We all know that American University has some pretty famous alumni who have become notable politicians, journalists, performers, scientists, professional athletes, and businessmen and women. One thing that all of these successful people have in common is something with all of us: their alma mater. At one point or another, these people have graced the quad, walked through MGC or the Ward building, ate at TDR, or went to a themed party at a frat. Some of these famous former students associated with AU never graduated, but they still shared some of our similar experiences. As current students, we can look at these success stories and believe that we are capable of going above and beyond with our careers and goals for the future because of what these women have already accomplished.
1. Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award wining actress, director, and producer. She was a successful Emmy-nominated television actress in the 1960’s and then transitioned to film. In 1980 she stared in Private Benjamin and earned and Oscar nomination. She has a few children, one being actress Kate Hudson. She attended American as a drama major but never graduated. She dropped out of school to run her own ballet school until becoming an actress.
2. Giuliana Rancic is a celebrity news personality and co-host on E! News. She started out as a print journalist and is now featured on many television shows on the E! Network. She had a very successful career while she battled breast cancer in 2011. Now she has overcome the cancer and is focusing on her brand and television personality on shows like E!’s Fashion Police. She went to University of Maryland for her undergrad degree and earned her masters at American’s School of Communication (SOC) in ‘97.
3. Judy Sheindlin started out as a New York family court judge. Does the name not sound familiar? This is Judge Judy, infamous television judge who delivers tough love daily through controversial, small-scale trials. She is one tough cookie and graduated from American’s School of Public Affairs (SPA) in ’63.
4. Alisyn Camerota is a co-anchor of the television news broadcast Fox and Friends. She graduated from AU’s SOC with a B.A. in ’88. Currently she is the co-chair of the New York chapter of AU SOC Alumni Ambassadors. She makes time to give back to AU and has mentored students through SOC’s Alumni Mentoring Program. She worked for the campus TV station and got an internship through AU, which she credits to helping start her career.
5. Star Jones is a television personality, lawyer, and author. She was a former co-host of the talk show The View. She earned a B.A. degree in The Administration of Justice at American in ‘83. She was born with the name Starlet Marie Jones and shortened it to ‘Star’ in college. On campus she took an active role in student government and a high office position in her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha. She served as national vice president of undergraduate affairs for her sorority. She moved on to law school and then worked for law firms and then numerous news stations like ABC and Inside Edition.
Image Sources:
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