Since his days as a high-school student at Connecticut's Suffield Academy, CNN correspondent Kris Osborn, Class of 1992, has drawn upon the poetry and philosophy of William Wordsworth. Osborn's high-profile job doesn't exactly evoke Wordsworthian images of nature and simplicity. But there are similarities. Like the English romantic poet, Osborn is an earnest and sincere thinker.

Osborn can articulately discuss the tenets of philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, and then, without missing a beat, segue into reflections on his love for "heavy metal" bands.

Osborn originally aspired to become a college professor; hence his master's degree in comparative literature from Columbia University. His thesis topic was none other than the poetry of Wordsworth. "It sounds silly, but it's a life dream of mine to be a professor," he says. "I made the decision to get my master's degree, to enter the field of education, based on some of the philosophies I learned at Kenyon."

During graduate school, Osborn landed a job as a reporter for Channel One News in Los Angeles, California. For several months, he traveled between New York City and California in order to juggle his career and his academic schedule.

Now nearing the top of his game at CNN, Osborn says his liberal-arts education is a plus in the fast-paced news industry. "I get to synthesize and paraphrase a lot of material in my job, and it really calls on what I did in the academic world," says Osborn. "When breaking news comes in I have very little prep time before I'm on the air. My academic background really helps."

As a member of Kenyon's swim team, Osborn was a vital part of the Lords' national legacy. He earned three NCAA championships and ten All-American honors. "The training you get in the pool at Kenyon, it really toughens you up and teaches you things that metaphorically apply in other areas of your life," says Osborn.