New School Alumni Recognized as Trailblazers by Prestigious Publications
Every year, New School alumni are recognized for the impact they are making on the world in a range of industries. Their work and achievements have recently been celebrated by the influential publications TIME and Forbes.
TIME100 NEXT
The TIME100 Next recognizes some of today’s most influential leaders in health, activism, business, sports, the arts, and other areas who are rethinking conventional notions and generating new ideas. Created five years ago, this accolade has no age restrictions and is designed to show that influence does not have them either and that leadership can take on many forms.
Sable Elyse Smith, MFA Design and Technology ’13 (Parsons School of Design), Artist
In his profile of Smith, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Mitchell S. Jackson writes, “Sable Elyse Smith is a Credible Messenger. Part of the lexicon of people who work in prisons, the term describes someone who knows personally, intimately, the tolls of time behind the walls. Sable ain’t done no prison bid but has spent near two-thirds of her life visiting her father in California prisons. That experience—a part of what binds us, though we’ve spent no more than a few hours together—has informed and inspired her lauded interdisciplinary work. It’s art that interrogates the albatross too often generalized into the vacuous language of mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex. Art that invites, if not requires, us to reflect on the humanity of both the imprisoned and the imprisoners. Art that questions whether we need prison at all.”
FORBES’ 30 UNDER 30
Six New Schoolers were named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which honors influential entrepreneurs, creators, artists, and innovators under the age of 30. Created in 2011, this annual list of some of the best and the brightest minds in various industries is selected by a panel of Forbes staff and independent experts from nominations submitted by the public.
Colleen Allen, BFA Fashion Design (attended) (Parsons School of Design), Fashion Designer
From Forbes: Former menswear designer Colleen Allen cut her teeth at the Row before launching a women’s ready-to-wear collection in February 2024. Her debut collection appeared at New York Fashion Week in September, receiving high praise from fashion mavens. Allen’s brand emphasizes ethereal visions of femininity through the archetype of the witch, and has since built a cult following.
Cierra Britton: BA Liberal Arts ’18, Visual Arts concentration (Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts), Owner and Director of Cierra Britton Gallery
From Forbes: Curator and New York City–based art dealer Cierra Britton is the director of the Cierra Britton Gallery. Founded in 2021, it is the first NYC-based gallery dedicated to representing BIPOC women artists whose work contributes to the contemporary cultural dialogue across the globe. Beginning as an online gallery, Britton now features a robust and diverse roster of artists.
Ada Hu, BFA Product Design ’20 (Parsons School of Design), Founder of NU Media agency
From Forbes: Ada Hu cofounded New York–based NU Media, a full-service digital marketing agency, in 2019. She founded the startup to bridge the gap between immigrant owned businesses and the American mainstream market. NU provides social media marketing, influencer marketing, creative branding and campaign management for their more than 1,500 clients. Those clients include online shopping platform TESO Life, restaurant chain KYURAMEN, Michelin Star–restaurant Aquavit, and New York–based speakeasy and music lounge Record Room. For instance, they helped their client Asian sauce company Lee Kum Kee with more than 120 influencer collaborations, gaining over 10 million impressions across social media. The company currently has six global offices and 35 full-time employees.
Andrew Kwon: BFA Fashion Design ’19 (Parsons School of Design), Fashion Designer and Founder of the Andrew Kwon brand
From Forbes: Korean American fashion designer Andrew Kwon has made waves in the world of luxury evening wear and bridal. Founding his NYC-based brand in 2020, after stints at Chloe and Vera Wang, Kwon’s pieces have appeared at red carpets on Lucy Liu, Lily Gladstone, Ashley Park, Sophia Bush, Lana Condor and Constance Wu, to name a few. In 2023, Kwon was invited by the CFDA to become an Interim Member.
Sarah Little: BA Liberal Arts ’21 (Schools of Public Engagement), More to Her Story Podcast Founder
From Forbes: Founder Sarah Little spent part of her childhood in the Middle East and traveled to 40 countries by the time she was 18 years old. The experiences led her to found digital platform More to Her Story to highlight women and girls across the world. With a monthly audience of more than 3 million readers, the startup has partnered with think tanks like The Wilson Center and major media outlets like ABC News and ITV News to cover stories about girls and women in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Iran. The More to Her Story podcast has featured interviews with former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, the United National Refugee Agency’s communications director Maeve Patterson, and top journalists like Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times and CNN’s Clarissa Ward. Little was named a Women for Women International Champion, and is the youngest Senior Fellow at the Institute for Social Innovation at Babson College.
Caroline Zimbalist, BFA Fashion Design ’19 (Parsons School of Design), Artist and Designer
From Forbes: Artist and designer Caroline Zimbalist makes colorful one-of-a-kind artworks and clothing, often using atypical techniques and materials like bioplastics. Zimbalist’s art has been sold in venues such as the Whitney Museum gift shop, 1stDibs and Ssense. Meanwhile, her fashion designs have graced New York Fashion Week to high praise.