Featured Alumni

Theatre Alum Continues to Create Sensory-Friendly Productions as Artist-in-Residence in Georgia

March 13, 2024

Since early childhood, Evan Hill Phillips has always enjoyed the spotlight as he craved an outlet to create, entertain, and perform. At Michigan State University, the BFA in Theatre graduate discovered a whole new and innovative theatrical approach, one that is designed for audiences that are neurodiverse.With an older brother who is neurodiverse and a first-hand knowledge of the industry’s…

AAHD / Alumni / Arts MSU / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Exhibition / Featured Alumni / News

Black Art Library at MSU Union Art Gallery Through March 8

February 16, 2024

The Black Art Library, founded by Michigan State University BFA in Art Education graduate Asmaa Walton, is now on display and can be experienced at the MSU Union Art Gallery through Friday, March 8.A collection of books and other art history ephemera on Black visual art, Walton, who is an arts educator, created the Black Art Library to serve as…

Alumni / Featured Alumni

Graphic Design Graduate Competes for Miss America

January 9, 2024

Maya Schuhknecht, a Spring 2023 Michigan State University graduate with a BFA in Graphic Design and the reigning Miss Michigan, is competing this week for the title of Miss America 2024. The 2024 Miss America Competition is taking place Jan. 6-14 in Orlando, Florida, where 51 contestants are vying for the title of Miss America 2024 along with more than…

Alumni / Donor / English / Featured Alumni / News / Scholarship

Legacy Gift Creates Two Scholarships to Support College of Arts & Letters Students

December 8, 2023

Alaine Weiss credits her time as an undergraduate at Michigan State University as one of the most impactful experiences in her life and her years in East Lansing among her most treasured memories. But the road to becoming a Spartan was difficult, having lost both her parents due to extended illnesses when she was just 11 years old. Were it…

Alumni / Award / Featured Alumni / News

College of Arts & Letters Graduate Receives Distinguished Alumni Award

December 4, 2023

Randolph (Randy) Cowen, a graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters, College of Social Science, and Honors College, is a 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, which is among the highest awards the university bestows on its alumni.Each year, the MSU Alumni Office recognizes Spartans who positively reflect and enhance the prestige of Michigan State University with its…

Alumni / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Featured Alumni / News

MSU Graduate Co-Founds Multimillion-Dollar Company Fueled by Goat Milk and Kindness

June 13, 2023

Michigan State University graduate Josh Kilmer-Purcell is a New York Times bestselling author who, together with husband, Dr. Brent Ridge, founded a multimillion-dollar skin care company, starred in their own reality TV show, and won season 21 of The Amazing Race — and those are just a few of the couple’s many accomplishments in what can be described as an…

Alumni / Award / Featured Alumni / News

Living and Working in Austria with Support of Fulbright Program

March 10, 2023

After graduating from Michigan State University with three bachelor's degrees, a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and as a member of the Honors College, Kaylee McCarthy set her sights on working and living abroad where she now teaches at a secondary school in Austria through Fulbright Austria's U.S. Teaching Assistants program. The school where McCarthy teaches, the Higher Federal Teaching and Research…

Alumni / Featured Alumni / News / Spanish

College of Arts & Letters Graduate to Receive Honorary Doctoral Degree from MSU

December 14, 2022

Marta Tienda grew up poor in the inner ring suburbs of Detroit. Her mother died when she was 6, but her father assured her life would be better if she worked hard and finished high school. She listened to her father, an immigrant from Mexico who raised five children in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Alternating between jobs as a factory…

Ryda Sundilla, a recent MSU graduate, smiles and wears a graduation cap while posing in front of a tree with her arms crossed.

Alumni / Design, Technology, and Media / Featured Alumni / Programs

Graduate Voice: Experience Architecture Program Lays Foundation for Career at Ford

October 12, 2022

Ryda Sundila is a May 2021 graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters. She currently works as a Product Designer at Ford Motor Co. She wrote this Graduate Voice article, which originally was published by MSU Today. The experiences and education that I gained through the Experience Architecture program has allowed me to strive in my current…

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Graphic Design Major Completes Remote Internship with South African TV Station

January 26, 2022

Shayla Pham, a Graphic Design senior, recently completed a motion graphic designer internship for Cape Town Television, a South-African community television station. The internship, which was made possible through MSU Excel Network’s Global Remote Internship Program, allowed Pham to sharpen new skills in animation and to expand her graphic design skills by editing the organization’s graphics. Pham met with her…