Alum Spotlight: Chris Ryan '95 | Alumni Spotlight: Chris Ryan '95 | News | Friends Select School

Chris Ryan '95, the editorial director of The Ringer, connects his career in media back to his experiences at Friends Select School. Ryan contributed to both The Falcon and our yearbook, The Record, opportunities that helped him find his voice.

After graduating from Emerson College, Ryan began writing about music, eventually taking on roles at The FADER and MTV. He later joined Grantland before going to The Ringer. Reflecting on his early career, Ryan said, “The thing with writing about movies or music or television or any of the arts is it might be something that you're really passionate about. It's probably the thing that you love the most in the world, but it's also a job, and you have to kind of go where the job is.”

Ryan credits much of what he learned to his teachers and the Friends Select community. “I don't think I can even separate what I learned at Friends Select from who I am or who I became,” he said. “Everything that I love now, I feel like I got the spark for that in school.” 

For students interested in media, Ryan emphasizes practice and persistence: “Don't worry about publishing and don't worry about numbers … just practice because I'm so much better now than I was when I started, and I'm better now than I was last year, because it's just the amount of reps and the amount of time you spend where you get comfortable.”

From being a student at Friends Select to overseeing editorial strategy and hosting podcasts, Ryan’s journey shows how dedication and a love for storytelling can create a lifelong career in media. 

For Melissa Hozik '00, curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a way of life. As the 2026 recipient of the RUSA Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award, Melissa is being recognized for over a decade of innovative, community-centered programming at the East Brunswick Public Library in New Jersey. She recalls that the foundation for her success was built at Friends Select School.

“Friends Select taught us to be curious,” Melissa said. “I was always poking around—asking questions, sitting in on things, wanting to learn more.” Arriving at Friends Select in 11th grade, she quickly immersed herself in everything from theater to a six-foot art assignment to a mini-course on reading Supreme Court briefings to volunteering at the Philadelphia AIDS Fund. “FSS teachers let us take our curiosity and run with it,” she said.

That spirit of exploration, grounded in community, now defines her work. As a programming librarian, Melissa creates opportunities for connection across her community, including the award-winning Option Green Lecture Series—promoting environmental literacy, sustainability, and civic responsibility—and a repair café where community volunteers help fix items brought in by residents. These are just two examples of a robust roster of free, community-centered programming. “Using programming to connect adults remains an important part of public librarianship,” she said. “I look forward to continuing this work in keeping the library an important third space.”

Melissa's impact is both measurable and deeply human. In just one year, she coordinated 138 programs serving more than 3,700 attendees, helping position her library as a vibrant civic hub. Still, at the heart of it all is a simple belief: “Connection and community are really important to me—and they should be important to everyone.”

Melissa credits Friends Select’s Quaker values with shaping that outlook. “Meeting for Worship taught me the importance of reflection and holding space for others,” she said. “At the end of the day, all we have is each other—we have to connect.”

From classroom curiosity to community impact, Melissa is a powerful example of a Friends Select education in action. Her award-winning career is a testament to what happens when Quaker values meet a fearless spirit. We are proud to call her an alum, and can’t wait to see how her library programming continues to make connections and strengthen her community.