Alumni Successes
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Do you have an achievement you’d like to share with us? Have you moved recently, changed jobs, or added a family member? Loyola University New Orleans is committed to keeping in touch with as many of its former students as possible. Please fill out this form to update your information with the School of Mass Communication and the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations.
Journalism Alum named general manager of Baton Rouge TV station
Sandy Breland, A'83, was named vice president and general manager of WAFB Television in Baton Rouge. Breland, a former School of Mass Communication Visiting Committee member, worked formerly as an executive news director at KTVK-TV in Phoenix, Ariz. She served 11 years as executive news director of WWL-TV in New Orleans, where she was honored with Peabody, DuPont, and Murrow Awards for her planning and execution of WWL's coverage during Hurricane Katrina. Breland has also received the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation's First Amendment Award and the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award for public service. Breland began her career in radio, holding several positions at WWL-AM in New Orleans. She has been honored as a YWCA role model and serves as a member of the First Amendment Coalition of Arizona. Sandy and her husband, Dave McNamara, have two children.
Public Relations Alum elected PRSSA National President
Brandi Boatner, A'05, was elected the 2008-09 National President for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Boatner, a graduate student studying for her master's degree in communications and international marketing at Hawaii Pacific University, is the organization's first African-American female president as well as first national president to represent Hawaii. As PRSSA national president, Boatner will act as the principal administrative officer of the PRSSA National Committee. The committee manages the business affairs of PRSSA and functions as a guide to members who have concerns or are interested in participating nationally within the Society. Boatner will supervise the PRSSA National Conference, organize and supervise PRSSA national subcommittees, advise and instruct committee members on policies and procedures of PRSSA, and administer PRSSA chapter and member reward programs.
Broadcast Production Alum to publish book
Since completing his double bachelor's degree in drama/theatre and broadcast production in 1995, Robert Arsante-Cooper obtained his master's in fine arts in 1998 in directing and acting from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Robert has been acting in Germany, Italy, the Midwest, Florida
and also in Los Angeles, Calif. He has written television shows for
the Discovery Channel, Travel Channel and Fox as well as sharing his
voice over talent for cartoons (Stroker and Hoop, Squidbillies), video
games and Animal Planet's 'Animal Kidding' with Dave Coulier . He is
currently completing his first children's book entitled, "Tiggy Bear and
His Incredible Edible Adventures". In March he shot a commercial for
Disney World, Florida's travel agency and is looking forward to adding
more film to his credit which includes last year's shoot of Circle of
Fire and the upcoming Thundercats movie.
Journalism Alum to show film at Cannes Film Festival
Brian Clarey, '93, editor of YES! Weekly in Greensboro, NC, joined forces with a team of actors, technicians, and friends -- the Keene Collaborative -- to create "JoBeth" for the Greensboro (NC) 48-Hour Film Project. In late February, the film was chosen at Filmapalooza in San Jose, Calif., to be screened at the Short Film Corner at the annual Festival du Cannes in the south of France, along with four other national winners. Clarey says he plans to be there.
Clarey worked on The Maroon when he was a student at Loyola University New Orleans. He has been editor of YES! Weekly since its inception in December 2004. "JoBeth" can be viewed on YouTube here.
Communication studies alum stars in TV show
Mykel Shannon Jenkins, '93, is playing the role of Lt. Baker's son, Charlie Baker, on the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Born in Biloxi, Miss., Mykel traveled around the U.S. due to his father’s position as an officer in the USAF, eventually settling in New Orleans. After graduating from Loyola, Mykel made a name for himself as an on-air personality hosting New Orleans’ “WB38 Kids Club.” In 2003, Mykel, his wife, Tracy, A’92, L’96, and their son made the move to Hollywood where he began auditioning and taking roles in various movies and television shows. In 2004, he landed a 13-week gig on ABC’s “General Hospital” as Officer Murphy.
Advertising alum featured in magazine's "People to Watch 2007"
Amy Boyle, '96, the executive director of the Young Leadership Council (YLC), which focuses on leadership development of young professionals through community projects and civic engagement, was featured in New Orleans Magazine's "People to Watch 2007" feature in September.
Boyle spent the last 10 years as a specialist in marketing, advertising and public relations. In 2006, she worked for J. Walter Thompson – a national advertising agency. While traveling for work, all the New Orleans native could think about was what was happening in her hometown.
Always active in the community, she served on the board of directors for the YLC and “my goal became landing this job,” she said. “So I could work on the rebuilding full time with an organization that had a seat at the proverbial table and could make a difference … It’s these people – the dedicated people of our city who have made a difference – that inspire me and affirm my decision to be here and involved in the renaissance of a great American city.”
What’s next? “I want to be able to say that YLC has a project that impacts every aspect of the recovery in New Orleans.” She also wants to end the year raising more money than in 2006. “I always want to grow our base so we can continue to do more and more in the community.”
Memorial scholarship created in memory of slain graduate
Friends and family of Nia Robertson, MA'04, are honoring her memory through the creation of a memorial scholarship at Loyola University New Orleans. Named the Nia Robertson Memorial Scholarship, friends and family are aiming to design an endowed scholarship to be provided for a person from New Orleans, attending the School of Mass Communication at Loyola, and interested in social causes, who needs financial help to further his or her education.
Friends of Robertson are aiming to collect $25,000 to create an annual endowed scholarship. Donations to the Nia Robertson Memorial Scholarship should be mailed to Loyola University New Orleans, 7214 St. Charles Ave., Campus Box 909, New Orleans, LA, 70118. Checks can be made payable to the scholarship or simply to Loyola University New Orleans. Gifts can also be made online by visiting www.loyno.edu and clicking on “Giving to Loyola” and then, “Give Now.” On the form, please check “Other” and indicate in the text box that the donation is for this scholarship. All donations will be acknowledged, and the parents will be notified of gifts made in Robertson’s memory.