To become a self-made sports photographer and travel the world, Lynn University alumnus Justin Cohen ’06 used his talent, passion and connections to make his dreams a reality. Cohen developed a passion for photography as an eight-year-old when his parents gifted him his first camera. Cohen always carried a camera growing up to nurture his love for photography. Cohen admits he was “that annoying friend” taking photos of every moment … 30 years later, the art of photography has given him a career and many fond memories along the way.

Cohen hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. He traded the Midwest for South Florida and took advantage of Lynn’s personalized campus experience, smaller class sizes and the chance to compete on the men’s tennis team, where he finished as runner-up in the 2006 NCAA Division II National Team Championship. While studying communications at Lynn, Cohen served as the sports editor for iPulse—Lynn’s student-run publication—and worked as a student ambassador.

Cohen leveraged his education at Lynn and held various jobs after college—starting in sales and then working with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in Princeton, New Jersey as the director of events and championships, overseeing all college tennis tournaments and events. Afterward, Cohen moved on to pursue a career as a full-time sports photographer.