CLASS OF 2008 | 2022 | SPRING ISSUE
The Class of ’08 has been working hard . . . at work and at producing the Class of ’43!
Emily Hauck writes, “2021 was a pretty big year for me: my husband (Julien) and I bought a house in Cahors, a small town in southwest France where we’ve been living since 2016; I (finally!) passed the French civil service exam (I work as a fundraiser for the local government); and on November 28th our son George was born!”
Kate Krems gave birth to her third child, Kaya, in May, and now she is attempting to balance being a mother of three children under five with her full-time job as an attorney. After working at her previous firm for two years, she moved to Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, a DC–based employment law firm, in November. Just to keep things interesting, she and her family will be moving to Newton, Massachusetts, in May. After the move, Kate will continue working remotely for her current firm and will appreciate being closer to her parents for help with childcare (and the beach for more cold-water surfing).
Leslie Prado writes, “We got an Australian cattle dog and named him Kona as inspiration to qualify for the Worlds Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. And most importantly, after two miscarriages in 2020, we were blessed with a baby girl this year, and her name is Valencia Mayu. Feeling extremely grateful.”
Stephanie Fungsang and Jeremy Finch ’09 welcomed a son in early 2021. He is an adorable squawking goose.
Danielle Klimashousky married Matthew Barnish (non-Wes) in September 2021 in Cape May, New Jersey. Attendees included Julia Kessler and Becky (Ehrlich) Freiman, and they all had the best time!
Grace Overbeke is cited in All Events In for leading a discussion on “The Many ‘Mrs. Maisels’: A History of Jewish Women Comedians” on January 20. Overbeke is an assistant professor in the theater department of Columbia College with a focus on comedy writing and performance. She received her BA in theater and English from Wesleyan.
Nic Benacerraf recently stepped down from his longtime role as co-artistic director of The Assembly (founded with fellow Wes alums)—though he still serves enthusiastically on the company’s board. He founded a new group called Edge Effect, a “think-and-do-tank” that brings together scholars, scientists, activists, artists, journalists, technologists, (etc.), to dismantle the techniques of mass persuasion in our everyday lives (www.edgeeffectmedia.org/). He writes, “We are building our polydisciplinary network; reach out if interested! Work continues on the dissertation, and on live performances—including the upcoming immersive hip-hop/soul/funk concert: CANNABIS! A Viper Vaudeville.”
Marianna Foos writes, “Geoff Parsons ’88 and I were authors on a gene therapy paper in the New England Journal of Medicine in December. Geoff is an expert in many things scientific, as well as puns and gifs, and is a pleasure to work with. Clearly the fruits of a liberal arts education!”