CLASS OF 2006 | 2025 | SPRING ISSUE
2006 ARCHIVES | HOME
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Sara Cohen Schmidt and Justin Schmidt write, “In June, we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Weeks later, we embarked upon a yearlong family sabbatical and are currently traveling around the world with our three children (12, 9, and 5). While this decision surprised even us, we are enjoying immersing ourselves in different cultures as we prioritize finding educational experiences, pushing outside our comfort zones, and eating copious amounts of delicious food. We will return home to Kirkland, Washington, in July 2025, where in our ‘regular lives’ Sara works as a clinical psychologist in private practice, and Justin is a music publicist. We hope to see many of our Wes friends at our 20th (ack) Reunion next spring!”
Christopher Rodriguez shares, “So, this year was big for me and the family. I completed my MSN in nursing (AGACNP, adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner), received my APN license, and I am just starting as an infectious disease nurse practitioner. I’ve caught up to my amazing wife, who is also a nurse practitioner, and we are raising four awesome boys!”
Mike Butterfield completed a 200-hour, trauma-informed, yoga instructor course, just got back from Nepal, and is “certifiably stoked!”
Mara Baldwin and her family continue to balance time between Ithaca, New York, and Red Hook, New York, where she and her partner teach at Bard College. Mara has upcoming exhibitions of work on view at SUNY Cortland’s Dowd Gallery (spring), Albany International Airport (summer), and Ithaca College’s Handwerker Gallery (fall). She will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, from June to August as an artist in residence at the McColl Center. She was able to reconnect with Wesleyan friends, Maggie Starr and Sarah Gunther, and to meet newest members of each of their respective families earlier this year. Mara is looking forward to connecting with many more at reunion in 2026!
Nate Baumgart continues to run his food-tour business in Denver, Colorado, and he and his wife welcomed their second daughter, Lena, in April 2024, after more than two years of fertility treatments. He no longer runs the Wes alumni group in Colorado but always has a discount code for Wes grads interested in experiencing Denver’s great food scene.
Gabe Tabak recently became assistant general counsel at the American Clean Power Association, where he represents the renewable energy industry before agencies and courts. He and his family (wife, Ruth, and their third- and first-grade daughters) live in Eugene, Oregon, down the street from official WesSiblings-in-law, Jeremy Brown ’08 and Kara Schnoes ’07. Aaron Tabak ’08 visits his nieces regularly as well.
Awilda Rivera just released a second edition of her book, Success Math: A Millennial’s Qualitative Approach. Artemis World Travel, her full-service travel company, just celebrated two years of making people’s travel dreams come true.
After moving out of NYC during COVID, Dan Lee is now in El Dorado Hills, California, and recently traveled to Japan and Korea with his family. He was able to catch up with Dr. Keitaro Nakamoto in Tokyo, and Sunho Hwang ’05 and Jaesung Ryu in Seoul.
Risa (Dubin) Cyr writes, “I’m entering my ninth year as a doctor at Cornell University’s student health center, in my hometown of Ithaca, New York. My most recent hobbies include quilting, raising backyard chickens, and being the number one fan for my 12-year-old son, Atticus, who has gotten into musical theater and recently played Uncle Fester in The Addams Family.”
Nicole Bowen writes, “Hello, fellow classmates: The big 40 can definitely be an intimidating milestone. I know I’m certainly feeling my age and progression to obsolescence. As for what I’ve been up to . . . I’ve been working as a freelance medical writer in oncology, creating content in continuing medical education. The transition to self-employment has definitely, significantly improved my overall health and work-life balance. Have any of y’all made this transition as well? I’d be happy to connect with anyone interested in the field of medical writing or just to catch up. Just hit me up on LinkedIn.”
Kate Thorpe recently completed her PhD in English from Princeton and is currently launching a venture, GradTLC: Graduate Thriving and Learning Connection, to help graduate students learn and thrive. She is currently living in Seattle with her husband, Andre, and three “little-ish” ones, ages 1, 3, and 12.
Joel Bhuiyan recently started a new job as director of project management at Hunger Solutions New York (HSNY), based in Albany, New York. He now lives in Clifton Park, New York, with his wife, two daughters, and son. If you find yourself in the Capital Region, give him a shout!
Dana Taussig is living in the Adirondacks. She and Lydia Blanchard meet up to cold plunge in Lake Champlain when Lydia isn’t traveling with her family or other women with wanderlust (you can join Lydia, too, at myadventuregang.com!)
Jane (Maxson) Hendrickson | jane.s.hendrickson@gmail.com