'Cuse Conversations

For someone who didn't start competitively racing until his sophomore year of high school, Justyn Knight '18 certainly has made quite the impression. Knight is the most decorated distance runner in Syracuse University history, winning two individual NCAA titles (in cross country and the 5,000-meter indoor race) and 11 individual ACC championships while earning 10 All-American honors. Knight will s...

Ever since he attended a sports broadcasting summer camp as a teenager, Chris Lewis '13 dreamed of pursuing a career in sports broadcasting. Thanks to his strong storytelling skills, Lewis will take that next step in his broadcasting career on one of the biggest stages: the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Lewis will make his Olympic broadcasting debut as NBC's official voice of its table tennis coverage...

Jourdan Bennett-Begaye G’16 serves as managing editor of Indian Country Today , a national multimedia news publication covering Indigenous issues, including the COVID-19 global health pandemic. With a background in public health, Bennett-Begaye created a real-time COVID-19 database that tracked the number of cases, tests, vaccinations and deaths among Native American communities, the first databas...

Ryan McNaughton '96 still vividly remembers the Tuesday night, while watching television with his parents, he determined Syracuse University was going to be the place for him to attend college. Now, as McNaughton begins his two-year term as president of the Alumni Association and Syracuse University Trustee, learn more about the origins of his Orange pride and passion, his career in broadcasting a...

When Derrell Smith '10, G'13 was at Syracuse University, he excelled as a linebacker on the football team and was known for forcing fumbles and causing chaos on the field. Today, his cooking show, "Mad Good Food," blends preparing and enjoying delicious meals with telling stories that are representative of Black culture. Smith discusses why cooking is about more than just eating a good meal, it’s...

Chris Williamson ’14 is a former walk-on with the Orange football team, a product of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an anchor for SportsNet New York (SNY) who has discovered a life equation that works for him: Authentic Voice + Powerful Platforms = Meaningful Purpose. In this ’Cuse Conversation, Williamson talks about what brought him to Syracuse University, lessons he’s lea...

Growing up in the Bronx, Kevin Michael Richardson ’88 developed a knack for studying other people's voices. Richardson loved to impersonate characters from his favorite television shows and movies, and would entertain his friends and family members with his spot-on impressions. Today, Richardson is one of the best known voiceover talents in the world with more than 530 credits to his name, includi...

From musical theatre to Shakespeare, Katie Zaffrann ’04 has performed it all. While the pandemic has put those professional performances on hold, Katie's spent the last year learning a new role - mom. In this 'Cuse Conversation, Katie will share her experiences as a professional musician and actor, talk about what she's learned during the pandemic and open up about the importance of discussing anx...

Kate Ryan ’22 is a rower studying biology and ecology at Syracuse University. She's a driven STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) scholar who wants to solve the growing problem of mercury exposure in our waters. Before the pandemic, Ryan was among a select group of Syracuse honors students chosen to attend the prestigious Conference of the Parties to the Minimata Convention on M...

Mitchell Kuga '09 is a fourth generation Japanese American, and he also self-tokenizes as a queer Asian person. As part of Syracuse University's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations, we tell Kuga's story of struggling to embrace his identity. Kuga discusses using writing to learn more about himself, overcoming the tension that came with growing up as a Japanese American...

Amanda Gorman mesmerized the country with her passionate recital of her poem, "The Hill We Climb" during the inauguration of President Joe Biden L'68 and Vice President Kamala Harris . Before she captured a nation, Gorman was another at-risk young girl from Los Angeles who had her life transformed by WriteGirl, a writing and mentoring program that launched in 2001 thanks in part to Allison Deegan...

In the rich, storied history of the Boston Red Sox, one voice has called more games on the radio than anyone else: Joe Castiglione G'70 , who has been the voice of the Red Sox since 1983. Castiglione was the first broadcaster to proclaim “The Boston Red Sox are World Series champions" after they snapped an 85-year championship drought by winning it all in 2004, and he has been on the mic for four...

Jacqueline Welch '91 is a highly successful human resources professional and award-winning leader in diversity, equity and inclusion. Welch's leadership style concentrates on a company's moral obligation to the employees while focusing on the human in human resources, a field that has forever been impacted by COVID-19. Welch discusses how the pandemic has altered workplace environments and attitud...

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Maria Palmer '03 idolized her father, Joseph Costanzo Jr., the owner of the popular Primadonna Restaurant who reinvented himself by building a world-renowned Italian restaurant. Costanzo was rose to fame as a successful restaurateur who was heavily involved in the Pittsburgh community, but he experienced a sharp fall, eventually serving time in a federal prison for tax ev...

Tia Thevenin '18, L'23 was a standout hurdler on the Syracuse University track and field team during her time on campus. Before COVID-19, Thevenin entertained dreams of qualifying for the Summer Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles. But after COVID postponed the Tokyo Olympics, Thevenin decided to walk away from track and focus on her other passion: making the legal system more accessible for disenfr...

Bershan Shaw ’95 was given a death sentence in 2009 when she learned she had stage four breast cancer, the cancer that killed her mother. Rather than wallow in pity over her second cancer diagnosis in three years, Shaw used this devastating news as a wakeup call, choosing to thrive in the face of adversity. Shaw turned her pain into purpose, reinventing herself through a healthier lifestyle, daily...

When Caroline Koller '15 started suffering from persistent, debilitating pain, she began desperately seeking out a place to find answers. After a cancer diagnosis and extensive treatment, Caroline founded femUNITY—a community and crowdsourcing platform for women to discuss their health and wellness questions, thoughts and experiences. It was the platform she had been looking for, but never found....

Since taking over the Syracuse University women’s basketball program, head coach Quentin Hillsman has transformed the Orange into a national championship contender during his 15 seasons. Hillsman, the winningest coach in program history, has led the Orange to unprecedented heights, including the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I title game, seven trips to the NCAA Tournament, 18 al...

Olivia Bowser ’16 owns and operates Liberate , a mental wellness studio that is on a mission to bring people together through movement, community, and mindfulness. Bowser, a certified meditation and mindfulness teacher, wants to take mental wellness mainstream, helping people reach their full potential and become their best selves. Bowser shares how she pivoted careers and reinvented herself by la...

Growing up, Malaka Gharib '08 struggled to find her identity as a first-generation American and didn't know how to balance embracing her Egyptian and Filipino roots with assimilating into American culture. Eventually, Gharib learned it was up to her to define her cultural identity. Today, Gharib covers the global health beat for NPR and is an award-winning author, illustrator and cartoonist. Ghari...

Chris Snow '03 , the assistant general manager of the NHL's Calgary Flames, is engaged in the fight of his life as he battles ALS, the degenerative disease that has already taken the lives of Snow's father, two uncles and a cousin. Snow, who was diagnosed in June of 2019, was given a "death sentence" of 12-18 months to live, but he is making remarkable strides in his battle thanks to an experiment...

For more than three decades, John Murphy '78 has worked in the Buffalo Bills' radio booth, broadcasting NFL games to Bills fans around the world. While Bills Stadium is usually filled with raucous fans, this year has been different, as Murphy has called home games before an empty stadium while doing road games from Buffalo with the help of the television broadcast due to COVID-19. As Buffalo prepa...

As a certified child life specialist, Emma Simches ’18 supports children dealing with illnesses and their families. Through her work with Team IMPACT, Simches matches children with college student-athletes and coaches to form unique relationships. Simches makes a difference in the lives of these children, and on this 'Cuse Conversation, Simches discusses her career, how Team IMPACT is a win-win fo...

Wherever you are on your career journey, the Office of Alumni Engagement has resources to help advance your career. On this 'Cuse Conversation, Jenna Collins G'19 , the associate director of alumni professional development in the Office of Alumni Engagement, discusses the launch of our redesigned #HireOrange job board — where alumni can post jobs and search openings around the world. Collins also...

By his own admission, Brandon Steiner ’81 wasn’t a great student. He was – and continues to be – a great learner. When he attended Syracuse University, Brandon was determined to get as much as he could out of his education and the college experience. Today, the proud alumnus is a leader in the sports collectible industry with Steiner Sports and Collectible Exchange , an author and a motivational s...