Learn How InclusiveU Student Thomas Wilson '23 Is Fulfilling His Dreams on the ‘’Cuse Conversations’ Podcast
Like most children, Thomas Wilson ’23 grew up watching television. But unlike most children, his preferred shows weren’t cartoons. Rather, he loved watching both the local and national newscasts, dreaming of one day sitting behind the anchor desk or serving as a reporter.
Today, Wilson is fulfilling his dreams through the School of Education’s InclusiveU program, which, thanks to an initiative from the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education brings students of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities to campus to experience college life in a fully inclusive setting.

Wilson, a senior studying broadcast and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and political science in the Maxwell Schoool, recently was named one of this year’s recipients of the Unsung Hero Award in honor of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was honored for embodying Dr. King’s legacy through his love and support for the Syracuse University community.
Wilson is well-known on campus. He works at the Schine Student Center, and is highly involved with the Syracuse University Catholic Center.
A news anchor on Citrus TV, Wilson is also the executive producer and show creator of “Thomas on the Town,” a show where Wilson interviews University community members for the Orange Television Network.
“Some of my peers in our news organization look up to me. That makes me feel very good about myself because that means I’m doing my job right, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to tell the news to our campus,” says Wilson, who proudly wears his own “Thomas on the Town” socks to go with a tie depicting his likeness.
A leader who inspires colleagues and community members to be better, Wilson stops by to discuss how he fell in love with the news at an early age, why InclusiveU is like his second family, why he’s motivated to prove all those who doubted him wrong and why earning his degree this May will be his proudest accomplishment.
Note: This conversation was edited for brevity and clarity.
Check out episode 132 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Thomas Wilson ’23. A transcript [PDF] is also available.