Mizzou R.A.H. Award

Morning News Anchor — Fox 4

Dallas, TX

“At 26, I became the youngest weekday morning anchor in the top 5 U.S. markets. I helped launch KDFW’s expanded morning newscast, the #1-rated morning news broadcast in Dallas-Fort Worth. I have worked at CBS, NBC and Fox stations across the country. Viewers can occasionally spot my reporting on national outlets like Fox Weather and LiveNOW. Some of my recent work for the streaming outlets included the historic Texas winter storm, the deadly power outage crisis that ensued, and inflation in the U.S. energy sector.” 

Assistant Director of Communications — City Academy

St. Louis, MO

“My most significant accomplishment since graduation was founding the Day Dreams Foundation in 2014. The organization's mission is to eliminate financial barriers to participating in extracurricular activities and promote healthy lifestyles, goal setting, academics, teamwork and respect for others. We award scholarships to children in Columbia, MO to allow them to participate in the activity of their choosing — athletics, theater, music lessons, dance, summer camps, swim lessons, and much more.” 

Chief Operating Officer — US Rice Producers Association

Sikeston, MO

“I started my career working in higher education, primarily in advancement and alumni relations. In 2021, I took a leap of faith and made a big career shift, leaving Mizzou and Columbia to move back to my hometown to work with US Rice Producers Association (USRPA) and the Missouri Rice Council. Making the jump from higher education to agriculture was a huge shift, but I'm proud to say I've excelled and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of US Rice Producers Association last fall.”

Photo credit: Phoenix Mercury 

Professional Athlete — Women’s National Basketball Association

Phoenix, AZ

Sophie is currently a shooting guard on the Phoenix Mercury, who selected her as the 13th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft. Last year, she also joined the Phoenix Sun’s broadcast team as a guest analyst. Being able to play basketball in front of and for the amazing fans of Phoenix has been one of her favorite parts of the organization, and being able to share her love for the game, off the court and in front of the camera for those same fans is, in her words, a dream come true.

CEO, Keynote Speaker, Author — Streamline Books

Columbia, MO

"I’m passionate about helping high-performance leaders take the next step on their leadership journey. I authored Thrive U; a collection of stories from 100 collegiate and professional athletes from across the country, and serve as co-founder & CEO of Streamline Books, a company that helps individuals write, edit, and publish their own book. I’m also a keynote speaker and trainer for the Jon Gordon Companies, where I help leaders transform their teams and change the world."

Associate Executive Search Consultant — Isaacson, Miller

Charlotte, NC

“My journey after graduation has been so rewarding and fulfilling, and to now be bringing things full circle in my new career has been a huge blessing. Isaacson, Miller works with mission-based organizations to hire their next leaders and change agents, and I work directly with higher education institutions in recruiting their next leaders."

Technical Integrator/Project Engineer — Boeing

St. Louis, MO

“I recently celebrated my ten-year anniversary with Boeing. I spent the first nine years working in the Materials & Process Engineering organization, turning my love of electrochemistry and kinetics into designing aircraft parts and assemblies on commercial and defense aircraft, while also supporting aircraft paint and assembly operations. Today, I’m working on legacy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet spares for multiple customers which has been incredibly challenging so far, but also very rewarding.”

Manager, Enterprise Production Engineering Integration and Advanced Products — Boeing

Philadelphia, PA

“In my current role at Boeing, I am responsible for leading a team of enterprise production engineers to integrate best practices, functional excellence, and advanced tools throughout Boeing commercial, defense, space and services products. Prior to this role, I served as a systems engineer and engineering performance leader for the Space Launch System (SLS) program within Boeing Defense, Space and Security.”

Videographer, Editor & Photographer — Race Service

Los Angeles, CA

“I’m currently providing creative services and support to brands like F1, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin, to name a few. Prior to working with Race Service, I worked as an editor and videographer for the NFL, filming global events including Super Bowl LIV & LV. I’ve focused my career on the creative space, specifically photography and videography, and I’m hoping to continue my creative journey into the commercial space as a DP and Director."

Attorney — Ozarks Elder Law

Springfield, MO

“I became a partner at Ozarks Elder Law in January 2020. Our firm is a boutique estate planning and elder law firm made up of all female attorneys. We help families get their estate planning wishes in writing and help them navigate the difficult process of placing a loved one in a long-term care facility. It is very rewarding legal work and I love my career.”

Vice President — TPG Growth, Rise and TPG NEXT Capital Formation

San Francisco, CA

“I work in the private equity industry, where I lead fundraising and investor relations for three platforms: TPG Growth, a global growth equity platform, The Rise Funds, a global social and environmental impact investing platform, and TPG NEXT, a platform focused on seeding and supporting underrepresented and diverse emerging asset managers. As part of my work, I have collectively been responsible for the execution of $15B in fundraising campaigns.”

TV Host — FOX 2 News

St. Louis, MO

“In 2021, I got tapped to launch and solo-host a show in St. Louis, MO, a top 25 TV market in the country. The show has been wildly successful in TV ratings and as an additional revenue stream for the station. Additionally, in September of 2022, I became the In-Arena Host for the St. Louis Blues, making history as the first African-American woman to host games for the St. Louis Blues franchise.”

Sideline Reporter — ESPN

Charlotte, NC

“Through connections I made while at Mizzou and Mississippi State, paired with all of the content I created during my time in grad school, I was blessed to be connected with multiple people at ESPN who saw my work and granted me my first network opportunity. I signed my contract with ESPN as one of the youngest on-air talents ever hired. I walked the stage on April 30th and on May 11th, I was in Tuscaloosa making my ESPN debut as the sideline reporter for the 2021 SEC Softball Tournament.” 

Attorney — Husch Blackwell LLP

Washington D.C

“Putting my work in the financial and clean energy space together, I recently co-founded Ridge, a sustainable neobank, in an attempt to leverage my business degree from Mizzou and my history in clean energy law to bring about a sustainable debit, credit, and savings accounts to customers across the country. We’re currently on our way to raising one of the largest pre-seed rounds in West Virginia history."

Aerospace Systems Engineer — NASA

Huntsville, AL

“After graduating, I accepted a position as an engineer with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. In my 5+ years with NASA, I have had increasingly larger responsibilities including Propulsion Lead for Jettison Motor, Redesign Lead for a sounding rocket program, Propulsion Test engineer with Redstone Test Center, Solid Propulsion Lead for the SLS Launch Abort System, and currently I am transitioning into Solid Propulsion Subsystem Manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.” 

Assistant Professor of Social Policy — Bocconi University

Milan, Italy

"In 2021, I moved abroad and joined Bocconi University as an Assistant Professor of Social Policy, while maintaining a Senior Fellow position with Columbia University. At Bocconi, I am leading a 7-person research team (funded through a European Commission grant) to investigate poverty, and policy strategies for reducing it, across the U.S. and European. Here, I have finished my first book ("Poverty in the Pandemic: Policy Lessons from COVID-19") which will be available in September 2023."

Special Projects Manager — City of St. Louis

St. Louis, MO

“I’ve dedicated my entire career to advocacy, politics, and civic engagement. Currently, I am the Special Projects Manager in the Office of St. Louis Mayor, Tishaura O. Jones. In this role, I execute large-scale city-wide events, assist with city operations and performance management, lead sustainability policy, and liaise with stakeholders on all national affairs.”

Resident Physician — University of Washington Family Medicine Residency Program

Seattle, WA

“I am one of the lucky individuals that was able to graduate from Mizzou twice – once as an undergraduate and years later through medical school, entering the medical field at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time frame, I was selected by the American Academy of Family Physicians as an emerging leader through their Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leader Institute, where I completed a year-long quality improvement project that ultimately led to challenging state and national policy.”

Host, All Things Considered — NPR

Baltimore, MD

"I am a co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered, and previously spent more than a decade covering national politics, most recently as NPR’s political correspondent covering race, justice and politics. I also covered the 2012, 2016 and 2020 presidential elections for outlets including POLITICO, CNN and The Associated Press.  In 2016, I was a fellow at the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service. I am also a former board member of the Online News Association."

Senior Lecturer — Queensland University of Technology

Brisbane, Australia

“Since graduating from Mizzou, I moved to Brisbane, Australia, to take up a job opportunity as a teaching and research academic at the Queensland University of Technology; today, I am one of the top 10 most highly cited researchers in Australia within the areas of media, news, and journalism. My international profile led to me being named in 2021 as a ‘leading researcher’ in the field of journalistic innovation, and I have played an outsized role in ensuring digital media, which are visual media, are appropriately studied, understood, and navigated in personal and public life."