Sycamore Stories

The former U.S. men’s national team and current Nashville SC head coach traces his coaching philosophy back to a small liberal arts campus where sport, mentorship and friendship all intersected.

Originally an aspiring doctor, Mendelsohn’s time at Ursinus led him down a different path—becoming one of the most recognized names in baseball media.

From Shreiner Hall to PBS, author and chef Anupy Singla ’90 is making Indian cooking accessible for home cooks across America. 

Stephen Lyons ’24 is helping to drive one of golf’s biggest events, as the PGA Championship comes to the Philadelphia region. 

From early morning script submissions to national playwriting honors, Domenick Scudera’s creative second act is taking center stage.

Crysta Duryea ’15 has faced a multitude of medical challenges over the past 15 years. Through her resilience — and the community she found at Ursinus — she has redefined herself as a published author.

Paris was one of the inaugural Parlee fellows during her time at Ursinus.

Carrying on a 173-year family legacy, Sam Stortz ’13 uses the skills he honed at Ursinus to adapt and lead in an evolving industry.

The musical career of Kendal Conrad ’14 comes full circle on the Ursinus campus as she sets out to sing the national anthem 250 times.

Shaped by the lessons he learned at Ursinus and the hours he spent in the TV studio in Ritter Hall, Shawn Witt ’01 is thriving as an executive in the entertainment industry.

Ally Meakim ’23 and Sammi Donato ’19 carry out a dream while serving as role models for young girls in sports.

After eight years in the television news industry, Alyssa Kratz joined the Marketing and Communications Office at Ursinus College in early 2025. She was recently nominated for two Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy® Awards for her feature work with WPMT FOX43.

When Constance Matusiak-Blaise arrived from France to become a teaching assistant at Ursinus, the transition was tough. But everything changed with a bond over tennis, sparking new opportunities and unexpected friendships.

Through her role at Amazon, Bindu Pirlamarla ’10 is helping to make online grocery shopping easier and more affordable for households across the United States.

After decades in the world of finance, English major, Michael Cyr ’92 takes an unexpected path to the award stage in Hollywood.

For Kate Bormann ’18, her most recent recognition as one of the Top 30 Designers Under 30 in New York City by METROPOLIS is the culmination of the work she started as an art major and Bonner Leader at Ursinus College.

Nicknamed “Brother Shoes” in his fraternity, Sabir Peele ’08 has gone from the best-dressed man on the Ursinus College campus to the top of the Philadelphia fashion world

Thanks to the help of the Ursinus U-Imagine Center, Julia Dees ’26 turned her dream of starting her own doula business into a reality 

Matthew Good, an instructional technology librarian at Ursinus, was selected as the recipient of the 2024 John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award by the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Round Table.

While it may be impossible to confirm if Ursinus’s lunchtime basketball game for faculty and staff is the longest-running pick-up game on a college campus, surely it must be the liveliest.

Sophie Louis ’24 has always had a passion for helping others. Now, she’s putting that passion to work as the first Ursinus student to join the Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy.

Whether it’s skating or biking, Tech Support Technician and part-time Campus Safety Officer Ray Stitt has had a lifelong passion for wheels—a hobby he’s been combining with his social media know-how to gain fame on TikTok as @BgDaddyRay.

Surrealist artist and Donald E. Camp Award winner Kelsey Gavin ’22 spun her collection of paintings into a significant scholarship at her dream graduate school. This fall, she is pursuing her master’s degree at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts (PAFA), the alma mater of her lifelong inspiration, David Lynch.

A Chester County farm founded by an Ursinus alum provides volunteer opportunities for the members of Tau Sigma Gamma sorority in a symbiotic partnership.