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21 Photo © KPCC
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Mary Plummer ’07
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2010s 17 Abigail (Wallen) Balsz, B.A. political science ’14, married Dylan Balsz, B.A. economics ’13, in August 2015. They met as students in Leatherby Libraries and began dating after spending time together at the Holi Festival on campus. Gregory Bordelon, BFA television writing and producing ’16, is a production assistant on the new Netflix animated series F is for Family. Maisie Chan, B.S. business administration and B.A. theatre ’12, is the entertainment manager on the opening team for Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment for two entertainment venues in Shanghai Disneyland. The park opens June 16. Chelsea Chaves, B.M. vocal performance ’13, received her master’s degree in vocal arts, with an opera emphasis, from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. She sang the national anthem at a Lakers game at Staples Center in 2011 and on March 22. 18 Max Dieter, B.S. business administration ’16, Paul Lee, BFA creative producing ’16, and Kayla Hall are traveling across the country making a documentary about fighting depression and finding
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happiness. Their mission is to help restructure the idea of what it means to find happiness in America. More information on the film can be found at unitedstatesofmindfilm.com 19 Rebecca Haber, B.A. public relations and advertising ’15, accepted an account coordinator position with CBS Local Digital Media in New York City. 20 Chelsea Henriques, BFA dance ’14, became engaged to James Tyson on March 12 and will be married Oct. 20. The couple met during Chelsea’s senior year of college when James was visiting from England. The couple plan to live in England. Tasha (Wiggins) Hunter (MFA film and television producing ’10) is the new business district manager at the Uptown Property and Community Association in North Long Beach’s business district. She oversees operations related to rehabilitation properties, clean and safe programs, business support and community outreach. She has worked with Long Beach City College, the Long Beach Unified School District and the Long Beach Community Action Partnership.
21 Danielle Lazerson, B.S. business administration and accounting ’13 (MBA ’14), worked for a Big Four accounting firm and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in accounting at Louisiana State University. Clare Mackie ’14, B.A. psychology and integrated educational studies, landed a position as assistant director for school-aged programs at the YMCA – Boulder Valley in Colorado in February. She is also the outreach manager at Inner Awakening Writing Center, a national journaling program founded by Melissa Hoon, a former MFA documentary filmmaking student. 22 David Markun, BFA creative producing ’13, and Alex Odesmith, BFA film producing ’13, were featured on Fox 11 News in Los Angeles in a segment on their company, Rafiki Creative. They founded the video production company with Colin Lupe, BFA film production ’16, and Brian Bell, BFA film production ’13. 23 Natalie McCarty, B.A. public relations and advertising ’10, and Courtney Geiser, B.A. art ’11, married in Santa Barbara on Jan. 12.
Campaign Stories By Robyn Norwood The click of the candidate’s heels on pavement. The clatter of pots in the kitchen of a Mexican restaurant. The voices of voters meeting the congresswoman as she campaigns for the U.S. Senate. These are the sounds of a report by Mary Plummer ’07, a former editor-in-chief of the The Panther who is now a senior politics reporter for KPCC Southern California Public Radio. Plummer’s assignment that day was following Rep. Loretta Sanchez ’82 around Old Town Placentia as Sanchez seeks to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. “It’s a really exciting time to be a political reporter,” Plummer says. Though the journalist got her start in print and still writes for the station’s website, radio became Plummer’s primary medium when she joined KPCC in 2011 after earning a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University. An English and journalism major at Chapman University, Plummer prepared for her career in the offices of The Panther. She cites Susan Paterno, director of the journalism program in the Department of English, as “a great mentor.” Plummer’s journalism resumé includes a fellowship with ABC News in London, where the big stories during her tenure included the WikiLeaks scandal and the royal engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. “I love reporting,” she says. “So I think I’ll continue down the reporting path in whatever form that might take. I really love interviewing people and reporting and learning about my own community.”
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