Johnson & Wales University has a secret recipe … but it’s not what you’re thinking. No, although the institution is renowned for culinary excellence, this “recipe” isn’t something you that can taste or smell. It is, however, something you can see.

It was evident in the stories told by the three alumni guest speakers during the second annual Cat Chat, a Ted-style talk hosted by Alumni Relations during Reunion weekend. Their careers are very different:

• As executive performance chef, Kevin Murray '16 fuels University of Alabama athletes;
• Alexa Espinal '16, a field engineer for E Ink, designs the technology behind everything from e-readers to award-winning color-changing film to disaster-proof signs that stay illuminated when the grid goes down;
• And Marshall B. Freeman ’06, who initially put his BS - Sports, Entertainment, Event Management degree to use as founder-president of a talent/business management agency with clients such as Aretha Franklin and the Beach Boys, is now acting as the chief operating officer of the Atlanta Police Foundation, a role that led him to oversee security for Georgia’s capital city during Super Bowl LIII.

The common ground is that, yes, these three alumni are successful, and that talent mixed with a heavy dose of hard work catapulted their careers.

But the “secret sauce” is that they were prepared by JWU to hit the ground running before the ink on their diplomas was dry. Real-world learning happens in the classroom—whether at the traditional campuses or online—and it’s the difference between the rubber hitting the road and coming to a screeching halt, or, in the case of JWU grads, speeding past the competition.

JWU works. See for yourself.

For more information on how to get started on your degree at JWU Online, fill out the “Request Info” form on this page, call 855-JWU-1881, or email onlineadmissions@jwu.edu.