CDM Alumni

Daniel Willis (MS '12)
Directory, Writer, Photographer
Daniel Willis is a director, writer and photographer who draws on his experience growing up on Chicago’s south side. Daniel began his production career as a writer’s assistant on the ABC drama, Grey’s Anatomy. He was a 2017-2018 Sony Diverse Directors Fellow and 2018 Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow. Willis' short films and television projects have screened at festivals around the world including The Chicago International Television Festival, SeriesFest (Best Writing - Public Housing Unit), The New York Television Festival, ITVFest (Best of Fest - Public Housing Unit) and the Cannes Short Film Corner. Willis is currently directing network television (Grey's Anatomy, The Blacklist) and writing for the shows Boomerang and Twenties. He is also developing on his first feature film.

School of Cinematic Arts Alumni

Gabriela Ariza (MS '17)
Lead Cybersecurity Specialist, Society of Actuaries
As the Society of Actuaries Lead Cybersecurity Specialist, Gabriela Ariza leads the organization’s incident response team, maintains organization-wide security policies, performs security audits, and defends the organization from any breaches or unauthorized access. She chose DePaul for her graduate degree because “DePaul really focuses on cutting edge tools and skills that make me competitive in the industry. The cybersecurity industry continuously changes and I knew I needed a program that would adapt with the field.”

School of Computing Alumni

Tom Newsome (BS '20)
Associate Technical Designer, Iron Galaxy Studios
Tom’s had a passion for games since he was a kid and, having grown through the rapid expansion of the games industry, wanted to be a part of it. After graduating from CDM, he had a job developing software for interactive installations for a year and a half before landing his current job as a technical designer at Iron Galaxy. “Adaptability is a major asset and selling point when applying for jobs, especially when you have the evidence to back that up. Tech designers wear many hats, so knowing a little bit of everything and a lot of one or two things while easily switching between all of those is key,” says Tom.

School of Design Alumni