Catching Up With Alumni During Homecoming 2019

If it reminded some in attendance of the ESPN documentary series "30 For 30" that was the idea.

Kris Kayin Bennett (Class of 2016) says that was the type of storytelling she and collaborator Dr. Justin Beaufort were going for with their 50-minute film, "The Peninsula Stories: Ralph & Sid." To view the video via Vimeo click here. 

They examine the lives of two talented Charleston athletes, Deljavon "Ralph" Simmons and Sidney Sanders, who were football and basketball stars at Burke High School 10 years ago.

Fast Track for 2018 Graduate: Orangeburg-Charleston-Atlanta

Ashailyn "Shay" Gleaton

It can take people many years, if ever, to get a job at a major news network.  It took SC State 2018 communications graduate Ashailyn Gleaton less than a year to do so.

Shay, as she goes by, is from Orangeburg. She is a graduate of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.  Around the time she graduated from SC State in May 2018, she began working at Charleston's WCSC-TV.

Last fall she learned of an entry-level program at CNN. She applied, was interviewed a few times, and this April the big offer came and the young woman was on her way to the big city and the big job as a news assistant at CNN.

We spoke with her via iPad and FaceTime

A few days ago in my Feature Writing class, the students and I had the chance to talk to Gleaton with the help of FaceTime.

She shared what her first six months at CNN have been like and how life is treating her in Atlanta.

Army Tank Driver Now Drives Toward Degree

Montgomery's tank helmet, medals and official photograph

In the U.S. Army a mild-mannered junior SC State communications major drove the biggest, baddest beast on the battlefield, the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank.

Back then Trenton Montgomery, 26, was called Gummy by his tank crewmates and colleagues, a play on his last name.

Montgomery enlisted at age 19 a year after graduating from  Berkeley High School. He didn't initially apply for tank school, but tank

Montgomery drove the mighty Abrams tank 

school found him and soon he was in training behind the wheel of the 60-ton behemoth that can reach 45 mph and fires weaponry that includes a 120 mm cannon.

More Alumni News!

 

Lynn McGrier (left), Class of 2018 and Ashley Simmons, '17, have new jobs!

Professor Justin Smith shared Lynn McGrier's news on our program's Facebook site: Congratulations graduate Lynn McGrier on landing a job as the Film Production Manager for The Vladar Company also known as the Generation Iron Fitness Networks in New York City. Her job involves coordinating productions and developing creative content for Vladar. In addition, she's working on three documentaries with the company. They are expected to be released on Netflix in 2021.

See more on The Vladar Company in this Wikipedia entry. 

Ashley Simmons shared her job news on LinkedIn.  She is an on-air personality and producer at Myrtle Beach radio station 98.5 KissFM, a Cumulus property. 

See more on Lynn and Ashley's path to success by checking out their LinkedIn sites (linked above). 

SC State Nation is proud of you ladies!