Tag: 2024

Patrick Money

PATRICK MONEY

Director of Freshman Admissions, George Mason University

Patrick Money is the Director of Admissions for Freshman Recruitment for George
Mason University. After starting as a student employee at the Admissions office in
2006, he has spent the last sixteen years as a member of the Mason Admissions
family helping students and families find the right college destination.

Patrick is a Mason alumnus x 2 with a B.A in Psychology and his M.A in Higher
Education Administration. If he is not attending a Washington Nationals game
in D.C, you will find him overseeing domestic recruitment strategy and
implementation, admissions data management, and freshmen application review for Mason. Being busy is a must, but his love for coffee carries him through most of the recruitment cycle!

One of his favorite memories was when he made his initial
decision to come to Mason back in 2006 after he saw the Men’s basketball team reach the final four live at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.! (He still talks about it like it happened yesterday, and shows no signs of changing that!!)

Patrick has a passion for higher education and even more so for George Mason University and the opportunities for an access-driven enrollment strategy. Whether it be about equitable enrollment practices, or the best places to eat while on the recruitment trail, he is always ready for a lively discussion and hopes to share it with all those who are interested.

PATRICK MONEY

Director of Freshman Admissions, George Mason University

Patrick Money is the Director of Admissions for Freshman Recruitment for George Mason University. After starting as a student employee at the Admissions office in 2006, he has spent the last sixteen years as a member of the Mason Admissions
family helping students and families find the right college destination.

Patrick is a Mason alumnus x 2 with a B.A in Psychology and his M.A in Higher Education Administration. If he is not attending a Washington Nationals game in D.C, you will find him overseeing domestic recruitment strategy and implementation, admissions data management, and freshmen application review for Mason. Being busy is a must, but his love for coffee carries him through most of the recruitment cycle!

One of his favorite memories was when he made his initial decision to come to Mason back in 2006 after he saw the Men’s basketball team reach the final four live at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.! (He still talks about it like it happened yesterday, and shows no signs of changing that!!)

Carmella Boykin

CARMELLA BOYKIN

Host and TikTok Producer, The Washington Post

Carmella Boykin is a host and TikTok Producer at The Washington Post. She writes, shoots and edits news TikToks that often involve dancing to explain news topics. Previously, she worked as a local TV reporter in Rochester, NY where she started her TikTok account. Carmella joined the Post in December 2021 and holds a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University.

CARMELLA BOYKIN

Host and TikTok Producer, The Washington Post

Nicholas Johnston

NICHOLAS JOHNSTON

Publisher, Axios

Nicholas Johnston is the Publisher of Axios, where he focuses primarily on Axios Pro and other major newsroom initiatives. Previously, he was Axios’ editor-in-chief where he led the entire Axios newsroom and the launch of Axios Local. Nick was previously managing editor at Bloomberg where he oversaw newsletters and breaking news coverage in Washington. He also served as a reporter for Bloomberg where he covered the White House, Capitol Hill and the 2008 presidential campaign. Nick began his journalism career at The Washington Post.

Courtney Knapp

COURTNEY KNAPP

Advance Team Member

Courtney Knapp is a Senior Event Coordinator in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University. She started with the Office of Admissions in December 2022. She received her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from North Greenville University in 2012, and her M.A. in History of Decorative Arts from George Mason University in 2016. In her free time, Courtney enjoys working out, traveling, and spending time with her spouse and their dogs.

Randi Richardson

RANDI RICHARDSON

Reporter, NBCNews.com and TODAY.com

Randi Richardson is a proud Michigan supremacist who currently lives in Brooklyn. She’s a reporter at nbcnews.com and TODAY.com covering race and culture, and she’s an alumna of Brown University. She attended WJMC in 2012 and it changed her career trajectory. She’s covered the pandemic, the Capitol insurrection, the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, higher education, award shows and more. She’s interviewed secretaries of state, congresspeople, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Tracee Ellis Ross and other stars. She loves all things Jesus, joy and justice and wishes she could teleport. Her dream is to defy humidity so her natural hair can actually survive one spring day. Her instagram is @randirichnbc.

Holly Bourquin

HOLLY BOURQUIN

Faculty Advisor

Holly teaches and advises the student newspaper at Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida. In addition to teaching journalism for more than 10 years, she also teaches IB Film and has taught English at the high school, dual enrollment, and college levels. She is the advisor for her school’s Quill & Scroll International Honor Society chapter and oversees student print, web, and podcast media. She has over 20 years of writing, editing, and publishing experience and has overseen the publication of an international magazine and served on the Florida Magazine Association board of directors. She holds a master’s in English with a concentration in technical and professional communication from East Carolina University. Holly is passionate about delivering media instruction to students that is hands-on and mirrors real-world industry practices. Outside of the classroom, she works as a freelance writer, editor, and consultant. She loves to spend time with her family, travel, read, and cook.

HOLLY BOURQUIN

Faculty Advisor

Reid Collins

REID COLLINS

Junior Faculty Advisor

Reid Collins, a rising senior at George Mason is originally from Marion, Virginia. He is excited to be back at Mason and with the WJMC again! As a Mason student, he is majoring in Government and International Politics. He also works for the Office of Admissions as a Mason Ambassador and Admissions Outreach Fellow. Reid is excited to work with WJMC again this summer!

Buzz McClain

BUZZ MCCLAIN

Director of Communications, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University

Veteran columnist, critic, reporter, and editor Buzz McClain covered movies and pop culture for 20 years at major magazines and wrote about music and musicians for a decade at the Washington Post before NBC Sports lured him away to cover rugby football. He now is director of communications for the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, which is also his alma mater and the school that taught him everything he needed to know about surviving a career in journalism.

BUZZ MCCLAIN

Director of Communications, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University

Camden Layton

CAMDEN LAYTON

Faculty Advisor

Camden Layton is a WJMC and George Mason University alum who now works as the Director of Public Affairs with the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers and AFT Virginia. He graduated from Mason with his BS in Public Administration and a Master of Public Policy, specializing in Education Policy. At his current job, he helps lead digital advocacy and organizing efforts for school staff across Virginia, and educates members on how to effectively use social media and their networks to move their campaigns forward. Camden is very excited to be back with WJMC for his 10th summer!

CAMDEN LAYTON

Faculty Advisor

Alexis Johnson

ALEXIS JOHNSON

Correspondent and Producer

Alexis Johnson is an Emmy-winning correspondent based in Washington D.C. Alexis began her career in journalism as a Multimedia Journalist at WVVA, the NBC affiliate in Bluefield, West Virginia. She then moved into digital and print news as a breaking news reporter for NJ.com in New Jersey. In 2018, Johnson was hired as a Digital News Editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before switching to a reporting role covering trending topics at the start of 2020.

Alexis joined VICE News in October 2020 and went on to cover politics, race, and culture. She appeared on multiple platforms including VICE News Tonight, VICE on Showtime, Counter Space, Breaking the Vote, VICE News Reports Podcast, as well as appearing across VICE’s social platforms including TikTok and Twitch.

Alexis has covered the biggest national stories including the 2020 general election, the 2022 midterms, the aftermath of Jan. 6th, the inauguration of President Joe Biden, the Derek Chauvin verdict, the arrest and detainment of Brittney Griner, the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the fall of Roe v. Wade and the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police. She was awarded a 2023 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism for her coverage of death threats made against election workers after the 2020 presidential election and the attack on American democracy.

Alexis also reported on cultural topics like Black spirituality, the struggles of Black TikTok influencers, and diversity in the pilot industry, a story that was nominated for a 2023 News and Documentary Emmy. She has also appeared as a host of the digital series VICE Debates, moderating a panel about colorism that reached over half a million viewers on Youtube.

For her final project at VICE, Alexis hosted, co-produced and co-directed a feature-length documentary titled Vice News Presents: When Black Women Go Missing that is streaming on Tubi. The film takes an in-depth look at the crisis surrounding the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Black women around the country and investigates the causes of the epidemic.

A Pittsburgh native, Alexis graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania before earning a Master’s Degree in Media Studies and Production from Temple University. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists as well as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.