When Hannah Rafferty ’16 visited campus during an admitted students day, she didn’t think she would end up attending the University. That quickly changed.

“I had no intention of coming here,” says Rafferty. “I had just applied on a whim. And we got on campus and I said, ‘I think I’m going here.’”

Syracuse checked all the boxes for her: a larger school with a tight-knit feel; a student body and alumni network that took pride in its school; and a sport management program that could set her on the path toward her career goal of being a sports agent.

She enrolled as a sport management major and became highly involved on campus. As a University 100 student ambassador she gave campus tours to prospective students and families. The spring semester of her junior year was spent in London through Syracuse University Abroad. She joined the Orange Pulse Dance Troup, Women in Sport and Events Club, and the Sport Management Club. Each experience helped shape her vision for her future.

In particular, the Sport Management Club and its annual Charity Sports Auction opened her eyes to a possible new career path. Each year, students in Sport Management Club hold an auction during a Syracuse men’s basketball game with all proceeds benefitting a Syracuse-area charity. During Rafferty’s junior year the beneficiary was the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York, which had a lasting effect on her.

“I really saw the impact of collective action,” Rafferty says. “That if a lot of people came together, and worked hard together, it could make an impact on the community. And I realized community-focused work and events were more so where I wanted to be.”

Even when the auction was over, Rafferty remained involved with the local Make-A-Wish chapter and later, when she moved to Philadelphia, was connected with the Make-A-Wish chapter there to continue her work.

Her senior year also opened another door. She met her future husband, Luke Rafferty ’16, a photojournalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, through the University’s Remembrance Scholars program. Both were chosen as Remembrance Scholars and were members of the program’s Community Impact Committee.

They married in 2019.

In the years after graduating, Luke worked as a freelance videographer while Hannah worked in marketing before moving into corporate event planning. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, canceling events for the foreseeable future, Hannah’s position was eliminated. A few local nonprofits hired her to plan virtual events, creating the opportunity for the couple to work together.

“You needed videos for the virtual events, so Luke and I started working together that way,” she says.

It was the start of what would later become their company: Filmiamo Productions, with Luke handling the technical side and Hannah using skills she honed through the sport management program to manage all production logistics and oversee client development and relationships.

Their client list includes the American Red Cross, Make-A-Wish, the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia and other Philadelphia area nonprofits. They also work with companies like American Airlines, JetBlue and Visa, showcasing their community initiatives.

Hannah was named a 2025 ‘CUSE50 Honoree for their work at Filmiamo Productions.

In starting their company, they leveraged Syracuse’s expansive alumni network and community to connect with clients.

“[Luke’s] Syracuse connections lead him to a variety of different clients,” Hannah says. “Now we’re like five, six, seven steps removed from that, but probably 85% of our business stems back to connections at Syracuse.”

Her bond with the University and the Falk College of Sport is something she is passionate about continuing to grow. She joined Falk College’s Emerging Leaders Council (ELC), a group of young alumni who provide guidance to current students, assist with capstones and internships and help them prepare for their futures.

She joined the ELC with encouragement from fellow sport management alumna Alyssa Wood ’15, who Hannah heard speak at the admitted students day she attended. By chance, Wood became her Peer Advisor freshman year and the two became close friends. Wood later served as a bridesmaid at Hannah and Luke’s wedding.

As an engaged alumna, Hannah has made a Hill Society gift through the Falk Student Experiential Learning Fund to help students access all types of experiential learning, something that, at times, felt out of reach for Rafferty as the daughter of a single mom.

“I recognize the value of experiential learning, and I didn’t always feel I could afford those experiences while I was in college,” she says. “I don’t want another student to have that financial barrier to having that hands-on experience that is so valuable to education.”