July 26, 2024

UMW Historic Preservation Alumna Pivots to Career as a Pop Culture Critic

Lovitt (far right) on a panel with sci-fi actresses (from left) Alexa Kingston, Michelle Hurd and Felicia Day. Photo credit: FanExpo.

Lovitt (far right) on a panel with sci-fi actresses (from left) Alexa Kingston, Michelle Hurd and Felicia Day. Photo credit: FanExpo.

When entertainment journalist Maggie Lovitt ’15 reviewed a new period drama, she relied on the knowledge base she built while earning a bachelor’s degree in historic preservation at the University of Mary Washington.

“I come at it from a deeper well of knowledge than the average viewer,” Lovitt said. For example, she asked more insightful questions when covering The New Look on Apple TV+, which follows Christian Dior and Coco Chanel launching their fashion empires in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. “Even if you don’t stay in the field you majored in, you can still use what you studied in your daily life.”

In just a few years, Lovitt has gone from managing a historic site to rubbing elbows with the stars at Hollywood award shows. Yet, she still employs the skills she honed at Mary Washington – conducting research, writing and editing, and collaborating on a team – in her current career. As a critic, screenwriter and actress, Lovitt has earned accolades and approval from the Screen Actors Guild, Rotten Tomatoes and the Critics Choice Association, which she shared in the spring edition of UMW’s Class Notes. Read more.