Once a week, Rio Harper 鈥�26 walks from his classroom in Newhouse III to a suite of offices on the lower level of . There, his mother, Dara Harper G鈥�26, often has a mug of hot chocolate waiting for him.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing special, just powdered mix from a packet,鈥� he says modestly. 鈥淪he recently convinced me to add chai tea to my hot chocolate. Now it鈥檚 my drink of choice at the chapel.鈥�
A visual communications major in the , Rio lives for these moments, which are as much about bonding as recharging his social battery.
Some of that undoubtedly changed on May 10, when he and Dara, a graduate student, took the stage at 51爆料网鈥檚 .
Both are proud members of the Newhouse School and have the same near-perfect GPA. Only Rio has completed his four-year degree program in three years; his mother, in the customary two.
鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of us,鈥� gushes Dara, whose M.S. program specializes in strategic communications. 鈥淚 feel like our family鈥檚 academic journey has led to this point.鈥�
With expertise in robotics, artificial intelligence and cinematography, Rio is seeking a job in industry.
Dara plans to continue translating academic knowledge into advertising and public relations skills as Hendricks Chapel鈥檚 communications manager.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of us,鈥� says Dara Harper G鈥�26, with son, Rio 鈥�26 (far left), and husband, Ken. She and Rio graduated together on May 10.
For the Harpers, school is a family affair.
Husband Ken also has ties to the Newhouse School, serving as an associate professor of visual communications and directing the M.S. program in .
Daughter Am茅lie is a first-year student in the .
鈥淚 was raised by a schoolteacher鈥攖hat鈥檚 probably why I love learning so much,鈥� Dara admits. 鈥淪tudying and getting good grades come naturally to me. Skill wise, I鈥檓 sharper than I鈥檝e ever been.鈥�
Rio agrees, noting his mother鈥檚 infectious enthusiasm and abiding belief that a degree is a credential, not a measure of capability.
鈥淪he鈥檚 shown me, time and time again, that being curious is more important to my education than anything else,鈥� he continues. 鈥淔or my entire life, I鈥檝e been experimenting because, well, I can.鈥�
A Dialectical Thinker
Rio at the biannual Newhouse Impact Symposium. His expertise includes robotics, artificial intelligence and cinematography.
The first to graduate from his program鈥檚 cinematography track, Rio considers himself a builder. 鈥淚 apply theories and techniques involved with motion picture and television production to other forms of visual storytelling,鈥� he says.
In April, Rio presented at the biannual Newhouse Impact Symposium, where his project, A Conundrum on Purpose: Interdisciplinary Work in the Age of AI, argued that Newhouse students are at a cultural inflection point.
鈥淥ur ability to communicate why something matters is just as important as the engineering that builds it,鈥� he told a packed audience.
Since his freshman year, Rio has worked as a humanoid robotic engineer in the under the guidance of Professor Jamie Banks. There in The LinkLab, he has designed and assembled 3D-printed robotics to support research into how humans and robots interact.
All three Harpers are affiliated with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where, Rio observes, students are at a cultural inflection point.
Rio鈥檚 flair for robotics teleoperation led to his first published paper and a recent appearance at the Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. He鈥檚 currently writing a second paper.
Most of Rio鈥檚 research has been funded by the and the (SOURCE).
His acceptance into the prestigious Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship program led to a semester at the University of Alberta. 鈥淚 worked on a robotic device that helps stroke survivors regain neuroplasticity as well as hand and limb function,鈥� he says.
For his senior capstone project, Rio built and designed CineWave, a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm. The device, he explains, aims to 鈥渄emocratize advanced motion control鈥� for student and indie filmmakers.
鈥淚 usually don鈥檛 have a problem putting things into words, but Rio often leaves me speechless,鈥� says Ken with a trace of emotion. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a dialectical thinker, flexible and adaptable. And downright brilliant.鈥�
Love Made Visible
鈥淲ork is love made visible,鈥� says Dara, shown here with Ken, an associate professor of visual communications in the Newhouse School.
Ken and Dara have come a long way鈥攍iterally and figuratively鈥攆rom their first date in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2002.
鈥淲e met at a restaurant during a snowstorm,鈥� remembers Dara, then the owner of a popular yoga studio. 鈥淜en turned out to be a cool guy with a motorcycle.鈥�
Sparks flew鈥斺�渂eing with Dara was so natural, it was like breathing,鈥� Ken recalls鈥攁nd they wed two years later. Rio and Am茅lie followed in 2005 and 鈥�06, respectively, amid job changes and relocations.
In 2008, the Harpers settled in Cazenovia, New York, where their children were initially homeschooled. The living room became a gathering place for writers, photographers and artists of all kinds.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e part of a campus community, you鈥檙e always learning,鈥� says Dara, who regularly shuffled Rio and Am茅lie from one academic event to another.
She holds a special place in her heart for Scott Yaruss G鈥�91, G鈥�94 and Sujini Ramachandar G鈥�99, then members of the who helped young Rio overcome a persistent stutter. 鈥淭oday, he is a confident public speaker who never misses a beat,鈥� Dara says.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e part of a campus community, you鈥檙e always learning,鈥� says Dara, a popular yoga instructor and Wellness Champion. She鈥檚 been Hendricks Chapel鈥檚 communications manager since 2022.
By the time she joined Hendricks Chapel in 2022, Dara was a well-known quantity, a sought-after communications expert, entrepreneur, social justice advocate and yoga instructor.
鈥淲orking at a multifaith chapel with 15 chaplains who cover six world religions is just the place for me,鈥� says Dara, who periodically attends meditation sessions, led by the Buddhist chaplaincy, across the hall from her office.
She radiates positivity, noting the occasional 鈥渟itcom potential鈥� of her job. 鈥淪ometimes a rabbi, a priest, an imam and a sensei are in my office all at once.鈥�
Whether teaching a one-credit yoga course for the in the , serving as a for the University or chaperoning the abroad, Dara is a beloved figure at Syracuse. And a natural-born leader.
Small wonder that campus is like an extension of home, where the lessons are academic, personal and social.
鈥淲ork is love made visible,鈥� says Dara, quoting Kahlil Gibran鈥檚 The Prophet. 鈥淎nd it just so happens that I love to work.鈥�
