200 Alumni Trailblazers

Environmentalists

Dave Cortez, ’06, Political Science, is the Clean Energy for All coordinator with the Texas Sierra Club.

Alice Puccio ’08, History, is a New Hampshire–based environmental education coordinator for the Appalachian Mountain Club, an outdoor recreation and conservation nonprofit. 

Jonathan Molineaux ’13, Global Studies, is a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was honored with the 2020 Science Spectrum Trailblazer Award for his work on creating a diverse and inclusive STEM workforce. 

Cali Chidester ’15, Environmental Science and Policy, is the environmental management system program coordinator with the Texas Military Department. 

Jesse Hunt MSEM ’15 is sustainability coordinator at Powers Brown Architecture, a Houston-based commercial architecture firm.

Lesley Lucas MSEM ’15 is the social justice operations manager for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, working at the intersection of environmental responsibility and equity and inclusion. 

Phoebe Romero MSEM ’15 is an environmental program coordinator, focusing on climate justice, with the City of Austin Office of Sustainability. 

Aaron Waters MSEM ’15 is the Flood Reporting Coordinator at the Texas Water Development Board. 

Sarah Morton ’18, Environmental Science and Policy, is a research analyst at Global Water Intelligence’s Austin office.

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Advocates

Barbra Boeta ’03, Psychology, is the executive director of the Economic Growth Business Incubator, which provides training, coaching and support for entrepreneurs who might otherwise face barriers to growing their business.

Charles Carver ’08, International Relations, is an associate judge for the city of Bastrop and began his law office in a restored Airstream trailer and now practices civil and administrative law. He also serves the community by providing legal aid to low-income clients.

Kristen Dempsey Pasyk ’09, Religious Studies, is the director of social justice ministries at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin.

Lauren May ’11, Religious Studies, received her master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School. May now works as a housing advocate in New York, where she conducts street outreach for homeless individuals in Manhattan and assists clients with psychiatric needs in applying for housing. Her motto: Get ’em housed and keep ’em housed.

Jarymar Arana Garcia ’11, Environmental Science and Policy, is the director of organizing at BASTA Austin, a tenants’-rights group focused on economic and housing justice. “Although I started my education with a focus on environmental racism, my St. Edward's education helped me strengthen my understanding of environmental racism as a symptom of a larger system of injustice,” she says. “All injustices are connected, and organizing is a powerful tool to push back.”

Chelsea Elliott ’12, Communication, is the executive director of the Half Helen Foundation, which exists to help underprivileged children in low-income schools see clearly. In 2019 the nonprofit launched a mobile vision clinic where students who fail the screening can have an eye exam and get glasses at no cost to their family.

After working with UNICEF as a child protection officer in Tijuana, Marielle Septien ’12, Global Studies, is the border shelter network coordinator for Church World Service. “St. Edward's taught me the importance of making a difference in our community,” she says. “I held on to these words even as I saw our country's asylum system collapse while witnessing various human rights abuses along the U.S./Mexico border. These past four years have taught me what a privilege it is to love your job and work in a sector that is making a difference 24/7.”

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Amber Fogarty ’00, MBA ’04, is president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, the innovative nonprofit organization that created the Community First! Village, a 51-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness.

Haleigh Campbell ’13, Social Work, is the volunteer and education director at the YWCA Greater Austin. “Social work is a way of thinking, and to be successful at it you have to be justice oriented, empathetic, resourceful and dedicated. My experiences at St. Ed’s prepared me with knowledge, resources, and friendships that helped me find a career I love.”

Shanae Jefferies ’13, Sociology, is a professor in the Collin Community College District and faculty development trainer at the University of North Texas, where she helps professors increase cultural awareness and diversity in their curricula.

Nick Thompson ’17, Global Studies, is the statewide initiatives manager for Texas Homeless Network, where he runs an AmeriCorps VISTA program and co-directs the organization’s advocacy and legislative efforts.

Ana Guadalupe Vielma ’19, Psychology, is a doctoral student in the UT Austin Educational Psychology program, where she focuses on the sociocultural factors that influence the academic performance and mental health outcomes of underrepresented students. 

Daniel Dosal-Terminel MAC ’20 is a bilingual clinical mental health school-based counselor at CHRIS 180, a youth-oriented behavioral health organization, and a doctoral student in Georgia State University’s Counselor Educator and Practice program.

Mariana Sarmiento Riaño ’20, Political Science, is the executive assistant to the chief advocacy officer for the Refugee And Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). RAICES is a nonprofit law firm that provides social services and leads advocacy efforts to push for the acceptance and justice of the immigrant community. "At RAICES, I get to continue living the Holy Cross mission of valuing the dignity of the human person,” she says.

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Educators

Matt Abbott ’03, Management, is the superintendent of Wayside Schools, where he oversees a network of five charter schools serving over 2,000 students in Southeast Austin, many of whom are Latino English language learners.“I operate with a social justice mission, and that comes from my education at St. Edward’s,” Abbott says. “It’s where I learned our responsibility as human beings to make the world a better place.”

J.J. Riehl ’02, ’04 MAHS, is the head women’s basketball coach at St. Edward’s. “St. Edward’s helped me develop compassion and empathy and the ability to meet people where they are. The Holy Cross mission emphasizes working through collaboration: understanding that we are all coming from different experiences and environments, and we have to embrace that.”

Marguerite Vichier-Guerre ’13, Philosophy, is the program manager in the Office of Transformation for Boston Public Schools.

Jessica Salinas ’03, Communication, works with teachers to identify struggling students and provides them with individual instruction to meet their unique learning needs. “I support students from Point A to Z,” Salinas says. “I serve my community as though they are family because St. Edward’s prepared me to serve.”

Luis Becerra III ’07, Kinesiology, earned a master’s degree in Physical Education from Sul Ross State University and is now the athletic coordinator and Head Football and Track Coach at Austin Eastside Memorial High School. 

Iliana B. Melendez ’07, Psychology, is the associate dean of students at the University of Houston–Clear Lake and will earn her PhD in Adult, Professional, and Community Education from Texas State University this year.

As a young child, April Lord Ruzicka ’06, Communication, was one of the first students to attend Summerfield Academy, a preschool in Spring, Texas, with a literature-based curriculum licensed for 144 students. She now owns the school and is very passionate about providing the same quality education she once experienced as a child to the children and families of her community. 

Alyssa Hunt ’10, Literature, is the program director at the New Jersey–based Alice Paul Institute, which educates the public about and continues the work of Alice Paul, a suffrage leader and author of the Equal Rights Amendment. 

Victoria Rodriguez ’11, Psychology, is a research and planning analyst at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., and adjunct professor in Psychology at the University of San Diego.

Greg Hakeem ’14, Religious Studies and Psychology, is a theology teacher and campus minister at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque. His exposure to other religions at St. Edward’s inspired his interest in interreligious dialogue and led him to develop the curriculum for a new course on world religions that he teaches at St. Pius X. 

Susie Stillwell ’16, MA in Organization Development, was a Peace Corps volunteer at a rural school in Savai’i, Samoa, where she helped train teachers on best practices. She is now a first-grade teacher in Dallas. “As a teacher in 2020, a year that has completely changed the profession, I am continually thankful for my background in organization development,” she says. “Studying change at the academic level has allowed me to continually adapt to the demands of in-person and virtual learning.”

Meigs Turgeon ’16, Religious Studies, earned a Master of Divinity degree at Duke University and teaches Theology at Jesuit College Prep in Dallas.

Kasey Liehr ’18, Environmental Science and Policy, was an environmental educator in the Peace Corps in Guyana until she was recalled due to the pandemic. She is now the AmeriCorps STEM program facilitator with the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. 

Jennifer Irving ’19, Communication, teaches Media Arts at Lehman High School in Kyle, Texas.

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Business Leaders

Jeremias Alvarez ’01, Spanish and International Business, has worked as a policy analyst and consultant for the federal government and the private sector and is currently a partner at the startup Guidehouse, which provides management and technology consulting.

Gwen Dixon ’03, MBA ’08 is the global finance director for Dell Technologies.

Imelda Torres-Laborde ’03, MSOLE ’05, is vice president of human resources at chemical and industrial additive manufacturer Prince International in Houston.

Marie González ’05, Finance and Spanish, is a senior risk specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. “Moreau’s message of not cultivating the mind at the expense of the heart was ever-present at St. Edward’s,” she says. “It has been the preservation of heart that has led me not to waver on the integrity of my work, to have hard but meaningful conversations, and to genuinely care about the people I work with.”

Linus Akanoh Jr. ’06, Accounting and Computer Information Technology, is a senior manager at Deloitte, where he helps clients recover from the disruption of man-made crises and natural disasters.

Daniel Hawthorne ’08, MBA ’12, is an enterprise account executive for MongoDB, a database solution for app developers.

Andres Crosby ’10, International Business, worked in marketing management, process improvement and project management, most recently for American Airlines, before entering the Texas Christian University MBA program last fall.

Jack Meredith ’11, Digital Media Management and Finance, is vice president of marketing at Kettle & Fire, an Austin-based bone broth company.

Alain Cabrera ’12, MBA ’15 is the vice president of Mortgage Lending at Pegasus Bank in Dallas

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During her post-graduate study at Cambridge University, Courtney Dymowksi ’14, Photocommunications, would share American beers with an English friend while he would introduce her to different gins. That’s when she realized that sometimes traveling is as easy as sipping a cocktail. Dymowski currently serves as the Director of Gin Research and Development at Treaty Oak Distilling in Austin.

Ismael Moreno ’14, Accounting Information Technology, is a technology risk consultant at audit, tax and consulting firm RSM.

Alexandra Gyarfas MBA ’15, is the marketing director at Pipeline Success/ShiftMed,a healthcare service that connects families, agencies, skilled nursing facilities, and hospitals with caregivers and nurses.

Rachael Bellus ’16, Entrepreneurship, is the social media coordinator at IdeaPeddler, an Austin-based marketing and media agency.

Sarah Bode ’16, Accounting, is a senior associate at KPMG’s Austin office, where she works in the audit division with clients in the software and consumer goods industries and leads the local inclusion and diversity council.

Jennifer Rangubphai ’18, MSLC ’20 is advertising and outreach coordinator for Austin Energy.

Tiffany Reynolds MBA ’17 is a regional property manager at GVA Property Management, which focuses on multifamily residential.

Luke Schubert ’18, Philosophy, works in accounting and marketing for International Investors Group, a real estate investment and development company.

Ron Chatterjee MBA ’19 is a senior program manager at semiconductor company AMD in Austin.

Theila Galvan ’19, Accounting, is a risk consulting associate at the audit, tax and consulting firm RSM.

Gerardo Chapa ’20, Finance, is a technical product associate at Elevate Growth Partners, a commercial real estate firm.

Jacob Gonzalez ’20, Finance, is a junior analyst at JPMorgan.

Ashley Nassy ’20, Finance and Accounting, is a student in the master of Accounting with Data and Analytics program at the University of Mississippi, with all expenses paid by KPMG.

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Techies

Alicia Barron Warriner ’03, Theater Arts, is operations manager at HPT Development — and a freelance choreographer.

Brandon Gredler ’03, MBA ’11, is the executive director of innovation and T3 Labs at T3 marketing and advertising agency

Austin Lytle ’09, Political Science, is a product marketing manager at Facebook, where he develops strategy for the company’s marketing partners. “Technology firms move at light-speed and place an emphasis on building culture,” Lytle says. “St. Edward’s played a huge role in preparing me for such a growing and collaborative workforce. It prepared me for a bigger world of possibilities.”

Aaron Hayslip ’11, Religious Studies, is the founder and CEO of Parsity, an online software engineering training program.

Jeff Miner ’11, Finance, is a brand strategist at Google’s Unskippable Labs in New York City.

Cody Antunez ’14, Psychology, launched his business Trendology, which helps companies track and analyze what their competitors are doing online.

Dominick Namis ’17, Digital Media Management, is a partner manager at Facebook’s Austin office.

Jenna Jaco ’15, English Writing and Rhetoric, is a senior technical writer at NI, formerly National Instruments — and a poet.

Janaeé Wallace ’15, Biology, earned an Engineering, Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Excellence Master’s degree from Notre Dame and is a senior consultant for Ernst & Young.

Anna Davies ’16, Marketing, is a user experience designer at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. 

Sophie Gairo ’17, Computer Science, is a software engineering manager at the Home Depot and Solar System Ambassador for NASA.

Jonathan J. Tamayo Gonzalez ’19, Computer Science, is a senior technician at Dell and co-founder of Código Austin, a nonprofit that promotes STEAM fields to underserved youth. “My favorite thing about St. Edward’s is that we are not afraid to speak out and speak up. When we notice anything that we believe is unfair or unjust, we speak up and demand change.”

Kenneth Williams MBA ’20 is a Project Manager at Google in Talent and Outreach programs.

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Entrepreneurs

Margaret Hulse ’05, Art, is a painter, jewelry designer, and textile and interiors artist in San Pedro, Belize. She owns Mpulse Studio, which donates some of its work to women healing from domestic violence.

Chris Ragland ’05, MBA ’10, is a partner and CFO at venture capital studio YGC and the controlling principal of Ragland Holdings LLC, a family investment firm.

Shelby Henderson ’09, Entrepreneurship, is a personal chef and owner of O'Glory Catering Company, which specializes in Southern cuisine infused with other regional flavors.

Ben Sabin ’09, Communication, is the founder of Friends and Allies Brewing in Austin.

Brenda Torres ’10, Biochemistry, received a PhD in Immunology at Stanford and co-founded the company, CanaryQ, in 2017, which seeks to revolutionize at-home, over-the-counter diagnostic tests.

Michelle Davey ’11, International Business, is the founder and CEO of telehealth company Wheel.

After holding communications and marketing positions at arts organizations and in the policy arena, Vianey Becerra Welbourn ’12, Political Science, launched bilingual digital communications agency Welbourn & Co.

Suzzanne Gamboa ’12, MSEM ’16,and Christine Lacayo MSEM ’16 co-founded Siembra Studios. The creative studio supports social-impact and sustainability-focused clients through branding and multilingual copywriting.

Chris Bynoe ’14, English Writing and Rhetoric Dallas, got his start as a media affairs intern in the White House Communications Office under the Obama administration. Bynoe has recently made a career change, leaving his role managing Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s regional office to pursue two business ventures: Crownwood Capital, a multifamily real estate company, and Venexa Media, a digital marketing agency.

Regina Vatterott ’17, Entrepreneurship, is cofounder of the smart pillbox EllieGrid and was part of the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2019.

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Opportunity Makers

Amhir Hidalgo ’06, Political Science, is director of development for CenterLink, which strengthens LGBTQ community centers around the world.

Leslie De La Rosa ’12, Spanish, has built her career helping students access higher education and now is a student completion specialist at South Texas College.

Erika Montoya ’14, Latin American Studies and Catholic Studies, is a program manager at College Forward, which helps first-generation and low-income students access higher education.

Dianey Reyna Leal ’15, Political Science and English Writing and Rhetoric, is earning a dual PhD in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education and Chicano/Latino Studies programs at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on the policies and practices related to college access among underrepresented and underserved student populations.

Chandler Sager ’14, Religious Studies, is the director of outreach at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church.

Erika Ortiz ’16, Finance, is director of product and service design at JUST, a nonprofit financial platform working to close the racial wealth gap by investing in ambitious Texas women through capital, peer coaching and community.

Gregory Gibson Jr. ’09, MBA ’12 started his own marketing company, Dashingfoot, to assist small businesses with mobile app and web development, eventually working with big-name clients like the International Women’s Forum. He also created the HBCU  Battle of the Brains, a national academic championship for students from historically Black colleges and universities. “St. Edward’s taught me to treat people as truly valuable individuals,” Gibson says. “I wanted to create a hands-on experience that allows companies to see students at their absolute best.”

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Public Servants

Becky Garcia Morquecho ’00, Criminal Justice, is the only senior crime scene specialist in the Austin Police Department and the only Certified Bilingual Specialist. 

Luz E. Hinojosa ’03, English Writing and Rhetoric and Political Science, is the education program manager at the Texas Association of Counties.

Sonia Hurtado ’04, Accounting, is a special agent with the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.

Noah Webster ’04, Philosophy, is a major in the Infantry branch of the U.S. Army. “Learning to think was critical, and more so in ethical matters – this has had positive and direct impact during training for deployments, while overseas, and as a servant for our soldiers.”

Gina Calanni ’05, Political Science, is the first woman elected to represent Texas House District 132, which covers part of Harris County. 

Rachael Young '09, International Relations, is a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserves and works for the Department of Defense, focusing on security.

Bryce Bencivengo ’10, Political Science, is communications manager for the City of Austin Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Chris Duke ’10, Political Science, is an education policy advisor to Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. 

Shelby Cole ’13, English Writing and Rhetoric, was the digital director for Kamala Harris during the Biden-Harris campaign. 

Irma Fernandez ’13, Political Science, is a political consultant and finance director with campaign consultancy firm Leaven Strategies Group. 

Claire Stone ’13, Social Work, is a senior analyst in the San Francisco Controller’s Office on the Emergency Management Team. 

Elvia Valle ’13, Global Studies, is a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State. Valle was previously a Fulbright scholar in Austria and a Pickering Fellow at Georgetown University and is currently studying the Uzbek language full-time to prepare for her next State Department assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 

Eriann Panado ’15, Global Studies, is a program and policy associate at the International Economic Development Council, a membership association for economic developers at the local, state, and regional levels, and is currently working on a master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Southern California. 

Victoria Ochoa ’16, Political Science, is completing both a law degree at the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in Public Policy at Harvard University. She has worked for the U.S. Senate, interned for the Department of Justice, and contributed legal research to a case that was argued before the Supreme Court by a fellow St. Edward’s alumnus. This semester, Ochoa is completing an internship in the office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, focusing on peacekeeping and human rights.

Neal Whetstone ’18, Political Science, has been a field organizer for political campaigns and a policy aide for the Austin City Council and is now a Law student at The University of Texas at Austin.

Sabrina Gonzalez ’19, Political Science, is a policy analyst with the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. 

Max Murphy ’19, Philosophy, is a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service in California. 

Guadalupe Aguilar ’20, Forensic Science, is a medical examiner investigator at the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office.

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Scientists

Dahlia Campbell ’06, Chemistry, is an asset manager at BASF, a socially responsible company implementing sustainability projects around the world. Campbell has contributed to projects ranging from finding creative ways to reuse waste to building longer-lasting and more sustainable roads.

James McCann ’06, ’07, Biology and Philosophy, earned a PhD in Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is now a post-doctoral research fellow at Johns Hopkins University. 

Rachel Hagey Saluti ’06, Biochemistry and Philosophy, earned a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the Stanford University School of Medicine, where she is also research scientist in virology.

Leeroy Cienega ’10, Biochemistry, is an Industrial Hygiene and Safety Professional at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

Leon Alberto Venegas ’10, Biology, earned a PhD in Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a scientist at AstraZeneca, where he worked on the pharmaceutical company’s Covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatment. 

Zane Goodwin ’11, Bioinformatics, earned a PhD in Computational and Systems Biology at Washington University in Saint Louis. He is a Genomics Data Scientist at Bayer Crop Science, where he is working on genomics technologies to make plant breeding more efficient and yield crops that will be productive enough to feed the world. 

Gretchen Kroh ’13, Biology, earned a PhD in Biology from Colorado State University and was awarded a competitive National Science Foundation fellowship for her graduate work. She is a post-doctoral researcher at Texas A&M University, where she is studying plant immunity and nutrition in crop plants with the long-term goal of engineering healthier crops with higher nutritional value. 

Lauren M. Leining ’13, Psychology and Criminology, is a doctoral student in Epidemiology and Global Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. She is also an infectious disease and vector-borne disease researcher at Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.

Joshua Rios ’20, Biology, is a research associate at AgonOx, a small biotech company in Portland.

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Scholars

Patricia Garcia ’05, English Writing and Rhetoric, earned a PhD in Information Studies from UCLA and is an assistant professor of Information at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on how the use of culturally responsive computing practices can increase girls’ participation in STEM activities.

Ryan Mitchell ’13, English Writing and Rhetoric, earned a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition at Carnegie Mellon University and is an assistant professor of English at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Kelly Kate Evans ’15, Philosophy, is a doctoral student in Philosophy at Baylor University, specializing in applied ethics and political philosophy. Her research focuses on questions about authority and justice in healthcare. 

Christopher Tonnu Jackson ’16, Chemistry, is a doctoral student in Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley.

Amy Ontai ’18, Biology and Education, is a doctoral student in Microbiology at Yale University Medical School.

Jacquelyn Turcinovic ’18, Bioinformatics, is a doctoral student in Bioinformatics at Boston University, where she completed a highly competitive Research Experience for Undergraduates the summer before her senior year of college. 

Kizil Yusoof ’18, Biology, is a doctoral student in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences program at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio. 

Chris Azaldegui ’19, Chemistry, is a doctoral student in Chemical Biology at the University of Michigan. He credits his faculty mentors for helping him undertake independent research and realize his passion for discovery.

Analise Roth-Rodriguez ’19, Biochemistry, is a doctoral student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.

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Creatives

After eight years of touring with Cirque du Soleil and working in costuming, hair and makeup, Jordyn Campbell ’12, Theatre Arts, is now working in film as a background costumer for Warner Bros Productions. 

Aaron Alexander ’06, Theater Arts, is a Los Angeles–based actor and stunt performer and has played champion boxer Sonny Liston in the Amazon original movie One Night in Miami and worked on the Netflix hit show Lucifer.

After serving as creative director for Kerbey Lane Café, Karli Isiyel ’07, Graphic Design, runs her own print and digital design firm, Karli Designs.

Michelle Andrizzi ’08, English Writing and Rhetoric and Photocommunications, is an executive in the marketing division of United Talent Agency in Los Angeles.

Hanna King ’08, Graphic Design, is a custom sock designer at Sock Club, where she’s designed socks for clients including indie bands and organizers of an environmental law conference. 

Kaci Beeler ’09, Art, co-founded American Berserk Theatre and the improv company Parallelogramophonograph in Austin. She is also an actor with TAG Talent Agency and a freelance artist. 

Charles Rogers ’09, Communication, is a writer, director, filmmaker and television producer. His film Fort Tilden won the Grand Jury Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2014; his television series Search Party premiered on TBS and moved to HBO Max in its third season. The 4th season recently debuted. 

Claire Cella ’10, English Writing and Rhetoric, is the Communications Design Associate at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, a conservation nonprofit.

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From left to right: Ryan Slack ’08, founder, Mediumplex Studio; Brandon Maxwell ’08, founder and owner of Brandon Maxwell Studio; Jessy Price ’08, filmmaker and creative producer; Jaime Alexis ’07, creative freelancer; Monika Krotochvil ’08, owner, Monika Kratochvil Photography; Michelle Leedy ’08, senior producer at Swell Digital; John Clendenen ’08, senior retoucher at Droga 5. All were Photocommunications majors and reside in New York, New York

Rebecca Marino ’10, Photocommunications, is the associate director of Texas State Galleries and special projects coordinator at Deborah Roberts Studio in Austin.

Austin Rausch ’12, Theater Arts, is a costume designer and visiting professor of Costume Design at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Tyler Mount ’13, Theater Arts, is a Tony Award–winning Broadway producer and was director of digital strategy for special projects in the Biden presidential campaign.

Kristin Moore ’13, Art, is a full-time professional artist, specializing in landscapes and cityscapes of the western United States dwarfed by vast skies.

Mallory Ashwander ’14, Graphic Design, is creative director at Thrasio, a Houston-based acquirer of Amazon businesses.

Brianna (Chacon) Small ’16, Digital Media Management, is a senior manager for interactive marketing for Warner Music Nashville.

Jacqueline Flores ’18, Theater Arts, is the executive office coordinator and national new play network producer-in-residence at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Hailey J. Strader ’19, Theater Arts, is a character animator with the studio Minnow Mountain, where she is creating rotoscope animation on the Richard Linklater film Apollo 10 ½.

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Communicators

Brandon Benavides ’03, Communication, is an Emmy-winning writer and producer for NBC4 in Washington, D.C.

Nancy Flores ’03, Communication, is a journalist leading the relaunch of Austin Vida, a digital news site focused on Latinx culture and community.

Sara Ortiz ’09, English Writing and Rhetoric, is the program and festival director for the Black Mountain Institute in Nevada, which publishes the literary, arts and culture magazine The Believer. 

Brooke Lewis ’14, English Writing and Rhetoric, is a reporter at the Houston Chronicle covering Fort Bend County.

Former student body president and Fulbright scholar Samantha Mendoza ’15, English Writing and Rhetoric, earned a master’s degree in Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism at Syracuse University. After winning a Princeton in Africa Fellowship she worked in communications for Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania for two years. She is now the chief multimedia storyteller at Building Tomorrow, which supports access to education in underserved parts of Uganda. 

Arielle Avila ’17, English Writing and Rhetoric, is a junior writer for The Strategist at New York Magazine.

Eleanor Fishbourne ’19, English Writing and Rhetoric, is the senior business development coordinator at Greenleaf Book Group in Austin.

Joey Hadden ’19, Photocommunications, is a junior lifestyle reporter at Insider.

Myrka Moreno ’19, Digital Media Management, is an audience engagement producer at The 19th, an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.

Kali Ridley ’19, English Literature and Business Administration, is the editorial assistant for business and finance higher education textbooks at John Wiley & Sons, Inc., in New York.

Gavin Quinn ’19, English Writing and Rhetoric, is the programs assistant at the Texas Book Festival. 

Gianni Zorrilla ’20, Communication, is assistant editor for operations at Texas Monthly.

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Legal Minds

Kelly Whitebread Williams ’08, International Business, is senior counsel at DCP Midstream, a Fortune 500 natural gas company headquartered in Denver.

Worth Carroll ’12, History, is a trial lawyer at Sumpter & Gonzalez, representing victims of sexual assault and other injured survivors throughout Texas. 

Ariya Leigh Villegas ’13, Criminology, is an assistant city attorney for the City of Carrollton, north of Dallas.

Jonathan Stoughton ’18, Global Studies, is a student at Texas A&M University School of Law and plans a career in consumer law, particularly fair housing and lending. 

Benji Fitten ’19, Political Science, is a law student at Catholic University, focusing on social justice, urban planning and immigration policy.

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Globetrotters

Kyle Overby ’09, Global Studies, is the director of international programs for the AESA International School System in Barcelona, Spain, which enrolls students from dozens of countries. 

Bianca Gomiero Fernandes ’12, Finance and International Business, worked for Freescale Semiconductors in Austin and for an airline in Chile and an e-commerce group in Argentina before becoming the expansion manager for Uber Eats in Brazil. She is currently earning her MBA and her master’s in International Studies at The Wharton School and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.

Aude Le Masson ’14, Marketing, teaches French at the girls’ campus of Liceo de Monterrey, a Catholic school in Monterrey, Mexico.

Katherine Protano ’14, Global Studies, is the diversity and inclusion specialist at Delivery Hero, a global restaurant, grocery and homegoods delivery company based in Berlin.

Christopher Olivares ’16, Political Science, is interning at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris and is earning his master’s degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

After teaching in Bucharest, Romania, and Stuttgart, Germany, Melissa Wilde ’16, Special Education and Elementary Education, is a drama teacher at the Bilingual European School in Milan, Italy.

Frida Melgar, ’19, Global Studies, worked with an NGO in Mexico City as part of the Fulbright Binational Internship Program and is now earning her master’s in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. 

Sara Glenn ’14, Communication, is a middle-school math teacher at Beijing City International School.

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Helpers

Tommie Baugh ’02, Kinesiology, is the owner and director of Austin Manual Therapy Associates South Austin physical therapy clinic.

After a successful career in sales, Tony Laudadio ’06, Communication, was diagnosed with two types of cancer in his late 20s and early 30s. He launched the Tony Foundation, a nonprofit that assists families whose income has been affected by cancer.

Joseph Diaz ’07, Biology, is an OB/GYN with the Bon Secours Health System in Richmond, Virginia.

Margaret Whitney ’07, Biology, is an OB/GYN and assistant professor at UT Austin Dell Medical School.

Karla Barrera ’08, Biology, is a physician assistant in Laredo.

Eloise Alvizo ’10, Photocommunications, is vice president and resource development director at United Way of South Texas.

A nutritionist by day, Ashley Clements ’10, Psychology, last year launched Rescue PAC, a nonprofit focused on dog rescue and adoption.

Aven Garms Glazer ’11, Biology, is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Community Health Centers of Central Wyoming.

Susan Hublein McLellan ’12, Social Work, is the case manager supervisor for STARRY Foster Care in Round Rock.

Andrew Willard '12, Global Studies, is the procurement and performance coordinator for Austin's Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, where he facilitates applications for government funding, develops policy and evaluates programs.

Le’Darrion Allen ’13, Criminal Justice, is a grants project manager for the St. David’s Foundation

Linda Armstrong ’13, Biology, is a nurse practitioner in hematology and oncology at Boston Medical Center and an instructor at the Boston University School of Medicine.

Taylor Gabriel ’13, Biology, is an internal medicine physician at the University of Washington Valley Medical Center near Seattle.

Jennie Cassady ’14, Biology, is a resident physician in pediatrics and medical genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Susan Gonzales MAC ’14 is the founder and clinical supervisor of Susan Gonzales Counseling and Associates.

Alyssa (Haney) Gooch ’14, Sociology, is a program analyst at the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless in San Antonio.

Kiersten Oubre ’14, Religious Studies, is a social worker at the Austin State Hospital. “My professors encouraged me to ask hard questions and to challenge the status quo.”

Yvette Cannata ’15, Biology, is an associate veterinarian at VCA Terrell Animal Hospital in Lakeway. 

Nathalie Equiza ’15, Biology, is the American Heart Association’s development director for Heart Walk, the organization’s primary fundraising event.

Danielle Rivera ’15, English Writing and Rhetoric, is a 4th-year medical student at the University of New Mexico. 

Cedric Dunmore MAC ’17 is the cofounder of Renovating Dynasties Counseling Services, where he specializes in helping people struggling with addiction.

Ilyse Kennedy MAC ’17 is the founder of Moving Parts Psychotherapy, where she specializes in trauma therapy.

Mallory Koch ’17, Communication, is a house coordinator at L’Arche Jacksonville, where she lives and works with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Gloria Gonzalez ’18, French, is an education specialist at Caritas of Austin, whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness in the city.

As Covid-19 took its toll on New Mexico, Josué Damian-Martínez ’19, Political Science, co-founded the Santa Fe Mutual Aid Network, which has raised more than $100,000 to help low-income families with housing, food and household expenses. As a leader on the network’s Spanish intake team, Damian-Martínez assessed the needs of 613 applicants for assistance and connected them with community partners who could help.

Karlee Bradley ’20, Mathematics, is working in a year of service at André House, which serves people on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona.

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Photographs by Chelsea Purgahn
Illustrations by Sol Cotti