The freelance photojournalist based in Washington, D.C., presented a lecture in a class offered by The Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School.
As a working photojournalist in Washington, D.C., Elon University alumnus Al Drago ’15 regularly has a front-row seat to national news stories emerging from the White House, Congress and today’s most prominent political figures.
During his lecture, Drago provided an inside perspective of international summits, golf, charity events and other interactions that the public doesn’t see that have been prevalent during Trump’s presidency. “I focused on how the president uses his properties at Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster to conduct presidential business while away from the White House,” Drago said.
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy also joined the class discussion via Skype.
An independent photojournalist, Drago works regularly for The New York Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters, Getty Images and The Wall Street Journal. He has previously lectured at the Poynter Institute, Syracuse University, George Washington University and several national journalism conferences.
Drago has also spoken at his alma mater, serving as the keynote speaker at the 2017 North Carolina College Media Association Conference.
The Magazine of Elon highlighted Drago’s remarkable career path with an in-depth feature titled “Al Drago ’15: Purposefully focused,” and Drago was recognized in 2017 as one of Elon’s Top 10 Under 10 young alumni.
The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School (IOP) was established in 1966 as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The IOP’s mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists and policymakers on a non-partisan basis to inspire them to consider careers in politics and public service. The Institute strives to promote greater understanding and cooperation between the academic world and the world of politics and public affairs.