Maya Schuhknecht, a Spring 2023 Michigan State University graduate with a BFA in Graphic Design, was crowned Miss Michigan 2023 on Saturday, June 17, at the Frauenthal Theater in downtown Muskegon following a three-day competition. Along with the crown, sash, and Miss Michigan 2023 title, Schuhknecht, who is from Buchanan, Michigan, received $10,000 in scholarships.
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…
Kaylah Jetton began studying Japanese on her first day of kindergarten at Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies School, an international K-8 school in Detroit, where students learn French, Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese from native speakers. There, she studied the Japanese language for two hours daily and performed traditional Japanese songs and dances at annual school cultural festivals after being…
Nick McPhail first started painting when he was a sophomore at Michigan State University with his first creations being photorealistic oil paintings of East Lansing landscapes. Now a seasoned artist with a wealth of experience under his belt, McPhail has gained a large following of fans and collectors with his use of bold colors and geometric shapes. For McPhail, who…
Four years after graduating from Michigan State University with a B.A. in English, Jack Epps Jr. met with Jim Cash, his former screenwriting instructor who also earned his B.A. in English from MSU, at the MSU Union Grill. The duo discussed movie ideas and decided to join forces. They went on to write ’80s and ’90s blockbusters like Turner &…
With a work ethic as strong as her instincts, Tori Nichel Gibbs was destined for success. After graduating from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Apparel and Textile Design, she rose through the ranks within the fashion industry, working in various positions including Assistant Fabric Researcher for Dana Buchman, Senior Designer for Kenneth Cole, and Head Designer…
April is Earth Month, a time in which to reflect on the environmental issues facing our planet. In recognition of this, we share the work being done by one College of Arts & Letters graduate to bring clean energy options to as many people as possible. As Executive Director of Michigan Energy Options (MEO), a clean energy nonprofit, John Kinch…
As an Experience Designer for Ford Motor Co., Michigan State University graduate Calandra Berry is helping create the next generation of vehicles and is part of a core team of experience designers and engineers who are charged with making the fully electric Lincoln Star Concept Car a reality.“We try to figure out how we’ll implement the features into the vehicle, as well…
Putting aside her work in the United States, Michigan State University 2021 graduate Emily Keller set her sights on Spain where she is now working as a Teaching Assistant helping students learn English as a recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Secondary Education, with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), Keller was selected among a 9,300-applicant pool to travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. She is one of the six College of Arts…
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…