“Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen

“Party in the U.S.A.,” Miley Cyrus 

“Super Bass,” Nicki Minaj

“Teenage Dream,” Katy Perry 

“Hey, Soul Sister,” Train

“We Found Love,” Rihanna

“Pumped Up Kicks,” Foster the People

“TiK ToK,” Kesha

“My Body,” Young the Giant

“You Belong with Me,” Taylor Swift

“Baby,” Justin Bieber

“Fireflies,” Owl City 

“In My Head,” Jason Derulo 

“Be My Baby,” the Ronettes 

Maggie Mitchell, SPA/BA ’13, came to AU to study politics: “I was certain that I was going to be Sam Seaborn from The West Wing,” she recalls. It wasn’t long, however, before the Boston native changed her tune.

“I was in classes with students who were so passionate about their issue, their cause, their person, and I didn’t have that,” Mitchell says. “I loved the big picture. I loved writing—and music.”

To combine her passions—“and maybe score free concert tickets”—Mitchell joined the The Eagle, AU’s student newspaper, which this year celebrates its centennial. She reviewed albums; interviewed artists like Taylor Swift, then in her country era; and covered shows, including an intimate performance by John Legend in Bender Arena, hosted by AU’s Kennedy Political Union. The political science major also interned at NBCUniversal and MTV—experiences that set the stage for her main act as senior vice president and head of communications at SiriusXM in New York City. 

“I wish it was concerts every day—it can be, but it’s also earnings calls,” Mitchell says with a laugh. “We write the script about how we talk about our business and the connections we build between artists and fans, whether that’s Lady Gaga curating her own channel ahead of her album launch or Coldplay playing an exclusive show for subscribers.”

It’s not the White House—but as far as jobs go, Mitchell’s rocks.