Finding Her Voice

When Devon (Kaser) Dean ’00 returned to Bradley University for her 25th Reunion during Homecoming Weekend this fall, she was struck by how much—and how little—had changed.

“The campus has changed pretty significantly since I graduated, but Lydia is still there at the heart of it all,” she said. “When I arrived on campus early Friday afternoon, I felt that special energy. Fridays were always fun because everyone was looking forward to the weekend and there was almost always something happening. I could still feel that excitement and anticipation.”

“Bradley was the first place where I truly felt I could be myself. Every time I come back, I reflect on the great memories and the amazing friends I still have to this day.”

That sense of belonging began long before graduation. As a high school senior from Elkhart, Ind., Dean wanted to study broadcast journalism but hoped for something more personal than a large state university. One overnight visit to Bradley during “scooter weekend” sealed the deal.

“While it ended with me being snuck off-campus to a hockey game and a late-night trip to Denny’s, what really stuck with me was the brief peek inside WRBU, the student radio station,” Dean recalled with a laugh. “It just felt right—the wall-to-wall stickers, the atmosphere, and the music.”

At Bradley, Dean immersed herself in storytelling. She split her time between WRBU, “The Edge,” and WCBU, Bradley’s public radio station, where she produced and anchored long-form news features. Those experiences gave her an early advantage. “I had a solid aircheck tape, which was the equivalent of a portfolio in those days,” she said.

Encouraged by her Phi Sigma Sigma sisters, Dean landed her dream internship at Chicago’s Q101 radio station, setting the stage for a career that would take her across the country.

Just a year after graduating, Dean packed her life into a Dodge Neon and drove solo to New Orleans to become a reporter and anchor at WWL Radio. The move paid off. In just three years, she earned multiple journalism awards, including an Edward R. Murrow Award and a Louisiana Associated Press Award for her work covering major events like the first post-9/11 Super Bowl in 2002. “It was the breakout game for a quarterback named Tom Brady against the Rams,” she recalled.

After returning to Indianapolis to be closer to family, Dean continued to thrive in broadcasting with WIBC Radio, earning Indiana’s Reporter of the Year in 2007. But her ambitions didn’t stop there.

In 2008, she co-founded one of the country’s first roller derby podcasts, later becoming a skater and PR Chair for Naptown Roller Derby. Her efforts led to official city proclamations, including “Naptown Roller Girl Day,” and recognition from then Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard.

Today, Dean is an independent contractor in the digital marketing and copywriting spaces whose passion for storytelling and learning new skills still drives her work. From radio studios and beyond, her career has always centered on one thing—connection.

Her advice for today’s Bradley students?

“Don’t waste one second of your time at Bradley. Take advantage of every opportunity. Being active in Greek life and the student radio station were huge parts of my experience,” she said, adding, “You’ll make friends in the strangest of ways and circumstances.”

— Emily Potts