CLASS OF 1993 | 2018 | ISSUE 2
Well, it’s hard to believe another Reunion has come and gone! We had a great turnout and I’ll just go ahead and speak for everyone . . . a super fun time. Hope to see even more of you at the next one! Here are the latest updates from some of our classmates:
Diego von Vacano writes, “I just saw Pete O’Brien in Kiev, where he’s been living for almost 20 years working in the wind energy sector. I am teaching at Yale this year in political science.”
Paul Arberman writes, “After 20 years living in Israel, my wife and I, with three kids in tow, moved to the U.S. I found a rabbinical position at Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Never expected to live in Florida, but I’m enjoying the work, warm weather, and the chance to vote here in the next elections. Love reading the notes on classmates and happy to hear from anyone in the South Florida area!”
Dana Wishengrad is happily never married, living with her 17-year-old daughter and (editor’s note: wicked cute!) dog in New Jersey, and finding a cure to cancer.
Also curing cancer, Jessica Kirshner writes, “I live in NYC with my husband, Dan Sommers, and our two kids: 7-year-old daughter, Rebecca, and 5-year-old son, Evan. I have been leading a team of scientists at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals developing cancer therapies for over 10 years. We love living in NYC, but I miss my friends Bay Area friends, Darcie Luce and Danielle Mahones, and Elisa Freeling in London.”
Susan Chun had a great time at the 25th Reunion. She brought her 8-year-old son to experience campus, as her wonderful time at Wesleyan will be a part of their ongoing conversations about education, opportunities, and choices. She said it was great to chat with all that she could—and to any and all, keep in touch (susan.chun@gmail.com).
Kirsten Cole writes, “I live in Brooklyn with my spouse, David, and our two kids, Max and Zeke. I’m a professor of early childhood education at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, which, most days, is my dream job. We’re active at Brooklyn Quaker Meeting where we see Morgan Harting and his family. We also see a lot of Jesse Hendrich ’94 as our kids attend the same beloved public school. Finally, though our street in Crown Heights is only one block long, it includes several Wes grads, including our immediate neighbor, Charlotte Hunter ’85 and, until recently, Doris Barry ’84 across the street.”
John Michael Sakalowsky is still racing bikes and writing, living in Newton, Mass., with his wife, son, dog, and many, many bikes. He is the VP of product and design at a Cambridge, Mass., life-science tech startup. He reports that people are always a bit surprised that he majored in English and French literature at Wesleyan.
Andrew Hazlett (andrew.hazlett@gmail.com) writes, “I live in Baltimore with my wife, Geetanjali Chander, who works on HIV and substance use interventions as a physician-researcher at Johns Hopkins. Our daughter Piya (11) is a voracious reader of books, a feminist, and an avid consumer of political news. Wesleyan ’29? After Wesleyan I worked for the Manhattan Institute, a free market think tank in New York, and at the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington. Since then, I’ve been a stay-at-home dad and I’ve worked in the nonprofit and social innovation community in Baltimore. I just finished my MFA in creative nonfiction at Goucher College. Now I’m at a crossroads. What I learned and experienced at Wesleyan has framed and influenced my whole life. If you ever want to talk, about our frosh year in particular, send me an e-mail. I’m finally writing about it.”
I’m sorry to have to report the death of Jon-Sam Frank this past September. Sam was a resident of Bay Shore, N.Y., at the time of passing. I know he is greatly missed by his friends and family.
SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com
Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com