This edition of recent 乐播传媒 alumni mentions in the news media includes revisiting the legacy of a rebellious Episcopalian, shortlist honors for Elizabeth Strout鈥檚 newest novel, and an alumnus who grew up in poverty and went on to build a multibillion-dollar financial firm.
Sarah Sherman-Stokes 鈥�05
Beacon Hill eying 2017 immigration-related court ruling. Here鈥檚 what the decision means 鈥� Boston Herald
Sarah Sherman-Stokes 鈥�05, a clinical associate professor of law at Boston University and associate director of the university鈥檚 Immigrants鈥� Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic, offered her expertise in a .
While federal immigration authorities can issue detainers for people suspected of civil immigration violations, per a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling, local law enforcement cannot arrest people based on these detainers, Sherman-Stokes explains.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a letter to Santa 鈥� 鈥榳e wish you would hold this person for us,鈥欌�� Sherman-Stokes told the Boston Herald.
The new proposed legislation would, conversely, allow local law enforcement to detain people suspected of civil immigration violations, in conflict with the court ruling.
Elizabeth Strout 鈥�77
Miranda July and Elizabeth Strout shortlisted for the Women鈥檚 Prize for Fiction 鈥� The Guardian
Novelist Elizabeth Strout 鈥�77 was shortlisted for the 2025 Women鈥檚 Prize for Fiction for her most recent novel, Tell Me Everything, . Strout has previously been longlisted four times and shortlisted twice for the Women鈥檚 Prize, considered one of the U.K.鈥檚 most prestigious literary prizes.
In Tell Me Everything, Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton, beloved characters from Strout鈥檚 previous novels, meet and form a close friendship in the aftermath of a shocking small-town crime.
鈥淎s Lucy puts it, 鈥楶eople are mysteries. We all are such mysteries,鈥欌�� writes Alexis Schaitkin in . 鈥淪trout鈥檚 best work exhibits some of this same duality, her prose style at once familiar and beguilingly unpredictable.鈥�
William Stringfellow 鈥�49
William Stringfellow: The modern prophet who helped hide Daniel Berrigan from the FBI 鈥� America Magazine
William Stringfellow 鈥�49 is perhaps best remembered for hiding the priest and pacifist Daniel Joseph Berrigan in his home until the moment that the FBI succeeded in catching Berrigan, wanted for destroying draft records. This dramatic history, however, is but one small glimpse at Stringfellow鈥檚 storied, influential life, writes James T. Keane in a profile of Stringfellow in .
A devout Episcopalian, Stringfellow was also an activist, lawyer, and theologian, whose unconventional views on faith often put him at odds with fellow church members and the greater American public.
鈥淗e wasn鈥檛 exactly an evangelical, and despite his insistence on the primacy of the Bible, he was also no fundamentalist,鈥� Keane writes in America. 鈥淪ome of his ideals were simpatico with liberation theology, but he was no fan of any marriage of ideology and Scripture. He was certainly outspoken, and did not mince his words when critiquing fellow Christians.鈥�
At 乐播传媒, Stringfellow is remembered through the Multifaith Chaplaincy鈥檚 Stringfellow program, which supports students by nurturing their interest in social justice activism.
Shirl Penney 鈥�99
Shirl Penney is building an empire in sunny St. Pete 鈥� Tampa Bay Business & Wealth
Shirl Penney 鈥�99 has had a transformational impact on the U.S. financial industry, reports , who shared his remarkable story of grit and resilience; he grew up extreme poverty in Eastport, Maine, born to a teenage mother who could not take care of him and raised by his loving step-grandfather.
His grandfather told Penney, 鈥淚 need you to have a job where you work with your mind, not with your hands.鈥�
In 2008, Penney founded Dynasty Financial Partners, which is headquartered in St. Petersburg, to give financial advisors the freedom to operate independently from traditional firms.
He was in his late 20s and leading Citigroup鈥檚 private wealth management division. 鈥淚 saw too many advisors being forced to push products that weren鈥檛 always in the client鈥檚 best interest. That never sat right with me.鈥�
Dynasty, with Penney as president and chief executive officer, is now a service provider to 57 partner firms representing over 500 advisors and over $110 billion in assets.
鈥淧enney isn鈥檛 just a business leader. He鈥檚 a visionary, reshaping the independent wealth management industry,鈥� said the magazine.
Rachel Ferrante 鈥�10
Lewiston鈥檚 MILL museum can be a cultural hub for the community, leader says 鈥� Sun Journal
The Lewiston Sun Journal profiled Rachel Ferrante 鈥�10, in of the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor and discussing the museum鈥檚 upcoming changes.
Ferrante joined what was then known as Museum L-A in 2021 after working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for a decade. Ferrante led L-A through its rebranding as the Maine MILL, which is dedicated to preserving the stories of the people and innovation that have defined the twin mill towns of Lewiston and Auburn.
鈥淲hen we rebranded, we rewrote our mission and vision statement as part of that. And the vision was to be a cultural hub. It鈥檚 a bit of a big vision,鈥� Ferrante told the Sun Journal. 鈥淚t is one I think is actually attainable鈥� I think that this museum can be a cultural hub for this community.鈥�
In 2026, the museum expects to open its new space in the former Camden Yarns Mill in Lewiston.
Olivia Seline 鈥�24
This 乐播传媒 College alum is running Boston 鈥榯o stand against senseless violence鈥� 鈥� Boston.com
A student at 乐播传媒 during the October 2023 shootings in Lewiston, Olivia Seline 鈥�24 is keenly aware of the effect of violence on a community, as she writes in , which features first-person stories from runners in this year鈥檚 Boston Marathon.
For the former Bobcat rower, the marathon is her first-ever foot race. Seline is running for the Lingzi Foundation in honor of Lingzi Lu, a graduate student at Boston University who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
Seline decided to run the race after relocating to Waltham, Mass., and learning about the impacts of the bombing on her new home. 鈥淎s a student and rower, 乐播传媒 showed me drive, acceptance, and the power of a good meal around the table with your community,鈥� Seline writes.
鈥淣o matter where someone comes from or how well you know them, you always look out for one another. The loss of innocent lives reminds us of the need to stand against senseless violence, protect our communities, and remain united in uncertain times. 鈥�
Jenn Lemkin Bouchard 鈥�99
Considering Us by Jenn Bouchard: A soul-searching, second-chance romance for readers who love a strong female lead 鈥� Kirkus Reviews
, the second novel from Jenn Lemkin Bouchard 鈥�99. The romance tells the story of Devon Paige, a personal chef at a crossroads in her career as her work and personal lives collide in an unsavory fashion.
鈥淚n the course of the story, the author touches on questions of whether there is ever room for second chances in romance and what to do when life throws you a curveball,鈥� the review reads. 鈥淒evon is entirely relatable in the position in which she has found herself, if not necessarily for how she got there.鈥�
The review praised Bouchard鈥檚 ability to avoid tropes while also crafting a fun, introspective story.
鈥淏ouchard does not settle for a one-dimensional story, and the romance fares better because of it,鈥� the review reads.
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