Michael A. Duniec, ’15
Michael Duniec, ’15, Brunswick, OH, authored "Crypto and Bitcoin: A Millionaire Mindset for Opportunity." The book encapsulates Duniec’s journey with Bitcoin mining since its early days in 2011, when it was valued at just $0.70, to its current valuation exceeding $76,000. Duniec credits Kent State's Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship with providing the invaluable tools, business classes and writing skills needed to self-publish this nonfiction work.
Allison (Pritchard) Jack, ’07
Allison (Pritchard) Jack, ’07, Avon, OH, was recently nominated for the Cleveland Scene's Best of Cleveland "Best Local Instagram" award for her account Cleveland.Westside.Eats on Instagram (and other platforms). She was voted as one of the top five Instagram accounts in Cleveland by the same magazine in 2023 and 2022. Her content features small and local businesses, especially focusing on restaurants, food and travel. Jack is also a regular contributor to Cleveland Magazine, where she focuses on dining journalism covering the Cleveland area restaurant scene.
Sarah Shendy, ’06
Sarah Shendy, ’06, Cleveland, OH, was featured in the spring 2021 edition of the Kent State Magazine for being appointed by Governor DeWine as the inaugural director of the Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment. Shendy received the 40 Under 40 Award in 2022 from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Globally, she was the only Arab-American female on the list. This year, Shendy received the 40 Under 40 award from the Arab-America Foundation. She recently made history in the State of Ohio by being the first known Egyptian-Muslim female police sergeant.
Sophia Gillespie, ’23
Sophia Gillespie, ’23, Kent, OH, joined PBS Western Reserve as an associate producer where she works with the station’s art clients to create their underwriting spots that air on broadcast. She was the producer for the second season of the “City Centric” series, coordinating and conducting interviews with 36 individuals.
Jared Shoup, ’18
Jared Shoup, ’18, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, a high school social studies teacher at Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA), was recently named a recipient of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission Excellence in Teaching Diversity Award. Shoup was recognized at the Ohio Civil Rights Commission’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art, Writing and Multimedia Contest award ceremony in Columbus with many of his current and former students in attendance.
Brenna Parker, ’17
Brenna Parker, '17, Washington, D.C., left the White House where she was serving as digital director to Vice President Harris. Parker is now the digital director for the U.S. Department of Transportation and Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Paul Rossetti, ’09
Paul Rossetti, ’09, M.Arch. ’11, M.B.A. ’11, Kent, OH, has been promoted to senior associate at Bialosky, in recognition of his contributions to architectural projects and pioneering technological and operational advances of the firm. Rossetti is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and brings that same discipline and work ethic to his career in architecture. His notable projects include Centric, Belle Oaks Marketplace and MAGNET, the community-centric manufacturing incubator and workforce hub uplifting midtown Cleveland.
Walker MacMurdo, M.Arch. ’23
Walker MacMurdo, M.Arch. ’23, Associate AIA, Cleveland Heights, OH, has joined Bialosky, a design firm known for design excellence and community-centered projects. As a new architecture graduate, MacMurdo enters the design profession as a pivot from a successful career as a journalist and editor in Portland and Cleveland. His current design project is Noble Station, a vertically mixed-use development in Cleveland Heights.