From the Nominator

The Brown Alumni Magazine (BAM) has been dedicated to telling real stories for over a century—keeping our 106,000-plus readers engaged with a mix of sharp writing, campus deep-dives, and first-person perspectives. Our newsletter open rate averages 51 percent among alums, and they consistently rate us as their favorite source of news about Brown. To keep our freelance costs down and keep us current with campus story ideas, we manage an enormous stable of interns. While we nurture some talented interns into successful professional careers, using students means a lot more coaching, editing, and rewriting from the editors. With the issue we’re submitting, we took the internship program to the next level, handing over the reins of the magazine (with lots of coaching, of course) to four of our talented senior interns. Much of what has been written about Gen Z comes from those who stand outside of their experiences. This issue offered a platform for Gen Z voices—students and alums—and affirmed their value to those who may not recognize it. By telling their story in their own words, we hoped to spark lively conversations among our readers. One reader said he “learned more from this issue about the people whose lives the university is shaping than I have in over a half century” since graduating. This special issue embodies what makes BAM, well, BAM—smart, bold, deeply reported, and just the right amount of irreverent.

From the Judges

The issue stood out for its editorial boldness, student-led execution, and contemporary relevance, successfully strengthening engagement by helping readers better understand the students and young alumni shaping Brown’s future.