Leslie Gibson McCarthy

2 weeks ago | timesnewspapers.com | Leslie Gibson McCarthy

In June 1989, I took my last exam at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, a law school class on the legalities of media that focused on the First Amendment and landmark Supreme Court cases. I remember turning in my blue book then heading to Wrigley Field, where my friends and I celebrated in the bleachers. Just one week later, we were to gather in a campus auditorium, where, as master’s degree recipients, we’d pick up our diplomas and be “hooded” in crimson as journalism scholars.

3 weeks ago | source.washu.edu | Leslie Gibson McCarthy

She didn’t flip, tuck or handspring onto the Commencement stage in academic regalia, but Simone Biles surely leaped into the hearts of the Class of 2025, delivering a memorable keynote address at WashU’s 164th Commencement ceremony. “I would probably feel more comfortable if they had allowed me to vault onto the stage and do a little floor routine,” said Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in history with 11 Olympic medals — seven gold — and 30 world championship medals.

1 month ago | timesnewspapers.com | Leslie Gibson McCarthy

These days of uncertainty call us to recognize moments of joy. And so one April Saturday, the kind of day where spring is bursting through your pores, I invite the two neighbor girls next door to bring their sidewalk chalk over to our freshly poured driveway. Within minutes, Vera, 6, and Lucy, 3, get to it, drawing flowers, bunnies and Easter baskets up and down 50 feet of white concrete, including squiggly lines that resemble a river on the walkway to our front door.

1 month ago | source.washu.edu | Leslie Gibson McCarthy

On Oct. 3, 2022, as the world was continuing to emerge from the grips of a global pandemic, Washington University unveiled a bold and ambitious strategic plan called “Here and Next.”Developed through a process that included 18 months of listening, outreach and work sessions — most of it on Zoom — and incorporating feedback from thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners, the plan mapped out a path forward for WashU for the next decade.

1 month ago | source.washu.edu | Leslie Gibson McCarthy

One visit was all it took for Jay Kaiser, MD ’72, to choose WashU’s School of Medicine. “I was accepted at three medical schools, but once I saw WashU, I didn’t care about the others,” he says. “I knew I wanted to be at a place that offered such a high level of teaching and patient care. And they made it clear that economics were not going to prevent me from going there.”Scholarships and loans made it possible for Kaiser to attend and helped pave the way for a distinguished career as a radiologist.