Alumni Spotlight

Emma Farrow, Sociology B.A.

Emma Farrow graduated summa cum laude from ��ֱ�� in May 2025, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Psychological Science.

Emma wrote her senior thesis, “Wounds of Inequality: The Intersectionality of Gendered Racism in Healthcare and Autonomy”, on Black women’s experiences of gendered racism in healthcare, which consisted of completing in-depth interviews with 7 women who shared their experiences with her. Upon completing her thesis, she submitted it to the Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), The International Sociology Honor Society, Undergraduate Student Paper Competition. Out of the 57 nationwide submissions from prestigious colleges and universities, Emma’s paper was awarded first place and recognized at the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting in Chicago this past August.

As an additional part of her award, her paper is being considered for publication in AKD’s peer-reviewed journal Sociological Inquiry.

She wanted to share, “The recognition I’ve received for my award has truly been more than I could’ve ever imagined and I’m incredibly proud of the work I put into this project to make it worthy of this tremendous honor. I would like to thank my professors Dr. Fiona Pearson, Dr. Ashley Green, and the entire Sociology department for their continuous support.”

Past Alumni Spotlights

Ryan Hayes

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2024 Journalism Graduate
Headed On-Air
by Darren Sweeney
Ryan Hayes, a 2024 graduate of the Department of Journalism, will be Duluth, Minnesota’s newest on-air multimedia journalist.
After graduation, Ryan interviewed with several television stations across the country. He said the news directors he talked with were impressed by his experience in the Department of Journalism at ��ֱ��, including its robust study abroad reporting trips.
“Having experience with news packages was something they liked. Brazil stood out to news directors because it was a unique experience,” Hayes, from Coventry, said. “They appreciated that I had the ability to get an interesting story in an environment that was unfamiliar.”
Hayes helped lead a group of nine students to a trip to Brazil last May. He was the executive producer and co-anchor of a half-hour climate change broadcast news magazine that is currently airing on Newington Community Television and streaming online. Beyond the Brazil experience, Hayes took Professor Darren Sweeney’s News Practicum classes that sharpened his knowledge of broadcast news. The classes created a practical newsroom environment where Hayes and the other students anchored, produced, reported and directed a weekly campus newscast called “CCSU News.”
Hayes also participated in a 2023 study abroad course to Paris, France. The course, “Creating the 2024 Olympics,” got Hayes on the ground in France to tell stories about the Olympic games.
“CCSU Journalism gave me some amazing opportunities, and I can confidently say I made the right decision choosing to study journalism here,” he said.
Hayes credits all of his journalism classes for giving him the reporting depth and multimedia storytelling skills to prepare him to enter the competitive field of broadcast news. He specialized in Broadcast Journalism, which is one of three sequences CCSU Journalism offers. The others are Print/Digital Journalism and Sports Journalism.
Ryan said he’s looking forward to joining the “Northern News Now” news team at KBJR, the CBS/NBC affiliate in Duluth.
“I'm very excited to get started,” he said. “I thank the Department of Journalism at ��ֱ�� for all of the amazing experiences and opportunities! I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
English, Kate Callahan

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Kate Callahan is an alum in the Department of English and the 2016-2018 Connecticut State Troubadour. This honorary position was established in 1991 by the State of Connecticut, and is recognized as an ambassador of music, song, and cultural literacy during her reign. Kate was selected as the State Troubadour "because of her captivating voice, strong musicianship, compelling personal story and love of and commitment to Connecticut" (Ct.gov, 2016).
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History and Political Science major, Michael Markowicz
The career path for alumnus Michael Markowicz was anything but straight forward! Michael grew up in Rocky Hill, CT, with his parents, a high school math teacher and a homemaker. He was not convinced at first that college was the right path for him. School had always come easily for Michael, earning As and Bs without a lot of effort. He started off at ��ֱ��, took a few years off, and returned to complete two bachelor’s degrees in History and Political Science.
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Psychological Science, Shawn Meehan

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Shawn Meehan is not your average undergraduate student. He is a 60-year-old man with a devotion to helping others in recovery. Newly graduated with a degree in Psychological Science, Shawn promised his late wife years ago that he would complete his bachelor’s degree. This recent graduation day was truly a milestone. This was a man who dropped out of high school and completed his GED at 22. He fulfilled that promise to his wife when he walked across the stage at the XL Center in Hartford while his son and 89-year-old mother cheered him on! His mother told him, “I’ve only waited 40 years to see you graduate!”
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Public History Program, McKinley Albert
The path that we take in our career trajectories are not always obvious. This was certainly the case for McKinley Albert, a graduate from our Public History master’s program! McKinley started her academic career at the University of Pittsburgh. McKinley was from Pennsylvania and grew up in the small town of Astern. She longed for a college life within a city! At Pitt, she majored in History, because she originally wanted to be a curator of a museum.
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