CLASS OF 2004 | 2015 | ISSUE 3
Hey, Class of 2004! You continue to share some great updates and we’re happy to share them…
Vincent Balsamo was named assistant principal at Crosby High School, in Waterbury, Conn., in March, his son Joey just turned 1, and he and his wife purchased a home in Prospect.
Nearby, Lelah Baker-Rabe ’04 says: “My family and I recently returned to Connecticut after 10 years in Los Angeles. My husband, Dylan Osborn ’05, and our two sons, Truman (3) and Holden (1), just moved to Norwalk and are preparing ourselves for our first real winter in a decade. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with our east coast family and Wes friends.”
Shanta Cortez-Greig tells us she got her LCSW—she’s a social worker and has been working as a forensic clinician at the county jail. “But I am currently working on my music career. My debut album came out in 2013 and a new EP entitled “7” is being released in the next month. Also, (and I’m super excited about this!!), I am embarking on a national tour—The Guerrilla Gigs Tour Across the USA! I will be brazenly busking every major city and national landmark in the country as a maverick musician.” Her tour launches in Boston on Oct. 4th, where I will be playing The Burren. I will then be making my way northwest, then down California and then back to New England, making 27 scheduled stops…” More information can be found on my website: ShantaPaloma.com. (P.S. People can sponsor me at Gofundme.com/ShantaPaloma2015.)
Ashley Elia Weller tells us she’s expecting! “My husband and I are looking forward to having our first child, due in January 2016. That’s about it for now.”
Peter Thilly says he received his PhD in history from Northwestern University in September 2015, and is currently working as a faculty fellow in East Asian Studies and History at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Mike and Kate Patterson Gilles are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Natalie Caroline, on July 17th. With newly minted big brother Sebastian, they still live on Capitol Hill in DC, where they’ve received much-appreciated Wesleyan village support, including from Anna Christensen ’03, Liz King ’03, and Suzy Sacher ’03.
Gina Zorzi Klein tells us: “I’m proud to announce that, starting Oct. 4th, my publishing house, ARC Press, will have an entire bookcase in Barnes & Noble stores. We are partnering with B&N to fill the gap between listening to books and reading independently. Wes alums with small children, please go to your local B&N to Learn to Read with our Training Wheels Series or check us out on the Web at trainingwheelsseries.com.”
And from Rebecca Hall: “Twelve years after meeting, due to an auspicious Wesleyan housing pick that landed us both in a lovely 10-person low-rise apartment, Sam Fletcher and I got married last fall in Charleston. Several Wes alums were there to celebrate with us, including Anna Teeter ’04, James Panczykowski ’04, and Kingsley Choi ’05. Since then, we haven’t wasted any time and are excited to have purchased our first home in Old Greenwich, Conn., and to welcome our first child in fall 2015. Sam works as a copywriter in Westport, and I am a dermatologist practicing in Stamford.”
Jenina NuÑez | jenina.nunez@gmail.com
Meeghan Whooley Ward | meeghan.w.ward@gmail.com