2010s

Katrina Johnson ’10, Missoula, traveled to Africa in July with two other Missoula artists to start the Othakarhaka Girls Empowerment Camp in the remote village of Mulanje, Malawi. The camp harnessed the power of dance, music, art, photography, creative writing and storytelling to help young women in the village – many of whom were orphaned by the AIDS epidemic – tell their stories. Johnson, who owns Amplify Film Group in Missoula, taught multimedia to participants and plans to create a short documentary about the camp. 

Ginny Mueller ’11, Ann Arbor, Mich., was selected as a 2017 fellow in Ford’s Thirty Under 30 program, a corporate leadership course that empowers employees 30 and under to work with local nonprofits and develop strategies to connect the organizations to younger generations. 

James Davenport ’13, San Francisco, is the associate editor of PC Gamers. His duties include playing video games and writing critiques, as well as general editor responsibilities. 

Dana Fitz Gale MFA ’13, Florence, won the 2017 Ellen Levine Prize for her novel-in-progress, “Able.” The award, which includes a $7,500 grant, honors writers who already have published one or more books of fiction. The Hudson Review nominated her for the award. Fitz Gale also is a recipient of the Brighthorse Prize in Short Fiction for her debut story collection, “Spells for Victory and Courage,” which also was a finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and the Ohio State Book Award. She currently teaches in UM’s Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders while she pursues her doctorate in curriculum and instruction. 

Anita Green ’14, Missoula, last fall became the first openly transgender person to compete in the Miss Montana USA pageant. While she did not take home the crown, she believes her participation in the competition will help others in the LGBTQI community. “I hope that competing inspires other transgender people to feel confident in themselves, and to feel comfortable to be who they are and not be ashamed of their transgender status,” she told People magazine.

Alexandria Klapmeier ’15, Helena, is the communications director for the Montana Chamber of Commerce. She is responsible for external communications, new media, branding and communications planning for the state’s leading business organization. 

Jonathan Del Bueno M.A. ’17, Santa Rosa, Calif., is the public programs and visitor services coordinator for the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, which is dedicated to the creator of the iconic “Peanuts” comic strip.