Alumni engagement, faculty expertise, salute to New York internships and more

Ben Siegel

The Schoonover Center

Scripps College of Communication graduate Ken Klein shares student, alumni and faculty news via social media. He is a volunteer assistant to the Scripps College of Communication at ��.

Here is Klein’s July 2022 recap:

The Bobcat Connection

Scripps College of Communication alumni photographed student interns and other alumni “on the job” connecting generations of Scripps students in July. The photos were posted by Klein to Twitter and gained high traffic on social media. Here are a few examples:

Dan Dry

Dan Dry (photojournalism, Class of ‘76) photographed Louisville Courier-Journal sportswriter J.L. Kirven (specialized studies, Class of ‘21) at The Dirt Bowl in Louisville. The Dirt Bowl is a seven-week basketball tournament at Shawnee Park where the best players in the region come together to compete.

This was Kirven’s first time covering the event, and Dry, who has attended before, followed him around to photograph the experience.

“I'd never met the guy and [it was] exciting to watch him work and see him do his thing,” says Dry. “He is very impressive, and I’m not easily impressed.”

Bobcats connect in a multitude of ways off-campus, coming together in spontaneous ways. At the beginning of the summer, Kirven covered Parker Touma, a recent high school graduate in the Louisville area who lettered in six varsity sports his senior year. As fate has it, Touma is Dry’s nephew and when Dry received the article in a family group chat, he felt a sense of serendipity knowing he was going to work with Kirven later in the summer.

Dry is also the official photographer of the Kentucky Derby and took on a team of OHIO student photographers a few years back. Lauren Murray was one of the students who stood out to Dry, and she continues to visit him every year on the week of the races, stays in his home, explores Louisville and photographs the Derby with him.

"I'd never met the guy and [it was] exciting to watch him work and see him do his thing,” Dan Dry said about J.L. Kirven. “He is very impressive, and I’m not easily impressed.”

Marin Cook

Marin Cook (photojournalism, Class of ‘22) photographed Nathan Wiseman (journalism, Class of ‘17) at the Columbus Blue Jackets game, and Scripps interns Reese Thompson and Clay Stark at the Columbus Clippers game. Cook works part time at 10 Speed Studios in Columbus and freelances to get more experience in the field.

A native of Ada, OH, Cook had never been to Clippers Stadium before and her first time was a memorable experience. Cook received a press pass and ended up on the field before the game, photographing Thompson and Stark. Cook just recently graduated and connecting with current students helped ease that transition from college life to real-world journalism.

“Even being able to go to that Clippers game and see those interns that are upcoming sophomores, it was so cool to talk to them,” says Cook. “[It’s] kind of almost like living through them, and seeing those just-finished- freshman-year-students was really cool, too.”

Clay Stark is shown taking photographs at a Columbus Clippers game — Photo taken by Marin Cook of Clay Stark in action at the Columbus Clippers game.

John Kiesewetter

John Kiesewetter (photojournalism, Class of ‘75) photographed broadcast journalism students Tim Hanna Jr. and Sedric Granger as they prepared to call plays for the Southern �� Copperheads baseball team against the Hamilton Joes in Hamilton, ��. Kiesewetter completed a news reporting internship at the Cincinnati Enquirer which turned into a 40-year career with the southwestern �� news outlet.

In 2014, Kiesewetter joined Cincinnati Public Radio as a TV columnist. In this new role, Kiesewetter worked alongside fellow Scripps graduates and student interns, speaking with them about OHIO, journalism, and creating a career upon graduation.

“It’s always great to see Scripps students taking advantage of internships and getting practical experience before they graduate that enhances their ability to get a job after leaving OU,” says Kiesewetter. At the face-off in Hamilton, Kiesewetter was able to watch upcoming, enthusiastic broadcast students who are taking advantage of the opportunities presented to them through Scripps.

“I’m sure calling games is fun, but it’s not easy,” says Kiesewetter. “They travel with the team to far away road games, but they are getting the experience [of] broadcasting sports even before they graduate.”

“It’s always great to see Scripps students taking advantage of internships and getting practical experience before they graduate that enhances their ability to get a job after leaving OU,” says John Kiesewetter.

Applause for alumna Paula Shugart

A Linkedin shoutout to ‘81 alumna Paula Shugart was brief and to the point:

“Many thanks to for her guidance and mentorship.” This thank-you message was posted by Meg Omecene, a senior manager of corporate communications at VISA in New York and strategic communication ‘16 graduate. In 2015, Omecene interned at the Miss Universe Organization in New York, which provided real-world experience that helped launch her career.

On July 28, �� and the Scripps College of Communication honored Shugart for her support and mentorship of Scripps students pursuing internship opportunities. Shugart is the president of the Miss Universe Organization, which dedicates internship positions in New York specifically to Scripps students. More than 60 students have participated in the program.

Dean Scott Titsworth and Paula Shugart — Paula Shugart accepts a plaque of appreciation from Scripps College of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth.

Hidden gems

Paul Matson (public relations, Class of ’09) of Boeing-Chicago was highlighted on social media during a multi-day series on Scripps alumni working in the aerospace industry. He spoke to the Scripps PRSSA Chapter on February 15, 2021. Matson’s impressive resume includes this nugget: he was on ��’s award-winning speech/debate team.
In news-heavy Akron, reporter Abbey Marshall (journalism, Class of ‘20) worked long hours for the Beacon Journal. Emily Gayton (Journalism, Class of ’21) posted a to Marshall: “Abbey is one of the hardest working reporters I know, covering community highs and lows with dignity, curiosity and compassion.”

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