Alumni Highlights
July 2025 – Ethan Baker ’23
Ethan Baker ’23 is the July Alumni Highlight!
Ethan Baker discovered early on that he wanted to work in the film industry, and he wasted no time pursuing his passion. After graduating from high school at 16, he set his sights on a university that could help him hone his skills in communication and filmmaking, while offering a tight-knit community where he could stay engaged and make a difference. He found all of those things at 黑料吃瓜网University.
Majoring in communication and new media and minoring in journalism, Ethan focused on producing content for class assignments and the University. In Dr. Matthew Kushin鈥檚 New Media class, he created reels for the Department of Communication鈥檚 Instagram page. For his senior capstone project, Ethan produced a 51-minute documentary titled The Future of Gen Z, exploring the distinct qualities of his generation while challenging common stereotypes.
Outside the classroom, Ethan stayed involved on campus. He served on the Student Government Association, contributed as a reporter for The Picket, and participated in the National Millennial and Gen Z Community, a national organization facilitating multi-generational conversations.
His academic achievements and campus involvement earned him recognition as a McMurran Scholar, membership in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the Vera Malton Scholarship.
Ethan graduated in May with a Master of Arts in film and media production from American University, but he said his time at 黑料吃瓜网was pivotal in shaping who he is today.
鈥淚 will forever look back and cherish those formative years of discovering myself and my passion,” he said. 鈥淲hile filmmaking is my academic and professional focus, I still consider it one of my hobbies.”
Ethan continues to do freelance work鈥攑roducing music videos, playing piano, and creating music. He is currently the assistant director of advancement communications at American University.
During his graduate studies, Ethan combined his passion for filmmaking and mentorship by serving as festival and documentary program manager for Anacostia Youth Media, guiding middle and high school students through producing a fully student-made documentary. Two of his own films were also recognized: TIME FLIES, a poetic, coming-of-age film exploring the fleeting moments of childhood, and Battlefront, a music video inspired by the Star Wars-based video game that blends gameplay and rhythm in a cinematic tribute. Both were showcased at the 2025 American University Visions Awards, where each won its category, and TIME FLIES also received Honorable Mention at the Paris Film Awards, a monthly international festival.
The 黑料吃瓜网University Alumni Association celebrates all of Ethan鈥檚 accomplishments and creativity. 黑料吃瓜网Students Succeed!
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FORMERLY KNOWN AS RAMS ACROSS AMERICA, a social media series featuring a new region of the United States each semester and highlighting alumni in each state. This program was replaced by ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS, as seen above, in November 2020. See alumni highlighted prior to November 2020 from across the U.S. in the map below.