Columbia College Chicago Theatre Program alums Joseph Sikora ’98, a graduate of the Theatre Department’s BA Program in Acting, and Asha Ward ’21, a graduate of the BA Program in Comedy Writing and Performance, are spotlighted in the college’s new “24 in 2024” campaign honoring Columbia grads for their professional achievements beyond their academic journeys. This initiative celebrates the alumni community for their creative influence within their industries, their passion for their craft, and their connection to the world around them. The “24 in 2024” honorees are free thinkers, problem solvers, go-getters, and proud Columbia College Chicago alumni.
Asha Ward
Asha Ward is a stand-up comedian, actor, and writer based in New York City. She was hired by NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 2022, just a year and a half after graduating from Columbia College, as the youngest writer ever hired for the show. As previously reported in this blog, Ward was identified as one of “The Comedians You Should and Will Know in 2023: 25 Comics Who Industry Insiders Predict Will Be Tomorrow’s Superstars” by the entertainment news site Vulture in October 2023.
Joseph SIkora
Joseph Sikora is familiar to TV viewers from his role as Tommy Egan in the hit Starz series Power and its spinoff Power Book IV: Force. Besides the Power franchise, his TV credits include Ozark, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago P.D., The Good Wife, Grey’s Anatomy, and Monk. His big-screen credits include roles in Rudy, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Charlie Wilson’s War, Shutter Island, Jack Reacher, and Jacob’s Ladder. Sikora’s acting career began in his hometown of Chicago, where he has appeared on Chicago stages in productions at Goodman, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, and Shattered Globe theatres. He was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award (Chicago’s top theatre award) for Actor in a Principal Role for his performance in Shattered Globe’s 1999 production Frozen Assets. He also costarred with fellow Chicago actor David Schwimmer in a 2006 Broadway production of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
As previously reported in this blog, Sikora returned to his alma mater Columbia College in October 2022 for a “fireside chat” in the Sheldon Patinkin Theatre of the Getz Theatre Center of Columbia College in Chicago’s South Loop, an event co-hosted by the Columbia College Alumni Network. Video excerpts of Sikora’s conversation have been posted on the college’s website along with a report on the event. To read the report, click here.
The 24 in 2024 campaign is also a warmup for Columbia College Chicago’s 135th anniversary, When the women founders of Columbia College Chicago, originally called Columbia School of Oratory, opened their school in 1890, they couldn’t have imagined the school’s evolution into the creative entrepreneurial hub that it is today. What started as a school for “Elocution, Voice Culture, Physical Culture, Visible Speech, Literature and English” evolved into a destination for creative careers and entrepreneurial-minded artists, musicians, writers, designers and filmmakers. Since the college’s founding, graduates of Columbia have built impressive creative careers throughout its 135-year history. As Columbia prepares to celebrate its upcoming 135th milestone anniversary, the school’s Alumni Relations office selected 24 alumni who represent the school’s legacy through their professional achievements and dedication to the creative arts and media beyond their academic careers. The 24 honorees’ career paths represent the diverse areas of study at Columbia, including acting, design, broadcast journalism, comedy writing, and photography.
Please join us in celebrating our alumni community for their creative influence within their industry, passion for their craft, and their connection to world around them!
