SMU is known for shaping world changers. Through classes, clubs, networking events, and other extracurriculars, SMU prepares its students to go into the workforce and be successful. So, after students graduate and officially become alumni, the meaning of what a homecoming is changes and becomes more meaningful.

Homecoming is an opportunity for SMU alumni to come back to the Hilltop and get back to those Mustang roots.

Students in SMU’s journalism school have covered the latest on the Hilltop this semester, from victories in the ACC to arts and entertainment. Seeing the work of current journalism students, SMU journalism alumni credit the department for the student’s success.

SMU journalism alumni shared special memories in the journalism school and what draws them back to campus for homecoming.

Steve DeMars ’89

Q: What was it like being a part of the Daily Campus?
“I loved [the Daily Campus] because back then, newspapers were actually a thing printed on paper. I enjoyed covering sports; tennis, swimming, and soccer were the events I reported on.”

Q: What does homecoming mean for you now that you are an alum?
“I love getting back to the Hilltop, there’s no place like it. As a resident of California, it’s not often, and I don’t run across too many Mustangs in Southern California, so to get back on campus and get that feeling again is amazing…The atmosphere is awesome and it’s really nice to get back.”

Logan McElroy-Williams ’21

Q: What was it like being a journalism student at SMU?
“I learned the power of journalism and that journalism never stops.”

“SMU Journalism was very hands-on. It was a lot more hands-on than I could have imagined, but I loved how we learned in a classroom setting, our teachers talking to us, but we also learned through experiencing it and actually getting out and doing the work”

Q: What was it like being a part of the different journalism organizations on campus?
“Being a part of these journalism programs [SMU-TV], really set me up well when it came to my internships. It set me up well when it came to my career and producing.”

Q: What were the many lessons you learned from SMU journalism?
“One of my biggest takeaways is finding a way to pivot, which is what news is all about. We can get the people what they need and share the knowledge that they should have”

Q: What does homecoming mean to you now that you are an alumni?
“With homecoming coming up, I think of the pride of being a Mustang, especially now with their football team being so good and awesome. But in general, we have talent on the field, but off the field in so many different career paths, it’s cool to be a part of that.”

Lauren Rangel ‘21

Q: What SMU journalism organizations were you a part of?
“Being an SMU journalism student was a lot of fun. I did Daily Campus, podcasting, and SMU-TV. Being that SMU’s in Dallas, there’s so much to do and you get to practice what it’s like in real-world news.”

Q: What was the biggest takeaway you gained from SMU journalism?
“SMU-TV and the journalism school really pushed me to learn who I am as a reporter and to not be afraid to show that, and kind of finding my voice as a reporter.”

Q: How did the journalism school and programs prepare you for your career?
“SMU-TV really prepped me for my next job and helped me build my reel to show news directors. On the flip side, with the Daily Campus, even though I’m not writing for a newspaper at this point, I’m still using those skills because at the end of the day, after I write my script for my story, I have to take that script and turn it into a web story.”

Q: What makes homecoming so special?
“I made three really good friends from SMU and we all live in different places. So homecoming is a good time for us to reconnect.”

Melia Masumoto ’22

Q: Why did you choose SMU?
“The reason I chose SMU is because I liked how we did our program and had actual real-life examples of how to do journalism. At a lot of other schools, you have to do all these classes first before you are in the room where everything happens. At SMU, as a freshman, I was starting to get involved in journalism classes and SMU-TV.”

Q: What journalism organizations were you a part of while at SMU?
“I was involved in all of the journalism groups. I was most involved in SMU-TV, but I also did Daily Campus. I was not as heavily involved on the leadership side of that, but was writing articles. Which was neat to be able to see how that process works and see how the whole digital world and news writing work in that form. Then my senior year I joined SMU Look and did some of the production coordination for the photo shoots.”

Q: How does the journalism program prepare you for the career you have now?
“They really have a good format here at SMU of what the real world is like, and producing these full-blown works is comparable to what you’d be doing if you’re working at a news station or magazine.”

Q: What lessons did SMU journalism teach you?
“SMU Journalism as a whole, I would say one overall lesson of being in college and learning career stuff I think we’re talking about is connections and who you know is super important, especially in the journalism world. It’s really small. I think it’s super important to always stay connected with people and foster good relationships with people in the industry and your career.”

Q: What makes homecoming so special now that you are an alumni?
“I’m still a pretty young alum. But it’s a great time to go back to SMU, the campus, the place where you spent a lot of your very formative years, and kind of appreciate what this gave you. I’m really appreciative of what SMU gave me and what I was able to accomplish because of this place. I think [homecoming] is a great time to go back and kind of honor that.”