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December 9, 2024
While many students spent the week leading up to Memorial Day thinking about their plans for the long weekend, Northwestern School of Communication senior Kalan Hauser had something unique to look forward to.
On Friday, May 24, the Los Angeles-area native appeared on NBC’s “Today” show as part of its series spotlighting remarkable 2024 graduates from the hosts’ alma maters. Hauser will join the rest of Northwestern’s Class of 2024 at Commencement this Sunday, June 9, at the United Center.
During his appearance, Hauser chatted with the hosts, including Northwestern alumna Sheinelle Jones ’00, about his undergraduate experience and career aspirations. He also got to take the reins of “What to Watch,” the show’s segment recommending entertainment for the holiday weekend — a perfect match for the communication studies major’s passion for entertainment and media. His time on the show closed with advice from Jones, who told him to make his own magic, because “no one is going to dream for you.”
> Watch Kalan Hauser on the Today show
“I loved how welcoming and supportive the ‘Today’ show staff was,” Hauser said. “They genuinely made the experience so smooth and eased any stressors I had going into the live interview and segment.”
It also helped that it wasn’t Hauser’s first time on national television — in the fall of 2022, producers from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” flew him in from his study abroad program in Madrid to New York City to perform during a talent show-style segment. Hauser, who was a competitive gymnast in high school, walked on his hands while reciting digits of pi to the delight of the studio audience.
During high school, Hauser translated his gymnastics skills to the dance world, and he’s continued to embrace dance throughout his undergraduate career. He joined Fusion Dance Company during his first year at Northwestern, finding a community in the group even as pandemic restrictions meant Zoom auditions and later socially distanced rehearsals. He’s choreographed his own pieces for the group’s shows and taught open classes, and this year, served as Fusion’s artistic director. For Hauser, dance is a form of communication that lets him speak to an audience.
“I love to make an impact on people, and I think dance is a perfect way to do that,” Hauser said. “I'm sharing a part of myself, I'm hoping that you get something from it, that you feel connected to it. I think that relates to a lot of aspects of entertainment. You entertain to make people happy.”
