Columbia College Chicago Honors 24 Alums for ‘24 in 2024’

PhotoColumbia College Chicago’s 24 in 2024 local Chicago honorees from left to right: Alexandra Wylder, Natalie Craig, Kelsie Johnson, Mackenzie O’Connor, and Elizabeth Moss.
As a kickoff to Columbia College Chicago’s 135th Anniversary, the college is honoring 24 distinguished alumni across all disciplines as part of “24 in 2024,” a college-wide initiative that celebrates Columbia alumni and their career accomplishments.

Columbia unveiled the 24 honorees as a celebratory start to the 2024 fall semester, marking a new chapter in the school’s long legacy as a leader in creative arts education. This is part of the celebrations that honor the college’s history while looking ahead to the future in its 135th year. 

The 24 in 2024 class includes a multifaceted group whose careers span a wide range of fields — from a womenswear fashion designer to a community-focused filmmaker. Many launched their careers while at Columbia.  

“It is an absolute honor to showcase the talents of our alumni community for 24 in 2024,” says Dirk Matthews, senior director of alumni relations at Columbia College Chicago. “Our alumni are a big part of Columbia’s identity, and their successes in the field are proof of their creative talents, hard work, and ingenuity.” 

The 24 honorees’ career paths represent the diverse areas of study at Columbia including design, broadcast journalism, comedy writing, and photography. ULTA Beauty, Cameo, NBC 5 Chicago, Warner Bros. TV Group, and Saturday Night Live are a small sample of the places where Columbia alumni built their impressive careers.  

Mackenzie O’Connor’18 is one of the 24 honorees who landed her current job as Chief of Staff at the popular video-sharing website, Cameo, through an internship she applied for while at Columbia. She initially met the founders of Cameo at 1871, a local tech incubator and industry partner of Columbia, her senior year. 

“Columbia has always instilled in their students the importance of collaboration with the people around you,” says O’Connor. “Columbia really pushes group projects and collaboration in the classroom, and I think that helped prepare me for my work at Cameo.” 

O’Connor joins the list of distinguished alumni who were chosen to be a part of 24 in 2024 with the goal to build community and camaraderie. 

“I’m really excited to connect with awesome alumni who I still have connections with in Chicago,” says O’Connor. “It’s rewarding to see the amazing opportunities other alumni have been able to tackle.” 

24 in 2024 selects members of the Columbia Community for their professional achievements and dedication to the creative arts and media beyond their academic careers. Columbia emphasizes a career-ready curriculum that prepares students to find work in their creative fields.

Watch interviews of select honorees to learn more about their career paths.

Meet the Amazing Alumni Who Are Part of 24 in 2024 

  1. Holly Amos ’11, Managing Editor at Poetry Foundation 
  2. Ramon Alvarez-Smikle ’13, Head of Digital Marketing at Interscope
  3. Mary Kate Ashe ’19, Accessibility Professional 
  4. Evrod Cassimy ’06, NBC Chicago Anchor 
  5. Jess Dugan MFA ’14, Photographer 
  6. Natalie Craig ’15, Manager of Editorial at United Airlines 
  7. Lucas Gansmoe ’16, Manager of Emerging Technology at Paramount Pictures 
  8. Callie Hersheway ’07, Writer and Producer for Film and TV 
  9. Kelsie Johnson ’17, Songwriter and Music Producer 
  10. Alexander Knox ’15, Senior Designer of Women’s Ready-to-Wear at Coach 
  11. Kyra Lyons MA ’22, Community Focused Filmmaker 
  12. Elizabeth Moss ’14, Freelance Scientific Illustrator  
  13. Mackenzie O’Connor ’18, Chief of Staff at Cameo 
  14. Brittany Rodgers ’11, Multicultural PR & Communications Director for Warner Bros TV. 
  15. Marley Sherwood ’14, Host of CMT Hot 20 Countdown 
  16. Joseph Sikora ’98, Award-Winning American Actor 
  17. Christian Sprenger ’07, Award-Winning Cinematographer, Producer, and Director 
  18. JR Strickland ’08, Owner of Nocturnal FX and a writer, director, and VFX Artist 
  19. Frank Waln ’14, Award-Winning Sicangu Lakota Multi-Genre Music Artist 
  20. Asha Ward ’21,stand-up comedian featured on Netflix and Comedy Central 
  21. Miann Wilson ’18,Production Agent at William Morris Endeavor 
  22. Abraham Velazquez ’09,Engineering Leader at Dropbox 
  23. Whitney Wetta ’11,Award-Winning Writer at Nickelodeon 
  24. Alexandra Wylder ’14, Buyer at ULTA Beauty

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