connects to a cycler for 13 hours each night and completes another manual treatment during the day. Before her diagnosis, she worked as a special education teacher. The demands of treatment forced her to leave the classroom and made traveling to see family difficult.

Wallace was adopted when she was two days old and does not know any blood relatives who could potentially be a close match. She is on the transplant list, but her care team also stressed the benefits of finding a living donor. According to the National Kidney Foundation, a kidney from a living donor may last longer and is more likely to begin working immediately than one from a deceased donor. A donor does not have to be a direct match; paired donation can connect incompatible donor-recipient pairs so each recipient receives a compatible kidney.

The scale of the need extends far beyond one car window. The American Kidney Fund reports that about 131,000 Americans were newly diagnosed with kidney failure in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, and more than 90,000 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list.

Wallace’s approach began with writing on her car, a social media page and cards explaining her story. Because handing a card directly to someone still felt too much like asking for a kidney, she began leaving the cards with small rubber ducks or positive messages, hoping the objects would catch someone’s attention and encourage that person to read, share or begin the donor-screening process.

The reactions have often been unexpected. A woman in the Starbucks line behind Wallace bought her coffee and wished her luck. Another stranger approached her in a parking lot, asked to pray with her and shared that someone in her family had also experienced kidney disease. Drivers have honked, rolled down their windows and asked questions about the writing on her car.

“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me,” Wallace said. “I want them to feel inspired to take action.”

That attitude guided Moyer’s reporting. Rather than treating Wallace only as someone waiting for help, Moyer followed the way Wallace had chosen to advocate for herself. She let Wallace steer the conversation and explain what dialysis looked like, why asking felt uncomfortable and what she hoped her campaign could do for other people.

“She’s advocating for herself in a way that she feels comfortable,” Moyer said. “To see Kat doing this for something so important and starting a conversation through it, that really inspired me.”

Moyer’s First Coast News report aired Sept. 3. Soon afterward, viewers began asking how donor testing works and what they could do even if their blood type did not match Wallace’s. One message carried a different kind of impact. A woman in Lake City, Florida, who had just begun dialysis and the transplant process told Wallace she did not have a support system and asked if they could talk.

Wallace responded. The search for her own kidney had already helped someone else feel less alone.

She is also planning for what comes after a transplant. When her father experienced a stroke in late 2024 and entered rehabilitation, Wallace learned about recreational therapy. She is now enrolled in a program to become a certified recreational therapist, preparing to return to work centered on helping others when her health allows.

The connection to �鶹��Ƶ has continued to widen the audience. Members of the Jacksonville �鶹��Ƶ Alumni Network shared Moyer’s report, and Wallace hopes alumni will keep passing it through their own communities. Wallace, originally from Maryland, also met her husband, Chris, through their shared �鶹��Ƶ connection. They graduated a semester apart, and nearly two decades later, �鶹��Ƶ remains part of the network supporting their family.

“�鶹��Ƶ has such a vast network, not just nationally, but internationally,” Moyer said. “Maybe some people who see it at �鶹��Ƶ will spread it to their groups. We just want this to get out as far as possible.”

Wallace said every share matters because no one can know which person, group or conversation might lead to a match. The same act could also reach another person living with kidney failure, introduce someone to living donation or remind a patient that support exists.

When asked what the �鶹��Ƶ community would have done if its reach ultimately helped bring her to a transplant, Wallace paused.

“You saved my life,” she said. “Every single person who took two seconds to share that story or pass it along took part in saving my life. It’s a lifetime of appreciation.”

Learn more and help share Kat Wallace’s story

Read to learn about her story, living donation and the confidential donor-screening process; watch and read about Wallace’s car-window campaign; and find updates through .

A five-minute clock was counting down. Fallon’s challenge was to lift Thor’s hammer before time ran out. MrBeast watched from outside the box, and Chris Hemsworth arrived as Thor to smash the glass and save the day.

The setup was ridiculous by design. Dyer and his team had started with a simple question: What kind of challenge could bring together MrBeast’s oversized videos, Hemsworth’s history as Thor and Fallon’s willingness to play along?

For Dyer, the segment worked because it did more than copy something popular online. It gave “The Tonight Show” its own way into the joke.

“We never really did trendy content just because everyone else was doing it,” Dyer said. “What is our spin on it? What is our story? How can we subvert people’s expectations?”

Dyer has been asking versions of those questions since his time at �鶹��Ƶ. He arrived on campus already interested in broadcast, having focused his college search on communications programs. As a broadcast and new media major, he learned how an idea moved from a script to a finished piece.

Professors Staci Saltz and Thomas Nelson gave him room to work across writing, videography, photography, editing and directing. In the studio and in the field, he learned how to build a project “soup to nuts.”

“They really allowed me to flex my creative muscles,” Dyer said. “I learned all aspects of media production and strategy. That was pretty formative for me.”

He graduated in 2011 as digital video was beginning to change the television business. Dyer started in digital operations at TV Land, then moved to Comedy Central, producing online content for programs including “South Park,” “Key & Peele” and “Nathan For You.”

The platforms were still developing their identities as places to watch video, which gave Dyer room to test ideas and learn what worked. He credits his early progress to an eagerness to take on assignments beyond his job description.

“I never said no to an opportunity,” Dyer said. “I had a drive to continue to push the envelope, learn more and become better every day.”

In 2015, he joined the team building the digital presence of “The Daily Show” as Trevor Noah became host. The group had the chance to establish a new voice, try original formats and respond to the news with the speed of an online newsroom.

One of those formats was “Between the Scenes,” which captured Noah talking with the studio audience during commercial breaks. Dyer helped launch and produce the digital series, and the team won a 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Award for outstanding short-form variety series.

The series grew from a culture in which writers, producers, correspondents and members of the digital team could all shape an idea. Dyer remembers Trevor Noah telling the staff that a good idea could come from anyone, whether it came from an intern, a writer or a producer.

“A great idea really can come from anywhere and anyone,” Dyer said. “Share, bounce things off each other and engage with your team. Through collaboration, the best ideas will come.”

That lesson followed him to “The Tonight Show” in 2021. Dyer joined as head of digital while the show was still navigating pandemic-era production and remote guests. As performers and live audiences returned to Studio 6B, he began expanding the show’s digital originals, videos made specifically for people watching online rather than repackaged television clips.

His team worked with nearly every part of the show. They collaborated with writers, segment producers, talent bookers, NBC press, marketing, and the larger staff and crew at the show to turn an appearance into something that could connect beyond the television broadcast.

Dyer approached each idea “fan first.” Before the cameras rolled, he wanted the team to understand the audience, the guest and the platform where the video would land. A TikTok video should feel natural on TikTok, he said, but it should still sound and look like “The Tonight Show.”

During Dyer’s tenure, he said, the show’s following across digital platforms grew from just over 50 million to more than 100 million. The show generated 50 billion views during his five years there. He points to those numbers as a team accomplishment, shared by Fallon and the people working across the production.

Leading that growth also changed how Dyer viewed his own role. He began paying closer attention to what each person on his team could become instead of limiting people to the jobs they had been hired to do. Delegating decisions and tasks gave younger producers room to grow and freed him to keep learning.

By the time he left the show in February 2026, Dyer felt confident that the team could continue without him. That made the timing right for another shift.

He joined Ampersand, the production company founded by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, as head of digital programming and development. The move has taken him from building digital extensions of established television programs to developing series from their earliest ideas. His current work includes “Celebrity Substitute”, a YouTube series where some of the world’s most recognizable stars step in as teachers for unsuspecting public school students.

Dyer sees that move as part of television’s future. A series no longer needs to begin with a network time slot and find an online audience later. It can start on YouTube and reach viewers directly, without asking them to change their habits.

“A show is only good if people watch it,” Dyer said. “I want to meet people where they already are.”

The screens and platforms keep changing. His reason for making the work has remained simple: to give people something that brings them joy or laughter.

For �鶹��Ƶ students hoping to enter the industry, Dyer’s advice is equally direct. Do not wait for perfect equipment, the perfect idea or the most recognizable company name. He remembers carrying a BlackBerry as a student; today, students have a 4K camera in their pockets and an immediate way to share what they make.

“Just start making things,” Dyer said. “Start creating. You’ve got to start somewhere. Make things that you’re passionate about, and let your passion guide you.”

“I was ashamed. I was embarrassed. I kept everything to myself,” Henze said.

In May 2023, a call that appeared to come from the Wells Fargo fraud department set off a three-week scheme. The people on the phone claimed Henze’s identity had been tied to money laundering, then posed as federal officials offering to help. They sent badges, letters and other documents that looked real.

By the time Henze understood what was happening, the scammers had emptied her savings, retirement and investment accounts, maxed out her credit cards and stolen more than $250,000.

Henze now speaks openly about the scam, works with groups that support financial education and talks with other victims. She is also an education and outreach specialist at ‘storytelling with data,’ where she builds partnerships and programs for students and educators.

Her �鶹��Ƶ experience still shows up in that work. Henze majored in human service studies, joined the Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows program and still calls mentors she met on campus. She recently spoke with Today at �鶹��Ƶ about the path from Menlo Park, California, to �鶹��Ƶ, the career she built after graduation and why telling the hardest part of her story has become part of her recovery.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: You grew up in Menlo Park, California. What brought you across the country to �鶹��Ƶ, and what shaped your experience once you arrived?

A: I was looking at smaller liberal arts colleges, but I wasn’t necessarily looking to go far from home. A neighbor who had moved from North Carolina told us she had heard �鶹��Ƶ was a great school. My mom and I visited during my junior year of high school, and I immediately fell in love with it. There was a particular energy I had not felt on other campuses. The tour, eating in the dining hall, seeing a residence hall and meeting students all felt thoughtful and welcoming. I knew pretty quickly that �鶹��Ƶ was the right choice for me.

I majored in human service studies with minors in business administration and leadership studies. I was also an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow and served on New Student Orientation Head Staff.

Two mentors stand out. Professor Chris Leupold taught my first psychology class, which was also my first class at �鶹��Ƶ. I took several more classes with him, and we still talk frequently. He has been a mentor throughout my career. Rex Waters, former dean of student development and led the Leadership Fellows program, was also tremendously influential.

�鶹��Ƶ gave me more than book learning. Leadership, communication and long-term professional development were built into the experience, and that has stayed with me.

Q: How did those experiences guide the career you built after graduating in 2012?

A: �鶹��Ƶ Career Services connected me with SPX Corporation at a career fair. I joined its human resources rotational program in Charlotte in June 2012, one month after graduating.

Human resources brought together the things I cared about in psychology, social work and human services with the business side of an organization. After several years in HR, I moved into organizational effectiveness, change management and strategy work. In 2023, I started my own consulting business and worked with nonprofits, small businesses and universities. One of my favorite projects brought me back to �鶹��Ƶ to work alongside the university’s Human Resources team.

Today, I work for ‘storytelling with data,’ where I build education partnerships and programs. Leadership Fellows helped me develop the curiosity and entrepreneurial mindset I still use to understand what people need, create a solution, try it and adjust when it does not work the first time.

Q: What happened in May 2023, and what helped you decide to share it publicly?

A: It started with a phone call. My caller ID said “Wells Fargo Fraud,” and I banked with Wells Fargo, so I answered. The caller told me there was suspicious activity connected to my account and that the transfers were tied to money laundering. Then I was transferred to someone who claimed to be with the Federal Trade Commission.

I panicked. I thought someone had stolen my Social Security number and that I could be blamed for a crime. Over the next three weeks, the scammers walked me through gift-card purchases, wire transfers and bitcoin transactions. They told me I was securing my money. In reality, I emptied my bank accounts, my 401(k) and my investment accounts. I also maxed out my credit cards.

It is easy to look back and ask why anyone would do those things. In the moment, these people knew how to keep me afraid and earn my trust. They already had personal information about me. When I questioned them, they sent what looked like official badges and signed letters. Every skeptical question had a believable answer.

They stole more than $250,000. That money represented years of work. I had been saving since I started working as a teenager, and I began contributing to my 401(k) as soon as I got my first job after �鶹��Ƶ.

At first, I did not tell people because I felt ashamed and embarrassed. Part of healing was accepting that it was not my fault. I cannot change what happened, but I can share what I learned. If my story helps one person pause before acting, or helps another victim feel less alone, then speaking about it matters.

Q: What do people misunderstand about scams like this, and what have you learned from other victims?

A: People still picture an obvious phishing email or a call that sounds suspicious right away. Those scams exist, but criminals can also spoof a familiar phone number, find personal information online and create documents that look legitimate. They create urgency because panic makes it harder to slow down and question what you are hearing.

Since I began sharing my story, people have contacted me about their own experiences. Some lost $500. Others lost $5,000 or much more. The amounts are different, but the shame and isolation can feel the same.

Those conversations have helped me heal. I have also spoken with Wisconsin law enforcement officers about how they can support fraud victims and volunteered with SecureFutures, a Milwaukee nonprofit that teaches financial skills to young people. Knowing that I might help someone recognize a scam or simply remind a victim that they are not alone brings me a lot of joy.

Q: What changes would you like to see for people recovering from fraud?

A: Victims need practical support right away. I was employed and still had a mortgage, bills and groceries to pay after losing everything. Friends and family helped me, but not everyone has that kind of support system.

I would also like to see a simpler reporting process. I had to repeat my story and submit the same documents about seven times to different agencies. Each report took hours, and each retelling brought me back into the trauma. I understand that agencies have different responsibilities. I still hope they can make the process easier for people who are already overwhelmed.

Q: What can readers do now to protect themselves?

A: First, slow down. Scammers want you to panic and act before you talk to anyone else. Caller ID is not proof of who is calling. Hang up, then contact the bank, company or government agency through its official app, website or the number on the back of your card. Talk with someone you trust before moving money or sharing information. A bank or government agency will not tell you to buy gift cards or move money to “protect” it.

Use a strong, different password for each account and turn on multifactor authentication wherever it is offered. Never give an unexpected caller a verification code. I also encourage people to request an IRS Identity Protection PIN, which adds protection against someone filing a federal tax return with your Social Security number.

A few extra minutes can prevent years of stress and recovery.

Q: What do you want current �鶹��Ƶ students and recent graduates to carry with them?

A: Life is not always going to follow your plan. Challenges will come, and you get to decide what you do with them. You can learn, build resilience and use what happened to help other people.

There is a Latin phrase I live by now: amor fati, or “love of fate.” To me, it means trusting that whatever life brings can shape what comes next. You cannot control everything that happens to you. You can control how you respond.

People who experience identity theft can report it and build a recovery plan at . The Federal Trade Commission accepts fraud reports at , and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center accepts reports at . The IRS explains how to request an . Learn more about teen financial education and volunteer opportunities at . Henze also created a with additional information for protecting yourself and responding to fraud.

Three �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles area alumnae attended the world premiere of their grant-funded films at the sold-out inaugural �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Festival at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

Julie Boyd ’15, Bex Evans ’16 and Mirai ’07 were recipients of $3,000 each through the 2025-26 �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles Alumni Short Film Grant Competition last fall.

Grant recipients were selected through a review and ranking process by a selection committee comprised of industry leaders, including several �鶹��Ƶ alumni. The selection committee was co-chaired by Jordan Roman ’15.

To view photos from the festival, .

Production of the three short films – Boyd’s “The Life and Times of,” Evans’s “Shadow Dusk” and Mirai’s “#StopAsianKate” – took place in the spring and included opportunities for spring 2026 �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles students to participate in and observe the production process.

In addition to the screenings of the three films, the festival included a panel discussion with �鶹��Ƶ alumni Lindsey Emerson, vice president of streaming, global strategy & operations at Paramount Skydance and Alex Stevenson, account lead at Creative Artists Agency. They each offered perspective and advice to both current students and alumni about creating job opportunities and career growth in a shifting industry landscape.

A meet-and–connect reception on one of the studio’s back lot streets followed the festival screening program.

Unique alumni engagement opportunities for �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles students are at the core of the �鶹��Ƶ Los Angeles experience. Based in the heart of historic Hollywood, applications are now being accepted for students to participate in the spring 2027 and National Campus Programs Los Angeles experience that also features specific LA-focused academic courses, site-based internships and community service.

In fact, he spent much of his college search focused on a different path. But after encouragement from an aunt who worked in higher education, Cooper visited �鶹��Ƶ and quickly realized he had discovered something he hadn’t expected.

“It was far greater than what I wanted,” Cooper said. “I thought I knew what was best for me, but �鶹��Ƶ introduced me to possibilities that were completely outside my scope of understanding.”

More than two decades later, that willingness to embrace the unexpected has taken Cooper around the world. The broadcast communications graduate has built a career as a vocal coach, creative strategist and entrepreneur, working alongside artists such as Beyoncé, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Jon Batiste and Kehlani. Today, he coaches performers on Broadway productions around the globe, advises international entertainment companies and leads several ventures focused on artist development and creative strategy.

Yet Cooper believes the foundation for that success began in the classrooms of �鶹��Ƶ.

As a broadcast communications major with minors in business and Japanese, Cooper immersed himself in disciplines that challenged him to think differently. He originally planned to move to Japan after graduation, becoming fluent in the language and preparing for an international teaching opportunity. Although those plans never surfaced, the experience shaped the way he approached the world.

“Language gave me the confidence to speak to anyone from any culture,” Cooper said. “Business taught me how to navigate opportunities and communications taught me how to articulate my thoughts. Those three things changed my life.”

Cooper often found himself as the only African American student in many of his classes. Rather than seeing that as a limitation, he credits professors with pushing him to develop his voice and perspective.

“They would ask me, ‘Nick, what’s your perspective?'” he said. “What they didn’t know was they were helping me build resilience and teaching me how to articulate who I was.”

Those conversations became some of the most important lessons of his college experience.

“It wasn’t about what I knew,” Cooper said. “It was about learning how to communicate with people who didn’t necessarily think like me.”

Outside the classroom, �鶹��Ƶ’s emphasis on hands-on learning provided opportunities to put those skills into practice. Cooper hosted programming on ESTV and explored interests in media, performance and leadership while developing the communication skills that would later become central to his career.

“�鶹��Ƶ gave me an agnostic toolbox,” Cooper said. “It prepared me to go into any room and communicate effectively. More importantly, it taught me how to write. There’s nothing I can’t write.”

After graduation, Cooper entered the entertainment industry, initially pursuing opportunities as a performer and creative professional. Over time, he discovered a talent for helping artists unlock their potential, leading him into vocal coaching and artist development.

His client list eventually grew to include some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. However, Cooper said his defining career moment had nothing to do with celebrities.

“The breakthrough wasn’t working with famous people,” he said. “The breakthrough was looking in the mirror and knowing who I was.”

That lesson became especially important when he was first asked to work with Beyoncé. Before the session, Cooper was warned that she would quickly decide whether he was the right fit. Instead of feeling intimidated, he focused on what he could offer.

“She didn’t show up for me to cower in front of her,” Cooper said. “She showed up because I had something that could help her.”

That mindset has guided his career ever since.

Whether coaching Grammy-winning artists, mentoring Broadway performers or advising global entertainment organizations, Cooper approaches every relationship the same way: helping people discover what they are capable of becoming.

Among those he has worked closely with is Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician Jon Batiste. Cooper describes their relationship as one built not only on music, but on personal growth and purpose.

“It starts as music,” Cooper said. “Then it becomes a lesson in life, a lesson in business and eventually a friendship.”

Today, Cooper continues expanding that philosophy through multiple ventures, including Creative Village, a mentorship and development platform designed to provide emerging artists with access to the same guidance and resources often reserved for industry insiders.

“I wanted to create opportunities for people who wouldn’t normally have access to them,” Cooper said. “My goal is to help people maximize their potential while they’re alive.”

As he reflects on his journey, Cooper sees a direct connection between the uncertainty he experienced as a student and the success he enjoys today.

“There were many times at �鶹��Ƶ when I didn’t know what was next,” he said. “But that uncertainty forced me to develop curiosity.”

For Cooper, curiosity remains one of the most valuable traits a person can cultivate.

“When I look back at �鶹��Ƶ, it created the framework for my success,” he said. “More importantly, it created the curiosity that still drives everything I do.”

For current students hoping to build careers of their own, Cooper offers simple advice: don’t wait for someone else to validate your potential.

“Don’t wait for the world to say yes to what you can say yes to first,” he said.

Although she was initially drawn to acting, she came to understand that a fulfilling career doesn’t have to follow a single path.

“I intentionally explored different paths to discover where my skills could have the greatest impact. My journey has included talent management, radio, entertainment journalism, event production, casting and acting,” said Austin.

In a way, �鶹��Ƶ found her. Alumnus Royall Spence ’42 (for whom Spence Pavilion is named) was a beloved member of Austin’s extended family and is the real reason she looked into the school.

“He always spoke so fondly of his experience at �鶹��Ƶ and that was why it was one of the first schools I seriously considered,” she said.

The Raleigh native pictured herself at a smaller university where she could get to know her classmates and feel connected. She explained. “When I visited �鶹��Ƶ, it just felt right. It had the close-knit community I was looking for, along with strong academics and opportunities to get involved from day one.”

She was torn between two passions, communications and theatre, but �鶹��Ƶ had strong programs for both. After touring the facilities and speaking with faculty, she knew �鶹��Ƶ was the place for her.

As a student, Austin majored in media arts and entertainment with a focus on broadcast journalism, and she minored in theatre arts. Outside of the classroom, she hosted a radio show on WSOE 89.3, �鶹��Ƶ’s student-run radio station. She also hosted two television shows and participated in �鶹��Ƶ in LA, studied abroad in London and immersed herself in other opportunities that allowed her to tell stories and connect with people.

“One of my favorite parts of WSOE was finding and booking guests to interview. I’d track people down on Facebook and through other creative channels, and more often than not, they were happy to help a student journalist,” she said.

One opportunity at �鶹��Ƶ that greatly impacted Austin’s career was her experience with �鶹��Ƶ in LA. She credits this program with introducing her to new places, perspectives, and for giving her the confidence to pursue an entertainment career.

“During the program, I interned with a talent management company representing film and television actors. Through that experience, I visited production sets, attended industry meetings and got a firsthand look at how Hollywood operates. For someone who had dreamed about working in entertainment since childhood, it was eye-opening,” said Austin.

Following graduation, she moved to Los Angeles almost immediately to build her career.

“Like many young people pursuing creative industries, I took a variety of jobs while figuring out where I fit best. Each experience taught me something valuable and ultimately helped shape the career I’ve built,” she explained.

She started her career working behind the scenes at press junkets for major studio films and eventually transitioned from helping reporters to becoming one herself. Later, she joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars. There she worked on screenings, events and public programming, and she attended Academy Award ceremonies.

In 2020, she returned to the Southeast to be closer to family and to pursue opportunities in the region’s rapidly growing entertainment industry.

“I joined Fincannon & Associates Casting, where I worked on projects including ‘Outer Banks’, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’, ‘The Righteous Gemstones’, ‘The Walking Dead’ and other major productions filming throughout the Southeast,” said Austin.

One of her favorite memories from her work was her first major press junket interview with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

“During the introduction, the production assistant announced me as ‘Jenny Austin from CBS Sacramento,’ and Will Ferrell immediately joked, ‘Jenny Sacramento from Austin.’ It instantly broke the ice and put my nerves at ease. Moments like that reminded me that even some of the biggest stars in the world are often just people having fun,” Austin said.

She’s also interviewed other big-name celebrities, like Zoe Saldana, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Chris Evans and Shay Mitchell.

Most recently, she took on a new endeavor, launching an interview platform highlighting entertainment professionals in the Southeast alongside her friend and former Fincannon & Associates colleague, Kimberly Wistedt. They’ve titled the platform . While it’s still a new project and they’ve already landed some big interviews with celebrities, such as rapper T.I., they are hopeful for what the future holds.

Austin speaks fondly of the variety of work she’s been able to do, but she says that the most rewarding part of her journey has been the relationships she has made. Some of her closest friends today are people she met at �鶹��Ƶ, and professionally, relationships have been equally important to her growth.

“Nearly every major opportunity I’ve had, from entertainment reporting and casting to launching The Peach Tea, has come through connections, mentorships and friendships developed over time,” she explained.

She credits �鶹��Ƶ’s experiential learning opportunities for giving her the practical experience, confidence and willingness to take risks and build these relationships.

“�鶹��Ƶ in LA was the first time I realized that all of these jobs I’d dreamed about were held by real people, and that maybe one day I could be one of them,” she said.

It also gave her the confidence she needed to go after her dreams. The challenge, she said, was “realizing that I didn’t have to fit into one neat box. I could be an actress, a reporter, a casting professional, a filmmaker and an entrepreneur all at the same time. Once I stopped trying to force myself into a single lane, my career started making a lot more sense. Sometimes your path only makes sense when you look back and connect the dots.”

Austin encourages �鶹��Ƶ students to find what makes them happy and pursue it wholeheartedly, and to pay attention to the people who light up when good things happen for you, saying that these are the relationships that are most special.

“That’s what I love most about �鶹��Ƶ. It encourages students to explore broadly, take chances and embrace experiences that may not seem connected at the time,” she said. “Looking back, those experiences ended up creating my story. My career hasn’t followed a straight line, but every experience has led to the next, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I was in this place of, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?'” she said.

She remembers a moment of doubt during her final year when Professor Emeritus Rich Landesberg provided the “tough love” she needed to move forward.

“He kept saying, ‘Just pick. You’re going to be fine. No matter what, you’re going to land on your feet.’ I really needed that at the time,” Polk said.

That foundation was built primarily within the School of Communications, where Polk, a broadcast communications major, found a safe space to test her leadership skills. She points to a producing class taught by Assistant Professor Ray Johnson as a key turning point where the details of the profession finally clicked. Johnson tasked her with being the executive producer for the class, a role that involved managing her peers and overseeing a project from concept to delivery.

“It was so much work, but I loved it,” she said. “You just realize how many people are leaning on you.”

She credits Johnson’s ability to “put on a show” in the classroom as a major inspiration for her own leadership style, teaching her that engagement and enthusiasm are just as important as technical skills.

“He was so good at his job… I think about him often,” she said.

Upon graduation, Polk’s preparation was put to the test when she was accepted into the prestigious NBC Page Program in New York City. Moving from the college environment of �鶹��Ƶ to the fast-paced world of NBC required a quick adjustment. She rotated through high-stakes assignments, including “The Today Show,” the US Open, and Syfy publicity, a journey that required her to adapt to a more rigorous schedule, one that demanded the fundamental discipline of the network.

“I used to be a very late person,” she admitted. “But I got it out of my system because of the Page Program. �鶹��Ƶ prepared me for the presence, how to present yourself well and dress the part, but the Page Program taught me the discipline.”

Her trajectory eventually led her to Los Angeles and the Hallmark Channel for 12 years, where she rose to the position of vice president of development and programming. In this role, she oversaw the production of up to 30 projects annually, yet she never lost sight of the “human-centric” focus she cultivated at �鶹��Ƶ. Polk made it a priority to increase diversity and inclusion within the network’s programming, working to amplify diverse voices to ensure that Hallmark’s signature films reflected a broader range of the human experience. She describes herself as a kindness-first connector, a philosophy that has allowed her to attract top-tier talent and build lasting relationships with writers and agents across the industry.

Now, as she leads Simply Believe Creative, Polk is focused on catalyzing original romantic comedies and holiday films for the modern streaming market. Even from her home in California, she remains deeply connected to the campus where her journey began. She notes with a smile that she still sees familiar faces in the �鶹��Ƶ news, including former classmates who have returned to the university in leadership roles.

Her advice to the next generation of Phoenix is a reflection of her own resilient path.

“Go after the things that scare you and push right through the fear to do them anyway,” she said.

“Take on as many projects as you can, but do them to the absolute best of your ability. Stay curious… the yeses always come,” she said.

Do you know an alum who has an interesting story to tell? Please feel free to share your feedback or those stories online:

As Sofia Galazzi ’19 first navigated her university opportunities, she was looking for a place where she wouldn’t just be a number. Coming from the vibrant city of Piacenza, where she spent the first two years of her dual-degree program at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, the oaks of North Carolina offered exactly the cozy environment she needed.

“I was looking for a place where I could feel welcomed,” she said. “I loved the fact that �鶹��Ƶ was smaller. I thought the engagement with the students and the professors would be higher. I really wanted to be taken care of during the time I was going to spend there.”

That personal attention quickly translated into a professional advantage. While European universities often focus heavily on traditional exams and theory, Galazzi found that �鶹��Ƶ’s college culture was obsessed with the world of work. She spent her days doing weekly assignments, leading group projects, and standing up in front of her peers to deliver presentations; aspects she said shaped her personality as much as her resume.

“The university really prepares you,” she said. “Doing those presentations and working with other people gave me the confidence to stand up and speak in front of others. In Europe, it’s mostly just you and the book. At �鶹��Ƶ, it’s about the people.”

After graduating in 2019, Galazzi’s path took her into the high-fashion world of Milan. She spent nearly four years working in merchandising and data analysis for luxury giants Gucci and Zegna, where she managed KPIs and sales planning. But even as she navigated the private sector, she felt a pull toward public service. She eventually made the pivot to Brussels, joining the European Commission through its prestigious “Blue Book” traineeship program before rising to her current role as a Budget Officer.

Today, Galazzi works within the Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG). Her daily life involves defining and implementing the annual EU budget, a role that requires her to work across different languages, cultures and legal systems.

“The European Commission is a very international environment,” Galazzi said. “Coming from a dual degree, where I was already used to moving countries and adapting to new environments, it was much easier for me to step into this role. �鶹��Ƶ’s global community prepared me to work with people from all over the world.”

Despite the high-stakes nature of her work in Brussels, Galazzi remains a major advocate for the �鶹��Ƶ network. She is particularly passionate about encouraging current students to look beyond the U.S. and Italy for opportunities. She notes that the European Commission offers a massive traineeship program twice a year. While it’s mostly for EU citizens, there are spots specifically reserved for non-EU nationals, including Americans.

“I don’t think Americans know very well how the European Union works, and Europeans don’t always know how the U.S. works,” she said. “If someone has ambitions in the public sector or political affairs, this is such a good opportunity to bridge that gap.”

When reflecting on why �鶹��Ƶ alumni seem to thrive in these high-pressure global roles, Galazzi points back to that initial cozy feeling. She believes that because �鶹��Ƶ makes students feel like they belong, they leave campus with the confidence to take on big responsibilities early.

Her advice for the next generation of Phoenix, especially those currently navigating the Dual Degree program, is to lean into the discomfort of being in a new place.

“Get to know the people and the culture as much as you can,” she said. “Don’t just stick with people from your own country. If I could go back to my 18-year-old self, I’d tell her: don’t be afraid. Everything will work out if you stay curious.”

Doug Williams ’13 has a specific rule about writing news copy: You can only use the phrase “only time will tell” if your story is about clocks. It’s a piece of advice he received from Professor Emeritus Richard Landesberg, and he uses it subconsciously every morning behind the anchor desk for CBS New York.

Whether he is recapping a local strike or reporting from a war zone, those lessons from his professors remain the backbone of his daily scripts.

“I realistically use those teachings with every single script I write,” Williams said. “Everything is copy. Everyone has a story.”

Anthony Hatcher, professor of journalism and chair of the Journalism Department, vividly remembers that drive.

“Several things stood out about Doug when he was my student,” Hatcher said. “He was naturally curious and asked good questions. He was also smart and a go-getter. When he was assigned stories in my Media Writing class, he had an instinct for finding people… and getting good quotes.”

For many, the Jane and Brian Williams Studio in McEwen is a landmark of the university’s state-of-the-art facilities. For Doug, it is a reminder of why his parents “bought into” the �鶹��Ƶ experience. Though neither attended the university, they were impressed by the real-world training Doug received as a broadcast journalism major. They were blown away that he was already writing, shooting and editing as an undergraduate.

“I think the ‘legacy’ was made possible by the professors I learned from and the education I left with,” Williams said. “It was a way for my parents to express their gratitude for that, while paying it forward”.

Hatcher notes that Williams’ composure was evident even during a study abroad trip.

“He has a calm demeanor that sets other people at ease,” Hatcher said. “When he traveled with me on a Winter Term study abroad, I never worried about him getting left behind. He absorbed the material quickly and made the most of his time.”

Initially, Williams believed his future was set in stone; in a 2017 interview, he intending to stick strictly to sports. However, after seven years at SNY, a period he describes as “magic,” he began to feel the risk of becoming too comfortable.

Following the advice of his mentor and former boss, Curt Gowdy Jr., Williams decided to diversify his skillset. The transition was a “humbling leap” that didn’t immediately lead to a new desk. Williams spent a year navigating the “crickets” of the job market, an experience that forced him to build his networking muscle from scratch.

During this time, he embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, taking overnight shifts and freelancing for MLB Network Radio, CBS Sports Radio and WFAN. He credits these grueling live radio sessions with making his current TV ad-libbing feel easy by comparison.

Since starting at CBS New York in January 2023, Williams has found a new sense of purpose in local journalism. While he traded clubhouse interviews for the unpredictable world of breaking news, the move was put to its highest test in late 2023 when he spent . This assignment remains his most challenging to date, leaving him with a profound perspective on his own luck and a professional hope to be called for such vital reporting again.

Today, the “magic” of his career has evolved from the baseball diamond to the grit of the morning news cycle. He now reports on high-stakes human interest stories, from the to sensitive criminal investigations.

“The job shatters the walls of your comfort zone every day,” Williams said, noting that the lack of routine is exactly what he now loves about the role.

Professor Hatcher, a print journalist by trade, isn’t surprised by Doug’s success in the transition.

“I stress accuracy, context, fairness, self-editing, and completeness… I’m not surprised Doug puts those qualities into practice as he writes news copy, primarily because he’s a consummate professional.”

While his professional excellence is expected, Williams continues to surprise the industry through his dedication to his alma mater. Hatcher emphasizes that Williams’ willingness to mentor current students and network with majors has a “huge impact on elevating the Journalism Department.”

Throughout his rise in the New York market, Williams has navigated the unique pressure that comes with a famous last name. It was a challenge his parents prepared him for early on, advising him that he would often have to “destroy assumptions” people might have about his path.

“People will assume you’re going to be a certain type of person before they meet you,” Williams said, echoing his parents’ guidance. “It’s up to you to surprise them.”

While he credits his family for that foundation, Doug has made that mission his own, focusing on his unique craft to ensure his work, not his name, defines his reputation in the newsroom.

Now a father to a one-year-old son, Williams’ current advice to students is focused on balance. He warns that while fun doesn’t disappear after graduation, it stops happening by accident.

“Fun is now something I have to put on my calendar,” he said.

Do you know an alum who has an interesting story to tell, maybe even yourself? Please feel free to share your feedback or those stories online: elon.edu/u/advancement/alumni-in-action-feedback/.