Southwestern Magazine | Spring 2022

21 SOUTHWESTERN Hall became interested in civic technology while studying political science at Southwestern. In 2015, he received a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to build IdeaMapr, an online civic engagement platform that was later acquired by Neighborland. Hall currently is a senior product manager at Ad Hoc, a digital services company that contracts with the federal government. In this role, he leads a group of five product development teams that work on Healthcare.gov and Medicare.gov. Hall chose Southwestern because he immediately felt at home when he toured the campus. “I was also attracted to the high academic standards of Southwestern and felt like the smaller class sizes would help me to get to know my professors better,” he says. Matthew Salazar Hall ’13 Justin Harris ’04 After graduating from Southwestern with a major in political science and minors in feminist studies and philosophy, Harris earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston. He currently is a licensed criminal defense attorney serving clients in the Houston area. Harris is a 2016 graduate of Gideon’s Promise, a three-year training program for criminal defense attorneys who represent a large number of indigent people. He is an active member of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, serving as treasurer and producing the organization’s public access television show. Harris was inspired by many of his professors while an undergraduate at Southwestern. “They have each affected the person I am today, and I find myself thinking of and drawing on my experiences with and from them on a daily basis,” he says. A communication studies major, Grimshaw originally dreamed of working in radio. After an internship his senior year taught him that marketing is a fancy term for professional problem-solving, the board game enthusiast was hooked. Today, he is the chief marketing officer for Smart Marketer, which produces digital marketing education courses. He also is the cofounder of Your Next Move Group, where he works directly with business owners to build strategies that help their companies flourish. Grimshaw notes that Southwestern’s interdisciplinary approach empowers students to not just consume and regurgitate facts, but combine data in new and interesting ways to create insights. “While this is theoretically possible at many schools, it is asked of you at Southwestern,” he says. “And that is the greatest gift the school can give you.” John Grimshaw ’12 A theatre major at Southwestern, Hancock is an artist who uses her talents to support local businesses, charities, and nonprofits. During the pandemic, Hancock decided to refine her watercolor skills by painting the shops on the historic Georgetown Square. She sold 1,000 prints from the resulting collection through a fundraiser she called Art with Heart, raising more than $10,000 for the businesses she painted. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce named her the 2020 Citizen of the Year in recognition of her contributions to the community. Hancock encourages Southwestern students to volunteer and help out where they can: “Make a difference, even if it is donating a couple of hours to spread awareness about a new nonprofit.” Rachel Hancock ’14