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Eagle Tales: Can You Hear Me Now?

AU boasts more than 3,000 dedicated staff members. Meet one here: Kayden Kassof, instructional technologist and space designer, Bender Library.

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Kayden Kassof. Graphic by Jaylene Arnold.

I’ve worked at AU for almost 15 years. Before that, I was in graduate school. I graduated with an MFA from SOC in 2009.   

My job is to come up with our standardization plan for what technology we put into classrooms and event spaces. I work with project managers all over campus and the contractors who install equipment and troubleshoot audio and visual issues. Another part of my job is to provide high-level audio-visual event support for the Board of Trustees meetings.  

My office is on the backside of Anderson Hall. The person who showed me the ropes is Bob Brownlee, director of Audio Visual Services.

Campus is at its prettiest during the summer when everything is in bloom. My favorite place on campus to steal a quiet moment is Reeves Field. I like taking a walk around the back to get some sun and listen to the birds. My favorite day of the workweek is Wednesday, when there are fewer classes, so it’s slower and we can bond a little more in the office and build camaraderie. My go-to order at the Dav is an iced chocolate chai latte.

I show my AU spirit by owning a disproportionately large amount of blue and red clothing. When I attend events for professional organizations I’m involved in outside of AU, like Educational Technology Collaborative, I wear my AU polo. I’m very proud to be from AU, and I’ve always got to represent.

I found my community at AU through the library’s DEI committee, which organizes community-building events for staff, and the staff union. I’m on the joint labor management committee that meets with members of administration every two months.

When I’m not at work, you can find me taking a walk at the National Cathedral. I live across the street, so I walk my dog, Roo, there almost every day. My hobbies include going on walks and hikes, traveling, and baking.

The last great book I read was A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. The last great show I watched was Port Protection Alaska on National Geographic. The last great meal I ate was making a nice pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and Brussel sprouts.

The most famous face I’ve seen on campus is Edward Norton. I put a lapel mic on him in 2010 when he was on campus. Other times, I’ve seen the president of Uruguay and Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada.

My most Washington moment was going to Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. I took a bus at 3 in the morning to get down there on time. It was so cold in DC that day.

If I wasn’t an instruction technologist and space designer, I’d be an environmental cinematographer shooting documentaries all over the globe. But my job at AU is best because I get to work with amazing people all over campus.

Eagle Tales is a new AU Now feature. Know a staffer we should profile? Send us your story idea.