The Tastemaker
As Vanity Fair magazine’s chief critic, Richard Lawson ’05 covers the hottest movies, television, and plays.
Photo: Sydney Sheehan
At Home—and Everywhere
Shannon Doherty ’06 is redefining domestic bliss for her millions of social media followers.
Summer 2025
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One day in 2020, Shannon Doherty ’06 decided to transform her career. The boutique shops she owned had closed during the pandemic, so Doherty, inspired by a business influencer she followed on TikTok, tapped into her passion for crafting and decorating to launch her own social media channels from her Connecticut kitchen. Five years later, she has built her social media handle, At Home with Shannon, into an online empire by sharing fun and ingeniously simple ideas for decorating, cooking, and entertaining with her 2.2 million followers on TikTok and another 1.5 million across Instagram and Facebook. Her quick and clever videos generate staggering online engagement. In March, for instance, one twenty-second clip of Doherty gluing colorful paper plates into the shape of flowers garnered twenty million views on Facebook within just a few days. She’s earned the attention of national TV audiences too, appearing on shows like Good Morning America, Today, and Live with Kelly and Mark. Whereas many other content creators make their every post and project look oh-so-perfect, Doherty, a busy mom of four, stands out by sharing simple, smart ideas that come straight from the heart. “It’s my real life,” she said. “I try to make it feel very accessible, that you could do it because I could do it.” We asked Doherty to share a few tips for planning a summer party.
A COOL IDEA FOR PARTY PREP: “Get a muffin tray and put a cupcake liner and a scoop of ice cream in each hole. Put the tray in your freezer. On party day, you’ll have twelve ice creams already scooped. Just pop cones on top and throw the liners away.”
COLORFUL FOURTH OF JULY FLORALS: “Fill three mason jars with water. Put in white flowers. Add red food coloring to the water in one jar, and blue to another. In a few hours, those flowers will change color.”
UPGRADED ICE CUBES: “Use balloon expansion pliers to open a balloon and put the head of a flower inside. Fill the balloon with water and freeze it. When ready, rip the balloon off and you’ll have pretty ice cubes with flowers inside.” ◽
Fast Follows
At Home with Shannon isn’t the only alum-run account worth following on social media. Here are a few other Eagle influencers on Instagram and TikTok.
FOOD: @ZackaryEats
Doctor by day and foodie by night, Zack Park ’17 seems to have a Boston or NYC restaurant recommendation for every craving, from “New Asian-French Bakery” to “Must-Try Seafood Boil.” He serves them up to about 40,000 hungry followers.
FITNESS: @GymHooky
Featured on Good Morning America for her encouraging approach to home workouts, Ariel Belgrave ’11 keeps nearly 150,000 followers motivated with exercise ideas, fitness tips, and glimpses of travel to wellness retreats she produces.
FAITH: @JamesMartinSJ
James Martin, SJ, the bestselling author, magazine editor, and Clough School of Theology and Ministry graduate, offers his modern Catholic perspective on contemporary issues to outlets like ABC News and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and to some 170,000 followers.
“FORE!”: @kclairerogers
Director of social media for Golf magazine, Claire Rogers ’18 shares “The Scoop,” her series of ice cream social–style interviews with the PGA’s top players, on her personal Instagram account. Nearly 18,000 fans follow along.
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