On Monday, May 16th, the School of Journalism descended on Rolling Stone Magazine for a memorable alumni reception in the editorial halls of the legendary news, politics and music publication.

The conversation between Jonathan Kaufman, Director of the School of Journalism, and Sean Woods, Deputy Managing Editor of Rolling Stone Magazine, proved to be the highlight of the event that brought alumni, students and parents together in a conference room overlooking Sixth Avenue. A range of current events were covered, from interviewing Prince, to the presidential election and the rise of Donald Trump, sparking a lively discussion from some alumni in attendance including Nate Fredman, AS ’01, a Senior Producer at The O’Reilly Factor.

Hosted by alumna Betsy Hill, AS ’88, the evening began with a tour of the famous hall adorning every published cover of The Rolling Stone from John Lennon in 1967 to this year’s Prince cover, adequately named the Hall of Covers. Over wine and hors d’oeuvres, alumni reconnected with old friends like Lauren Romans, AS ’08, Jamall Oluokun, AS ’07, and Shomari Miller, DMSB ’07. Some of the guests in attendance even made some new connections; Emily Mitchell, AMD ’19, a co-op student currently at Harper’s Bazaar mingled with Mary Ann Georgantopoulos, AMD ’10, from Buzzfeed, Michele Gorman, AMD ’12, from Newsweek, and Casey Brooks, AMD ’10, from Saks Fifth Avenue. Even freshman Alena Zafonte, AMD ’20, who is working in New York with Giuliana Partners and Changing Our World, Inc. was in attendance with her mother Beth Zafonte.

The reception concluded with a year recap from the new director of the School of Journalism, Jonathan Kaufman. After hosting an exclusive screening of the Academy-Award winning movie Spotlight in October, leading a panel discussion on the importance of investigative journalism with Walter “Robby” Robinson, AS ’74, in May, writing real investigative stories from student reporters and faculty, the crowd was proud to be a part of Northeastern and the values that it instills in its students.

“I enjoyed meeting with alumni and parents and sharing with them our growing program and the exciting work students and faculty are doing, from student-driven investigative stories to co-ops and internships at Google News, Facebook, The Boston Globe and MSNBC. Alumni are crucial in keeping us abreast in how the world of journalism and communications is changing. The advice and networking they give students is invaluable. I am looking forward to more events as we build up and harness the energy of the Northeastern Journalism community.” — Jonathan Kaufman