"24 in 2024" recognizes alumni from 糖心vlog官方入口app for their professional achievements beyond their academic journeys. This distinguished honor celebrates our alumni community for their creative influence within their industry, passion for their craft, and their connection to world around them. The "24 in 2024" honorees are free thinkers, problem solvers, go-getters and proud 糖心vlog官方入口app alumni. Watch exclusive interviews with some of the honorees on our YouTube channel below.
Creative careers start here.
Holly Amos received her MFA in Poetry at 糖心vlog官方入口app. Her first full-length poetry collection is Continual Guidance of Air. Her poems have been published in places including the Academy of American Poets, bath magg, Bennington Review, Poetry Review and Prairie Schooner. Her humor writing has appeared at The Belladonna, Little Old Lady Comedy, McSweeney's and more. Amos is currently the managing editor of Poetry Foundation.
Evrod Cassimy joined NBC 5 News in 2022. While he is originally from Rockford, Illinois, Cassimy is a Chicagoan where he graduated from 糖心vlog官方入口app with a BA degree in Television Broadcast Journalism. Cassimy started his career in journalism as an intern for NBC 5 under the mentorship of WMAQ alum Art Norman and Anna Davlantes.
Jess T. Dugan is an artist and writer whose work explores the complexities of personhood, relationships, desire, love, and family. While their practice is centered around photography, it also includes writing, video, sound, drawing and installation. Their work is regularly exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of over 60 museums. The Obama White House selected Dugan as an LGBT Artist Champion of Change.
Callie Hersheway is an American writer and producer. Hersheway is best known for her work on HBO's Emmy award winning series Succession, which earned her a WGA Award for Best Drama Series and the HBO Emmy award-winning series Veep, which earned her a WGA Award for Best Comedy Series. Her other production credits include Funny People, The Informant!, The Social Network, Eastbound & Down, Banshee and Set It Up.
Alexander Knox is a womenswear fashion designer based in New York with a career spanning over a decade. Knox began his career as a designer at Marc Jacobs in Manhattan. In 2015, Knox was hired at global fashion house Coach and is now Senior Designer of Women’s ready-to-wear. Knox also designs the ready-to-wear for Coachtopia, which is a collaborative lab for innovation within Coach.
Elizabeth Moss, MS is a scientific illustrator who freelances under their studio name, E Moss Illustration. Moss has a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Biology from 糖心vlog官方入口app. Their portfolio consists of digital and traditional media, with work ranging from scientific diagrams to elaborate skeleton illustrations with flowers. They have contributed graphics to multiple scientific journal publications, including a cover illustration for the American Journal of Bioethics. Watch Elizabeth Moss's .
Brittany Rodgers is a Multicultural PR & Communications Director for Warner Bros TV Group. Rodger’s career took off in Houston, where she served as an Assignment Desk Editor for CW 39 NewsFix and Fox 26 before making the leap to Los Angeles. Since then, Rodgers has explored the world of daytime court TV, public relations and communications for major companies including NBCUniversal, Anderson Group Public Relations and Allied Moxy.
Joseph Sikora is an award-winning American actor who studied acting at the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston, Illinois, and at 糖心vlog官方入口app where he received his BA degree in Theatre. Since 2014, Sikora has starred as “Tommy Egan” in the Power series (Power, Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book IV: Force). He also acted in Ozark, Chicago PD, and the animated series, Teenage Euthanasia.
Christian Sprenger is an award-winning cinematographer, producer, and director, widely praised for his unique visual style, and most well known for his defining long form work on FX’s Atlanta, HBOMax’s Station Eleven, and Amazon Studios’ Guava Island. His cinematography journey has garnered five Emmy nominations and three wins for Outstanding Cinematography and a 2023 ASC Award nomination. Most recently, Sprenger served as director, cinematographer and producer on the critically acclaimed Amazon Original series, Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Frank Waln is an award-winning Sicangu Lakota multi-genre music artist, public speaker and educator. He holds a BA in Audio Arts and Acoustics from 糖心vlog官方入口app. He has showcased his work at prominent venues such as the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Linden Museum in Germany and the Kennedy Center. Waln's role as a curator has left a lasting imprint, notably in his design of a captivating music interactive space within the Native American Exhibition Hall at the Field Museum in Chicago.
Miann Wilson is a production agent at William Morris Endeavor. Wilson specializes in television production and transitions multi-hyphenated talented clients to directing and creative producing. As an advocate for women and BIPOC people in BTL, she mentors minorities through the Reel Champions Women and BIPOC program and HRTS. Wilson believes you must be the change you want to see in the world.
Whitney Wetta landed an internship at Nickelodeon after college and never looked back. Wetta worked her way up from script coordinator to freelance writer to staff writer to now, co-head writer since joining The Loud House in 2014. Wetta won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in 2019, and she helped expand The Loud House franchise. Always intrigued by a challenge, in 2021, Wetta co-wrote The Loud House’s second feature film, No Time To Spy.
Ramon Alvarez-Smikle is the Executive Vice President, Head of Digital Marketing at Interscope Records, where he has spent nearly 8 years leading innovative digital marketing strategies across a diverse artist roster. As a seasoned music industry executive, Alvarez-Smikle has helped lead digital marketing campaigns for artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Playboi Carti, 6LACK, Juice WRLD, benny blanco and many more.
Mary Kate Ashe is an accessibility professional known for her expertise in design, artistry and event coordination. As the head of accessibility programs at SXSW/SXSW EDU and the Chicago International Film Festival, Ashe has spearheaded initiatives to enhance inclusivity and accessibility within the cultural and entertainment spheres. Her artistic academic foundation has empowered her to advocate for inclusive practices and develop innovative solutions for accessibility challenges.
Natalie Craig is a multifaceted influencer, content creator, copywriter and journalist with a global impact. With a passionate dedication to changing the narrative surrounding plus-size women in the fashion and beauty industries, she has become a powerful advocate for body positivity and inclusivity through her digital content. She leads the marketing editorial team at United Airlines and empowers creators with educational resources about building and monetizing online brands through her creative studio Affinity. Watch Natalie Craig's .
Lucas Gansmoe began his career in the entertainment industry as a page in the Paramount Pictures Page program. He began working full time at the company and currently still works at Paramount Global as the manager, emerging technology. In his role, Gansmoe has been instrumental in bringing several VR and MR projects to life, including the Grease Mixed Reality Experience, the Light as a Feather Mixed Reality experience, and A Quiet Place VR experience.
Kelsie Johnson is a multi-hyphenate creative earning her degrees in Contemporary and Popular Music, Fashion Business and Marketing at Columbia. After being signed to FOX Network & NuVoice Productions, Johnson’s credits as a singer-songwriter/producer include Coca-Cola, Empire, BET, & Toyota Corolla. Johnson has spoken for organizations including TEDX St.Louis, Chicago Public Schools and Harris Stowe State University; as she is now the Student Engagement Coach for the university’s Anheuser-Busch School of Business. Watch Kelsie Johnson's .
Kyra Lyons is a community-focused filmmaker. In 2022, Lyons developed a collaborative media education program in their hometown supported by IL Humanities teaching media-making skills to high school students. Following their time as a fellow and media maker for the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Lyons joined PBS Wisconsin as a history producer on the Wisconsin Hometown Stories series.
Mackenzie O’Connor is the Chief of Staff at the popular video shout-out website, Cameo. She has taken on multiple roles since starting as an intern at Cameo, having connected with the founders through Columbia’s affiliation with 1871, a Chicago-based tech incubator. Since graduating in multimedia journalism, O’Connor has worked in sales, marketing, and the product team at Cameo, and she credits her time at Columbia as her foundation of success in her career. Watch Mackenzie O'Connor's .
Marley Sherwood is an Emmy-nominated reporter, host and producer. She has a BFA in Broadcast Journalism from 糖心vlog官方入口app and is currently a host for CMT’s HOT 20 Countdown at Viacom. Her on-air talents have spanned across the pond as far as England, Ireland and Northern Ireland and back home to Nashville. Sherwood is a multi-talented journalist whose impressive career covers radio production, entertainment, print and on-air reporting.
JR Strickland is the owner of Nocturnal FX and a writer, director and VFX artist whose credits include Missy Elliot, Nicky Minaj, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Bon Jovi and more. Strickland graduated from 糖心vlog官方入口app with a BA in Film and Television. After moving to Los Angeles, Strickland broke into the entertainment industry working for a music video company, going from assistant editor to becoming lead VFX supervisor and editor.
Asha Ward is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer based in NYC. She graduated from 糖心vlog官方入口app in 2021 with a BA in Comedic Writing and Performance. She currently writes for Saturday Night Live and joined the 48th season as the show's youngest ever writer. She received her first Emmy nomination in 2023 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. Her stand up has been featured on Netflix and Comedy Central.
Abraham Velazquez is an engineering leader at Dropbox, with expertise in building and nurturing high-performing teams that create impactful products. With over 12 years of experience as a software engineer and technical consultant, Velazquez has made significant contributions to both Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations, particularly focusing on underserved communities. He leans deeply into his design background and merges it with technology to ship customer focused software.
Alexandra Wylder is a buyer at ULTA Beauty, the largest beauty retailer in the United States. She has a BA in Merchandising from 糖心vlog官方入口app. Wylder has worked for many retailers throughout her career from local Chicago boutiques to global brands such as Anthropologie. As a buyer, Wylder has worked with some of the beauty industry's biggest brands including Dyson, Hot Tools, Babyliss, Conair, Kitsch, OPI and Essie. Watch Alexandra Wylder's .