Penn State alumna Adriana Lacy landed a spot in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in the media section for her work connecting aspiring journalists to new internships and job opportunities.

This list honors 30 people under the age of 30 years old doing extraordinary things within one of the 24 different categories ranging from sports to healthcare.

Lacy was awarded for the success of her business, Journalism Mentors. The goal of the program, built with co-founder Caitlin Ostroff, is to connect young and aspiring journalists with opportunities, advice, and everything in between with professional editors around the country. 

“I was super shocked when I found out I got it,” Lacy said. “I knew that I was nominated, but I truthfully didn’t think I had a chance. Just being on the list was really exciting to be rewarded for a project that I was really excited about.”

But, it took a lot of hard work and networking to get her to this point. As a Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications alum, she said she is thankful for her experiences at Penn State that have helped her accomplish this.

The 2018 graduate made a name for herself on campus after starting “The Underground,” a multicultural student-run media outlet dedicated to sharing untold stories across the university. Lacy also served as a campus tour guide throughout her four years and interned for Penn State Athletics.

Lacy, who had a laundry list of extracurriculars, emphasized one piece of advice for students.

“Networking and taking as many opportunities as possible is really important,” Lacy said. “There are so many opportunities at Penn State, so being super involved is vital.”

After graduating with a double major in journalism and African American studies, Lacy put her skills and knowledge to work in the real world. She realized her passion for teaching and ultimately decided to go back to school and pursue a master’s degree at Arizona State, graduating in May 2022. 

“For me, being able to teach has always been exciting, and I just wanted to further my educational opportunities with a master’s degree to learn more about the field,” Lacy said.

The “right outside of Philly” native now lives full-time in Boston, Massachusetts. She continues her passion with a teaching job at Brandeis University and keeps herself busy by working with the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard while also freelancing.

Juggling all of these jobs is no easy task, so she says time management is key to her success in the balancing act.

“It’s busy. But, I think for me, staying organized is really important,” Lacy said. “Ultimately, though, I just really love all the different things that I do, so that keeps me going.” 

Her platform, Journalism Mentors, is easy and accessible to use for any young journalist. With over 100 mentors, students can book free office hours to speak with any advisor of their choosing to discuss anything from resume review sessions to advice on applying for a job. 

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