What began as a joke – a parody social media page poking fun at a local police department – spiraled into a high-stakes legal battle and ultimately the subject of “Crime & Parody,” a new documentary co-produced by ������Ƶ graduate .

The film will screen at the 28th RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem on Saturday, April 18, at 3:30 p.m. and again on Friday, April 24, at 5 p.m. .

At its center, “Crime & Parody” follows amateur comedian Anthony Novak, whose satirical Facebook page led to a police raid, criminal charges and a broader fight over First Amendment rights in the United States. As the case unfolds – eventually reaching the U.S. Supreme Court – the film expands beyond satire to examine deeper questions around qualified immunity and accountability, weaving in the story of Omar Arrington-Bey, a suburban Cleveland man who died while in police custody, and the lasting impact of police violence.

As a co-producer, Rostick contributed throughout the filmmaking process, from reviewing transcripts and shaping story structure to providing feedback across multiple cuts. Their work with director Will Thwaites evolved over several years, with Rostick helping strengthen the film’s narrative by encouraging the inclusion of additional perspectives that deepen its emotional and societal impact.

“’Crime & Parody’ is an important thought piece wrapped up in a good time,” said Rostick, who was a cinema and television arts and strategic communications double major. “You’ll laugh, reflect, question authority and feel something along the way. At a time when free expression and free speech are being threatened at every turn, the film offers the story of an unlikely hero fighting back.”

The film’s balance of humor and impact is what drew Rostick deeper into the work. Initially attracted to the opportunity to collaborate on an independent project, they said the film ultimately became something more – a chance to move beyond entertainment and contribute to meaningful dialogue.

“This felt like the first opportunity for my work in documentary film to leave a greater impact,” they said.

Rostick, who was an Odyssey Program scholar at ������Ƶ, said their foundation in film was shaped during their time at ������Ƶ. Through Cinelon, they gained extensive hands-on production experience and developed the work ethic that carried into professional opportunities. This includes traveling to more than 30 shoots nationwide supporting “Children of the Underground,” a five-episode documentary series from FX.

The ������Ƶ graduate also credits Nicole Triche, professor of cinema and television arts, with helping define their path. Triche’s documentary course introduced Rostick to the craft and ultimately led them to pursue a career in nonfiction filmmaking – and to an early PBS project that first connected them with Thwaites.

“Crime & Parody” has already built momentum on the festival circuit, premiering at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana and screening at the Atlanta Documentary Film Festival, where Thwaites earned Best Director honors.

Now, at RiverRun, the documentary will continue to reach new audiences, inviting viewers to consider not just the absurdity of one man’s arrest, but the broader implications for free speech, justice and accountability in America.

Moeller has made a name for��herself as a five-time Emmy-nominated senior producer at E! Entertainment��Television,��who now��works��as a producer at Entertainment Tonight.

“Back in high school, I used to watch all the red carpets and read all the entertainment magazines,” she explained. “I knew I wanted to work in entertainment television, and I knew ������Ƶ had one of the best schools for communications in the country.”

Recognizing that ������Ƶ was the perfect fit for her academic and personal aspirations, it became clear that she had to attend. Upon arriving at the school, Moeller dove right into her classes and even picked up a minor she had never considered.

“I majored in broadcast communications and minored in theater arts because I was told the Theatre Arts minor would be helpful with an on-camera presence,” she said. “My junior year in 2007, I studied abroad in London, and I now credit an entire career in entertainment news, due to ������Ƶ helping me acquire an internship abroad.”

Moeller remembers ������Ƶ asking her to choose her top three companies she would want to work for in London, and E! Entertainment was her first pick. With ������Ƶ’s help, she secured exactly what she’d hoped for.

The initial internship with E! during her London study abroad changed her trajectory for the better.

“I kept in touch with the London office, so when I did ������Ƶ’s inaugural ‘������Ƶ in LA’ program in the summer of 2008, I was able to land my second internship at E!,” she explained. “One week after graduation in 2009, I moved back to LA without a job. I hustled and kept in touch with the E! team, getting my first paying gig with them in 2010, working in the international department, all thanks to my first internship in London.”

Moeller��made the��switch��from��the��international��department��to��the��domestic department at E! News and then rose through the ranks, from intern to senior producer.��Over��her��15��years at��E!��News,��she��was nominated for five Emmy Awards,��and��interviewed people��like��Steve Carell,��Charlize Theron and��50 Cent. She also had the��privilege��of��working��on��the��red carpet at the��Oscars and Golden Globes.

“I think one thing��that’s��gotten me far in this business is realizing celebrities are��just normal��people too, and they want to be treated that way,” she explained.����“When working with and writing scripts for celebs and hosts,��I’ve��always had success connecting with them on a personal level and not treating them like royalty.����They will always feel more comfortable around people who treat them normally��and��give them honest feedback, good or bad.”

Moeller��credits��her continued success��to��strong relationships with her coworkers,��interviewees, and��former hosts,��always��keeping in��contact��with them even after some of their shows had ended.

When reflecting on her favorite experiences so far in her career, she recalls being able to work on one of the��biggest��pop��culture stages as a top moment.

“I��recently worked the Golden Globes red carpet this year with our host Keltie Knight, and it was my first time doing a major awards show red carpet; we were positioned right at the limo drop where we saw all the celebs exiting their cars,��like George and Amal Clooney, Julia Roberts,��and��Leslie Mann,��to name a few.”

This��unforgettable��experience solidified for��her��that she was in the right career.
Another memorable project was producing live coverage for��Kobe Bryant’s memorial service in 2020, outside of the Staples��Center.

“It was just me, my host Will��Marfuggi, and��a cameraman. We were reporting live from downtown LA, getting footage and statements of the fans showing up to mourn his death.����It was a surreal experience to be in the presence of that historic moment,” she said.

Moeller’s��journey��at��E! News was marked by steady growth��in��leadership, as she took on a variety of roles throughout her time at the company. When E! News was cancelled in September 2025, she unexpectedly lost her job. However, the strong professional relationships she had built over the years quickly became a source of support and��opportunity.

“One��meaningful connection I made along the way was with Jerry O’Connell,��who at the time was��hosting ‘The Talk.’ After our interview, he followed me on Instagram and has been a huge supporter of my career ever since. When E! News was cancelled in��September,��we went out to lunch to talk through opportunities and strategies. He even reposted my Instagram announcement when I shared that I had landed a new job at Entertainment Tonight,”��said Moeller.

Building on her professional network, she transitioned from a freelance role at Entertainment Tonight in October to a full-time position��in January of this year. She credits this milestone to her connections and a pivotal, “game-changing” internship in London.

������Ƶ’s��top-notch��curriculum and amazing professors helped��her��feel��prepared��for the real��world, knowing she��could succeed outside the classroom.��������Ƶ’s study abroad center helped many students,��including��Moeller, afford transformative international experiences. Opening doors to life-changing internships and meaningful global connections while abroad.

Moeller��has come a long way��through��courage and perseverance,��and now she works��for a nine-time Emmy Award-winning nationwide��show.

“This business,��especially��out��in LA, is 100% about who you know, but it’s how good you do that��is what��keeps you there,” she��explained.

“My main advice is to take the internships, do the study abroad, make the connections, and always��keep in contact with people and never burn bridges,” she said. “You never know who’s��going to��end up where and who can help you down the line. And when��you’re��on top, know that it can always change in an instant, so always be kind to the people below you,��as��one day you may be working for them.”

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.

They stood poised with their hands raised, breathing steady, before their fists began to fly. Jab, cross, right hook, left upper cut.

They noticed the sensations in their body as childhood memories raced through their mind, allowing themself to feel every feeling that remained with them from a time when they didn’t have a voice. With every punch, they stepped closer to regaining their power, closer to a deeper understanding of their full self.

Danielle Martinelli-Taylor ’12 says the physical movement often allows clients to recognize and begin healing younger parts of themselves that were never fully seen or supported. “Through the movement, through fighting back against that, they were able to trust themself more.”

A licensed professional counselor, Martinelli-Taylor centers her Denver practice, Animo Counseling and Coaching, on healing the whole person. Among the approaches she uses is somatic boxing, a method that connects mind and body to help clients process trauma and strengthen their overall well-being.

“We’re interconnected beings,” she says. “Our bodies hold just as much of our story as our minds do, and healing happens when we learn how to listen to both.”

A Non-Linear Path

Martinelli-Taylor’s journey toward counseling wasn’t straightforward, but every step helped develop the empathy, critical thinking and global perspective that shapes her work. The Massachusetts native wasn’t familiar with ������Ƶ before stumbling upon it while touring colleges along the East Coast. She was immediately drawn to its arts and sciences foundation, small class sizes and study abroad program.

She enrolled Early Decision, planning to study education, but soon found that teaching wasn’t her passion. She did, however, have a knack for fostering strong one-on-one connections, and she found other ways to build those skills through a strategic communications major and religious studies minor.

“There’s a lot of psychology in strategic communications, learning what are people’s needs, what do they want, why do they do what they do. I loved that aspect,” Martinell-Taylor says. “Then my religious studies minor was just a window to the world of what other people believe, why they believe it and how that directs their decisions, hopes and dreams.”

But it was her semester abroad in London that influenced her most, broadening her worldview and clarifying what she did and didn’t want to pursue post-graduation. She interned for a fashion supplier on Oxford Street but didn’t feel a strong connection to the work. She loved London, though, and wanted to use her communications skills in service of something she cared about deeply.

After graduating, she returned to London for two years, working with an international mission organization that supported churches and other spiritual communities. Martinelli-Taylor spent much of her time connecting with South Asian women, children and teens and found their conversations about life and struggle deeply meaningful. On weekends, she volunteered with a nonprofit fighting human trafficking, a cause that first sparked her interest through an ������Ƶ course examining slavery in the Bible, in American history and in modern times. Again and again, she found herself drawn to work that offered support to people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

“I was hearing people’s trauma, hearing really difficult life journeys and feeling this pull,” Martinelli-Taylor says. “If people have gone through these really awful things, forced into things they had no control over, how do I step into that world?”

That realization ignited Martinelli-Taylor’s calling to be a counselor. She moved back to the U.S. and earned her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Denver Seminary in 2019. Her communications, religious studies and study abroad experience from her time at ������Ƶ remained foundational as she forged this new path.

L.D. Russell, senior lecturer emeritus of religious studies at ������Ƶ, remembers Martinelli-Taylor as open-minded, eager to learn and deeply committed to helping others. Her unique counseling approach feels like a natural extension of that spirit. “One of the truest values of an ������Ƶ education,” he says, “is gaining a clearer sense of how others live and move through the world, and how our own gifts can be used to foster the public good.”

The Mind-Body Connection

After obtaining her master’s degree, Martinelli-Taylor again used her skills to support human trafficking victims, providing counseling to survivors with complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She later moved to a group practice, helping clients with a broader range of issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma and grief.

In graduate school, she began to learn how physical movement, education and preventative work can help set clients up for a healthier life and resiliency amid difficult challenges. That idea coupled with her own personal experience with boxing prompted her to try bilateral boxing as a technique with some clients at the group practice. “It was starting to help people break out of dissociation and get into their body,” Martinelli-Taylor says. “We used it as a tool when they felt stuck or overwhelmed with talk therapy.”

As she saw the approach resonate with more clients, Martinelli-Taylor set out to develop it further and open her own practice. Drawing on her strategic communications background, she built the foundation for her business while consulting with counselors who use somatic therapies that link breath, body and mental health. In 2024 she founded Animo Counseling and Coaching, where she offers treatments such as Accelerated Resolution Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and her own style of somatic boxing therapy.

Animo means “mind” in Latin, “soul” and “courage” in Italian and “encouragement” in Spanish. “The practice reflects that intentionality, that purposefulness,” she says. “It represents the embodiment of the brain and body’s role in learning about yourself.”

Our bodies hold just as much of our story as our minds do, and healing happens when we learn how to listen to both.��— Danielle Martinelli-Taylor ’12

Martinelli-Taylor first teaches her clients the basics of non-contact boxing, using the bilateral movements of boxing but no sparring, just hitting boxing gloves to mitts as the whole body engages. She focuses on proper form and breathwork, guiding clients to concentrate on each motion. The practice becomes a type of moving meditation, stimulating both sides of the body and both hemispheres of the brain.

For many clients, the approach offers another avenue for healing, especially for those who may not feel ready to talk through difficult experiences right away. By focusing on the rhythm of movement and breath, clients begin to notice what their bodies and minds are holding, and shift it out.

Once clients feel comfortable with the technique, she introduces strategies for building courage, managing stress and emotions, and processing difficult memories. The approach encourages people to tune in to the physical sensations that often accompany mental health struggles, opening the door to more holistic healing. Movement and breathwork, Martinelli-Taylor says, can help move through distress, regulate mood and ground the body to allow clients to face and work through deeper challenges.

In addition to continuing to grow her practice, Martinelli-Taylor hopes to conduct larger studies on the impact of somatic boxing on mental health. And while she is there to support her clients in the “ring” when they need it, she doesn’t expect them to rely on a coach forever. Her goal is to help people build the awareness and tools to continue the work on their own — to trust their bodies, their instincts and their capacity to heal.

“I want them to feel like they’re equipped to learn and grow,” Martinelli-Taylor says. “They can take this work, try it out in the world and know that they’re resilient.”

Through the ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellows program, these recent graduates are spending a year working with local organizations across Alamance County, contributing to efforts that strengthen health, education and economic opportunity. Along the way, they’re gaining hands-on experience, mentorship and a deeper understanding of the community just beyond ������Ƶ’s campus.

The 2025–26 fellows are putting their ������Ƶ education into action and helping build a stronger future for Alamance County.

Sam Hinton ’25

Advancing Community Health

By Avery Craine Powell

When Sam Hinton ’25 decided to pursue the Year of Service Fellows program, she saw it as an opportunity to deepen her connection to a community she had already come to care about.

“I really wanted to get the opportunity to have a more hands-on role here as opposed to research, which is a little bit more like a bird’s-eye view,” Hinton says.

Hinton, who earned a degree in public health studies and political science with minors in Spanish, Latin American studies, and peace and conflict studies, now works with the Alamance County Health Department through the fellows program.

Although she didn’t grow up in Alamance County, Hinton says the area feels like home. Her grandparents and extended family live nearby, and her academic work at ������Ƶ strengthened those ties. As a Lumen Scholar, she studied how immigration policy and discrimination in Alamance County influence how members of the Latino community access health care and social services.

“I was interviewing health care and social service providers from across the county on where they were seeing gaps in their ability to provide care,” she explains. “Through that research, I got to meet a lot of the people that I work with now and familiarized myself with the different service provision organizations throughout Alamance County.”

That familiarity helped ease her transition into the fellowship. At the health department, Hinton’s responsibilities range from administrative and event planning work to engaging directly with community partners. She primarily works with the Behavioral Health and Substance Use Division, which focuses on addressing the opioid crisis and expanding addiction services.

It’s been really great to see how deeply everyone there is motivated by the mission of providing health care and improving the lives of people in Alamance County.��— Sam Hinton ’25

The experience has given her a deeper appreciation for the people committed to this work.

“It’s been really great to see how deeply everyone there is motivated by the mission of providing health care and improving the lives of people in Alamance County,” she says. “Despite the fact that everyone there has so much work to do and is incredibly busy, people are really committed to improving conditions for people across different communities.”

Hinton credits ������Ƶ’s public health studies program, including its required practicum, for preparing her to step confidently into the role. The program, she says, ensures students graduate with a strong understanding of the broader forces shaping health and equity.

“They make sure students leave ������Ƶ aware of the disparities and inequalities that exist and really gear the program toward a health equity lens.”

For Hinton, the fellowship represents both a continuation of her academic work and a new beginning.

“I feel like the hands-on nature of all of my education at ������Ƶ has really come in handy as I’m transitioning into the workforce,” she says. “I feel really adequately prepared for whatever projects are being thrown my way.”

Anna Matawaran ’25

Strengthening Community Partnerships

By Avery Craine Powell

Community engagement has been central to Anna Matawaran’s ������Ƶ experience, and it continues to guide her work after graduation.

“The program stood out to me because of that piece of civic engagement and making a difference in a community that I’ve already lived in and gotten to know for the last four years,” she says.

Matawaran, who graduated with a degree in sociology and a minor in communications, now works with Impact Alamance, a community health legacy foundation created from the merger of Alamance Regional Medical Center and Cone Health.

Impact Alamance focuses on improving community health, strengthening education and building partnerships across Alamance County. Matawaran serves on the organization’s “stronger” team as a program assistant.

One of the projects she has enjoyed most is the For Alamance initiative, a partnership with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation that encourages residents to take action on issues that matter to them.

“That has been really rewarding,” she says. “I’ve met so many different people through that, which I’ve really enjoyed, folks from all parts of the county that I didn’t know existed before the fellowship.”

Community was also what first drew Matawaran to ������Ƶ from her hometown of Richmond, Virginia.

“That small community feel was so unique from all the other colleges I looked at, and I knew I wanted a liberal arts education and loved that ������Ƶ offered all the resources that it does for undergraduates specifically,” she says. “It’s a beautiful campus. How can you not love it?”

Her path to sociology began unexpectedly.

“On a whim, I signed up for a sociology course my first semester here,” she says. “It was a class on how sociology can look at housing and unhoused people, and that class stood out to me above all my other courses. I fell in love with the way that sociologists think about the world and the problems that it can solve.”

Matawaran credits ������Ƶ’s liberal arts approach for preparing her to work in the nonprofit sector.

“My ������Ƶ education gave me the liberal arts background that I needed to step into the nonprofit sphere,” she says. “My degree gave me a lot of the building blocks to understand what I’m hearing from community members and what issues Alamance County is facing.”

Now, her fellowship continues to deepen the understanding of community she discovered at ������Ƶ.

“Something that my mentor always says is that community is messy,” Matawaran says. “I love how rich and diverse the community here is; it brings this authenticity to the work.”

Jasmine Walker ’25

Supporting Local Students

By Avery Craine Powell

Giving back to her hometown is what drew Jasmine Walker ’25 to the ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellows program.

She now works with Alamance Achieves, an organization focused on improving education outcomes from “cradle to career,” while also collaborating with Impact Alamance to promote educational equity across the county.

“When I found out it was through the Alamance-Burlington School System, which I’m a product of, I wanted to help the school system since they helped me become who I am,” says Walker, who earned a degree in human service studies with a minor in poverty and social justice.

Walker began her fellowship in June 2025 and quickly found herself immersed in the work, helping lead “Ready Freddy,” a three-week summer program that prepares students for kindergarten.

She also assists with the Teachers Leadership Academy, which helps educators develop leadership skills, and supports “The Basics Alamance,” a countywide initiative that provides caregivers with evidence-based strategies to promote healthy brain development in young children.

I don’t think I realized how many
organizations and partnerships there are to make Alamance County continue to thrive.��— Jasmine Walker ’25

Walker’s passion for helping others guided her to choose human service studies as her major.

“I wanted to help people, and I’ve always been passionate about supporting others,” she says. “I grew up volunteering and doing different things with my church. When I was a freshman, I met a senior in the program, and I took the intro course and really liked it. I liked how personable the department was.”

A native of ������Ƶ, Walker attended the ������Ƶ Academy in high school before enrolling at the university as an Odyssey Program scholar and later joining the Periclean Scholars program.

“The Odyssey Program really changed my life,” Walker says. “I was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy, during my junior year, and I was there for three and a half months. That was cool; I never thought I was going to be able to leave the country because of finances.”

Through Periclean Scholars, she also traveled to Costa Rica during Winter Term to study the needs of a partner community.

“We studied Costa Rica as a whole and looked at what the specific community that we were going to travel to needed,” she says.

Even though she grew up in Alamance County, Walker says the fellowship has helped her see her hometown in new ways.

“It’s cool to be able to meet different leaders and partners in the community, and hear what they do,” Walker says. “I don’t think I realized how many organizations and partnerships there are to make Alamance County continue to thrive.”

Abby Lee ’25

Expanding Community Wellness

By Olivia Grady ’26

Abby Lee ’25 arrived at ������Ƶ with a strong interest in civic engagement. The ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellows program gave her the opportunity to continue that work after graduation.

“Living in Alamance County for four years, I just thought it would be really beneficial to give back to the community that gave me so much,” Lee says. “This position sounded exactly like what I wanted to do.”

Lee, who earned a degree in public health studies and political science, works with Impact Alamance’s “healthier” team on a range of grant-funded initiatives that support community wellness.

Her projects have included helping install a new basketball court in Mebane, supporting a mobile recreation unit that brings activities to neighborhoods across the county and assisting with planning Impact Alamance’s annual wellness summit.

“I’ve worked on smaller projects, but it means so much to the people that we help,” Lee says. “That’s probably my favorite part, just seeing how much Impact Alamance truly does.”

Lee says her experiences at ������Ƶ helped prepare her for the work, particularly her public health practicum with the Women’s Resource Center of Alamance County.

“That was my first local internship and really shaped my path, showing how great it was to work for and help the people of Alamance,” Lee says. “I think ultimately that’s what led me to decide and apply.”

She also credits ������Ƶ faculty members with shaping her academic interests and encouraging her to pursue a broader view of public health.

“Yanica Faustin was the reason I decided to double major in public health after taking one of her courses, Reproductive Justice,” Lee says. “She definitely shaped my time at ������Ƶ, as well as Stephanie Baker, who was my senior seminar professor for public health. She really showed me that this is what I wanted to do.”

Now working with Impact Alamance, Lee is able to see firsthand how community partnerships and targeted investments can improve health outcomes across the county.

The fellowship has allowed her to build on the experiences she gained at ������Ƶ while making a direct impact in the community she called home during college.

Juliana Buter ’25

Supporting Local Businesses

By Jordan Armstead ’28

Local government work has quickly become a passion for Juliana Buter ’25.

Through the ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellows program, Buter works with the City of Burlington’s Economic Development Office, supporting initiatives designed to strengthen the local economy and improve quality of life across the community.

In the role, she helps coordinate projects that attract new investment, support existing businesses and promote Burlington as a place where people want to live, work and visit.

“This fellowship has helped me a lot because it taught me about my strengths and areas where I need to grow,” Buter says.

One of her primary responsibilities is serving as a liaison with the Burlington Downtown Corporation, helping coordinate communication between city officials and local businesses and ensuring that information flows smoothly between partners working to strengthen the downtown area.

Originally from Atlanta, Buter chose ������Ƶ because of its small class sizes and opportunities to build relationships with professors. She majored in political science and minored in communications, a combination that has helped her analyze policy decisions while communicating effectively with a wide range of audiences.

During summer 2024, Buter participated in Campus Alamance, a program that connects ������Ƶ students with internships at local businesses, nonprofits and government agencies. She interned with the Alamance Chamber of Commerce, where she gained a broader understanding of the community beyond ������Ƶ’s campus and developed an interest in the region’s economic development efforts.

That experience introduced her to the Year of Service Fellows program and encouraged her to apply.

Buter credits her political science degree with helping her understand how public decisions shape communities and influence the people who live and work within them.

“There is a misconception about political science simply being about politics, parties and government,” Buter says. “I think the science aspect has taught me how people interact with one another and with groups.”

Through her work with the City of Burlington, she has developed a deeper appreciation for local government and the people working behind the scenes to strengthen their communities.

“I have absolutely fallen in love with local government, just watching the behind-the-scenes of people working hard for their community,” she says.

The fellowship has also helped her clarify the type of work she hopes to pursue long term — community-focused roles where she can see the tangible impact of public initiatives and partnerships.

Aniya Scott ’25

Improving Patient Access

By Avery Craine Powell

Aniya Scott ’25 describes her year as an ������Ƶ Year of Service Fellow as a “gap year,” but the experience is bringing her closer to her long-term goal of becoming a physical therapist.

Through the program, Scott works with Alamance Regional Medical Center, where she supports operational initiatives that help the hospital serve patients more effectively.

“Even though I’m not currently working on the clinical side, gaining experience with the hospital’s backend operations has been incredibly valuable,” Scott says. “Understanding how operations work helps me anticipate what patients may go through to access care in the future.”

Her work includes assisting with project management, supporting philanthropy initiatives and helping improve campus signage.

Scott earned a degree in biology from ������Ƶ and says many parts of her ������Ƶ experience prepared her for the community-focused nature of the work.

I’ve learned that much of community work involves engaging with underrepresented populations. This fellowship really allows us to get outside of that ������Ƶ bubble and explore issues affecting Alamance County residents.��— Aniya Scott ’25

As an Honors Fellow and Lumen Scholar, she conducted research on PFAS contamination and how to help residents in Pittsboro, North Carolina, better understand and reduce exposure to forever chemicals.

“Residents may not be able to change how they access water or the presence of PFAS in their water, but we can help identify and educate them on day-to-day practices that can reduce their exposure,” Scott says.

Beyond research, Scott served as a statistics learning assistant and worked with the Center for Access and Success while also holding leadership roles with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the National Council of Negro Women.

“Through my experiences, I’ve learned that much of community work involves engaging with underrepresented populations,” Scott says. “This fellowship really allows us to get outside of that ������Ƶ bubble and explore issues affecting Alamance County residents.”

The experience has also given Scott a broader perspective on how health care systems operate and the many factors that shape patient care. Seeing the operational side of the hospital has helped her better understand how decisions behind the scenes affect the experiences patients have every day.

“Before this fellowship, most of my experience in health care was on the clinical side,” she says. “This fellowship opened my eyes to how administrative decisions and operational processes directly impact frontline care.”

The ������Ƶ Alumni Board (EAB) acts as a key link between the University administration and the alumni body. On an individual basis and collectively as a Board, the EAB provides advice, counsel and perspective to staff and leadership on a wide range of strategic issues facing the University.

Katie Corrigan ’02

Katie is a Vice President at MKI Global Partners, an advisory firm focused on how policy, politics and regulation shape financial markets and corporate transactions.��She graduated from ������Ƶ in 2002 and values the strong community and network it continues to provide. Her younger sister is also an ������Ƶ alum, Class of 2003.

Katie lives in South Burlington, VT, with her husband, Dan, and their two sons, James (12) and Thomas (9). Outside of work, she enjoys taking full advantage of Vermont’s seasons, from lake days in the summer to skiing and hiking with her family.

Lauren Ludlow ’13

Lauren is the founder of��, a New York–based consultancy helping brands and creators build influencer marketing programs that drive long-term growth. She has partnered with leading CPG and retail brands including Sephora, P&G Beauty, Nike, Meta, and No7 Beauty Company.

She is also the co-founder of��, a community and networking event series built on the belief that meaningful connection drives better ideas, stronger businesses, and a more collaborative beauty industry. Lauren previously served on the New York ������Ƶ Alumni Board for four years.

“I don’t feel like my career trajectory post-graduation is the norm for an MBA graduate,” Dudash said. “I had to do some soul searching and pursued something different that aligns with my values.”

Before enrolling in ������Ƶ’s MBA program, Dudash worked at Duke Regional Hospital as communications manager, serving as the only communicator on site for the entire hospital and supporting more than 2,000 employees.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped support emergency preparedness efforts, including a command center that operated for months, and later supported community vaccination clinics.

“I learned so much throughout that experience,” she said. “I saw the best of the best and the worst of the worst and saw health care workers give their all.”

As the pandemic unfolded, mentors encouraged her to return to school. A nurse manager would ask her regularly, “When are you going back to school?” Dudash also had two mentors who recommended ������Ƶ’s MBA program.

“She would say, ‘It’s never a good time to go back to school,’” Dudash said. “They encouraged me to take the step.”

For Dudash, the MBA offered the flexibility to build leadership skills while keeping her options open.

“I can apply it across industries,” she said. “I wanted to strengthen my leadership skills and get a broader view of how organizations operate.”

She started the program in September 2020, a decade after graduating from the University of Florida with a journalism degree. Returning to school felt like a significant transition.

“I remember being nervous,” she said. “I was 10 years out of school and didn’t know how it would feel to be a student again.”

Rather than rushing through, Dudash took one class at a time and completed the program over four years, graduating in May 2024.

“I wanted to fully immerse myself in each course and build relationships with my classmates and professors,” she said.

She also described the program as a place where she could participate fully and grow, especially in courses that challenged students to share ideas and respond to feedback.

“It opened up my confidence in pursuing new ideas,” she said. “Your ideas are valid.”

As graduation approached, Dudash began thinking more intentionally about what kind of work would be fulfilling.

That summer became an opportunity to reflect. Dudash leaned into theater, a longtime passion through improv, including teaching improv comedy and pursuing operations work in the arts nonprofit space.

This past year, she balanced roles between Durham arts nonprofit Mettlesome Theater and nationally recognized DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) while also serving as chair of the Meals on Wheels Durham board.

But most recently, she was appointed Mettlesome Theater’s first full-time operations director.

“My ������Ƶ MBA gave me the confidence to say, ‘I want to help with this, and I want to pursue this,’” she said. “My dream job was to be an operations director or executive director of an arts nonprofit, and the program gave me the high-level perspective to lead that work.”

The article was published in “Action in Teacher Education,” by Associate Professor of Education Heidi Hollingsworth, Associate Professor of Education Lisa Buchanan, Abigail Maclean Wilson ’21, Felicia Robinson ’21, and William S. Long Professor and Professor of Education Jeffrey Carpenter.

The research focuses on the impact of a course-based community asset mapping project on undergraduate students’ capacity for identifying and understanding assets within communities surrounding specific schools.

“Action in Teacher Education is a journal that I find relevant to my work in the undergraduate Teacher Education and M.Ed. programs here at ������Ƶ, and I have attended and presented at the ATE Annual Meeting conference in the past, so it was exciting for our article to be recognized in this way,” said Heidi Hollingsworth, associate professor of education, and one of the authors. “Huge thanks to my co-authors who were integral in the conceptualization and implementation of the project and the analyses that led to this publication.”

“The best part of this multi-year project was working with faculty colleagues and graduates. It is an honor write together and to share this award with them,” said Lisa Buchanan, associate professor of education and one of the authors.

Sponsored by the Robert Schuck Fund, this award recognizes and promotes exceptional research that makes a substantial contribution to the improvement of teacher education. Established in honor of Robert F. Schuck, the award reflects his enduring commitment to rigorous scholarship that strengthens the field. Through this recognition, ATE seeks to encourage research that advances teacher education, supports the national and international dissemination of impactful findings, and expands the knowledge base that informs our profession.

About the Authors

Heidi Hollingsworth��is an associate professor of education at ������Ƶ. Her research focuses on teacher preparation that involves policy and advocacy, community-based learning, academic service-learning, community asset mapping and study abroad.

Lisa Buchanan��is an associate professor of education at ������Ƶ. Her research in teacher education is focused on preservice and in service teachers’ beliefs and decision making, social studies education and the use of children’s literature and media to teach difficult topics.

Jeffrey Carpenter��is a professor of education at ������Ƶ. His research focuses on self-directed and collaborative teacher learning.

Abigail Maclean Wilson ’21��graduated from ������Ƶ in 2021 with a major in elementary education and a minor in early childhood education. She recently spent two years in Zambia working with a university ministry.

Felicia Robinson ’21��graduated from ������Ƶ in 2021 with a major in elementary education and a minor in African and African American studies. She is an educator and a program assistant for the Intercultural Learning Certificate Program at ������Ƶ.

������Ƶ student Rony Dahdal ’26, and his brother, alumnus��Rafi Dahdal ’24 G’24��were highlighted in a The Assembly article chronicling their family’s journey from war-torn Syria to North Carolina in search of educational opportunity.

The story, details how the Dahdal family’s commitment to learning endured despite the dangers of civil war and the challenges of rebuilding their lives in the United States.��

After fleeing Damascus in 2012 amid escalating violence, the Dahdal family settled in North Carolina, where education remained central to their long-term goals.��Rafi Dahdal is��an ������Ƶ graduate through the Accelerated 3+1 Dual Degree Program in business administration and business analytics. He has gone on to serve as a Youth Trustee for the university.

At ������Ƶ, Rony Dahdal has distinguished himself as a Lumen Scholar and Goldwater Scholar, conducting innovative research using LiDAR technology to explore noninvasive ways to detect vital signs — work aimed at improving health outcomes through emerging technologies.

“I felt so encouraged to continue research because I’ve seen my parents value higher education,” said Rony. “It was very hard to deal with as a little kid, but I look back on it now, and I’m grateful.”

At ������Ƶ, she majored in��environmental and��ecological��science and minored in��statistics,��laying��the foundation for her career in public service.

“I found ������Ƶ while I was touring colleges in the South, and if I’m honest, what initially captivated me was the beautiful campus,” says��Nighswander. “It was quaint, but not too small, and I��immediately��felt comfortable there. I also learned that they offered the environmental science program I was interested in, as well as plenty of extracurricular activities, so it was��a pretty easy��choice.”

Once on campus, Nighswander immersed herself in student life and began shaping her sense of self, playing on the women’s rugby club��team��and working as a referee for ������Ƶ’s Campus Recreation intramurals program all four years.

Beyond extracurricular involvement, ������Ƶ also nurtured her academic and professional growth.

“I received a scholarship through the ������Ƶ College Fellows program, which gave me financial aid as well as a program that really helped me succeed at ������Ƶ,” she said. “The program itself was fairly rigorous, and I credit the academic standards and research requirements for starting me on the path that got me into graduate school and ultimately, my career at the EPA.”

Through the ������Ƶ College Fellows program, she spent her junior and senior years conducting undergraduate research on��wetland��ecology, an experience that sparked her passion for��environmental��research.

She continued her education at the University of Florida, earning her master’s degree while discovering a new passion for CrossFit and the��strong sense��of community it fostered. After graduating in 2019, she moved back to Washington, D.C., to live with her parents and begin her job search. When COVID-19 upended those plans, she adapted, taking on side gigs and consulting work while also teaching CrossFit once gyms reopened.

“I met some members��at CrossFit��who worked at the EPA. I had told them��that��I��really wanted to work there, and they sent me a few positions that were hiring,” she said.��“The positions were in the Office of Pesticide Programs,��which��I��wasn’t��sure I was qualified for since I had��very little��knowledge about pesticides,” she explained. “When I interviewed, I��leveraged��my experience with statistics, entomology, and data analytics, and was lucky enough to get hired and start working there by the end of 2020.”

Today, her work at the EPA��remains��fast-paced, with priorities shifting quickly and requiring constant adaptability. “I work in pesticide regulation, and more specifically, I manage both public and proprietary pesticide usage data and analyze said data as part of assessing the benefits and risks of a given pesticide active ingredient,” Nighswander said.

Her time at ������Ƶ continues to influence her professional approach.

“My experience conducting research at ������Ƶ helped me a lot. It helped refine my skills in developing and testing hypotheses, technical��writing and public speaking,” she said.

She is especially energized by projects that blend science and technology.

“My favorite project currently is using a mapping software called ArcGIS to develop Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs) to protect endangered species from pesticide exposure,” Nighswander said.

Her career as a public servant has been��complex, but she explains that it also makes her work rewarding.

“What gets me to work every day is knowing that I am working to help protect human health and the environment. I have always wanted to have a successful career where I can still balance my love for the environment.��At��the��same time,��I��also��must��make members of the industry, the��general public, and environmental groups happy, which is��very challenging,” she explained.

The past year has brought��additional��demands amid broad changes across the federal workforce. Even so, she feels grateful to remain in her role and grounded in the purpose behind her work to safeguard the environment.

Looking back, Nighswander offers simple but powerful advice to her younger self: “Know that you have all the tools you need to be successful. You��don’t��have to be the smartest kid in the class or the loudest voice. Just trust your instincts, love yourself, and��you’ll��find your way.”

She approaches the future with the same openness. “I have no idea where I will be in my future, and I kind of love that,” she said. “There��was a period last year where every week, I was worried if I would still have a job. A year later, I am still here, serving the public, and I am grateful for that. I trust myself enough to know when it is time to move on and make a change, and I am sure that time will come, but for now, I am enjoying the work that I do.��The uncertainty, while scary at times, can be the most beautiful part of life.”

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

While much of the marketing world is obsessed with algorithms, Weickert focuses on the “science and soul” of human interaction. Her work aims to combat the modern “loneliness epidemic” by creating spaces that foster psychological safety,��trust and a genuine sense of belonging.

“In today’s world, people aren’t buying the product anymore,” Weickert explains. “They are buying identity and how a brand makes them feel. That’s the future of experiential.”

Her��expertise��has earned her��a spot on��the��2024��Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women Leaders in North Carolina, a testament to her influence��on the up-and-coming industry.

“There’s��not a ton of experiential representation in our state, so it was nice to put our agency and our industry on the��map,”��she��said.

Weickert’s��reach extends globally��as well��through her work with the World Experience Organization, where she collaborates with fellow creators to design experiences that��connect��people.

“Experiences are the best form of ads and will be the only channel that matters in a world that is being inundated with AI, mistrust, a loneliness epidemic and a��polycrisis,” she��said.

Her��rise to the top of the experiential marketing world began with a deep-seated curiosity about��the human��experience. Her career started in��traditional��advertising,��where��she quickly became exposed to the greater marketing ecosystem. Seeing��all��the many��facets��of marketing allowed her to find��her true��calling in experiential��work.

“There was something soulful about��experiential��marketing;��it was much deeper than a human being exposed to a digital ad on the��screen,��and I��was drawn to��that,” she said.��“I felt instantly connected to this idea of using brand stories as a powerful tool to create��connection��and belonging amongst strangers.”

Weickert’s��career was heavily influenced by her��experience��at ������Ƶ.��She credits her classes at ������Ƶ��for helping��her thrive in her current role.

“My Business Communications class and my Public Speaking class both taught me how to effectively communicate with others in a concise yet compelling way, with lessons that I still use in my current role today,” she said.

Winter Term ended up being one of the most meaningful parts of her experience at ������Ƶ, especially due to one class centered on Woodstock.

“My Winter Term class��explored the music surrounding the Woodstock era, both the cultural and artistic influences that��led up��to it and the ones that emerged in its wake,” she said. “What struck me most about the class was how deeply it invited us to reflect on the creative act itself. It��taught me the biggest��lesson above all: to always engage in experiences that leave you inspired, stay curious about the human experience, and expand your world into new realms of thinking.”

That mindset has stuck with her, and she now makes a point to seek out experiences that spark inspiration and bring those insights into her everyday work. Her work as head of strategy at��XD Agency��involves working with her team to discover��“how people make sense of the world and turn it into category-shifting advantages for brands,”��she explains.

Her job��also��consists of��constant travel and high-pressure environments. For Weickert,��she��maintains��a level head��with a��disciplined sense of gratitude, reminding herself how lucky she is to��feel tired from a long week of��traveling the world��and how fortunate she is to meet unexpected��people��around the globe.��She also looks to stay��present��through��mid-day meditation or simply appreciating the��moments.

Weickert points to one standout project as her favorite: Camp��Poosh��at��the��2025��Coachella��Festival,��created for Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s brand��Poosh.

The team transformed a massive Palm Desert estate into something entirely immersive, blending “color, texture, sound, nostalgia, and ritual” to create a space that tapped into what people crave most: novelty,��belonging, and pleasure.��What made the event especially memorable for Weickert was its carefully crafted sensory journey, which Weickert was a main part of creating.��Guests flowed through an environment filled with contrasts,��moving between workout classes, cold plunges, sound baths, DJ sets, and late-night celebrations that blurred self-care with nightlife.

“The brain loves contrast, so we leaned into it,” she explained, highlighting how each moment was designed to keep energy and engagement high. That philosophy culminated in a surprise performance by Heidi Montag, which, “turned the entire house electric.” The result was a perfectly balanced experience: “wellness that didn’t feel preachy” and “indulgence that didn’t feel guilty,” capturing what she calls a seamless blend��of inscape and��escape.

Her advice for those��following in her footsteps?��Put down the��phone and��connect with others.

“The only way you can understand what it means to be human is by exposing yourself to things that fundamentally make us human,” she said.

Weickert emphasizes the importance of prioritizing time outdoors to stay grounded. As algorithms increasingly shape our digital lives, it is essential to nurture a curiosity for the physical world, enabling us to become better communicators.

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.