CLASS OF 2009 | 2014 | ISSUE 2
Your fellow ’09ers have been staying busy—below is a glimpse into some of the exciting things your peers have been up to…
Jake Abrahamson writes and edits stories for Sierra magazine. He recently covered Trevor Thomas, a blind long-distance backpacker, and a group of unlikely environmentalists in Missouri’s Ozarks.
Alex Segal is living in Los Angeles, where he and business partner Riley Rea opened furniture company, Croft House. It is now in its 3rd year! Croft House furniture is handmade in LA primarily with reclaimed and sustainable materials.
After living for a year in Kabul, Alex Footman opted to move to Berlin, which offers more public transportation options and slightly less kebab. Alex has connected with some Wes alumni but would be glad to see more of you!
This May, Eric Weiskott graduated from Yale with a PhD in English Language and Literature and moved to Brookline, Mass. In September, he will take up a position as assistant professor of English at Boston College.
Hollie Matlin is a current third year medical student at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She is engaged to Ross Littauer, a Swattie she met at the post baccalaureate premedical program at Bryn Mawr College. Their wedding date is the ultimate Pi Day, 3.14.15!
Saul Carlin is joining Medium, a new online publishing platform created by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams, after receiving his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. As one of the first members of Medium’s business team, he’ll be working to help people and organizations share stories and ideas that inspire change.
Justin LaSelva has been doing IT work at UT Austin for about three years now and co-hosts a radio show called This Great White North, which airs every Friday on KOOP, America’s only radio cooperative. In December, he and his girlfriend, Katie, made the trek from Austin back to his native Massachusetts and also spent a night in Middletown exploring the campus, the river, Wadsworth Falls, and (of course) enjoying Klekolo and O’Rourke’s. When he’s not working or in the studio, he’s partaking in Austin’s incredible live music scene and eating large amounts of food.
Elana Baurer graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in May 2013. She passed both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars and is working at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia as an immigration and employment attorney. Elana is also in the process of launching a juvenile justice focused nonprofit organization that will serve system-involved youth in facilitating their reenrollment back into school when they return home from juvenile detention facility placements.
Sophie Pollitt-Cohen is living in Washington, D.C., where she stays cultured by going to book club with Jodie Rubenstein. Sophie is getting married this summer and then starting Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business this fall.
Still in north Idaho, Oriana Korol is writing for Sandpoint Magazine and guiding nature connection trips through Rewild Institute, a nonprofit that she and her partner, Mike Kopf, began. Visits from Maggie Starr ’06 and Jey Ehrenhalt have been great!
Laurenellen McCann recently organized D.C.’s first ever Dino Co-op, which collaboratively purchased and stewards the use of a Kickstarter-custom-made, 13-ft-tall velociraptor costume. (Look for pictures this fall.) The #DCDino Co-op is sort of connected to Laurenellen’s new gig as a civic innovation fellow at the Open Technology Institute (part of the New America Foundation), but not really. In other news: Laurenellen and her partner, Karl Grindal, proposed to each other in March and plan to get married in 2015. (Yes, the dinosaur will be part of the wedding party.)
Brittany Delany is moving to Santa Fe in early summer 2014. She looks forward to dance collaborations with Sarah Ashkin ’11 and to continuing work in fundraising and development for nonprofit organizations.
Keiko Hamano is now a certified massage therapist in California. She will graduate from the National Holistic Institute in early July. In addition to building her private practice, she has also been hired at a local spa. Keiko volunteers her services at a homeless youth clinic and at various sporting events throughout the Bay Area. She is also progressing through the post-bac program at UC, Berkeley, Extension in preparation for graduate school in physical therapy.
After five great years in D.C., Abby Rosenstein is moving to Philadelphia to study at Penn to become a nurse and family nurse practitioner.
Laura D’Iorio, Becca Freed, Tyler Snell, Jade Scott, and Tanya Moss united to recreate happy Foss Hill memories at San Francisco’s Dolores Park in March. The afternoon rekindled Wesleyan friendships and featured a visit by Tyler’s adorable Labradoodle, Scooter.
Additionally, Laura D’Iorio, Becca Freed, and J.Z. Golden ’08 took the city of Philadelphia by storm in December. The trio took in a victorious Eagles win and tailgate, noshed on Philly’s finest cheese steaks ’wit, and stole the show at a renowned karaoke bar.
Please see photos on the Class Notes website.
Thanks again for all your updates!
Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com