58 Notable alumni of
Columbia College Chicago
Updated:
Columbia College Chicago is 740th in the world, 274th in North America, and 254th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 58 notable alumni from Columbia College Chicago sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Michelle Monaghan
- Occupations
- television actormodelfilm actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Michelle Lynn Monaghan is an American actress. She has starred in the films Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Gone Baby Gone (2007), Made of Honor (2008), Eagle Eye (2008), Trucker (2008), Source Code (2011), Pixels (2015), and Patriots Day (2016). She also received recognition for her role as Julia Meade in the action spy film series Mission: Impossible, making appearances in Mission: Impossible III (2006), Ghost Protocol (2011), and Fallout (2018).
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Becky Lynch
- Occupations
- actorstunt performerprofessional wrestler
- Biography
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Rebecca Quin is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch, where she performs on the Raw brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and highest-paid wrestlers. Twitter named her sixth on their list of Top Female Athletes Worldwide in 2019.
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Jake Lloyd
- Occupations
- television actorvoice actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Jake Matthew Lloyd, also known as Jake Broadbent, is an American former actor who portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Jamie Langston in Jingle All the Way.
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Pat Sajak
- Occupations
- television presenterradio personalityactorweather presentertalk show host
- Biography
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Pat Sajak is an American television personality and game show host. Born and raised in Chicago, Sajak began his career in broadcasting at a local radio station, later serving as a disc jockey during the Vietnam War for the American Forces Vietnam Network.
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Alexander Rybak
- Occupations
- composermodelfiddlersingerviolinist
- Biography
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Alexander Igorevich Rybak or Alyaxandr Iharavich Rybak (Belarusian: Аляксандр Ігаравіч Рыбак) is a Belarusian-Norwegian singer-composer, violinist, pianist, author and actor.
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Joseph Sikora
- Enrolled in Columbia College Chicago
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in theatre
- Occupations
- television actoractor
- Biography
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Joseph Sikora is an American actor best known for his starring role as Tommy Egan on the Starz series Power and its subsequent spin-offs and sequels, Power Book II: Ghost and Power Book IV: Force, in which he is the protagonist.
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Matt Skiba
- Occupations
- singer-songwriterguitaristsingermusicianrecord producer
- Biography
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Matthew Thomas Skiba is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist of the punk rock band Alkaline Trio, and served as the co-lead vocalist and guitarist of Blink-182 from 2015 to 2022. Skiba's lyrical content commonly involves dark romantic themes.
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Lena Waithe
- Enrolled in Columbia College Chicago
- Studied in 2006
- Occupations
- screenwritermanufactureractorfilm producershowrunner
- Biography
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Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).
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Genndy Tartakovsky
- Occupations
- directorscreenwriterfilm produceranimatorcomics artist
- Biography
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Gennady Borisovich "Genndy" Tartakovsky is a Russian-American animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as the creator of various animated television series on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, including Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Titan, Primal and Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.
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Nadine Velazquez
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Nadine E. Velázquez is an American actress and model known for her roles as Catalina Aruca on My Name Is Earl and Sofia Ruxin on The League. She has also appeared in films such as Blast (2004), A Day in the Life (2009), Flight (2012), Snitch (2013), and Ride Along 2 (2016), and was a cast member on the TV series Major Crimes.
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Meg Johnson
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- lecturerpoet
- Biography
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Meg Johnson is an American poet and lecturer. Her poems have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including Midwestern Gothic, Slipstream Magazine, Word Riot, Hobart, and many others. Her first collection of poems, Inappropriate Sleepover, was released in 2014, her second collection, The Crimes of Clara Turlington, was released in December 2015., and her third book, Without: Body, Name, Country is due to release in September 2020. She is also the current editor of the Dressing Room Poetry Journal.
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Aidy Bryant
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actorcomedianactor
- Biography
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Aidan Mackenzy Bryant is an American actress and comedian. Bryant is most notable for being a cast member on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for ten seasons, joining the show for its 38th season in 2012, and leaving at the end of its 47th season in 2022. For her work on the series, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, including two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Her other work includes a voice role in the animated series Danger & Eggs (2017) and the Netflix adult animated series Human Resources. She played a starring role in the sitcom Shrill (2019–2021); for the latter, she also served as writer and executive producer and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
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Andy Richter
- Occupations
- television actortelevision presenterscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Paul Andrew Richter is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC and Conan on TBS. He was also star of the TV series Andy Richter Controls the Universe. He voiced Mort in the Madagascar film franchise and Ben Higgenbottom in the Nickelodeon animated television series The Mighty B!.
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Sumanth
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Sumanth Kumar Yarlagadda, known mononymously as Sumanth, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is the eldest grandson of Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. He is also a partner in Annapurna Studios.
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Jimmy Dore
- Occupations
- peace activistpodcastertelevision producercomedian
- Biography
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James Patrick Anthony Dore is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, conspiracy theorist, podcaster and YouTube personality. He is the host of The Jimmy Dore Show, a comedic political talk show on YouTube.
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Scott Adsit
- Occupations
- screenwriterwritersingerfilm producercomedian
- Biography
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Robert Scott Adsit is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, Adsit joined the mainstage cast of Chicago's The Second City in 1994 after attending Columbia College Chicago. He appeared in several revues, including Paradigm Lost for which he won The Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actor in a Comedy.
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Cory Barlog
- Enrolled in Columbia College Chicago
- 1994-1997 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- creative directorengineer
- Biography
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Cory Barlog is an American video game designer, director, and writer who is the current creative director of video game development at Santa Monica Studio. He is best known for his work on the God of War series.
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Chris McKay
- Occupations
- film directorfilm producerscreenwriterdirectortelevision producer
- Biography
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Christopher McKay, is an American filmmaker and animator. He is best known for directing and editing three seasons of Robot Chicken and two seasons of Moral Orel. He made his feature directorial debut with The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and has also directed The Tomorrow War (2021) and Renfield (2023).
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Kyle Kinane
- Occupations
- stand-up comediantelevision actorvoice actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Kyle Christian Kinane is an American stand-up comedian and actor from Addison, Illinois.
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Shea Couleé
- Occupations
- drag queenreality television participantmusician
- Biography
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Jaren Kyei Merrell, known professionally as Shea Couleé, is an American drag queen, musician, actor, podcaster, and fixture of the Chicago nightlife scene. Born in Warsaw, Indiana, they began their drag career in 2012. In 2017, Couleé achieved international fame after competing on season nine of RuPaul's Drag Race, placing in the top four. In 2020, Couleé won the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Couleé later returned to compete on the all-winners seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2022, once again placing in the top four.
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Shecky Greene
- Occupations
- actorcomedian
- Biography
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Shecky Greene was an American comedian. He was known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he became a headliner in the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared in several films, including Tony Rome; History of the World, Part I; and Splash. In television, he guest-starred on such television shows as Love, American Style and Combat!, and later Laverne & Shirley and Mad About You.
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Nicole Theriault
- Occupations
- singeractor
- Biography
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Nicole Theriault, known as Nikki, is a Thai singer and actress, who went platinum with 2 million copies sold on her debut album Ka-Po-Lo Club and went double platinum on her second album Funny Lady earning her Breakout Artist of the Year for her first album and Best Female Artist of the Year for her second album. She has released a total of 13 albums which includes 5 solo albums and the remaining being collaborations and cover albums.
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Jessica Lu
- Occupations
- television actormodelstage actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Jessica Lu is an American actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Ming Huang on the MTV television series Awkward.
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Tonya Pinkins
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Tonya Pinkins is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film Red Pill was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Feature at The Mykonos International Film Festival, Best First Feature at the Luléa Film Festival, and is nominated for awards in numerous festivals around the globe. Her web-series The Red Pilling of America can be heard on her podcast "You Can't Say That!" at BPN.fm/ycst
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Rhymefest
- Occupations
- rappermusician
- Biography
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Che Armond Smith, better known by his stage name Rhymefest, is an American rapper and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is best known for his work with fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West, with writing credits on his songs including "Jesus Walks" (which won Best Rap Song) in 2004 and "New Slaves" in 2013. He also co-wrote "Glory", for Common and John Legend in 2014, which received a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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George Tillman, Jr
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriterfilm producerdirector
- Biography
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George Tillman Jr. is an American filmmaker.
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Erica Hubbard
- Occupations
- film actormodeltelevision actor
- Biography
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Erica Hubbard is an American actress and model. Hubbard grew up in Chicago. Hubbard is best known for her roles as Kiana Anderson in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee, Cassandra "Cassie" Sutton on the ABC Family series Lincoln Heights and Kita Whitmore on Let's Stay Together (2011-14) on the BET network. She is also the voice of Abbey for the TV series The Replacements. She created "The Erica Hubbard Foundation" to help youth in at-risk communities.
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John McMartin
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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John Francis McMartin was an American actor of stage, film and television.
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Michael Goi
- Occupations
- film directortelevision directorcinematographer
- Biography
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Michael Goi is an American cinematographer and film director.
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Aiden English
- Occupations
- professional wrestlerstage actor
- Biography
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Matthew Thomas Rehwoldt is an American color commentator and professional wrestler who currently serves as a color commentator for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is previously known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Aiden English.
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The Vixen (drag queen)
- Occupations
- entertainer
- Biography
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The Vixen is the stage name of Anthony Prince Taylor, an American drag performer, best known for competing on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and placing seventh. Her appearance on the show was notable for raising a conversation around racial dynamics both among her fellow drag queens and in the show’s fandom. She is the founder of Black Girl Magic, a drag show consisting of only African-American queens. In August 2020, she released Commercial Break, her debut album.
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Kym Mazelle
- Occupations
- songwritersinger
- Biography
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Kym Mazelle is an American singer. She is regarded as a pioneer of house music in the United Kingdom and Europe. Her music combines R&B, soul, funk, house music, dance, and pop. She is credited as "The First Lady of House Music".
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Rashid Johnson
- Occupations
- film directorphotographerinstallation artistjewelry designersculptor
- Biography
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Rashid Johnson is an American artist who produces conceptual post-black art. Johnson first received critical attention in 2001 at the age of 24, when his work was included in Freestyle (2001) curated by Thelma Golden at the Studio Museum in Harlem. He studied at Columbia College Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his work has been exhibited around the world.
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Erika Lauren Wasilewski
- Occupations
- radio personalitysinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Erika Lauren Wasilewski, known on-air simply as Erika Lauren, is a former American radio personality, singer-songwriter and former reality television personality, known as a cast member on The Real World: D.C., the 23rd season of the long-running series, which aired from 2009 to 2010. She later became a co-host on The Alan Cox Show, and as the lead singer of the band Hawkeye, released the LP Ruthless in 2013.
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Duke Johnson
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriterfilm producerdirector
- Biography
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Duke Johnson is an American film director who specializes in stop-motion animation. He currently serves as a director and junior partner for Dino Stamatopoulos's animation production studio Starburns Industries in Burbank, California.
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David Cromer
- Occupations
- stage actorvoice actortheatrical directoractor
- Biography
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David Cromer is an American theatre director, and stage, film, and TV actor. He has received recognition for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including winning the Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for his direction of Our Town. He was nominated for the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for his direction of The Adding Machine. In 2018, Cromer won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Band's Visit.
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Dean Richards
- Biography
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Dean Richards is an American film critic and entertainment reporter for WGN-TV and a longtime radio host for WGN (AM) in Chicago.
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Stacie Passon
- Occupations
- film directorscreenwriteractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Stacie Passon is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer whose debut film Concussion premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and subsequently won a Teddy Award Jury Prize at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival.
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Silvio Caiozzi
- Occupations
- film directorphotographerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Silvio Caiozzi is a Chilean film director and cinematographer.
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Robert Teitel
- Occupations
- television producerfilm producer
- Biography
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Robert Teitel is an American film producer.
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J. A. Konrath
- Occupations
- novelistscience fiction writer
- Biography
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Joseph Andrew Konrath is an American fiction writer working in the mystery, thriller, and horror genres. He writes as J. A. Konrath and Jack Kilborn. In 2011 Konrath was named one of the "5 eBook Authors To Watch" by Mediabistro.com's Dianna Dilworth.
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Josefina Lopez
- Occupations
- playwrightwriter
- Biography
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Josefina López is a Chicana playwright, perhaps best known as the author of the play (and co-author of the screenplay) Real Women Have Curves. López is also the Founding Artistic Director of the CASA 0101 theater located in Boyle Heights, California, which began in 2000.
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Kimberly L. Jones
- Enrolled in Columbia College Chicago
- Studied in 1994-1995
- Occupations
- booksellerwriterfilm directorscreenwriteractivist
- Biography
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Kimberly Latrice Jones is an American author known for co-authoring the book I'm Not Dying With You Tonight and for the viral video How Can We Win published during the George Floyd protests.
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Iliana Regan
- Occupations
- writerrestaurateurchef
- Biography
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Iliana Regan is a Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur in the Hiawatha National Forest, owner of The Milkweed Inn in Wetmore, Michigan. She received one Michelin star for each year she owned and operated Elizabeth Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois from 2012 to 2020.
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Gerald Walker
- Occupations
- record producersongwriter
- Biography
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Gerald Joshua Walker, is an American rapper and singer from Chicago, Illinois. He signed to fellow Midwestern rapper Stalley's label, Blue Collar Gang in 2018. Walker is known for his soul influenced style of hip-hop, and his association with rappers Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Yelawolf, Skyzoo and Rockie Fresh, as well as record producer Cardo.
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George Molchan
- Occupations
- spokesperson
- Biography
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George A. Molchan was an American spokesperson, most famous for his work as Little Oscar for the Oscar Mayer meat company.
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Art Baltazar
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 56)
- Occupations
- comics artistillustrator
- Biography
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Arthee "Art" Baltazar is an American comics artist and writer who currently works for DC Comics.
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C. S. E. Cooney
- Years
- 1981-.. (age 43)
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Claire Suzanne Elizabeth Cooney is an American writer of fantasy literature. She is best known for her fantasy poetry and short stories and has won the Rhysling Award for her poem "The Sea King's Second Bride" in 2011 and the World Fantasy Award—Collection for her collection Bone Swans in 2016.
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Sama Raena Alshaibi
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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Sama Raena Alshaibi also known as Sama Alshaibi is a conceptual artist (video art, performative photography, sculpture and installation), who deals with spaces of conflict as her primary subject. War, exile, power and the quest for survival are themes seen in her works. She often uses her own body in her artwork as a representation of the country or an issue she is dealing with.
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Kevin Gosztola
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Kevin Gosztola is an American journalist, author and YouTuber known for work on whistleblowers cases, WikiLeaks, national security, and civil liberties. Formerly the managing editor of Shadowproof, he writes for The Dissenter. Previously, The Dissenter was part of Firedoglake (FDL). Gosztola has covered the court-martial of Chelsea Manning the case of John Kiriakou, and the extradition of Julian Assange.
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Deb Conroy
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Deborah "Deb" O'Keefe Conroy is an American politician currently serving as chair of the county board of DuPage County, Illinois. She previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 46th district from 2012 through 2022. She is also a former member of the school board of Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.
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Lola Omolola
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Lola Omolola is a Nigerian former journalist who founded the Female IN (FIN) group on Facebook. Lola is the first Nigerian woman who created a place where other women can share their untold stories regarding their sexual abuses, and other challenges they are facing. She was featured in the 2018 Facebook F8 Conference.
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Michael Grothaus
- Years
- 1977-.. (age 47)
- Occupations
- novelistjournalist
- Biography
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Michael Grothaus is an American novelist and journalist. He is best known for the novel Epiphany Jones and for his writing about internet subcultures in the digital age.
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Julia A. Ames
- Occupations
- editorjournalist
- Biography
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Julia A. Ames was an American journalist, editor and temperance reformer. She served as associate editor of the Woman's Temperance Publishing Association's Union Signal. Ames died in 1891 at the age of 30. The year after her death, the journalist and spiritualist W. T. Stead published automatic writing which was said to have been sent by Ames to her friend. Stead also created "Julie's Bureau" to allow others to communicate with the dead.
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Eduardo Vilaro
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
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Eduardo Vilaro is a Cuban-American dancer, choreographer, educator, and artistic director & CEO of Ballet Hispánico. He first joined Ballet Hispánico as a principal dancer in 1985, leaving for Chicago a decade later to further his education and found the Luna Negra Dance Theater, for which he was artistic director. He returned to Ballet Hispánico in 2009 as artistic director, the second since the organization's founding in 1970, and has also served as CEO for the company since 2015 when a reorganization merged these artistic and administrative roles. His vision for Ballet Hispánico draws on the Latin dance traditions and educational outreach set forth by founder Tina Ramirez while responding to the more complex cultural landscape of the 21st century with a greater focus on diversity, inclusion, and community engagement.
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Stann Champion
- Years
- 1952-2022 (aged 70)
- Occupations
- record producersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Stann Champion was an American-born guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He played guitar and drums blending reggae, calypso, R&B, and rock music styles. Best known as the leader of the band "Roots, Rock Society" (RRS), Champion provided music therapy at hospitals and nursing homes. He has appeared with Blue Öyster Cult, Quiet Riot, Gil Scott-Heron, Steel Pulse, Third World, Culture, and Burning Spear. He received 12 Chicago Music Awards (CMA), for "Best Calypso", "Best Soul Calypso" and "Best Gospel/Spiritual Band" as well as CMA's "Lifetime Achievement Award," for his contributions to the Chicago music industry and community involvement.
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Jordan Stempleman
- Years
- 1977-.. (age 47)
- Occupations
- poet
- Biography
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Jordan Stempleman is an American poet. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Stempleman earned a B.A. in fiction from Columbia College Chicago (where he won the Academy of American Poets, Lannan Prize for Poetry), and a Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (where he was a Leggett-Schupes Fellow). He co-edits (with poet Nicholas Manning) The Continental Review, one of the longest running online literary magazines devoted to video poetics, and curates A Common Sense Reading Series. He is the author of eight collections of poetry including Wallop which was published in 2015 by Magic Helicopter Press. In 2013, The Huffington Post named him one of the "top 200 advocates for American poetry." He lives in Kansas City, Missouri and teaches at the Kansas City Art Institute.
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Jay W. Boersma
- Occupations
- photographer
- Biography
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Jay Weaver Boersma is a fine art and documentary photographer, mixed media artist, designer, and creative director, and was Senior Creative Director at Playboy.com from 1996 to 2011.
