MAM Alum Alissa Klaus on Art, Community, and Career Fulfillment
May 08, 2023How centering professional growth on arts institutions led one Columbia College Chicago MAM alum to a rewarding career in museums.
Alum Jacob Mooney Lands Job at Pioneering Interactive Trading Card Company
May 01, 2023Persistence pays off for Game Design Alum who now works at Wizards of the Coast.
Fashion Studies Alum's Internship Launches Career in Apparel Design
Apr 24, 2023Alum and Designer Rebecca Martin BFA ‘19 now works in New York City on brands seen at Walmarts and Targets across the country.
Alum George Chen on Building a Life in Development
Apr 10, 2023How supporting the arts became a calling and a passion for one #Columalum.
Music Alum Performs With Beyoncé and Lizzo to Uplift Audiences
Apr 03, 2023Columbia College Chicago Alum D’Zhari Bolden ’17 describes her experiences working with two of music’s biggest superstars and her passion for making music that makes people feel good.
Dance and Cultural Studies Alum Brianna Heath '17 on the Importance of Listening to Your Genuine Self
Mar 20, 2023Creating the space she needed to thrive led Columbia College Chicago Alum Brianna Heath on the adventure of a lifetime.
Pinball Wizard Jessica Durbala '21 Launches Her First Game
Mar 20, 2023Columbia College Chicago Computer Animation alum plays pivotal role in developing new pinball game that uses animation, storytelling, and a creative design to engage players and collectors.
Alum Mary Kate Ashe '19 Promotes Accessibility at SXSW
Mar 20, 2023As an accessibility operations specialist at SXSW, Deaf Studies alum helps everyone make the most of the 10-day event.
Instructor Jason Stephens on the Power and Possibility of Documentary Filmmaking
Mar 13, 2023How creative exploration and a passion for finding the truth led to the success of the film Safe Place.
MAM Alum and MFA Student Erica McKeehen on Choosing the Artist’s Life
Mar 13, 2023How a purpose-driven approach has transformed McKeehen’s happiness and her future.
Alum Ashley Brown '10 on Live Events, Tour Managing, and Business Building
Mar 06, 2023How staying true to a love of events led to incredible success and her own production company.
Instructor and Alum Vanessa Wright '02 on Filmmaking, Marketing, and Success at Cannes
Feb 20, 2023How intention and community led to a life of advocacy and change-making.
Columbia Alums Meet With Students at NRF 2023 in New York City
Jan 23, 2023Columbia College Chicago alums working in fashion, advertising, PR, and marketing communication share their experiences and insights with current students
5 Questions with Columbia Alum and Trustee Staci R. Collins Jackson
Dec 19, 2022The road to leading publicity for ‘Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever’
Anchor and Reporter Paige Barnes ’21 Found Stories Worth Telling at Columbia
Dec 19, 2022Alum Paige Barnes ’21 recalls how her experiences at Columbia paved the way to her current roles as morning anchor and reporter at WSBT in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan
Make Columbia Part of Your Holiday Season: Watch Alum Movies and Shows
Dec 19, 2022Check out our list of 2022 Columbia-alum streaming projects
Fashion Design Alum Shaquita Reed ’18 Expresses Herself Using Different Mediums
Dec 12, 2022Shaquita Reed shares her journey as a mixed media artist, fashion designer, teacher, and graduate student
Alum Calid Bowen ’10 on Building a Creative Life
Dec 12, 2022How a Master of Arts Management in the Music Business set the stage for a successful multidimensional career
Nine-Time GRAMMY Nominated Music Producer Alum Marcos Palacios ‘06 on Living His Dream
Dec 12, 2022How the multi-platinum artist carved his own path
Tips for Musicians From Music Alum Parris Fleming
Nov 14, 2022Having toured with numerous artists, including Harry Styles and Tony Allen, Alum Parris Fleming ‘14 knows how to play the trumpet and much more. He recently shared his lessons learned with Columbia students.
Joseph Sikora: From Stage and Screen to Behind the Scenes
Nov 07, 2022Columbia alum Joseph Sikora ’98 on acting, performance reviews, and fostering safe spaces to create
A Sound Education
Oct 10, 2022Audiologist-turned-educator/podcaster Steve Taddei ‘13 credits his experiences at Columbia for launching his career and his calling.
Just Say 'Yes'
Oct 03, 2022Alum Luke Miller ’05, director of photography for "Grace and Frankie," works his way through and up LA’s film and television industry.
A Game-Changer
Sep 12, 2022Recent graduate James Jiang lands job in game industry after earning a degree in Computer Animation.
Melding Passions Leads to a Career in Music Journalism
Sep 02, 2022Alum Kendall Polidori ’21 reflects on discovering her career while at Columbia.
Toy Monique Hawkins MFA ’17 Shares Her Journey With CTVA Students
Mar 14, 2022Hawkins, Vice President of Development and Scripted Programming for BET Networks and BET Studios, recently visited campus to talk with students about her career in film and what she's been up to since her time at Columbia.
Columbia’s Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Marketing Campaign Features the Artwork of Two Alums
Jan 26, 2022Columbia highlights the artistry of its alums in a marketing campaign that features an alum’s illustration work, commissioned by the college, and an alum’s public art installation.
CTVA Alumni to Have Film Shown at NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival
Jan 24, 2022"One Woman Hamlet", co-directed by Cinema and Television Arts alums Kseni Avonavi, MFA ’19, and Ayesha Abouelazm MFA ’17, will be screened at the 2022 NYC Indie Theatre Film Festival, February 10-20, 2022.
Ju’Juan Day MFA ’20 Self Publishes First Poetry Collection, Footsteps
Nov 22, 2021Day discusses his new poetry collection about the day-to-day experiences of a Black adolescent male transitioning into maturity, and how his time at Columbia helped him publish this work.
The Many Paths Forward with Audio Arts and Acoustics: Alum Jackie Loupakos ’19 on Life After Columbia
Nov 15, 2021As her skills and experiences evolved while a student at Columbia, Loupakos became interested in working in sound for film. After taking Audio for Visual Media I with Michael Coyle, Loupakos knew that she wanted to explore sound design and recording.
William Meiners MFA '96 Publishes First Book, 'Though the Odds Be Great or Small'
Sep 27, 2021'Though the Odds Be Great or Small' is about Notre Dame's 1957 Comeback Season and the Year That Changed College Football.
Filmmaker Thavary Krouch, MFA ’13, Wants You to Know You are a Success
Sep 20, 2021After graduating in 2013, Krouch dove into the world of filmmaking. She now works as the Independent Film Coordinator for the City of Chicago, where she gets to pay forward the mentorship and support that she received early on in her career.
Taz Johnson ’19 on Audio Arts and Acoustics and Persevering through the Pandemic
Sep 03, 2021Johnson has been working successfully as a freelance audio engineer since 2015, taking many of the skills he learned at Columbia with him along the way.
Pax Helgesen ’15 on the Road to Creating Audio for Games
May 15, 2021Pax Helgesen ’15 has carved out a successful career in sound design. Now, he's here to pay it forward.
Photography Alum, Guggenheim Fellow on How Columbia Helped Shape and Inform Her Practice
May 10, 2021Sama Alshaibi talks about how her experiences at Columbia helped shape her career and the projects she has been most passionate about
Christopher Rohrbeck ’19 Uses Science to Inform His Films
Mar 05, 2021Rohrbeck was able to tie his Biology minor to his Cinema and Television Arts major while at Columbia.
Teena Sloane-Hendricks ’20 Continues Legacy at Columbia With Her Children
Feb 08, 2021The first time Teena was on campus, in 1984, she knew that she would return – and encourage her future children to do so too.
Jessica Borowski ’10 on Persevering for the Dream in Acoustics
Jan 25, 2021Audio Arts and Acoustics Alum Jessica Borowski had to fight for what she wanted. Here's how she landed her dream job in a competitive field.
Tomas Videla, MFA ’19, on Building a Life from His Love of Music
Jan 03, 2021For Tomas Videla, music was always a part of his life, but he never imagined that he’d be scoring the soundtrack for the upcoming HBO documentary about Tiger Woods.
Ryan Trembath ’07 Writes First Book About Signature Shoes
Nov 16, 2020When the COVID-19 pandemic caused Illinoisans to quarantine, Ryan Trembath ’07 used the opportunity to follow a lifelong dream – to write a book.
Oula Yassine '20 and the Advent of the Culture Collection
Nov 06, 2020Fashion alum Oula Yassine discusses how her time at Columbia helped her develop her unique style and advance her career.
Luther Hughes BA ’16 Has Been Awarded Numerous Prizes in 2020
Oct 16, 2020Hughes has recently been awarded the 2020 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship and the 2020 92Y Discovery Poetry Prize
Alum Moves from Columbia Student to Columbia Artist in Virtual Residence
Oct 05, 2020Columbia Dance alumna Kierah King hasn’t missed a beat
Christian Cook ’19 Publishes First Novel, “I Hate Gray”
Sep 25, 2020Christian Cook's ’19 first novel has been published by Leeds Press Corp.
Taking a Look at the Man Behind the Lens
Aug 19, 2020Philip Dembinski ’08 on his love of photography and his favorite shoots
Sahar Mustafah MFA Fiction ’13 Publishes New Novel, The Beauty of Your Face
May 26, 2020The Beauty of Your Face has been named a Most Anticipated Book of 2020 by Marie Claire, Bustle, Real Simple, and Literary Hub.
Nick Olson BA ’14 Publishes first Novel, Here’s Waldo
May 08, 2020Atmosphere Press will publish the novel within the next year
Alumni Jeff Hoffmann Sells Thesis to Simon and Schuster
Mar 13, 2020Hoffmann's first novel, “Other People’s Children” will be published in 2021.
Detours to Success: Michelle Harmon on taking the Back Road to Happiness
Feb 25, 2020Sometimes the detour you take leads on an alternate route to happiness and fulfillment
Delvin McCray '16: From Switching Majors to Making it to the Fashion Majors
Feb 18, 2020Columbia College Chicago alum Delvin McCray reflects on how he moved into the world of fashion, the roads to Project Runway and Paris Fashion Week
MFA Creative Writing/Fiction Alumnus Solome Skaff ‘04 Publishes Book, LifeCare
Jan 29, 2020Solome Skaff MFA '04 wrote LifeCare, a personal guide that helps people process through the difficulties of life.
Tyler Bradley MAM ‘18 Takes Her Dreams to Infinity and Beyond
May 27, 2023Since completing Columbia's Arts Management (MAM) program, Bradley has continued to grow her business, found success in various roles at Disney, and now has advice for students with the same determination.
- To Be Replaced