On the Cover

There are plenty of statistics about the demographics of college students. But there are people behind those numbers. We wanted to tell their stories, particularly those of our first-generation students and staff.

“Everyone has a story, and sometimes as a writer, it’s best for you to step back and let them tell it themselves,” says Megan Bradshaw, associate director of publications and author of Boldly Going. “Setting is important to a story, so I asked our students and staff to pick a location that was meaningful to them for their photographs.”

Art Director Lori Marchetti (pictured) set up the cover shot, for which Assistant Director of Photographic Services Alexander Wright ’18 shot Matt Wright ’24—himself a first-generation student—in the studio. Wright, 37, has served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years. He’s as good a model as he is a sailor.