Alumni Relations

Cupid Hayes Assistant, Alumni Relations/West Coast 323.469.0449 wcalumni@colum.edu	Originally from Manchester, U.K., Cupid studied at DePaul University's theatre school and is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where she has worked part-time as an assistant to the director of alumni relations, West Coast, since 2007. In college, Cupid was an intern at the Chicago Film Office, working on Baby's Day Out, Natural Born Killers, I Love Trouble, and The Untouchables. An actress, Cupid sits on many committees of the Screen Actors Guild and has been most recently seen on CSI:NY and in the San Diego Black Film Festival award winner Her, directed by Ty Tann and Omega Kayne. She associate produced and acted as 1st AD on the short The Kindness of Strangers, directed by Robert Amico, and is coproducing and stars in the web series "Cookin' Big Stuff."
Michelle Passarelli Assistant Director of Alumni Operations 312.369.6987 mpassarelli@colum.edu	Michelle earned a B.A. in marketing communications with a concentration in advertising and copywriting from Columbia in 1999. Prior to joining Columbia, Michelle worked in the San Francisco Bay Area as a marketing director and advertising account executive, primarily in the multifamily and commercial real estate industries. While residing in the Bay Area, Michelle also spearheaded the San Francisco CAAN (Columbia Alumni Association & Network) chapter. As director of alumni operations, Michelle works closely with academic departments to assist in the cultivation and implementation of their alumni initiatives, and is the faculty advisor for the Student Alumni Association (SAA).
Sarah Schroeder Director of Alumni Relations and Development / West Coast 323.469.0443 sschroeder@colum.edu	Sarah earned a B.A. in film and video from Columbia in 2000. Her first job in Hollywood was as the assistant to talent agent Craig Wyckoff. After a one-year term in the agency world, she assisted Reuben Cannon in casting the feature Deliver us from Eva. She has also worked as assistant to J.B. Roberts, a personal manager at Thruline Entertainment, where she facilitated the start-up of a new company and office. Before that, she served in the same capacity to J.B. Roberts for Rigberg Roberts Rugolo Talent and Literary Management. Already an active member of Columbia ’s West Coast alumni network, Sarah joined the staff as West Coast alumni director in December 2002. She assists alumni with acclimating to life in Los Angeles, including helping with job searches, promoting alumni accomplishments, event planning, and acting as a liaison between Columbia and its West Coast alumni.
Cynthia Vargas Assistant Director of Alumni Programming 312.369.8640 cvargas@colum.edu	Cynthia earned a B.A. in fiction writing from Columbia in 2001, and joined the alumni relations team after more than six years of working in the nonprofit and higher education sectors. In her previous position at Loyola University, she quadrupled the school’s alumni club program, managed events around the country, and worked with various alumni boards. Cynthia has worked with Jumpstart, a nonprofit organization that provides low-income preschoolers with one-on-one mentoring; Facing History and Ourselves, a Jewish organization that promotes awareness regarding genocides; and the Council for a Parliament for the World’s Religions, where she managed the VIP department in Barcelona, Spain. At Columbia, Cynthia works with the alumni chapters and organizes events such as the alumni reception at Manifest and Alumni Reunion weekend.