A selection of recent mentions in the news media of 乐播传媒 alumni and future alumni, our students.
Benjamin E. Mays, Class of 1920
New documentary explores legacy of education, civil rights advocate Benjamin E. Mays 鈥� The Index-Journal
The Index-Journal of Greenwood, S.C., , Class of 1920. Narrated by the late Louis Gossett Jr., the film uses artificial intelligence to reproduce Mays鈥� voice, allowing viewers to hear Mays delivering his most memorable quotes.
The Legacy of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, which premiered at Lander University in Greenwood on Oct. 25, chronicles the life and legacy of Mays, the youngest of eight children born to formerly enslaved parents in Greenwood County, S.C., who became known as the 鈥淪choolmaster of the Movement鈥� as president of Morehouse College and mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders.
The 60-minute film includes interviews with Mays鈥� former students and includes footage from his speech to the World Council of Churches in 1954, where he championed civil rights through scripture.
Takako Yamaguchi 鈥�75
Who is Takako Yamaguchi, the under-sung painter causing a frenzy at auction? 鈥� Artnet News
Art media outlets have been abuzz about painter after decades of quiet work in Los Angeles.
Her paintings, which once sold for a few thousand dollars, are now breaking records at major auctions. For example, her 1994 painting Catherine and Midnight sold for $1.1 million, breaking a record at Sotheby鈥檚 London, and several other works have consistently outperformed auction estimates.
Artnet News noted that 鈥淵amaguchi鈥檚 seascape paintings in the Whitney Biennial have touched a nerve with their surreal synthesis of abstraction, pattern, and d茅cor from East and West.鈥�
The news outlet notes that 鈥渁rt-market machinations can be ruthless, taking creators on notoriously damaging rollercoasters of speculation,鈥� yet Yamaguchi鈥檚 long experience of 鈥渄eep-searching and solid practice鈥� makes her 鈥渂etter placed than most to ride 鈥� and hold 鈥� this swell of commercial interest into well-deserved, broader recognition for her rich oeuvre.鈥�
Christine Quinn Antal 鈥�98
Veteran couple dedicates their life to help Ukraine, Afghanistan 鈥� NBC Today
The international media have covered the work by Christine Quinn Antal 鈥�98 and her husband, Mark Antal, to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine and other war-torn nations through their nonprofit, Task Force Antal, which partners with U.S. military veterans, front-line communities, and governments.
Media coverage has included stories in the Budapest Business Journal and an in-depth segment by Cynthia McFadden for .
The U.S. Army veterans 鈥� Mark as a former Green Beret and Delta Force member, and Christine as a Judge Advocate and then a national security legal adviser for U.S. Army Europe 鈥� emphasized their commitment to activism during the Veterans Day segment.
鈥淲e are not going to stand back and let this happen,鈥� said Mark. 鈥淲e are not going to be complacent,鈥� Christine said. The segment featured a live presentation of a Still Serving Award to the couple at Rockefeller Plaza from the United War Veterans Council.
The during the chaotic NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan:
鈥淭he Antals received a call from a friend stationed in Afghanistan who was desperate to help his interpreter, a man who had saved his life on multiple occasions and was now in imminent danger of Taliban reprisals. With roads to the Kabul airport blocked by the Taliban, Mark and Christine utilized their network to ensure the interpreter reached an evacuation flight within an hour.鈥�
Christine told 乐播传媒 News that 鈥溊植ゴ� nurtured and supported my 鈥榗alling鈥� to roll my sleeves up and learn from within 鈥� to get on the ground or work solutions from within.鈥�
Sam Golden 鈥�06
How UW scientists are using AI to fight the opioid epidemic 鈥� KING 5 News
A story on KING 5 News in Seattle describes work by neuroscientist Sam Golden 鈥�06 and his team at the University of Washington, who are , specifically to understand how fentanyl impacts brain function.
Golden, a Ronald S. Howell Distinguished Faculty Fellow and assistant professor of neuroscience in UW鈥檚 Department of Biological Structure, leads an innovative study that leverages machine learning to analyze video footage, frame by frame, of mice experiencing fentanyl addiction and withdrawal. Such analysis has been incredibly time-intensive 鈥� until now.
鈥淢achine learning has allowed us to analyze every frame of video footage, capturing the different strategies that [mice] use to seek out the drug and that they use during relapse,鈥� said Golden.
Machine learning tools remove a hurdle to understanding individual differences in addiction behaviors. 鈥淭he hope is that all this preclinical work will lead to therapies that are less addictive and more personalized,鈥� said reporter Jessica Janner Castro.
recently secured a $3.8 million NIH research grant to support the research. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a 鈥榳hat if鈥� grant,鈥� Golden said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a 鈥榬ight now there is a problem鈥� grant: What can we do to help end, or at least offset, this opioid epidemic?鈥�
Jessica Cooper 鈥�13
Luz & Leyendas bring the Andes to Boston 鈥� Boston Music Intelligencer
Violist Jessica Cooper 鈥�13 (鈥�Lights and Legends鈥�), a multimedia performance at the Boston Center for the Arts. The production, blending live orchestration with shadow puppetry, drew inspiration from Cooper鈥檚 years in Chile, where she developed a deep connection to Andean landscapes and cultural symbolism.
Cooper has a master of music degree and performance diploma in viola from Boston University.
As lead producer of the show, Cooper said that she was inspired by her experience living for several years in Chile, where she came to love Chilean landscape, culture, zest for life, and traditional Andean music. Reviewer John Tamilio III noted that 鈥渢he entirety of Luz & Leyendas is so enchanting that you will forget that it is a production. It is a delectable feast for world music aficionados.鈥�
Fatima Saidi 鈥�18
Three years after the fall of Kabul, Afghan refugees in Vermont are still in limbo 鈥� VTDigger
A story in VTDigger, an investigative online news outlet, about Afghanistan refugees in Vermont quoted Fatima Saidi 鈥�18, campaign director for the advocacy nonprofit We Are All America.
Many refugees await family reunification and permanent status in the U.S. after Kabul鈥檚 fall in August 2021. Saidi described the journey toward reunification and stability as filled with 鈥渨all after wall鈥� in the legal and immigration system.
Saidi, who herself has navigated these legal barriers to reunite her five siblings in the U.S., explained that despite extensive advocacy efforts, her mother remains in Pakistan due to bureaucratic obstacles. 鈥淓very time you climb a wall, there鈥檚 a bigger wall,鈥� she said, emphasizing the exhausting nature of immigration advocacy for families in limbo.
Having lived in Maine since she began her studies at 乐播传媒, Saidi credits local connections and support from Maine鈥檚 elected leaders in bringing her siblings to safety.
Emily Scarrow 鈥�25
This 乐播传媒 student is giving back after surviving cancer 鈥� News Center Maine
As part of extensive local media coverage of the annual Dempsey Challenge, a fundraiser for the Dempsey Center hosted by actor Patrick Dempsey, of Washington, D.C.
Scarrow was diagnosed with Hodgkin鈥檚 lymphoma just six weeks into her first year. Now a senior and cancer-free, Scarrow volunteers at the Dempsey Center, which offers personalized and comprehensive cancer care at no cost, as a wig and headwear consultant, helping cancer patients rediscover their sense of self.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important for someone who understands the gravity of those situations to be there,鈥� Scarrow said. 鈥淲hen someone finds a wig that reminds them of who they feel they are on the inside, it鈥檚 very special.鈥�
In 2024, Scarrow won a prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship, which provides funding to college students who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Adelle Welch 鈥�25
A day in the life of four college dance majors 鈥� Dance Magazine
Dance Magazine profiled Adelle Welch 鈥�25 in an article exploring the daily lives of four college dance majors. As a double major in dance and earth and climate sciences, Welch balances her academic and artistic passions, filling her days with science and dance classes, rehearsals, and faculty office hours.
Welch鈥檚 schedule includes technique classes and four to 12 hours of rehearsals weekly. Although she hadn鈥檛 planned to major in dance, a repertory course she took during her first semester sparked her interest, leading her to explore dance as a medium for expressive, thought-provoking themes.
For her senior thesis, she plans to create a 鈥済host-like鈥� dance piece, incorporating set and costume elements that draw on her experience working in the 乐播传媒 theater and dance costume shop.
This summer, Welch attended the 乐播传媒 Dance Festival and conducted research for her climate science thesis, highlighting 乐播传媒鈥� support for student research. 鈥淭here are tons of student grants available for research around the world. There is almost nothing you can鈥檛 do if you try,鈥� she says.
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