鈥淪eize the opportunity to fall in love with it 鈥� the fulfillment it will give you and how it will enable you to serve the people around you,鈥� he said to the crowd of approximately 800 graduating seniors gathered in front of Healy Hall on a comfortably warm and sunny morning. 

Farley鈥檚 personal connections with the Hilltop run deep. 

He majored in economics and met his wife, Cornelia 鈥淟ia鈥� Connor-Farley (C鈥�87), at Georgetown. His father, James D. Farley (SFS鈥�50) earned a degree from the School of Foreign Service in 1950. And he still regularly keeps in touch with his cherished group of friends from Georgetown, which he affectionately calls 鈥渕y crew.鈥� Last year, they celebrated their 40th reunion together.

鈥淚鈥漨 about as Hoya as anyone you鈥檇 meet,鈥� Farley said.

During the ceremony, he received an honorary Doctorate of Human Letters degree. , a professor in the Department of English, read a citation for the honorary degree that highlighted Farley鈥檚 contributions to the auto industry and support for people experiencing homelessness.

鈥淭oday, Georgetown University honors a man whose life and work embody the hopes we hold for our graduates on this commencement morning,鈥� Linkon said. 鈥淗e lives with purpose, turning a love for cars into a vocation. He embraces lifelong learning to engage globally and adapt to a changing world.鈥�

Farley started his career at Toyota, serving in various executive roles and helping launch the company鈥檚 Lexus group and Scion brand. He joined Ford in 2007 and has led the iconic American company since 2020. Farley鈥檚 grandfather, Emmet E. Tracy, was a Ford factory worker who started in 1913.

鈥淚 have his badge and a picture of him on my desk,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淗e was employee No. 389.鈥�

Farley developed his love of problem solving at Georgetown by learning from scholars like Jan Karski, a Polish World War II hero who served in the against Nazi Germany and provided early reports of Nazi atrocities to the Western Allies. Karski, who died in 2000 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, taught international relations at Georgetown for more than 40 years.

鈥淧rofessor Karski embodied the long inheritance of courage and problem solving that is at the heart of Georgetown,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淚 would never claim to have faced down the problems that Jan Karski did. But I learned a great deal from him about how to approach life.鈥�

When faced with challenges, Farley turns to the St. Ignatius framework for solving problems that focuses on discernment and reflection. 

鈥淯nderstand the problem at the root cause,鈥� he said. 鈥淩efelect on the problem. Enjoy understanding the problem. And pray for guidance and consider the solutions. And then commit. Make a decision.鈥�

Farley recommends seeing problems as opportunities rather than obstacles. He encouraged the graduates to ask themselves: What problems are you going to solve? How are you going to face your most difficult times? What is the problem-solving framework that works for you?

“In the end, it’s the tough and the hairy problems of substance that present the greatest gift to all of you, and it’s a privilege to humbly serve other people,” Farley said.

Hannah O鈥橤rady (C鈥�26), who majored in biology and minored in theology and religious studies, said the commencement ceremony was a 鈥渧ery meaningful way to end my four years here.鈥� She called Farley鈥檚 speech, 鈥渁wesome and inspiring.鈥�

鈥淚 knew he was a Hoya alum, but I didn鈥檛 realize he was going to speak about so much of his experiences here in his speech,鈥� O鈥橤rady said. 鈥淚t felt very personalized to our class and to our experiences. 鈥he fact that he鈥檚 an alum and loves this school as much as we do was really special.鈥�

Cecelia Peacock (C鈥�26), a psychology major, was also in the audience and said she found Farley鈥檚 commencement address to be 鈥渞eally genuine.鈥� His message about problem solving resonated with her.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 something I learned at Georgetown,鈥� Peacock said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really education for the whole person here. I learned a lot about problem solving and about how to grow as an individual and a student.鈥�

Like Farley, Peacock was, in many ways, born to be a Hoya. Her mother, father, brother, sister and sister-in-law are all Georgetown alumni and were all on campus to support her. Peacock was the last of her generation to become a Hoya alum. 

鈥淚 loved it here,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t lived up to the hype.鈥�

鈥淚 am a complete problem-solving junkie,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淚 really love solving problems.鈥�

That鈥檚 one of the messages he plans to share with Class of 2026 graduating seniors as the Georgetown University 桔子视频 & Sciences on Saturday, May 16, at Healy Lawn, where he will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. 

鈥淚 hope our graduates will be inspired by Jim’s story,鈥� said , the dean of the 桔子视频 & Sciences. 鈥淚 hope they will see the empowerment that comes with a Georgetown degree, and I hope they will imagine for themselves a life of leadership and service.鈥�

Farley, who has worked for Ford since 2007 and has led the company since 2020, graduated from the College in 1985 with an economics degree. His father, James D. Farley (SFS鈥�50) earned a degree from the School of Foreign Service in 1950, and Farley also met his wife, Cornelia 鈥淟ia鈥� Connor-Farley (C鈥�87), while they were students. Farley said in a recent interview with the College that the Jesuit liberal arts education he received at Georgetown helped him develop an affinity for problem solving and the curiosity required to find solutions.

鈥淢ost of life and the satisfaction of life can be greatly enhanced by a conscious decision to fall in love with problem solving and to develop your own framework for solving problems that鈥檚 personalized for you based on the foundation at Georgetown,鈥� Farley said of his advice for students. 鈥淪o get ready, because the world needs problem solvers.鈥�

A Sense of Curiosity

Farley鈥檚 life on the Hilltop was different from a lot of his peers. 

Aside from his first year, Farley said that he worked 20 to 40 hours every week as a student. One of those jobs was on Capitol Hill, before he switched his major from government to economics. 

Farley also loved cars. Most of his friends, he said, didn鈥檛 care for them and viewed cars simply as transportation. At Georgetown, Farley drove a 1965 Ford Mustang, the same car he used to drive across the country when he was a teenager. His grandfather, Emmet E. Tracy, started working , and Farley would often visit him in Michigan during school breaks, where they bonded over their love of cars.

鈥淚 love cars because they鈥檙e very complicated consumer products,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e an experiential product. You can see the world on your computer, but you experience it in a car.鈥�

At Georgetown, he learned from his professors, many of them Jesuit priests, that curiosity and discernment are essential qualities for problem solving. He marveled that his Jesuit professors taught students about religions outside of Catholicism. His professors, Farley noted, wanted the students to think for themselves, rather than be told what to believe.

鈥淛esuits, to me, are exceptional in their sense of curiosity 鈥� around faith, around theology, around philosophies of life,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淭hey don’t want us to be some Catholic robot who goes to church to see other people. They want our faith to be authentic and our connection with our religion to be a conscious choice in the face of other religious choices.鈥�

His time on the Hilltop also reinforced the role of discernment in his life. Having good judgement, Farley said, is often informed by optimism through faith but also mistakes and miscalculations. Discernment, to Farley, requires deeply processing the events in life, and mistakes can often be a gift.

鈥淥ften the most valuable inputs to making a decision are the mistakes that you’ve made,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think discernment is mission critical, as is being decisive and the other elements of the St. Ignatius framework for solving problems.鈥�

One of Farley鈥檚 favorite professors was Jan Karski, a Polish World War II hero, spy and diplomat who served against Nazi Germany and provided early reports on Nazi atrocities to the Western Allies. Karski, who died in 2000 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, taught international relations at Georgetown for more than 40 years.

鈥淚 found the intensity of his life and the problem solving to be very refreshing,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淗e was one of the best problem solvers I鈥檝e ever met.鈥�

Run Toward Problems

Throughout Farley鈥檚 career, he鈥檚 been drawn to the hardest roles. 

鈥淔or whatever reason, whenever anyone said to me, career-wise, 鈥楧on’t go over there, because there’s a very high likelihood that it will not work out,鈥� I ran to those opportunities,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t wasn’t like I was taking an unconsidered risk. It’s just that I was always attracted to the gnarliest, most real-world problem.鈥�

That happened at Toyota, where he spent nearly 20 years in product planning, marketing and advertising roles. He served as vice president and general manager of the company鈥檚 Lexus group and guided the successful launch of the Scion brand. He was also tapped to be the general manager of product management of Toyota Motor Europe.

鈥淭here was no template,鈥� Farley said. 鈥淲e couldn’t copy anyone, and all those experiences I had to kind of make it up by problem solving.鈥�

Before becoming CEO at Ford, Farley was the company鈥檚 chief operating officer and he previously served as Ford鈥檚 president of new businesses, technology and strategy and the executive vice president and president of global markets, . 

鈥淵ou should run towards hairy, nasty problems and not away from them,鈥� Farley said.

He also looks for ways to volunteer his time in service of others. In Detroit, he raised $30 million as the campaign chair to develop the , a transition center for people experiencing homelessness.

In reflecting on his time at Georgetown, Farley said that the greatest gift of being on the Hilltop was meeting his wife, Lia. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been the best partner I could ever have,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he inspires me and keeps me humble every day.鈥�

Farley still keeps in contact with friends he made at Georgetown 鈥� a group of former roommates he affectionately calls 鈥渕y crew.鈥� Hang on to those relationships, Farley said.

鈥淚 imagine that as the graduating seniors look around, I wouldn’t be surprised that many of them have their own crew,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey will cherish those friendships as much or maybe more than almost any academic experience they鈥檝e had, as they should.鈥�

(Top image courtesy of Ford)

The high-profile panels took place ahead of the White House Correspondents鈥� Dinner on April 25 and World Press Freedom Day on May 3. NBC White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor (C鈥�09) moderated the first event, which was held in Lohrfink Auditorium on April 21 and featured CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O鈥橩eefe, POLITICO White House reporter Sophia Cai and NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

The second panel, was hosted in Gaston Hall on April 23 and featured an introduction from John Bass, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia and an instructor for the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) within 骋别辞谤驳别迟辞飞苍鈥檚 School of Foreign Service. PBS NewsHour co-anchor , a former GU Politics Fellow, moderated the conversation with Jason Rezaian, director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post; Yeganeh Rezaian, a special envoy for the Committee to Project Journalists; Fatemeh Jamalpour, an Iranian freelance journalist; and Clayton Weimers, the executive director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) USA.

鈥淥ur hope is that this week, the conversations that we’ve had are themselves a kind of unfiltered, unrestricted journalism,鈥� (C鈥�99), director of the Journalism Program, said to the audience at Gaston Hall. 鈥淲e hope all of this will help you better understand the world in which we live and the forces that shape the information that reaches us. This reporting is rooted in hard data and research 鈥� and, as with the best journalism, human stories.鈥�

The State of White House Journalism

Instead of a 24-hour news cycle, covering the second Trump administration is more like working in a 24-minute or six-hour news cycle, O鈥橩eefe said. 

鈥淲hat was true at 10 a.m. is not the case at 6 p.m., and that is because Trump himself has molded the conversation in a different way, or thrown a surprise at you that we probably anticipated was coming but did indeed come in some way鈥� he said. 鈥淪o you just have to be open minded and anticipate anything and really everything and not let yourself be surprised by it.鈥�

In addition to the rapid pace of the news, O鈥橩eefe also said that with the second Trump administration, there are more officials who are combative or restrictive with reporters compared to the first Trump administration. During the spring semester, a team of more than two dozen Georgetown journalism students set out to better understand how access, transparency and coverage of the presidency may be evolving.

They conducted interviews with White House correspondents, editors, academics and other nonpartisan media experts and designed a targeted survey of journalists who actively cover the presidency. Students began this work around the anniversary of the inauguration in January and finished in April. 

Montanaro, who worked as an instructor in the course, provided a summary , which is based on responses from about 90 White House correspondents.

The pool of reporters who travel with the president has expanded to include more partisan, right-leaning outlets, he said, which can make for 鈥渨atered-down scrutiny.鈥� Transparency in this White House has also gone down, Montanaro said. 鈥淰isitor logs, medical reports, tax returns, White House staff salaries, transcripts 鈥� there鈥檚 less of that that鈥檚 being put out to the public,鈥� he said. 

A majority of the journalists who responded said that the job of covering the White House has become more emotionally exhausting, difficult and stressful, but a majority also said that they鈥檙e not considering leaving journalism or switching to another beat, Montanaro said.

鈥溾�嬧�婽rump is a fascinating person to cover, and I think everyone on the beat realizes that there may never in our lifetime, or our work years, be somebody like that to cover again,鈥� Cai said. 鈥淎nd I think people realize how consequential this president is going to be, how consequential the next two years will be, if potentially the [House of Representatives] flips, and what that looks like with a divided government.鈥�

From the journalists鈥� vantage point, the job of a White House reporter is to ask questions and find answers so that the general public can have a better understanding of the decisions being made at the highest levels of government.

鈥淚t’s not lost on me that it’s remarkable that I’m working at the White House,鈥� Alcindor said. 鈥淎nd it’s also not lost on me that there are literally, I think, millions of people who are counting on the White House press corps to get information.鈥�

The State of Press Freedom

For Jason Rezaian, the current moment presents the most challenging situation for journalists around the world. 

Rezaian was detained in Iran in July of 2014 for 544 days, and this January marked 10 years since his release. He said that restrictions on press freedom in Iran have since become more extreme.

鈥淭he tools of repression go farther,鈥� Rezaian said. 鈥淵ou cut off the internet in 2009, that was very difficult for people, but the internet in 2009 was not what the internet of 2026 is. It鈥檚 like oxygen now. It鈥檚 part of every aspect of our existence, even in a country like Iran, where there鈥檚 massive censorship.鈥� 

Yeganeh Rezaian, Jason鈥檚 wife who was also imprisoned in Iran in 2014, said press freedom can often feel abstract. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a battle to make people realize that when a journalist is silenced 鈥� you鈥檙e being eliminated of your rights,鈥� she said. 

Bass, the former U.S. ambassador, had a career in the U.S. Foreign Service for nearly 40 years that spanned the end of the Cold War and the post-Cold War era of the 1990s, Sept. 11 and the global war on terrorism and more recent conflicts around the world. One of the constants throughout his career was the need to defend and advance the work of professional journalists, Bass said.

鈥淭hat work was vital then, and it’s even more vital today, due to the complexity of the issues that face virtually every society in the world,鈥� he said.

Weimers from RSF USA, a nonprofit organization focused on safeguarding press freedom, said that press freedom impacts everyone. Reporters Without Borders releases on world press freedom, and this year, for the first time since the inaugural index in 2002, over half of the world鈥檚 countries fall into the 鈥渄ifficult鈥� or 鈥渧ery serious鈥� categories for press freedom. The United States fell seven spots in the index. 

But the panelists believe there is still hope.

鈥淚 think that anything we can do to contribute to lessening injustice is a worthy endeavor,鈥� Jason Rezaian said. 

Courage is contagious, said Jamalpour, an Iranian freelance journalist who is banned from working in Iran. She is a co-author of For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran鈥檚 Women-Led Uprising. 鈥淲e are determined to be the voice of our people,鈥� Jamalpour said. 

And there are countries that respect press freedom, and they all share things in common, Weimers said. There is robust public funding for media that is independent of any political control. A legal infrastructure is in place to help ensure crimes against journalists don鈥檛 happen, and if they do, there鈥檚 accountability. In those countries, Weimers added, there is also a culture where politicians don鈥檛 attack the media.  

Yeganeh Rezaian finds hope in exiled journalists who continue to report on the news. Jason Rezaian envisions a day where hostage taking is no longer practiced. The tools available to journalists, he said, have never been more developed.

鈥淥ur ability to create more beautiful, data driven, verifiable journalism, has never been more robust than it is right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he core act of making journalism and doing it quickly and efficiently and cost effectively has never been more accessible to more people in the world than it is at this very moment, and that is going to continue.鈥�

(Top photo of Rebecca Sinderbrand by Rafael Suanes)

When K鈥檚ean Henderson (C鈥�12, L鈥�18) steps back onto campus at Georgetown University, he notices how things have changed in the past decade since he was a student, but also, just how much has remained the same. The students today are asking themselves the same questions that Henderson once did.

鈥淭here is still just a group of young people trying to figure out what鈥檚 next for them as they face a lot of questions about what tomorrow looks like,鈥� he said.

Henderson was heavily involved in various student leadership roles on campus, and now, as an alumnus, he wants to mentor and support younger generations of students as they navigate life after Georgetown. He is inspired to give back to the community he calls home.

For his efforts and contributions, Henderson, who works as an associate at the law firm in DC, received both the and the this year. The former is given to a graduate who has made a significant positive impact in their community, profession or field, including meaningful contributions to the Black community, and the latter recognizes outstanding service by undergraduate alumni who have exhibited leadership across many activities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 helpful to stay involved because I think Georgetown over time has just given me so much and has poured into me in ways that I probably can’t even explain,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淚 look for opportunities to give back to make sure that other alumni are also having a great experience with the university.鈥�

A Deeper Learning

Born and raised in Hempstead, New York on Long Island, Henderson was drawn to politics at an early age. His mother has always been an active voter, he said, and because of that, Henderson paid close attention to local politics in his town. 

鈥淚 wanted to know how things are done and why they鈥檙e done that way,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow do we prioritize issues? How do we pay for things? Who鈥檚 in the room when these decisions are made? I wanted to get a better sense of what happens behind the curtain.鈥�

When it came time to choose a college, Henderson said he wanted to study in Washington, DC 鈥� the epicenter of politics 鈥� and so picking Georgetown was an easy choice.

As a member of the Henderson quickly immersed himself into Georgetown through the five-week academic summer program and said he 鈥渁lready had 40 friends鈥� by first-year fall semester. 

鈥淚t was such a cool experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 credit it with helping shape me, certainly in the early stages and then certainly throughout the rest of my time on the Hilltop.鈥�

Henderson majored in government and minored in history in the 桔子视频 & Sciences and found the smaller, seminar courses enriching. 

Some of his favorite classes included The Church and the Poor and Struggle and Transcendence by . Henderson also enjoyed the African Atlantic course taught by history professors and Shobana Shankar and Prisons and Punishment by .听

鈥淚 felt like there was deeper learning happening, because you really do get to engage with your classmates,鈥� he said of the seminars. 鈥淵ou get to have some back and forth. You get to have some disagreements. You get to really wrestle with some of the materials that you’re working through.鈥�

Beyond the classroom, Henderson was involved on campus as a senator for Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA). He was also a member of the and the and helped coordinate . Henderson had many touchpoints with university leaders through his roles, including as a student intern in the Office of the President.

, the senior associate dean of students and the executive director of access and success, said she marveled at Henderson鈥檚 鈥渆ase of creating relationships and his infectious spirit that allows him to fully engage across the university.鈥�

鈥淜鈥檚ean is thoughtful and competent and remains focused on the success of student experiences while showing full investment in the ambitions of future Hoyas,鈥� Brown-McKenzie said. 鈥淜鈥檚ean has had multiple interactions with the -affiliated programs and his outputs produce an immediate impact, especially on service delivery and student engagement.鈥�

鈥楢 True Hoya鈥�

After graduating from the 桔子视频 & Sciences in 2012, Henderson moved to Greenville, Mississippi to teach eighth grade English with Teach for America.

At that time, Henderson thought he would pursue a career in education policy, and one of his mentors, Rhondale-Marie Barras (C鈥�97), a founding member of the , encouraged him to get into teaching. 

鈥淪he said, 鈥楥an鈥檛 you imagine how much better it would be if people who went into policy had been in a classroom?鈥欌�� Henderson said. 

He stayed in Mississippi for three years and the experience gave him a close-up view of the systemic issues impacting the students. 鈥淚t does matter if you have a teacher who’s committed and dedicated in the classroom, but some of the issues need to be addressed on a much larger scale,鈥� Henderson said.

When he returned to DC to attend Georgetown Law School, Henderson thought back to his earlier interests in politics and leaned into more leadership roles. He served as vice president and then president of the , senior editor of the and as a member of , Georgetown Law Center鈥檚 intramural and interscholastic advocacy competition organization.

鈥淜’sean is one of the gutsiest Hoyas I ever taught,鈥� said Kemp, one of Henderson鈥檚 mentors and undergraduate professors. 鈥淜鈥檚ean deepens the virtue definition of a true Hoya, and his commitment to all to share the gifts of creation keeps me inspired.鈥�

Henderson graduated from law school and joined Ropes & Gray LLP in a full-time role in 2018. He said he regularly draws on his liberal arts education as an associate who primarily handles internal investigations related to allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption.

鈥淭he liberal arts background, I think of it as a complete well-roundedness of an education,鈥� Henderson said. 鈥淲hen I approach issues, I try to bring in things I鈥檝e learned 鈥� not only from things I鈥檝e learned from a political science class, but also something I might have learned from philosophy or theology. 鈥he way you bring information, the way you synthesize it and then the way you communicate it with other people 鈥� that’s pretty much what I do as an attorney.鈥�

Advocating for the Next Generation

Henderson鈥檚 involvement in the Georgetown community has strengthened as an alumnus.

Since graduating, he has served on the programming committee for three , as a class ambassador for the Class of 2012 and with Georgetown Law鈥檚 . He joined Georgetown University Alumni Association鈥檚 in 2020 and serves as chair for the nominations committee. Henderson also chairs the Board of Directors for the Patrick Healy Fellowship. 

He and his college roommates 鈥� Ryan Wilson (C鈥�12, L鈥�15), TK Petersen (B鈥�12) and Dr. Jamil Kendall (C鈥�12) 鈥� established the 1440 Center for Multicultural Equity & Access Endowed Fund in support of the and the Patrick Healy Fellowship.

鈥淗is temperament, dedication and experience are exemplified in his over a decade long service to Jesuit education,鈥� said Brown-McKenzie. 鈥淜鈥檚ean lives out the values of people for others consistently in his national engagement with the Hoya networks and especially in his contributions to Georgetown University. His personal and professional experiences are deeply influenced by Georgetown University鈥檚 values.鈥�

As an alum, Henderson advises current Georgetown students to 鈥渟low down鈥� and enjoy the journey. He recommends 鈥渄epth over breadth鈥� when it comes to activities. Find the things that you can commit yourself to, and don鈥檛 spread yourself too thin, Henderson said. 

It will go by quickly. And when it comes to life after Georgetown, trust that things will work out.

鈥淚 want to say, hey, I was there. It looked different then, but I’m fine. You’ll be fine, too鈥� he said.

(Top photo taken by Lisa Helfert at the 2026 Patrick Healy Dinner)

When (C鈥�11) moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2015 to work for the newly launched American Sports Network as a sports reporter, anchor and analyst, she figured she would be leaving DC behind her. 

But less than two years later, the network laid her off. It was her second layoff in three years. She moved back in with her parents in the DC area with her 鈥渢ail between [her] legs,鈥� McNutt said. She was uncertain where she stood in the sports journalism and media industry and frustrated by the lack of steady employment. 

鈥淚 was embarrassed, because as much as you are told a layoff is not personal 鈥� what you do as a journalist, particularly on television, is so closely attached to who you are,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to separate the two.鈥�

鈥淚 wanted to be working so bad, and I can remember having little fits punching pillows,鈥� McNutt continued. She saw other journalists on air and thought, 鈥淚 can do that too. Why is this happening to me? Like, what is going on?鈥�

That volatile period would eventually lead McNutt to where she is now. McNutt is an NBA, WNBA and college basketball analyst for ESPN and an analyst covering the New York Knicks for MSG Networks. Sports fans can find her analysis and expertise on various television and radio programs and podcasts. The time McNutt spent bouncing between jobs ultimately gave her a more well-rounded perspective on her life. She had time to go to lunch with her parents and the even joined a recreational basketball league with former teammates. 

鈥淚 just look back on that year, and I often think about how God was able to use it to remind me of when I feel most loved, and how important it is to carve out time to make sure that that is still a part of my life,鈥� McNutt said. 鈥淭he only thing truly inevitable in our lives is change.鈥�

A Hoya from the Start

From a young age, McNutt was 鈥渆ntrenched鈥� in Georgetown basketball, she said. McNutt played basketball while growing up in Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland and became a standout player at the Academy of the Holy Cross. 

Her dad is a 鈥渉uge鈥� Georgetown fan, she said, and McNutt has fond memories of going to Georgetown basketball games as a kid. One time, she was a ball girl for Georgetown when the Syracuse University men鈥檚 basketball team was in town, and she was able to see future NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, a player that she and her father had followed and studied, up close.

When Georgetown recruited her to play basketball, it felt 鈥渟erendipitous,鈥� she said. 

At a recruiting visit to Georgetown when McNutt was in high school, she remembers meeting the late , or 鈥淏ig John.鈥�

鈥淗aving a chance to sit down and chat with Big John 鈥� and knowing all that he had meant at this point 鈥� to basketball, to the Black community, to Georgetown, to my dad 鈥� it was really surreal,鈥� she said. Meeting Thompson and her future teammates and coaches led her to choose Georgetown, which McNutt considers to be 鈥渙ne of the best [decisions] I’ve made over the course of my life.鈥� 

During her senior season, McNutt led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 of the . She scored a in a close loss to the University of Connecticut. McNutt still looks back fondly on the practices with her teammates, 鈥渇olks that I still share a group chat with today,鈥� and camaraderie in the locker room, she said.

McNutt was captain of the team for two years and a leader both on and off the court for the Hoyas.

, the associate athletics director for communications at Georgetown, said she quickly realized that McNutt was the perfect spokesperson for the team. 鈥淪he really knew how to captivate an audience and how to get her point across,鈥� Barnes said. 

After her final game for the Hoyas, McNutt introduced herself to the reporters assembled in front of her. She told them she was now looking for a career in broadcasting. As her athletic career came to an end, McNutt looked to the future. 鈥淚 wanted to be able to host, to report, to tell stories,鈥� she said.

Finding 鈥楻esilient Stories鈥�

After graduating, McNutt worked as a kindergarten aide for a year and then enrolled in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland for her master鈥檚 degree.

While she got experience in different types of journalism through the program, McNutt knew she wanted to stay in sports journalism. 鈥淚 felt that the experience [in sports] for me had been so powerful, and there were so many great stories,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to stay with the joy of sport, the triumphant nature, the resilient stories.鈥�

As women鈥檚 basketball continues to grow and rise in popularity, McNutt wants to tell stories that celebrate women and ensure fair coverage of the Black women who were pioneers of the sport. 鈥淚 am protective of a space that has worked so hard for every bit of attention and dollar and sponsorship that it has right now. Everybody that helped get here should be respected,鈥� she said.

Her time as a Division I athlete and an English major at Georgetown University 桔子视频 & Sciences helped prepare her for a career in broadcast journalism. She realized she wanted to be a journalist after taking Professor Barbara Feinman Todd鈥檚 Media and Techniques class, and her love for the field grew from taking another class taught by Athelia Night, a former Washington Post reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist. 

鈥淕eorgetown is the foundation of my career,鈥� . 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place that helped me find my voice and develop the basketball eye that would be critical to the career I continue to build. My time on the women鈥檚 basketball team, particularly the two years that I was a team captain, helped me develop self-awareness which has benefited me tremendously personally and in the workplace. At the root of media is the ability to communicate, which requires understanding your audience.鈥�

鈥淚 remember a number of classes and discussions on the Hilltop centered on community and understanding,” she added. “While I am in front of the mic professionally, I still value community and understanding and want to remain respectful of the people that I鈥檓 privileged to cover.鈥�

McNutt started her broadcasting career at Prince George鈥檚 Community Television, and then worked at WJLA NewsChannel 8. But when Sinclair took over the station, she lost her job. Sinclair then brought McNutt to Florida to work on its new sports network, American Sports Network. After just over two years, the network shut down.

Moving back home, McNutt spent the next year and a half 鈥渉ustling and grinding,鈥� she said, and navigating the freelance world while working for ESPN, CBS, FOX Sports and local television. That experience, she said, was 鈥渞eally instrumental in my life at large鈥� and required steadying herself 鈥渢hrough faith and community.鈥�

When ESPN launched the ACC Network , the network hired McNutt. This year marks her seventh year with ESPN. 

鈥淎ll the credit goes to Monica, because the thing I’ll say about her is, at the beginning, she was willing to [cover] anything, no matter the sport, no matter how low level it was,鈥� Barnes said. 鈥淪he was willing to go out there and do it, and I think that is why she’s been so successful.鈥�

Staying True to Yourself

Graduating from Georgetown in 2011, McNutt remembers people in her class were scared to start their careers in a rocky job market. One key to success then and now, McNutt said, is the ability to combine creativity and 鈥渙utside-of-the-box鈥� thinking with practical skills.

鈥淚f you can solve a problem, you have a skill that is desirable,鈥� she said.

McNutt encourages those entering the sports media industry to be authentic. 

鈥淢y advice in general to young people getting into space is to take yourself with you wherever you go,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust be mindful of how you’re showing up wherever you are, especially in an era of social media, because employers potentially look up your LinkedIn and also your Instagram.鈥�

McNutt also advocates for having 鈥渁 healthy relationship with 鈥榥o.鈥欌�� 

鈥淚 totally understand the importance of being able to support oneself financially,鈥� McNutt said. 鈥淏ut I also have the lived experience that it is not a personal relationship with these jobs, and so you got to be able to hear 鈥榥o鈥� without it decimating your hopes and dreams, and to use no in order to protect your hopes and dreams as you figure it out.鈥�

While she did not take a straight line to get to where she is today, McNutt said she has few regrets. Each experience has been a learning opportunity, helping her become a more well-rounded and healthy person. Because of the winding path, she has been able to build both a life and a career.

鈥淚f I hadn’t been laid off, I don’t know if my compass for my life would be so deliberate about carving out time for my loved ones and my family,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think all things work out. They work together. So there’s not much that I would have changed. I think even in our missteps, there’s such beautiful lessons, and I think that’s important to our journeys.鈥�

(Top image courtesy of Georgetown University Athletics)

Pre-health students at Georgetown University have a new space to call their own.

Located in Poulton Hall, across the street from White-Gravenor Hall, pre-health students can now visit the in a dedicated space. , an associate dean in the 桔子视频 & Sciences and director of the pre-health advising team, moved her office into the building this January, along with assistant directors, and . 

鈥淚 love the location,鈥� Connell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for students. 鈥nd I鈥檝e always loved being in the middle of where their classes are.鈥�

This move provides pre-health students with more opportunities to connect with their advisors and classmates. They can use the physical space to conduct video interviews for medical school, reserve rooms for meetings and study sessions and attend social events with guest speakers. It鈥檒l also allow the advisors to expand on the work that they do. 

The Pre-Health Advising Office, housed under the College, serves all pre-health students at the university preparing for careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and other health professions. Connell, Ericson and Cherner advise approximately 900 undergraduates across the university who are preparing for health professions. The vast majority of pre-health students are pre-med, Connell said, and are in and , with additional students in the McDonough School of Business and the School of Foreign Service. The advisors also support dozens of postbaccalaureate students and more than a hundred alumni. 

鈥淪tudents are accompanied on their four-year journey to figure out and discern what they want to do,鈥� Connell said. 鈥淲e make sure they are as prepared as they need to be.鈥�

A Longitudinal Relationship

Anna Douglas (C鈥�24) credits the pre-health advising team for guiding her on the path to medical school.

At Georgetown, Douglas majored in neurobiology and minored in fine arts, while also competing as a dressage rider. She was originally nervous about how she would fit into the pre-health community as someone with a 鈥渂ackground that doesn鈥檛 immediately connect to medicine,鈥� she said, but meeting with Connell and the advising team made Douglas feel at home.

鈥淭hey were so nice, so understanding and so excited to hear about my story and the different things I was thinking about and curious about,鈥� Douglas said.

She is currently deciding on which medical school to attend starting this fall.

鈥淚 have received more interviews and acceptances than I could have ever expected,鈥� Douglas said. 鈥淚 am now in the process of attending accepted students weekends at a number of schools and feel incredibly grateful to have a choice of several incredible schools.”

Throughout the medical school application process, which she began in the fall of 2024 while taking a gap year, Douglas turned to the advisors for help.

鈥淚 was really, really impressed and appreciative of the fact that I already had this longitudinal relationship with them, that I felt comfortable enough to meet with Dr. Connell and ask specific questions,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut also that there was constant information and workshops and seminars for everyone to go to.鈥�

The advising begins by the time pre-health students arrive on campus.

Ishaan Kumar (C鈥�24), a first-year medical student at Harvard Medical School, said that both his advising dean at the time and Connell had emailed him within his first two weeks at Georgetown. Over the next three and a half years 鈥� Kumar graduated a semester early with a neurobiology degree 鈥� he became close to the pre-health advisors, as they guided him through the application process.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e the best,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey just really helped me figure out my path to medical school, because otherwise, I didn鈥檛 really know what I wanted to do. It was helpful to have them walk me through it.鈥�

The advice they gave was personalized. Ericson sat down with Kumar and 鈥渕ade a step-by-step, month-by-month plan鈥� for his schedule to fit in studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) as an undergraduate student, he said. And when he was ready to apply to medical school, Connell, who received her M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1989, helped him prepare by conducting mock interviews.

鈥淚 was applying to more research-oriented schools, so she tailored her mock interview questions,鈥� Kumar said. She also put him in touch with at least two alumni of the schools where he interviewed. 

In addition to personalized one-on-one advising, there are informational webinars and workshops that students can attend. Cherner, who coordinates 骋别辞谤驳别迟辞飞苍鈥檚, has built a large Canvas course full of resources for pre-med students and also those interested in pursuing education in other pre-health professions, like physician assistant programs and optometry school.

“We have a whole Canvas course available to us in order to learn all the things that prepare us to apply, whereas so many of my friends from other universities just had to use YouTube or pay advisors from outside their university exorbitant amounts of money for private tutoring and counseling,鈥� Douglas said. 鈥淚 feel really, really grateful for the amount of support I’ve gotten. The advisors genuinely care.鈥�

Both Douglas and Kumar recommend that students reach out to the pre-health advising team as early as they can and to meet them in person. The more the advisors know about the students鈥� interests and motivations, the better they can assist them.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e the kind of people who won鈥檛 try to put you into buckets, or say, 鈥楨veryone should do this,鈥欌�� Kumar said. 鈥淭hey’ll find opportunities that align with your interests to help you have the kind of college experience you want, rather than trying to just fit a certain narrative that helps you get into med school.鈥�

A Collaborative Effort

All students who express interest in pre-health can receive support from the Pre-Health Advising Office. 

In addition to Connell, Ericson and Cherner, the 桔子视频 & Sciences and School of Health both have advising deans and faculty members who are knowledgeable about the pre-health admissions process and work collaboratively with the pre-health advisors. 

鈥淚n my faculty advising role, I feel relatively comfortable giving students some basic advice, but when it comes to any sort of very specific types of questions, I really do rely heavily on the Pre-Health Advising Office,鈥� said , an associate professor in the School of Health and one of the 11 staff and faculty members that sits on the . 

The committee, chaired by Connell, reviews students鈥� application material and sends their evaluations to schools.

Connell said the acceptance rate of Georgetown students into medical schools is 鈥渟tellar鈥� and has continued to climb since she began her role in 2019. She is also proud that the pre-health advising team does not 鈥済atekeep鈥� access to support. The advisors will help anyone interested in strengthening their applications.

When students are applying for medical school, Connell prepares them on what she calls, 鈥渢he big three鈥� focuses: research, clinical experience and service. 

鈥淲e help them with opportunities,鈥� Connell said. 鈥淩esearch opportunities abound at Georgetown, and not just on the undergraduate campus, but the is right here. 鈥e educate them about all the other wonderful sister and brother institutions we have here where they can find like-minded folks and go out to serve the community.鈥�  

Thom Chiarolanzio, director of advising and senior associate dean in the College, believes that Connell has strengthened the pre-health advising program in a comprehensive way. 

鈥淚 consider us to be very lucky to have somebody of her own experience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m really appreciative of her attention to providing more expansive opportunities for students that wasn’t always there.鈥�

鈥淪he leverages her connections, and she builds new ones,鈥� added , an associate dean in the College who is also on the Pre-Health Recommendation Committee. 鈥淭hat has really served our students well.鈥�

Connell helped Eleanor Miskovsky (C鈥�23), a third-year medical student at Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, find opportunities to shadow surgeons and gain clinical experience while she was at Georgetown. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 so competitive to find even unpaid, like volunteer positions, so it was huge that she helped connect me with people I could shadow and get some clinical experience with too,鈥� said Miskovsky, who majored in biology of global health and minored in French. 

The Pre-Health Advising Office assisted Mahad Mohamed (H鈥�22) in finding mentors. During his application cycle, he was paired with a first-year medical student at Georgetown University School of Medicine. 

鈥淢y mentor was an amazing resource,鈥� said Mohamed, who graduated with a health care management and policy degree from the School of Health. 鈥淗e helped me with mock interviews and essays and things like that.鈥�

He remembers meeting with Connell at least once every semester to check in and share updates. Even after graduation, he continued to meet with Connell and utilize the resources provided by the pre-health advising team. Mohamed is now a second-year student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 

鈥淚 help students during this journey, and in a way that gives me the same pride I had while accompanying my three kids to adulthood,鈥� Connell said. 鈥淚 have the most heartfelt thank you notes and emails from my students and it, you know, makes me cry. I鈥檓 here to help students. That鈥檚 why I do what I do.鈥�

(All photos taken by Lisa Helfert for Georgetown University 桔子视频 & Sciences)

鈥淚n both cases, you are trying to pursue a positive future not just for yourself, but also for other people,鈥� Freund said.

This fall, he will be enrolling in at the University of Cambridge. Freund is to be selected as part of the 2026 class of Gates Cambridge Scholars. The prestigious scholarship program fully funds postgraduate study and research in any subject at the University of Cambridge.

During his four years there, Freund, who majored in psychology and minored in German and history in the 桔子视频 & Sciences, plans to research the changing role of judicial discretion at sentencing. It will bring him closer to his ultimate career goal of becoming a professor of criminology. 

After graduating from Georgetown in 2023, Freund worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Berlin and earned a master鈥檚 degree in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Oxford. He is currently serving as program coordinator for the Prison Education Project (PEP) at Washington University in St. Louis. 

鈥淚 think I have always been interested in justice and using the privilege that I have in service of other people,鈥� Freund said. 

Psychology and the Legal System

Born in New York, Freund and his family moved to San Diego when he was around the age of 4. His parents still live there.

Freund did not think he would move more than 2,600 miles across the country to DC for college, but attending a for admitted students swayed his decision. 

鈥淚 feel like among the schools I got into, Georgetown presented the most compelling vision of attending to its students,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he whole concept of cura personalis really came through to me.鈥�

Initially, Freund thought he would major in government on the Hilltop. His main interest in high school, he said, was competing on the mock trial team, and Freund figured law school would be in his future. 

But he discovered that it was his psychology courses at Georgetown that he enjoyed the most. The class Psychology and the Legal System with , a professor of psychology and vice dean for faculty affairs in the College, helped him learn how to apply psychology and social sciences to the operations of the legal system, Freund said.

That led him to propose an honors thesis that combined concepts from that class and his Cultural Psychology class with , an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. 

Freund鈥檚 thesis compared two different video layouts for videoconferencing during pretrial hearings in the courtroom. He consulted with a judge and faculty members at Georgetown to videotape a simulated courtroom hearing, then used an eyetracker and surveys to examine self-assessed recall, self-assessed understanding, procedural fairness and outcome fairness between the two video layouts.

Woolard called it 鈥渙ne of the most interesting undergraduate thesis projects I have supervised.鈥� 

鈥淩afi has a very active mind,鈥� Chentsova Dutton said. 鈥淚t is clear that his goal is not just to get a good grade but to understand human complexity better.鈥�

A Passion for Education

Freund also developed his passion for education at Georgetown. 

He spent three years as a teaching assistant for the Probability and Statistics course with , a teaching professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. That experience helped him realize that he loved teaching and standing in front of a classroom. Freund was also involved in the and as a tutor for the . 

鈥淩afi has all the qualities that make for an excellent TA,鈥� Meyer said. 鈥淲hat distinguished Rafi was his attention to detail and sensitivity to his students鈥� needs as learners. He always paid close attention to students鈥� common mistakes and misconceptions while grading the assignments and interacting with students during labs and office hours.鈥�

To Freund, his interests in criminal justice and teaching are not distinct. 

鈥淭hey coalesce in a belief that all people should be able to benefit from a high-quality education,鈥� he said.

At the University of Cambridge, Freund plans to research how sentencing operates and how the role of judicial discretion has changed over time. In his research and work experience, Freund has found that rigid approaches to sentencing can leave people doubting procedural and outcome fairness. 

The limits on discretion, he said, are being placed faster than the field is considering the potential consequences of those limits, particularly as many anticipate the integration of artificial intelligence in sentencing decisions. 

Freund wants to take a step back and ask: Is there something lost alongside the human judge? What happens when judges are prevented from being able to engage with the people they鈥檙e sentencing?

鈥淭his is a really urgent thing to think about,鈥� he said.

(Top photo courtesy of Rafi Freund, taken at Washington University in St. Louis)