Meet Our Latest Alumna Spotlight: Hope Howard

Our September Alumna Spotlight, Hope Howard has a contagious warm personality. It is no surprise that she left an impact on all of those who came in contact with her during her time at Mizzou and in Theta.

After graduating from Mizzou in 2019, her ambitious spirit has led her to move across the country to Washington D.C. to pursue her career. Continue reading below to learn more about what Hope has been up to since graduation, and how Theta has shaped her into the woman she is today!

Name: Hope Howard

Theta pledge class: MC ‘15

When you graduated from Mizzou: 2019

Major/Degree: Journalism. My specialty was convergence journalism, but I don’t think that’s a thing anymore. If I could do it over again, I’d probably do magazine journalism because you become a grammar queen, which would be so helpful when writing emails for work.

Hometown: Edmond, Oklahoma & St. Louis, Missouri (I moved to STL when I was 15)

Where you live now: Washington, D.C.

Where do you work right now/what have you been up to since graduation?

After I graduated college, I moved to D.C. because I got really lucky and somehow landed a fellowship at ABC news through Mizzou’s Journalism School. I was there for about 6 months and then I started as a desk assistant at NBC news and was there for a year and a half before landing at CNN.

(When I graduated from Mizzou, I had no idea what a desk assistant job was. If you are curious what desk assistants do, please feel free to reach out to me and I can tell you about my experience! They are strenuous and far from glamorous, but a great way to get your foot in the door at a network if that’s your goal.)

What's your favorite thing about your job?

At CNN I work on the network’s booking team. It’s a competitive, fast-paced job that requires a lot of people skills, which is exactly the kind of job I wanted to end up in. I watched the Morning Show (like the series on Apple TV) after college while working as an assistant at NBC and I was like, hey — booking would be a fun, exciting job! Turns out, it is!

What's your favorite thing about the city you live in?

This may seem random, but growing up in the Midwest, I always thought I had experienced all four seasons, but since moving to D.C., I realized I hadn’t at all. Here, the fall and spring seasons last longer than 2.5 seconds and they are truly beautiful! I also love not having a car! I’m a terrible driver. Everyone’s safer this way.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about being open about going to therapy because I think it’s the best investment you’ll ever make in your life. I started going after I graduated college and moved to D.C. and I’m so grateful. I also love journaling. It’s a very cathartic activity in the moment, but it’s also valuable years later when you can go back and gain insight from how you process things/your patterns of behavior/how you’ve grown, etc.

What do you do in your free time?

I’m a super social creature so, when I’m not working, I like to be with my friends as much as possible. Sometimes we have picnics on the National Mall or make fun, seasonal cocktails at my apartment and watch The Bachelor. On Sundays, I love going to the Dupont Farmers Market to get some seasonal produce for the week too! I’m also dating (if you know any eligible bachelors in the DMV area, send ‘em my way!)

Other future career/life goals:

Eventually I’d like to be an editorial producer at CNN, but I don’t see my life complete without eventually getting married and having a couple kids and a dog. Also, a dream of mine is to live near the ocean when I have a family. I’d love for my kids to have soccer practice on the beach.

What do you miss most about Mizzou?

It was so easy to do fun things! Mizzou’s campus is always bustling with things to do and people your age. After college I was surprised how intentional I had to be to make fun things happen and to see my friends. So basically, I miss how effortless it was to have fun. <3

What do you miss most about Theta?

I miss living so close to Gretchen Metzger, who was also in MC ’15. We live far apart now, with her in Kansas City, but we became best friends in the house and her friendship continues to mean the world to me. She’s the most genuine, kind person in the world. If you find a friend like her, never let her go!

What is one thing you took away from being a part of Theta in college that has shaped you into the woman you are today? (AKA: What impact has Theta left on you?)

When I was interviewing for this job, my boss told me the team dynamic was like a sorority and that was something I was really pumped for because Theta taught me to not only be comfortable working with strong women, but also to prefer it. ** NOTE: This applies to any gender, not just those who identify as women. **

Do you have a specific favorite Theta memory?

I have many, but one of the funny ones was studying abroad with Lucy Shanker (also in MC ’15) and tricking her to befriend me. Lucy wears a lot of black and has this unique, edgy style. In college, I wore a lot of Anthropologie and loved Taylor Swift (still do), but safe to say, we had very different vibes. We never exactly hit it off at the lunch tables in Theta, but when I found out we both were studying aboard in London through the same program in the Journalism school, I decided to request to live with her (without her knowledge or permission because I just knew she’d learn to love me ). After about a solid week of her absolutely not loving me (and leaving me the top bunk… rude. haha.), I finally cracked her and now she’s one of my closest friends! Good mems.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Remember: If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.