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Four years ago, Brad Byrne walked across the stage of EagleBank Arena for his high school graduation. This week, he will once more cross the EagleBank stage as a �鶹��Ƶ graduate.

In high school, as a part of the yearbook staff, Byrne would attend conferences and hear journalism professionals talk about their work. For him, it was like a light bulb turning on. “This is what I want to do with my life,” he said. “I want to tell other peoples’ stories to the world, because everyone has a story.”

This week Byrne is seeing that dream come to fruition as he graduates from �鶹��Ƶ with a with a concentration in journalism.

Byrne has a story, too: an incredible family legacy of �鶹��Ƶ alumni going back to the 1980s when his parents both attended �鶹��Ƶ. Multiple family members are �鶹��Ƶ graduates or expected �鶹��Ƶ graduates—Byrne is currently joined on campus by his brother and sister, and two cousins. “�鶹��Ƶ has always been a part of my life,” he said, recalling going to basketball games with his family as a kid. “We're all from Northern Virginia, so for us �鶹��Ƶ is right next door. It’s a great cost-effective option to get a great degree.”

During his time at �鶹��Ƶ, Byrne found his niche in Student Media and worked with —�鶹��Ƶ's student-run newspaper—throughout college, becoming the sole editor-in-chief for the 2022-23 academic year.

“We had a lot of challenges, but to persevere through that as one of the first solo editors-in-chief in many years and still put out important stories for the �鶹��Ƶ community is one of my greatest accomplishments from my time here,” he said.

The connections and opportunities available through �鶹��Ƶ have been vital to Byrne’s past, present, and future successes. “I made lifelong friends in the newspaper and had incredible opportunities Department of Communication, like having a one-on-one interview with Senator Tim Kaine, and studying in France for two weeks.”

With an eye for storytelling and a passion for hard-hitting journalism, Byrne is heading to Columbia University’s Journalism School in the fall to pursue his master’s degree. It’s another full-circle moment for him. “I got my acceptance into the program at Columbia six years to the date from my first Columbia conference, so I guess it was fate.”

He hopes to one day become a correspondent for a major news publication.

“Whatever I’m doing, I really want to make a difference in the world.”