{"id":654452,"date":"2025-05-27T17:06:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T21:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=654452"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:36:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:36:56","slug":"alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/","title":{"rendered":"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-embed-wrap\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Connections: Tommy Evans &amp;apos;99\" width=\"1062\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j0bEf_f11SM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of NPR\u2019s top editors discusses how his Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":942,"featured_media":654502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[41752,42,41852,20522,21462,16072,41012],"class_list":["post-654452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-allen-topolski","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-connections","tag-department-of-art-and-art-history","tag-department-of-political-science","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-videos"],"acf":{"external":"","hide_featured_image":true,"related":"show_related","style":[645432,640422,653052],"content_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"pt-15","title":"<h2>One of NPR\u2019s top editors discusses how his Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.<\/h2>","content":"When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/commencement\/speakers\/tommy-evans-99\/\">Thomas (Tommy) Evans<\/a> \u201999, now the managing editor for editorial review at National Public Radio (NPR), first arrived at the <a href=\"http:\/\/rochester.edu\/\">University of Rochester<\/a> in the fall of 1995, he had no idea what career he wanted to pursue, let alone which major to pick.\r\n\r\nAdding to his academic conundrum was the cold. Having spent most of his childhood in Thailand and India, his first winter was a struggle.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt snowed from Halloween to Mother\u2019s Day, and I really wish I was joking about that,\u201d Evans recalls.\r\n<div class=\"pullquote\"><span style=\"font-size: 400%;\">\u201c<\/span>I might not have known what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to do something worthy.\u201d<\/div>\r\nYet, once warmed to Rochester, he explored a variety of subjects, including astronomy, Japanese literature, political science, and studio arts. Having grown up abroad, Evans felt a natural affinity for classes that involved Asian and international politics.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think triple majoring would have been really schizophrenic, but they [politics, arts, and astronomy] were the subjects I loved,\u201d says Evans, who ended up graduating with a bachelor\u2019s degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/psc\/\">political science<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/aah\/index.html\">studio arts<\/a>.\r\n\r\nYou don\u2019t have to know what you want to do in life or have a definitive plan when you arrive on campus, according to Evans. Instead, he advises students to pursue classes and subjects that excite them. \u201cIt\u2019s a legitimate reason to take a class that just sounds unusual, or cool, or just curious, or fun,\u201d he says.\r\n\r\nWhile painting and politics are not necessarily adjacent subjects, Evans recalls his studio art classes at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sageart.center\/\">Sage Art Center<\/a> being \u201ctherapeutic and very grounding.\u201d Today, Evans still keeps in touch with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/aah\/people\/faculty\/topolski_allen\/index.html\">Allen Topolski<\/a>, an associate professor and the chair of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.rochester.edu\/aah\/index.html\">Department of Art and Art History<\/a><em>. <\/em>Evans, whose art classes at Rochester were mostly focused on painting, moved into\u00a0news photography later. In 2011, Evans even exhibited (at Topolski\u2019s invitation) some of his news photos in a campus gallery, a gratifying moment.","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image_gallery","anchor_id":"","css_classes":"","overline":"","title":"<h4><strong>From the Frontlines<\/strong><\/h4>","content":"As a long-time journalist for CNN International, Tommy Evans \u201999 took these photos in 2011 while embedded with US troops in Afghanistan.","above_below":"above","background_color":"#FFFFFF","images":[654752,654762,654772,654782,654792,654802],"caption":"yes","credit":"yes"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"","content":"<h3><strong>An accidental witness to history finds his calling<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAt the time of his graduation, armed with \u201cone of the best educations in the world,\u201d Evans admits he was still vague on what to do next, longing for a career that \u201cactually made a difference.\u201d\r\n\r\nAt one point, he thought of working for the United Nations\u00a0and, fleetingly, going into academia, when he earned a master\u2019s degree in international politics at London\u2019s School for Oriental and African Studies.Afterward, along with quite a few fellow Rochester graduates, Evans moved to New York City, where, with the help of a Rochester friend, he landed an entry-level job at CNN.\r\n\r\nAt the time, he lived in a cramped apartment a few blocks from the World Trade Center.\r\n\r\nIt was from the roof of this very apartment, with debris raining down, that Evans watched as the second plane flew into the South Tower on September 11, 2001. While his apartment became temporarily uninhabitable in the aftermath of the terror attacks (he moved in with a Rochester friend for a while), something clicked.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_654512\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-654512\" src=\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/inline-tommy-evans-npr-tiny-desk.jpg\" alt=\"Tommy Evans in a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his hands in his pocket looks at the camera from NPR's Tiny Desk studio. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" \/> <strong>ON THE AIR:<\/strong> Evans in the NPR office in Washington, DC, where the popular Tiny Desk Concerts are recorded (Provided photo)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cThose caught up in the 9\/11 attacks had important stories that needed to be told, and as I saw it, my job was to make that happen,\u201d he says. \u201cI might not have known what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I wanted to do something worthy.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor the next two decades, he covered wars, invasions, and revolutions, as well as elections and natural disasters. He found himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and Ukraine. Coming full circle, Evans was one of the first journalists on the scene when in May of 2011 Navy SEALs caught up to Osama bin Laden, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.911memorial.org\/learn\/resources\/digital-exhibitions\/digital-exhibition-revealed-hunt-bin-laden\/operation-neptune-spear\">the mastermind behind 9\/11<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIn 2015, he largely left the frontlines of geopolitical conflicts to become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/in-pictures-this-is-a-golden-era-for-tv-news-228512\/\">CNN\u2019s vice president of newsgathering<\/a> for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and to serve as the news network\u2019s London bureau chief until 2022.\r\n\r\nLast year, Evans joined NPR at its headquarters in Washington, DC, where he\u2019s now responsible for editorial review as part of a larger effort to provide an extra layer of editorial oversight and protection for the organization\u2019s journalists and content creators.\r\n<h3><strong>On the lasting power of college friendships\u2014and tapping into your Rochester connections<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nLooking back, Rochester had a \u201chuge impact\u201d on his career, Evans says. Not just the education itself, but also the people he met\u2014and the network he developed as a result.\r\n\r\nIn the grand scheme of things, he says, those four years on campus can feel \u201clike a blip.\u201d But \u201cfor some reason those relationships become some of the most powerful ones in your life,\u201d he says. \u201cThe people I talk to when I really need help\u2014the people who I rely on\u2014they\u2019re almost all Rochester friends.\u201d\r\n\r\nEvans urges recent graduates to sign up for alumni events near them as an easy way to start a professional network and to get some good advice from people in their chosen professional field.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_654602\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"2000\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-654602\" src=\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/inline-tommy-evans-2025-05-16_commencement_3082.jpg\" alt=\"Tommy Evans in commencement regalia stands and smiles at a podium with flowers in the foreground. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" \/> <strong>LIFE LESSONS:<\/strong> Evans addressed the Class of 2025 during the University Commencement Ceremony in May. (University of Rochester photo \/ Keith Walters)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cDon\u2019t be shy,\u201d he says. In fact, try reaching out to other Rochester alumni on LinkedIn. \u201cPeople are really much more open to hear from recent graduates than you\u2019d probably expect,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s no harm in shooting someone a note and saying, \u2018Hey, can give me some advice?\u2019\u201d\r\n\r\nIn addition to informal outreach, the University offers structured programs to build your networks before and after graduation. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/alumni\/rochester-connects\/\">Rochester Connects<\/a>, a national networking series, brings together Rochester alumni and students for conversations,\u00a0 insights, and career connections. There\u2019s also <a href=\"https:\/\/uofr.lifepods.co\/\">Meliora Life Pods<\/a>, a free, six-week program that matches recent Rochester graduates in various locations to talk about life and to gain practical skills\u2014from budgeting and wellness, to building community and career confidence.\r\n<h3><strong>No need to have it all figured out (yet)\u2014but keep an open mind<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nEvans has a message for students whose path post-Rochester feels a bit nebulous.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think it\u2019s natural and healthy to come out of university not really knowing exactly what you want to do. You don\u2019t have to have a plan. You can find those passions.\u201d\r\n\r\nFor him, the breadth of coursework at Rochester has proved especially useful in charting a career in journalism. \u201cHaving a little bit of knowledge about lots of stuff\u2014that\u2019s a really powerful tool.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_228552\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1200\"]<img class=\"wp-image-228552 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/tommy-evans1.jpg\" alt=\"Tommy Evans, listening\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/> <strong>A JOURNO\u2019S JOURNEY:<\/strong> \u201cI literally was making coffee when I had my first job [at CNN],\u201d recalls Evans, who discovered a mentor in broadcast journalist Anderson Cooper and eventually became the London bureau chief at CNN International. (University of Rochester photo \/ J. Adam Fenster)[\/caption]He also counsels graduates not to \u201cturn up your nose at an opportunity\u201d to get your foot in the door. \u201cI literally was making coffee when I had my first job [at CNN],\u201d he says. Evans couldn\u2019t have known it then, but making the coffee run would eventually open the doors to mentorship with Anderson Cooper. Evans respectfully describes the seasoned CNN anchor, for whom he worked as a producer early in his career, as one the \u201cdrill sergeants in my journalist\u2019s boot camp.\u201d\r\n\r\nLastly, don\u2019t forget to have fun, he says. Your time at university is brief. \u201cIt\u2019s a great time in your life. Enjoy it,\u201d Evans says.\r\n\r\nRegardless of academic discipline, Evans is convinced that Rochester has \u201cgiven you the tools you need, not only to forge careers, but to contribute to the greater good.\u201d\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<em>Editor\u2019s note: In September 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/09\/11\/nx-s1-5536569\/npr-thomas-evans-news-editor-in-chief\">Evans was named NPR\u2019s new editor in chief<\/a>, overseeing its global newsroom.\u00a0<\/em>","background_color":"#ffffff","width":"width-medium"},{"acf_fc_layout":"card_grid","anchor":"","css_class":"","title":"","description":"","background_color":"#FFFFFF","width":"width-medium","columns":"1","cards":[{"card_title":"<p class=\"u-card-title\">Where will a URochester education take you?<\/p>","card_text":"The University of Rochester\u2019s flexible curriculum allows you to create an academic experience\u2014and future career\u2014that is as unique as you are.\r\n<p class=\"card_cta\">Discover the URochester difference<\/p>","card_background_color":"#ffc70a","card_hover_color":"#283faf","card_link":{"title":"","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/about\/curriculum.html","target":""},"card_hover_arrow":"","card_image":645472,"card_image_size":"image_thumbnail","card_image_placement":"image_left","card_image_hover_state":"hover_fade","card_image_link":""}]}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tommy Evans, one of NPR\u2019s top editors, on how his University of Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tommy Evans, one of NPR\u2019s top editors, on how his University of Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-27T21:06:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-10T17:36:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sandra Knispel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sandra Knispel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sandra Knispel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48a5dd20d1ade85ff52a0babb9a550a5\"},\"headline\":\"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-27T21:06:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-10T17:36:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":20,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Allen Topolski\",\"alumni\",\"Alumni Connections\",\"Department of Art and Art History\",\"Department of Political Science\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\",\"videos\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Campus &amp; Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/\",\"name\":\"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-27T21:06:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-10T17:36:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48a5dd20d1ade85ff52a0babb9a550a5\"},\"description\":\"Tommy Evans, one of NPR\u2019s top editors, on how his University of Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"Photo of Tommy Evans in a layout that shows the University of Rochester \\\"spirit R\\\" and says \\\"alumni . . . connections: Tommy Evans '99, political science\\\/studio art.\\\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"University of Rochester\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/48a5dd20d1ade85ff52a0babb9a550a5\",\"name\":\"Sandra Knispel\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/author\\\/sknispel\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events","description":"Tommy Evans, one of NPR\u2019s top editors, on how his University of Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events","og_description":"Tommy Evans, one of NPR\u2019s top editors, on how his University of Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2025-05-27T21:06:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-10T17:36:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero-1200x630.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sandra Knispel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sandra Knispel","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/"},"author":{"name":"Sandra Knispel","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/48a5dd20d1ade85ff52a0babb9a550a5"},"headline":"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events","datePublished":"2025-05-27T21:06:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-10T17:36:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/"},"wordCount":20,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg","keywords":["Allen Topolski","alumni","Alumni Connections","Department of Art and Art History","Department of Political Science","School of Arts and Sciences","videos"],"articleSection":["Campus &amp; Community"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/","name":"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-27T21:06:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-10T17:36:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/48a5dd20d1ade85ff52a0babb9a550a5"},"description":"Tommy Evans, one of NPR\u2019s top editors, on how his University of Rochester education equipped him for an unexpected career in journalism.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/fea-Alumni-Connections_Tommy-Evans_NChero.jpg","width":2000,"height":1200,"caption":"Photo of Tommy Evans in a layout that shows the University of Rochester \"spirit R\" and says \"alumni . . . connections: Tommy Evans '99, political science\/studio art.\""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-tommy-evans-witnessing-reporting-world-events-654452\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tommy Evans \u201999: Witnessing and reporting on world events"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"University of Rochester","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/48a5dd20d1ade85ff52a0babb9a550a5","name":"Sandra Knispel","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/sknispel\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/942"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654452"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":714722,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654452\/revisions\/714722"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653052"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640422"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}