Award-winning journalist and alumna Lauren Chooljian will deliver this year’s commencement address, honoring the class of 2024 and the 50 years of women being admitted to the college.

When asked to deliver the address, Chooljian said she was stunned but inspired to take on the role even more when reflecting on the history of women in the past five decades. “I wish that it was more than 50 years, of course, but I think that it is an important moment in our college’s history,” she said.

She reflected on her commencement on Alumni Quad and how so many women, including her and her roommate, walked across that quad so many times. “That space has held pathways for so many women, and the idea that I would get to speak to that experience is very humbling,” Chooljian said.

Starting her academic journey as an undeclared student, Chooljian said that her experience working with CNN during presidential debates at the college inspired her to explore journalism. 

“I was curious about so many things, and I couldn’t really figure out if there was just one thing I was really passionate about, and journalism would afford me the opportunity to be curious about a lot of things,” she said.

From there, she pursued as many internships as possible to help her discover what form of journalism she wanted to pursue. 

Chooljian was also an active member of the campus community. She played field hockey for three years, was a member of the Student Government Association, an ambassador for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, and an opinion editor for The Crier. 

She graduated with a history degree and communication certificate in 2010 then went on to Master of Science in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Chooljian spent nearly six years working for WBEZ, the NPR affiliate in Chicago, before returning to the Granite State to work for NHPR in 2017. She is currently a senior reporter and producer on NHPR’s narrative news unit, Document.

One of her main responsibilities is the 13th Step Project, a podcast that uncovers sexual misconduct in the addiction recovery industry.

“It started as one instance in New Hampshire, but we learned through the reporting that unfortunately, sexual misconduct is there. It’s a pervasive culture in recovery settings. And we learned a lot about why that is. And one of the big reasons is this fear of retaliation by wealthy powerful people,” Chooljian said.

She explained how the podcast also details the major retaliation that she and other journalists have faced as they work to uncover the truth. Her home was vandalized and a lawsuit was filed against her and her colleagues, but for Chooljian that demonstrates the importance of journalism.

“When we see those situations, hopefully, people who want to be journalists won’t run and hide, but instead realize, like, it’s all the more important to do it now. And that the antidote to these situations is strong journalism,” she said. 

Her biggest takeaway from the project has been that this type of reporting takes time but is worth it. Especially working with people who have experienced a great deal of trauma, it is important to build trust and ensure the wellbeing of sources. 

“Making sure that you’re creating enough space for all that a person’s bringing to the table as you figure out whether or not they’re wanting to tell their story, that takes a lot of time,” she said. 

Chooljian’s work on the 13th Step podcast has been championed by receiving the 2024 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.

With years of professional and life experience, Chooljian hopes to craft an address that will inspire the class of 2024 as they prepare to leave Saint Anselm College and embark on new ventures. “Looking back 14 years later has shown me that there’s so much more for you all to conquer and experiences that will be just as valuable to you as your beloved time in college,” she said.  

Chooljian remembered all the uncertainty she felt, the questions of whether she would still be close with her roommate or have a job, as she sat in the front row of her graduation. “I am happy to report to all of you that both those things happened. It is a very overwhelming time, but rest assured that it’s just the beginning,” she said.