Alfred University junior Will Cooley is working on his BFA at the School of Art & Design, New York State College of Ceramics. He also describes himself as an avid consumer of political news, and he brings his interest in art, politics, and the news to his volunteer work for the university newspaper, The Fiat Lux, writing about international and national issues and creating cover designs for the paper.
This week, Will brought his interests to the conference room of Jordan Hall, where he met and interviewed the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, whose 2021-2025 tenure at DHS included impeachment by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, followed by the dismissal of charges in the Senate.
It’s not every day an undergraduate student gets to interview a former U.S. cabinet official. “My biggest fear was going under the time I had or over it,” Will says.
He nailed the time frame, and Mayorkas left Jordan Hall in the company of Alfred University Mark Zupan for his next appointment: fielding questions at the 2026 Yedvab Seminar, held annually in honor of Alfred University alumnus Jay Yedvab '56.
The following day, discussing the interview, Will said he had felt a little nervous heading into the meeting, but the butterflies settled quickly.
“When you’re researching someone, they’re not like a real person,” he said. “Then when I met him, it was like, ‘Whoa.’ I shook his hand, and the interview started, and it became a lot easier.”
Will added he’d prepared for the interview for days, considering the questions he wanted to ask and finally creating a detailed script of his questions, printed on sheets of paper.
The interview covered a wide range of issues, from the lengthy process of asylum for immigrants to posting ICE agents in airports, to Mayorkas’ own thoughts on his impeachment.
Will’s article based on the interview will appear at a later date in The Fiat Lux.
