John Santana, '95 BA Communication Studies, saw his debut novel novel, Bastards of Young, released in May by Black Opal Books. In it, Nick Karenka is lost in Sin City. His band’s singer has navy SEAL aspirations, his dad’s marrying a young stripper, and why does his girlfriend’s family make such a big deal about eating with your elbows on the table? Nick holds LA as some sort of utopia, until a chance encounter with a kilt-wearing, hearse-driving, drum-playing college freshman named Gremlin starts to bring out who Nick really is. They begin to explore the world beyond the desert island that is Las Vegas until they finally realize that their future isn’t in Southern California, but with a bunch of lumberjack-dressing misfits in the Pacific Northwest. Santana lives in Nassau, New York.

Gregory M. Smith, '86 BA and '98 MA Criminal Justice, retired from public service in August, having served 21 years with the Nevada attorney general's office and four years with the Clark County district attorney's office. He is the father of Mark G. Smith, '16 BA Criminal Justice.      

Lisa Griffith Story, '84 BA Communication Studies, is the communication services manager at the Las Vegas Valley Water District and Southern Nevada Water Authority. She recently appeared in a documentary about her uncle, Walter Peca (aka Reca), titled D.B. Cooper: The Real Story and is mentioned in a book on the same topic by Carl Laurin, Peca's good friend and a retired pilot. Epee fencing is her hobby. Both her daughters also have attended UNLV. Kaili Story, '11 BA Dance, obtained her MFA in design for stage — lighting and set from Northwestern University earlier this year and now is the lighting supervisor for Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago. Younger daughter Sydney Peca Story is a senior theatre major at UNLV and is the recipient of a Child of Alumni Scholarship.    

Tami Belt, '88 BA Communication Studies, is the founder of Blue Cube Marketing Solutions. She also published Poetic Justice: Lessons of love, life & relationships through Balboa Press. She has told the stories of companies, nonprofits, and individuals for 30 years through her work and considers publishing this book to be a "full-circle moment." She says her hope is to inspire everyone to express themselves, no matter the medium.

Marilyn Ming, '92 BA Communication Studies, retired from UNR in 2017 as a marketing & public relations specialist. She had worked there for 17 years. She also worked for a casino as a publicity manager and at a nonprofit as a marketing and development director.    

Megan Lane Neri, '03 BA Communications Studies, recently returned to UNLV as the director of communications for the Lee Business School. Previously she worked at Imagine Communications, a full-service marketing and communication firm, where she began as an intern during her last year at UNLV.