Jonathan Karl, Chief Washington Correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of “This Week” ( ABC/ HEIDI GUTMAN 

Jonathan Karl, the Chief Washington Correspondent for ABC News and co-anchor of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” will address Washington College’s 2025 graduating class at their commencement ceremony in Chestertown, Maryland this spring. The event is scheduled for Sunday, May 18, 2025.

A highly respected journalist with extensive experience covering U.S. politics, foreign policy, and the military, Karl has reported from over 30 countries and received numerous prestigious accolades, including an Emmy® Award for coverage of President Barack Obama’s 2009 Inauguration and is a two-time recipient of the Walter Cronkite Award. A former President of the White House Correspondents’ Association, Karl also served as ABC’s Chief White House Correspondent from 2012 to 2021. He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers including “Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party,” “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show” and “Front Row at the Trump Show.” His forthcoming book, “Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America” will be published October 28.

During his career, Karl has covered four presidential administrations and seven presidential elections, securing significant early interviews with such political figures as Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2016 cycle. Prior to his current role, he served as ABC’s senior political correspondent and earlier as a tenacious foreign affairs correspondent, traveling globally with Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice. His impactful reporting on the Darfur crisis earned him an Emmy® nomination. Beyond politics, Karl has conducted notable interviews with cultural icons such as Sir Elton John and the Dalai Lama.

“It’s a high honor to deliver the commencement address at Washington College,” said Karl. “I look forward to meeting the graduates and their families and spending time at an institution that holds the core values as its founding patron, George Washington.”

The decorated journalist went on to say that this ceremony holds special meaning to him as his older brother is a proud graduate of Washington College. “I have fond memories of visiting the campus many years ago,” he said.

Details regarding the 2025 Commencement ceremony can be found at https://www.washcoll.edu/campus-events/commencement/index.php.

Karl’s career highlights and most recent reporting can be found at https://abcnews.go.com/author/jonathan_karl.

On stairs, left to right: B.Odell, E.Merk, R.Dauber, L.Verlaque
Standing, left to right: S.Abruzzo, N.Martinaitis

Washington College has named six students to its short list for the 2025 Sophie Kerr Prize, which is valued at just over $74,000 this year. Now in its 58^th year, the prize continues to be the nation’s largest literary award for a college student and totals more than the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award combined. The winner will be announced at a ceremony this Friday, May 16, after the finalists all read from their work. The announcement will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Courtney Rydel, associate professor of English and chair of the English department, announced the graduating seniors vying for this year’s prize. They hail from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and California. Their portfolios included examinations of what creates a sense of self and explorations of gender expectations and womanhood and span poetry, prose, essays, short stories, excerpts from novels, and more.

The 2025 Sophie Kerr Award finalists are:

 Sky Abruzzo, an English major with minors in Creative Writing and Journalism, Editing and Publishing from Manassas, Virgina.

Riley Dauber, an English major with minors in Creative Writing; Journalism, Editing and Publishing; and Communications and Media Studies from West Reading, Pennsylvania.

Natalie Martinaitis, an English major with minors in Creative Writing and Journalism, Editing and Publishing from Columbia, Maryland. Martinaitis had a novel published in her junior year.

Evan Merk, a Biology and Environmental Science major from Fort Washington, MD.

Brionna Odell, an English major from Baltimore, Maryland.

Lucy Verlaque, an English major with minors in c Creative Writing and Journalism, Editing and Publishing; and Gender Studies from Santa Clarita, California.

“Everyone who submits a portfolio for the Sophie Kerr Prize shows courage, in allowing others to scrutinize the work they hold so dear,” said Rydel. “It further takes incredible talent, persistence, and aesthetic insight to produce writing on the level that these finalists have created. We look forward to hearing them share their exciting and original work in the reading in Friday’s prize ceremony.”

A proud tradition of Washington College’s liberal arts education, the Sophie Kerr Prize is named for an early 20th century writer from the Eastern Shore of Maryland who published more than 20 novels and hundreds of short stories. In her will, Kerr left a generous bequest to the College with the stipulation that half of its annual proceeds fund a literary prize for a student.

Open to all Washington College students from any major, the prize is awarded each year to the graduating senior who has the best ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor. In the past, it has been awarded for both creative and critical writing alike. A full list of Sophie Kerr Prize winners since its inception in 1968 is available online.

Portfolios submitted for consideration encompass the full range of writing that students pursue at Washington College, including fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenplays and drama, journalism, editing, scholarly criticism, and research in all disciplines, and even song lyrics. A committee comprising full-time faculty in the English Department and the President review and make the final decision. Winners are chosen for their literary excellence, regardless of genre.

The winner will be announced at Friday night’s award ceremony at 7:30 p.m. EST in Hotchkiss Recital Hall at Washington College’s Gibson Center for the Arts. The ceremony is open to the public and will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

In addition to the life-changing literary award, the support made possible by Sophie Kerr’s gift continues to fund experiences and offerings for Washington College students throughout the academic year. For more than 50 years the endowment has brought many of the nation’s top writers, editors, and scholars to Washington’s campus including Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Pinsky, Edward Albee, Joseph Brodsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, James McBride, Eamon Grennan, Charles Simic, and Jane Smiley. Funding scholarships and internships and enabling research in literature, writing, and publishing, round out the impressive impact made possible by the Sophie Kerr legacy.

Washington College’s own student-led organization, PoliTalks, invites the community to an engaging evening of dialogue and connection at their upcoming event, “Disagreement is Democratic: Inviting Everyone to the Table,” featuring the Honorable Heather Mizeur.

This special lecture and discussion filled community dinner offers an opportunity for engagement on the importance of dialogue and political discourse in democracy. Join us on Thursday, April 24, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Hynson Lounge on Washington’s campus. This event is free and open to the public but advance registration is required to attend.

A former state delegate and candidate for Congress, CEO and Founder of WeAreOne Alliance, and Eastern Shore citizen and farmer, Mizeur brings with her a wealth of experience in bipartisan spaces. Following her talk, attendees will have the unique opportunity to participate in facilitated “table topics” discussions over a shared meal, centered around the crucial themes of navigating political chaos while staying true to personal values, understanding the enduring relevance of bipartisanship, and exploring how local initiatives can indeed influence national policy.

With this event, PoliTalks, which is dedicated to fostering civil discourse and engagement in political issues through lectures, discussions, and interactive events, is reaching out to those who may still feel politically frustrated or are unsure of how to lessen political divides. The event serves as a vital opportunity for Washington College students, faculty, staff, and members of the wider community to connect, build understanding across different viewpoints, and work towards shared goals in an increasingly complex political landscape.

“We founded PoliTalks on the belief that students deserve a safe and respectful forum for political education and conversation,” said Stephen Hook ‘25, co-founder of PoliTalks, on the decision to bring Mizeur to Washington. “Heather’s message of civility and collaboration aligns perfectly with our mission.”

The Washington College Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and The Holstein Program in Ethics have provided support of this event.

Washington College is located at 300 Washington Avenue in Chestertown, MD. A map of Washington College’s campus is available online.

Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society (CES) announces the opening of two new exhibits at MuSE: A Community Museum, in downtown Chestertown, a space dedicated to work at the intersection of environment and community. The two exhibits will be open March 7 to July 26.

Chesapeake Changemakers: Preservation, Communication, Innovation

Created by students in the Fall 2024 Chesapeake Semester, this exhibit highlights the stories of diverse regional leaders shaping the Chesapeake Bay’s future. The Chesapeake Semester is a 16-credit immersive program that blends intensive study, fieldwork, and outdoor adventure, fostering a deep connection to place and a nuanced understanding of environmental challenges. The exhibit features biographical profiles of changemakers students met on their journey, alongside student-created visual journals, offering a rich, firsthand perspective on leadership in conservation and sustainability.

The Wonders and Wanderings of Northern England

This exhibit delves into the historical, literary, and environmental landscapes of Northern England, drawing connections to Maryland. Created by participants in the Kiplin Hall Exchange Program, the exhibition showcases how students explored the region’s writers, history, and landscapes—gaining insights into the interplay between place and storytelling.

MuSE is located at 210 S. Cross Street in Chestertown and will be open on First Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the Chestertown Farmers Market.  Requests for group showings are also available. Be sure to check the webpage for upcoming events or programming.

For more information email Jason Patterson at [email protected].

Learn more at www.washcoll.edu.

The Miller Library at Washington College has recently acquired a first edition of “The Life of Isaac Mason as a Slave.” The autobiography details the life of a young man who escaped from enslavement in Chestertown, Maryland just up the road from the archives where the book now resides. Mason’s biography details that 1846 escape, how he found freedom across the Pennsylvania border, and his rise to become a distinguished American leader. His narrative offers a powerful firsthand account of the realities of enslavement and the struggle for freedom and provides invaluable insights into the experiences of African Americans in the 19th century.

The book’s acquisition, made possible through the collaboration of the Miller Library, the Washington College Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, and a generous gift from the Women’s League of Washington College, brings a crucial piece of local and national history to the heart of the Chesapeake Bay region.

“This is a treasure of Eastern Shore history, of Chestertown history, and in fact, of American history,” said Adam Goodheart, Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of Washington College’s Starr Center. “Mason’s story has been researched by Washington College students, faculty and staff at the Starr Center for more than 20 years, and this first edition brings his experiences to life in a tangible way.”

The acquisition is particularly significant as the Starr Center works to include Mason’s story in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Registry through the National Park Service, further solidifying the Chesapeake region’s role in the fight for freedom. The book will reside in the Miller Library’s special collections, making it accessible for researchers, students, and the community.

The story of Isaac Mason has also inspired local artistic endeavors, including the musical “ISAAC: A Musical Journey,” commissioned by the Kent Cultural Alliance for the Washington College Chesapeake Heartland Project and created by Kent County native Marlon Saunders. This underscores the enduring impact of Mason’s life on the region.

Learn more about Isaac Mason through Enslaved.org and explore the Starr Center’s webpage for further information on their efforts to preserve and share American history.