Alumni Features

Every year on November 11, we stop to honor and celebrate all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. For Jim Belmont ’94 , U.S. Navy Captain who has served for the last 27 years, it is a day of vulnerability. “Although Veterans Day celebrates all veterans who served in any capacity, to me, it symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of the millions of individuals who served in the Armed Forces, no matter what branch, and haven’t been  able to come home. Only 1% of the population serves and can call themselves a veteran. We don’t do this for the praise, we do it because it is what is in our hearts. But getting a moment where someone comes up on the street or in a supermarket and says thank you for your service means a lot. Veterans Day gives us the opportunity to let our guard down for that moment and enjoy the praise from those we serve and protect.”  After graduating from Lewis in May 1994, Jim sought after a non-traditional path and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy th

Lewis alumna Georgi Presecky ’17 was surrounded by some of the best storytellers growing up – her parents. Georgi’s mom was a teacher, and her dad was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune for more than 30 years. Both avid readers, they instilled the love of words in her at a young age. “The written word has always been my passion,” said Georgi. “I love classic novels and great TV and have written in a journal every single day since I was 13 years old.” After earning a perfect score on the English portion of the ACT in high school, Georgi knew that storytelling was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Fast forward to 2017 after graduating from Lewis, she began managing social media and outreach for  FF2 Media, a website promoting the work of women in film. Once the pandemic hit and theaters closed, Georgi was forced to pivot careers. She now works for Patch where she writes daily newsletters for residents of Oak Park, Forest Park, and Lakeview and assists in news content and pr