If you were on campus in the fall of 2005, you probably remember Dom Smith, the exchange student from York St. John University in northern England. He made quite an impression—and he made the Dean’s List.

“During my short time at KSC, the whole place made a massive impact on me,” Dom recalled. He took a journalism class with Rose Kundanis, whom he remembers as rewarding hard work and accuracy. “I learned my work ethic from Rose, and my fellow students. I did my very first face-to-face interview around a story on Pumpkinfest ’05. I got some feedback from Rose about “leading questions,” which I like to think I’ve taken forward! I also volunteered at the radio station to get more experience, and now I am a regular contributor to BBC Radio North Yorkshire. As a person, my experiences in Keene made me more confident, more worldly-wise, and also more competent as a journalist. … I am incredibly proud of my experience there.”

Now Dom is back in England, working as the editor of Soundsphere, a magazine based in York, UK, and focusing mainly on alternative music (rock, indie, and electronic) and on fashion and the arts. He’s also recently created an app to support the magazine’s content, which you can download for free.

The app works from anywhere in the world and offers exclusive content—features, reviews, competitions, and interviews—that people can’t find on the site or in the print magazine.

This year, Dom made The Independent’s Happy List of “100 inspiring people who have selflessly enriched the lives of others in the past year.” Last year he received the National Diversity Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence for Disability. (Watch him accept the award.) Congratulations, Dom!