CLASS OF 2010 | 2016 | ISSUE 2
Happy summer, Class of 2010! See below for our classmates’ most recent happenings, but first, a few notes that failed to make it into the last issue:
Rachel Shopper “teaches nature connection and primitive skills in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. When not building friction fire or foraging for native medicinals, she’s associate poetry editor for Orison Press, which publishes spiritual literature from a variety of perspectives.”
Tara Kelton updated us that the last year has been rather exciting. In August 2015, Tara was promoted to supervising producer at Brave New Films to run the shorts department. In November, BNF asked the shorts department to help finish the feature film they’ve been working on, and Tara co-produced said film, which was released this year and is called Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA.
Katherine Kitfield Bascom has a (relatively) new position as the marketing director at Solace New York, a CrossFit and gymnastics training facility in Manhattan. “She’s flying high as an aerial performer, managing other business ventures including a B&B, and volunteering with the IRC.”
As for our more recent updates, Julie Huang graduated from NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine this May, and she’ll start a residency in internal medicine at Winthrop University Hospital. Before that, however, Julie is taking a trip to Havana.
Chloé Bolton, a first-time class note provider, has this to share: “For the last two years I’ve been working with an ayahuasca shaman and Umbanda priestess in Brazil, healing myself, developing my mediumship, and opening to the incredible wisdom and light of ayahuasca. Now I am becoming a therapist within the group, helping people from Brazil and all over the world. We will soon be starting the construction of our eco-village and healing center!” Chloé invites all to pay her a visit soon!
Chiara Di Lello recently completed her master’s in childhood general and special education at Bank Street College of Education in NYC. In the fall, Chiara will be teaching third grade at Compass Charter School in Brooklyn.
Craig Ewer adds that he “moved to Brooklyn last year to be with every other Wesleyan graduate.” He still works at Uber.
Greg Hurd earned his PhD in geology at the University of Texas at Austin with a focus on sedimentology and stratigraphy. Greg also got married to the love of his life, Marlo Gawey!
Hilary Burke also has marriage news: “On a sunny day in June, Hilary Burke married AJ Chan ’11 at Wesleyan. The newlyweds enjoyed their big day with a very Wesleyan wedding party including Matt Burke ’07, Steve Cooper, Allie Southam ’11, Tim Morley ’11, and many other Wes attendees. They plan to send their firstborn to Wes, Class of 2041.”
Lonny Blumenthal and Cate Haring took their special day in May to the West Coast, where a beautiful California sunset in Santa Ynez Valley saw them married in front of a diversity of Wes alums including Nick Ajello, Bo Pratt, Colin Campbell, Ram Sivalingam, Gavin Brennan, Gina Yeomans, Nate Green ’09, John Harding, Jon Killeen, Dan O’Brien, and many more (whom I’m sure will let me hear it when they see I left them out of this note). Cate graduated from medical school at George Washington University and will be starting her residency at University of Michigan in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery.
In the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont, the Cardinal marriage tradition continued, where Matt Ward and Erin Fitzsimmons were married in a beautiful ceremony in Stowe. Fellow Cardinals sharing in the festivities included yours truly, pretty much everyone in attendance at Lonny and Cate’s wedding, Woody Redpath, Eliza Newman, Sarah Hoefle, Anika Fischer, Russ Follansbee ’09, Field Yates ’09, Nick Hayes ’09, Meredith Holmes and Casey Simchik and more.
Jeffrey Beck married his beautiful wife, Caroline Trottier, in a rambunctious ceremony in Montreal. Toasting to the newlyweds, in full black tie garb, were myself, Tim Archibald, Sam Robinson, Tony Christiano, and Beth Kenworthy. Jeff used the exact same dance moves with Caroline on his wedding day that he tried to teach me in Clark Hall freshman year. I guess you just don’t mess with what works!
As always, I hope everyone is doing well. Chime in any time via e-mail or on WesConnect!
David Layne | dlayne@wesleyan.edu