51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Why did you choose 51³Ô¹ÏÍø?

When I got here, I loved it. I met with Robin Metz, who got me really excited about being able to write comedy if I came to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. Once I saw the intimacy that people had with professors and saw how the workshops were run, there was no other place I wanted to go to college.

Who were your favorite professors?

There are a lot of people I have a connection with, and it's a deeper connection than just a classroom connection -- going to professors' houses, learning about them as people. It didn't just teach you about whatever subject they were teaching, but taught you how to be an adult, which is part of what college is about.

How have your 51³Ô¹ÏÍø experiences benefited you?

There's no way I would have been able to get this opportunity had I not worked on Catch (arts journal) and The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Student (campus newspaper). The experience I have gained there is invaluable. All the editors have been instrumental in my ability to write and think like a journalist, which is what won me an internship (on a regional NPR radio station). I also don't think I would have been able to get on the editorial staff of publications as quickly as I did if I attended a large school, so 51³Ô¹ÏÍø is also to thank.

What has drawn you to journalism?

When I left 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, I was stressed out about going into radio and not going into fiction writing, and I didn't know how to reconcile this because I'd always thought of myself as a writer. I remember that Monica Berlin told me 'whichever way you choose to tell stories is the right way.' That was a great relief for me. At its core, I learned to be a storyteller at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. There's no greater gift that I could have asked for from an education.

Recently, Keefe's work has been recognized by the 81st National Headliner Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. He has also been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists as one of the 2014 Sigma Delta Chi Award Winners. His award winning news series, "The Dark Art of Politics," covers the underground industry of political professionals whose job it is to dig up dirt on the other candidate.