At a tumultuous point in time, Ally channeled her emotions and thoughts into the MFA screenwriting program to share the stories of marginalized communities – particularly stories of radical Black joy. “I believe that when you see it, you can be it," Ally says. “Growing up, I loved TV and media, but so many times they weren't telling the stories of people who looked like me or experienced what I experienced. I want to share the stories of Black women like my mom, grandma and two older sisters." Ally, who graduated this June, has already started her full-time job on the Emmy award-winning daytime show "The Talk."

DeAngelo received his bachelor’s in Computer Science in 2020, and graduated this June with a master’s in Software Engineering with a Real-Time Game Systems concentration. He is passionate about STEM fields and loves solving challenging problems, and is also intrigued by the cross-section of biology and computer science. DeAngelo actively researched computational phylogenetics for 3 years. A member of CDM’s Computational Biology and Applied Bioinformatics (CoBaAB) Lab, he will be working with high school students this summer at CDM’s first Bioinformatics Camp.

Nicholas graduated this year with his bachelor’s in User Experience Design. A Chicago Quarter Mentor, he introduced incoming students to the city after experiencing for himself the many activities both Chicago and DePaul have to offer. “Getting involved in student clubs and orgs really shaped my journey. I've connected with other UX enthusiasts through the DePaul User Experience Association, and I had a blast connecting with students outside my major when I participated in DemonTHON, a dance marathon that raises funds for children with life-threatening diseases.”