Makenzie De Armas (‘20 BFA Creative Writing, minor in computer science) was recently featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 2024 list in the Gaming category. Makenzie graduated from Chapman University with a unique blend of skills in creative storytelling and computer science. She has carved out a niche in the gaming industry, specializing in
When Nolan Dunbar (2010) graduated with a BA in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations and a minor in History, he never expected to become a successful film writer. I had the opportunity to sit down with Nolan to talk about his career path and how Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social
In spring 2023, Wilkinson College invited alum Derrell Roberts (’81) back to Chapman to talk to students about internship possibilities at his Sacramento-based foundation, the Roberts Family Development Center (RFDC), which hosts a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School each summer. RFDC provides a holistic approach focusing on PreK-12th grade academic support and enrichment, including community
In the fall of 2010, Maia Cooper (’14) and Valerie Valdivia (’14) were randomly paired as roommates in Henley Hall at Chapman University. The two girls were polar opposites, with different backgrounds and different interests. Cooper was a History and French major, while Valdivia majored in Art. Although they went their separate ways after that
Wilkinson College alumna Tanya Leon (’19 & ’22) recently started a new position as the program coordinator for the Orange County Justice Fund (OCJF), an organization dedicated to providing transformative and effective legal representation to traditionally under-served populations in Orange County. Leon manages the bond fund program, coordinating distribution, posting of, and follow ups with
When Edna (Best) Yokum ’09 introduces herself to strangers, she uses both English and the Indigenous language of her Osage heritage as she embraces the name a tribal elder gave her. “I am Son-se gra Footprints in the Woods,” she says, “from the Grayhorse District of the Osage Nation.” When she was a child, her
Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences recently honored its Distinguished Alumni of 2022, the Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano (’99, Religious Studies and English Literature). Halverson-Cano, currently serving as a pastor of Irvine United Congregational Church, is a progressive social justice leader in Orange County, active in numerous causes. She is a successful female
Wilkinson College alum, Scott Marshutz ‘87 (English major with a journalism emphasis) started Marshootz Productions in 2017, producing documentary films that have tackled subjects such as the desalination project in Huntington Beach, endangered marine life on Mataking Island in Malaysia, and Let ‘Em Play, the story of four Southern California para-athletes who advance into the
Alice Premeau ’22, the winner of Chapman’s annual State of the University poster contest, shares her creative process, love of purple, and how the past informs the future. Each year, Chapman University President Daniele Struppa announces a poster contest to the students in the Advanced Graphic Design Course, in Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and
After graduating from Chapman with degrees in Television Writing & Production and Political Science, Mitchell Rosenberg ’19 moved to Sacramento, to work as an Assistant Legislative Deputy in Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. But, thanks to a referral from a fellow Chapman alumnus, he’s making the leap from state government to federal, in his new position