Sex, gender, race, and identity-based discrimination is uncomfortably prevalent in American culture — more so than many of us want to admit — but only…
Sydney Pursel, curator for public practice
Read about Sydney’s path from her master’s degree at the College to her current role at the Spencer, all while developing her skills and abilities as a professional artist. See why Sydney is a Hawk to Watch.
Hawks to Watch: Brent Lind, web developer
Why Brent’s a Hawk to Watch: You’ve heard of Childish Gambino, My Morning Jacket, and Foster the People — now meet the Jayhawk who’s…
Hawks to Watch: Kris Kennedy, associate creative director
Why Kris is a Hawk to Watch: Kris Kennedy has made a name for himself within creative circles with big ideas, ambitious media stunts…
Hawks to Watch: Vanessa Delnavaz, collection manager
Why Vanessa’s a Hawk to Watch: Behind every life, there’s a story. The same could also be said of every species — and indeed,…
Hawks to Watch: Aric Toler, digital investigator
Why Aric’s a Hawk to Watch: Russian spies. Chemical weapons attacks. Drug lords, drones, conspiracy and war crimes. A day at ‘the office’ is…
Hawks to Watch: Richard W. James, ceramicist + sculptor
Why Richard’s a Hawk to Watch: Some professionals prefer not to mix their work and personal lives. For Richard W. James, the two are…
Hawks to Watch: Jomana Qaddour, foreign policy professional
Why Jomana’s a Hawk to Watch: Questions about America’s role on the global stage are deeply complex and often controversial: When is intervention appropriate?…
Hawks to Watch: Don Davis, senior director of player affairs for the NFLPA
Why Don’s a Hawk to Watch: Don Davis’s love for the game of football runs deep. With two Super Bowl rings to his name…
Hawks to Watch: Heba Mostafa, molecular virologist
Why Heba’s a Hawk to Watch: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, KU community members across the globe joined forces to curb…
Hawks to Watch: Rhianna Jordan, professional dancer
For KU alumna Rhianna Jordan, a dance studio is much more than a practice space.
Hawks to Watch: Kelly Houghteling, Deputy Town Administrator
Why Kelly’s a Hawk to Watch: Kelly Houghteling is always up for an adventure. When she’s off the clock, you can expect to find…
Hawks to Watch: Alex Nichols, content producer & writer
Why Alex is a Hawk to Watch: Comedy, arts, and entertainment can help us get through life’s rough patches and reflect on what truly…
Hawks to Watch: Kiel Johnson, Artist
Why Kiel’s a Hawk to Watch: To say that Kiel Johnson enjoys the creative process is something of an understatement. He’s positively enamored with…
Top 10 #HeartofKU stories of 2019
As the first month of 2020 comes to an end, we’re taking a look back at some of our favorite KU stories of 2019.…
Hawks to Watch: Mugabi Byenkya, writer, poet and rapper
Why Mugabi’s a Hawk to Watch: Life has a way of writing in unexpected plot twists. For KU grad Mugabi Byenkya, his journey to…
Hawks to Watch: Estelle Johnson, professional athlete
Why Estelle’s a Hawk to Watch: What does it take to become a pro athlete? Agility, strength, high levels of grit, and a growth…
Hawks to Watch: Brett Striker, Entrepreneur
Why Brett’s a Hawk to Watch: Fair warning: You might want to grab a snack before reading about our November Hawk to Watch, Brett…
Hawks to Watch, Julie Mulvihill, Nonprofit director and humanities advocate
Why Julie’s a Hawk to Watch: Every great movement begins with an idea. And when Kansans from diverse backgrounds come together to share their…
Hawks to Watch: Carlos Centeno, Economic development innovator
Why Carlos is a Hawk to Watch: When disaster strikes, we count on rapid responses, and carefully reasoned plans, from those with the experience,…
Hawks to Watch: Elizabeth Keever, Nonprofit director
Why Elizabeth’s a Hawk to Watch: Despite being readily available for some, access to healthy food remains out of reach for many families across…
Hawks to Watch: Carl Grauer, Contemporary Artist
Why Carl’s a Hawk to Watch: Wisdom and The Wizard of Oz, LGBTQ+ rights and the legacy of Stonewall, family and the uneasy tension…
Hawks to Watch: Amanda Shriwise, Postdoctoral Researcher
Why Amanda’s a Hawk to Watch: If you were able to look into the future 10 years ago and see yourself today, what would…
Hawks to Watch: Marlon Marshall, Grassroots Campaign Organizer
Why Marlon’s a Hawk to Watch: It’s no secret that politics, campaigns, and social movements can be contentious subjects, to say the least. So…
Hawks to Watch: David Toland, Kansas Secretary of Commerce
Why David’s a Hawk to Watch: Serious issues call for serious action. And David Toland has long been guided by the philosophy that real-world…
Hawks to Watch: Abbie Hodgson, Officer with the State Strategy Group at the Pew Charitable Trusts
Why Abbie’s a Hawk to Watch: Abbie Hodgson is a problem solver. It’s fitting then that she’s built a career taking on some of…
Hawks to Watch: Crystle Lampitt, TV Host and Producer
Why Crystle’s a Hawk to Watch: Crystle Lampitt’s road to hosting and producing for television was not without a few twists and turns. After…
Hawks to Watch: Jenny Peck and Geoff Knight, non-profit directors
Why Jenny and Geoff are Hawks to Watch: When Jenny Peck was placed in rural Tanzania as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2006, the…
Hawks to Watch: Danny Caine, poet and bookstore owner
Danny’s journey to own a bookstore took a few turns. As a poet, he’s always loved books. After college he started teaching high school. But a few years in he began to fall out of love with teaching and decided to do an MFA in Creative Writing. In 2014, he arrived at the University of Kansas, found a home in Lawrence and graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) in 2017.
Hawks to Watch: Spencer Lott, Puppeteer
Why Spencer’s a Hawk to Watch: Who hasn’t dreamed of taking a trip to Sesame Street? The air is sweet, the neighbors are friendly,…
Hawks to Watch: Becky Mandelbaum, Writer
Why Becky’s a Hawk to Watch: Aspiring writers everywhere should take a page out of award-winning Becky Mandelbaum‘s book. Writing, for Becky, is about…
Hawks to Watch: Eric Beightel, Environmental Policy Associate Director
Why Eric’s a Hawk to Watch: Environmental sustainability underpins Eric’s varied and impactful career supporting telecommunications, the Kansas Army National Guard, the Obama…
Hawks to Watch: Sarah Stern, Public Relations Manager
Why Sarah’s a Hawk to Watch: Sarah Stern could have been considered a Hawks to Watch even while still an undergraduate at KU such…
Hawks to Watch: Stephanie Stillo, Curator
Why Stephanie’s a Hawk to Watch: Imagine a job that transports you to a distant, sometimes magical world every single day. You’ll discover fantastic…
Hawks to Watch: Stephanie Downes, Digital Media Manager
Why Stephanie’s a Hawk to Watch: When you think biology degree, you may picture someone sitting in a lab or collecting specimens outside. For…
Hawks to Watch: Caitlin Hotzel, Pastry Chef
Why Caitlin’s a Hawk to Watch: Caitlin has never been afraid to take a risk to pursue passions and achieve her dreams. The books…
Hawks to Watch: Barry Noel St. John, Visual Effects Producer
Why he’s a Hawk to Watch: Barry was a member of the ground-breaking visual effects team for Oscar winner “The Jungle Book,” so there’s…
Hawks to Watch: Rachel Myslivy, Director of Statewide Programs
Rachel Myslivy, Statewide Coordinator, Double Up Food Bucks; Board Member, Climate + Energy Project Age: 38 KU Degree: MA – Religious Studies; Graduate Certificate…
Hawks to Watch: Natalie Pak, Speech-Language Pathologist
Natalie Pak, Speech-Language Pathologist at Widefield School District #3, Colorado Springs, CO Age: 24 KU Degree: BA Spanish, BA Speech-Language-Hearing (2013), MA Speech-Language Pathology…
Hawks to Watch: Michael Barry, Senior Product Manager
Michael Barry, Senior Product Manager, Amazon Age: 31 KU Degree: BA, English (2007) Why he’s a Hawk to Watch: Michael is one of those…
Hawks to Watch: Michael Barnicle, Trial Attorney
Michael Barnicle, Trial Attorney, Duane Morris LLP Age: 34 KU Degree: BA, Political Science (2004) Why he’s a Hawk to Watch: Michael tested his…
Hawks to Watch: Lauren Henion, Speech-Language Pathologist
Lauren Henion, Speech-Language Pathologist II at TIRR Memorial Hermann Age: 27 KU Degree: B.A. in Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences & Disorders (2011); M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology…
Hawks to Watch: Kirsten Michelle Devin, Medical Student
Kirsten Michelle Devin, 4th Year Medical Student at KU Medical Center, Fulbright Scholar Age: 27 KU Degree: B.A. Spanish (2011) Why she’s a Hawk…
Hawks to Watch: Kenton Rambsy, Professor
Kenton Rambsy, Assistant Professor of English and Digital Humanities, University of Texas Arlington Age: 27 KU Degree: MA English (2012); PhD English (2015) Why…
Hawks to Watch: Justin Mackey, Assistant Athletic Director
Justin Mackey, Assistant Athletic Director, Student-Athlete Development/University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Age: 34 KU Degree: BGS Communication Studies (2004), MA Communication Studies (2008)…
Hawks to Watch: Chris McDonald, Youth Treatment Counselor
Chris McDonald, Youth Treatment Counselor at Denver Children’s Home, Relief Treatment Supervisor and part time Program Assistant for Easter Seals Age: 24 KU Degree:…
Hawks to Watch: Amy Virginia Buchanan, Performer and Entrepreneur
Amy Virginia Buchanan, Artistic Director/Cofounder at Spring Street Social Society Age: 29 KU degree: BGS, Theatre (2010) Why she’s a Hawk to Watch: Amy…
Hawks to Watch: Devon Cantwell, education reform champion
Devon Cantwell, Founding Computer Science and Science Teachers, Smilow Prep- RePublic Schools Age: 25 KU Degree: Political Science (2012) Why she’s a Hawk to Watch:…
Hawks to Watch: Johanna Maska, Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing
Johanna Maska, SVP Communications and Marketing, Karmic Labs Age: 34 KU Degree: B.S., Journalism, B.A., History (2004) Why she’s a Hawk to Watch: Johanna…
Hawks to Watch: Sara Sneath, Environmental Reporter
Sara Sneath, Environmental Reporter at the Victoria Advocate Age: 30 KU Degree: B.S. in journalism and B.A. in sociology (2013) Why she’s a Hawk to…
Hawks to Watch: Todd Bradley, Medical Instructor
Todd Bradley, Ph.D., Medical Instructor and Director of Viral Genetic Analysis at Duke Human Vaccine Institute Age: 32 KU Degree: Human Biology (2007) Why…
Hawks to Watch: William McNulty, CEO
William McNulty, Cofounder and CEO, Team Rubicon Global Age: 38 KU Degree: Economics, Communication Studies (2001) Why he’s a Hawk to Watch: William is…