Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 2000sPosted on

CLASS OF 2000 | 2023 | FALL ISSUE

From Chinelo Dike-Minor: “Still very much in touch with my Wes girls, Shakira Adams and Karen Alvarez ’02. Living in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and two boys, and teaching law. My PSA: I have recently learned that roasted broccoli is truly quite delicious. Who knew?”

Claudia Cruz visited Miami, Florida, in July for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention where she moderated a panel on the need for more Latino business reporters to help close the wealth gap in the U.S. A past-president of the NAHJ San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, she now teaches journalism courses at the University of Nevada, Reno. While in South Florida, Claudia met up with Anne Janet “A. J.” Hernandez Anderson (formerly De Ases). A. J.’s daughter Sienna’s 10th birthday brought the two former Hi Rise roommates together after more than a decade. A. J. is a senior supervising attorney at Southern Poverty Law Center where she helps develop and litigate individual and federal class action cases.

Anne Janet Hernandez Anderson and former Hi-Rise roommate Claudia Cruz (right) at A. J.’s daughter’s birthday July 2023 in Miami, Florida.

From Lauren Anderson: “I’m sending an update on behalf of the husband and mutual friends of a Wes friend who recently passed. . . . Yi-wen Huang  passed away on June 16, 2023. Her Wesleyan achievements included earning a Freeman Scholarship, Phi Beta Kappa, and University Honors in Chemistry. She is missed dearly by her loving husband, Bor-rong Chen, her boys, Aiden and Brandon, and the many friends she made at Wesleyan and beyond. A full obituary can be found here.”

Serena Jones is “working as a book editor at Holt and living in Rye, New York, with my three boys.” She attended a gathering of Eagle’s Nest Camp alums in Asheville, North Carolina, and had the pleasure of reuniting with former staffers AND Wes alums: Ami Student ’00, Katie Barge Paris ’01, Erin Malone ’03, and Margot Wallston ’98.

From left to right: Katie Barge Paris ’01, Ami Student, Serena Jones, and Erin Malone ’03

From Leora Wien, reporting from Los Angeles: “I met with Tony Ducret one dark and stormy night at a bar in North Hollywood. We both felt good about the outdoor air circulation and had a lot to catch up on. In June, happily gave Jessica Sanders ’99 a fabulous in-person hug. This August, I had long overdue quality time with Laura Plageman ’99 et famille in the Bay Area. As an educational therapist, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with language arts and social studies teacher Sarah Chaskes ’91.

Laura Plageman ’99 (on left) and Leora Wien

As the Class Notes were going to press, we were saddened to learn about the passing of our classmate Andrew Silverman. Please read more about him here.