University of Richmond alumni couple share love and career advice during Valentine’s Day weekend

Class of 2023 sweethearts Madyson Fitzgerald and Benjamin Queen traveled from their home in Philadelphia back to Richmond to celebrate Valentine’s Day. They dined at local favorites Bar Solita and Joe’s Inn and practiced their golf swings at Topgolf. But on Sunday, Feb. 15, they showed their love for the Jepson School of Leadership Studies by volunteering at the EDGE Institute, the school’s annual career preparation program led by Jepson alumni for Jepson juniors.

“I remember what it was like to be a junior looking for an internship to fulfill the requirement for my leadership studies major,” Fitzgerald said. “I was so worried and anxious. I hope that sharing my experience — especially as a younger alum — can ease the students’ stress.”

Fitzgerald, a journalist, and Queen, a radio producer, were among the 40 alumni who returned to campus to lead workshops designed to help the 60 participating juniors with their internship searches and career goal setting. Their EDGE participation brought back memories.

Queen recalled the epiphany he had as a junior attending the EDGE workshop “Refining Your Elevator Pitch.” Unsure about the kind of career he wanted, he was having difficulty crafting his interview elevator pitch. Then he started talking about his work as radio show host and operations manager for WDCE 90.1 FM, the University of Richmond’s student-run radio station.

“The alum coordinating the workshop told me, ‘You light up when you talk about your radio work — you should lead with that!’” said Queen, who majored in leadership studies and minored in business entrepreneurship.

During his senior year, he served as WDCE’s general manager, while continuing to host his Thursday night show, streaming hip-hop, soul, R&B, and jazz. Thanks to the music-blasting speaker he carried everywhere, he became a well-known figure around campus. His love of music ultimately led him to pursue a career in radio.

“When I first started applying for jobs, I said, it has to be in music,” Queen said. “But eventually I said, it has to be in radio. Once you get your foot in the door, you can maneuver.”

The alum also stressed the importance of perseverance. “I applied to SiriusXM about 40 times, while also applying to other broadcasting companies, before I got a job offer,” he said. “Checking the job board became part of my daily routine.”

His perseverance and prior broadcasting experience paid off. For the past two years, he has produced audio content and facilitated guest and caller participation as an associate producer for the SiriusXM channel Pro Wrestling Nation 24/7.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald, who majored in leadership studies and journalism, has worked for nearly three years at Stateline, a nonprofit news organization that covers policy trends across states. She reports on technology issues, compiles a daily and weekly newsletter, and works on social media, fundraising, and web design.

The experience she gained doing social media and content creation in her campus jobs with the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement and the Student Development Office made her an attractive job candidate, said the former president of the Jepson Student Government Association.

Fitzgerald also honed her journalism skills during her Jepson School internship as a metro news reporter with the Richmond Times-Dispatch and as a writer and copy chief for the Collegian, the University’s student-run newspaper.   

Her age was another factor in her favor. “When Stateline hired me, they needed someone to cover the technology beat,” she said. "They said, ‘You’re the youngest person on the team and probably understand technology better than the rest of us.’ So, I got the technology beat. I chose the right time to apply.”

Her recent Stateline articles cover artificial intelligence, digital literacy, data centers, and high-speed internet accessibility.

But as Fitzgerald and Queen can attest, college is about more than acquiring knowledge and skills. It also is about cultivating friendships, and, perhaps, even romantic relationships. Although the duo met in a first-year seminar class, it wasn’t until they took Dr. Kristin Bezio’s Leadership on Stage and Screen class that sparks began to fly.

“On the first day of class, she asked if she could sit next to me,” Queen said. “That’s when I knew — I had a crush.”