By Bob & Meg Hughes
During the McAuley Gala at Mount Mercy Academy this past spring, we won the bid on a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of CNN with Mercy Alumni Mary Lynn Ryan, vice president/bureau chief, Southeast Region, for CNN. Mary Lynn gave us an unbelievable tour that far exceeded our expectations.
We highly recommend bidding on this package at the future galas! It was a package worth every penny and minute spent. Mary Lynn truly treated us as VIPs, introducing us to correspondents, reporters, producers and various talents in many departments that create and provide the global news coverage. Mary Lynn is responsible for the news coverage of the Southeast (Washington to Texas area), a very news-active area. We sat in the background of The Daily Share on HLN hosted by correspondents Yasmin Vossoughian and Ali Nejad. Many of our friends and family saw us on that show. It was not only fun but very interesting to see what the correspondents do before and between the news clips.
Mary Lynn regularly mentors students in the industry and continues to give back to her roots in Buffalo, specifically Mount Mercy Academy. During a delicious lunch, she also provided wonderful insight to our daughter Beth, Class of 2017, as to what to look for in colleges to gain experience needed for job searching.
Mary Lynn fondly remembered her time, experiences and friends at Mercy, in particular, her “big sister,” Peggy Cronin. After a full day with Mary Lynn and the CNN staff we left with a much greater appreciation for the coverage and reporting of the global news, and a new friend.
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Save the date for this year’s McAuley Gala on Saturday, April 23, 2016, at the Orchard Park Country Club, hosted by Channel 2’s Kevin O’Connell. Join gala co-chair couples Margaret (Whalen ’99) and Michael Brady and Meg and Bob Hughes as Mount Mercy’s McAuley Gala presents “Buffalo in Black & White!” Contact Leanne Maloney for at lm******@mt*****.org or 825-8796, ext. 306, for information on the McAuley Gala or to be invited to the event.
