Alumni Profile

As a judge for the Man Booker International Prize, Daniel Medin, MA ’00, PhD ’05, gets to do what he does best, spread the word about great literature in translation to the English speaking world, while also discovering excellent new authors and translators.

Over his career, alumnus Michael Castro has published 10 collections of poetry. His poems exhibit a keen ear and a fearless eye, which may be why he was selected to be St. Louis’ first poet laureate.

In 2005, Dora Hughes, was working for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy when she met a junior senator from Illinois named Barack Obama, and this meeting changed the trajectory of her career.

Songwriter Sean Douglas’ job is just like yours — except his office is the recording studio. And his co-workers are stars like Jason Derulo and David Guetta.

Courtney Berg, MSW ’05, explains how she became executive director of Girls on the Run, and what it means to her to have an impact on so many girls.

Recent graduate Alexander Cox, BSME ’14, MSAE ’14, was named the 2014 Air Force Cadet of the Year and now is preparing for a career as an astronaut in the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program.

Brittany Packnett’s commitment to social justice has taken her from the streets of Ferguson all the way to the White House, where she helped shape policy to make policing less racially biased.

Elizabeth Gentry Sayad, AB ’55, MA ’03, preserves the St. Louis region’s French history.

Alumnae Jessica Mayo and Nicole Cortes founded the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project, a nonprofit that provides legal ­services and community education for ­low-income immigrants in the St. Louis region.

Paul Dillinger, BFA ’94, is behind the creation of Levi’s sustainable clothing line Wellthread. He gained inspiration for the line after he saw his alma mater’s push toward sustainability while an artist-in-residence at the Sam Fox School in 2010.