College & Theater Events

<p>A’Lelia Bundles is an award-winning author and great-great-granddaughter of the entrepreneurial activist and philanthropist, Madam C.J. Walker. A Netflix Original series inspired by Bundles’ book (<i>On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker</i>) stars Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer and Tiffany Haddish, and is produced by LeBron James (March 2020). </p><p>A former network television news executive and producer at ABC News and NBC News, Bundles is also well-versed in American journalism as well as social justice and civil rights issues.

<p>In today’s ever-changing political landscape, Yamiche Alcindor has become a go-to voice in analyzing the most critical issues of our time for Democrats and Republicans alike.</p><p>Since early 2022, she has been the Washington correspondent for NBC News covering the Biden administration, the impact of federal policies on communities and issues at the intersection of race, culture and politics.

<p>Lawrence Jones is Campus Reform&#39;s Editor-in-Chief and a Fox News contributor. Prior to joining Fox News, he hosted his own radio show on TheBlaze Radio Network and served as a Contributing Host for TheBlaze TV.</p><p>Jones is a frequent co-host for <i>Outnumbered</i> and guest host for <i>The Five,</i> as well a correspondent for Hannity. Lawrence also regularly shares commentary on Fox Business, CNN, BBC, Sky News, and MSNBC.</p><p>He consistently goes after the hard-hitting and untold stories.

<p>Maureen Dowd, winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary on Bill Clinton&#39;s impeachment woes, became a columnist on <i>The New York Times </i>Op-Ed page in 1995 after having served for a decade as a correspondent in the paper&#39;s Washington bureau.</p>

<p>American film actor, director, voice artist and producer, Sean Astin is best known for his film roles as Samwise Gamgee in the <em>Lord of the Rings</em> trilogy, Mikey Walsh in <em>The Goonies</em>, the title character of Rudy, and Bob Newby in Netflix’s hit series,<em> Stranger Things 2</em>.

<p>Robert Bilott is the tenacious environmental lawyer who became “DuPont’s worst nightmare,” according to <em>The New York Times</em>. The story in his book, <em>Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against Dupont</em>, inspired the major motion picture, <em>Dark Waters</em> (November 2019), featuring Academy-Award nominee Mark Ruffalo as Rob Bilott.  </p><p>Bilott was a corporate defense attorney for eight years until he took on an environmental suit that upended his entire career—and exposed a

<p>Ruth E. Carter’s unparalleled ability to develop an authentic story through costume and character has made her one of the most sought-after, renowned, and award-winning costume designers today. </p><p>A two-time Academy Award-winner for “Best Costume Design” (<em>Black Panther </em>in 2019; <em>Black Panther: Wakanda Forever</em> in 2022), Ruth E. Carter has also garnered nominations for Spike Lee’s <em>Malcolm X</em> (1993) and Steven Spielberg’s <em>Amistad</em> (1998).

<p>Nadya Okamoto is the Founder and Executive Director of PERIOD (period.org), an organization she founded at the age of 16. PERIOD is now the largest youth-run NGO in women’s health, and one of the fastest growing ones here in the United States.</p><p>Since 2014, PERIOD has addressed over 900,000 periods and registered over 600 campus chapters in all 50 states and 30 other countries. In 2017, Nadya ran for office in Cambridge, MA. While she did not win, her campaign team made historic waves in mobilizing young people on the ground and at polls.

<p>Best known for his role as the “Culture Vulture” in the Emmy Award-winning show <em>Queer Eye For The Straight Guy</em>, Jai has been helping to shape American culture—and the cultural representation of the LGBTQ community—for nearly two decades.</p><p> Emmy Award-winning actor Jai Rodriguez’s career began at age 18, when he was cast as Angel in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical <em>Rent</em>.

<p>Aly Raisman, team captain of the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastics teams in 2012 and 2016, is the second most decorated American gymnast of all-time with six total Olympic medals. </p><p>The most decorated U.S. gymnast at the 2012 Games, Raisman captured the hearts of millions as she became the first American gymnast to win gold in the floor exercise. One of only two U.S.