Author: classnotes

Leslie Lai writes, “I met up with several Wes friends recently! Xian Hui Ang ’15 and I visited Michael Leung ’15 in Philadelphia in late October. A rugby game, several happy hours, and a weekend long of nonstop chats later, my mind and body were replenished. I enjoyed grabbing ‘work’ lunches with Reese Sy ’13 in Cambridge where our offices are just a few blocks away from each other. Angela and Paul Hanakata and I got our kiddos together for the first time. Nothing beats seeing new friendships form.” 

Chelsie Green writes, “I moved to Los Angeles in the summer after working at Wes for a year, which was quite the experience! It’s been great to reconnect with so many people from Wes over here (sometimes by accident, which is always a sweet surprise). I’m working as a psychotherapist and co-writing a book about college mental health with another Wes alum, Christopher Willard ’01, coming out via Oxford University Press next year. I’m also completing a program to become an Ayurvedic practitioner to fold that into my holistic wellness business. Otherwise, I’m mostly obsessed with American Girl dolls, the Norwegian language, and skin-care products.”

Isabel Stern writes, “My Wesleyan sweetheart, Donnie Cimino ’15, and I got married! We had tons of Wes alums in attendance ranging from Class of ’74 to Class of ’21! The fight song was sung.” 

Reunion note: Chelsie and I are very much looking forward to celebrating our 10-year reunion on campus, May 23–26, 2023. It is amazing how quickly time is beginning to move. Don’t forget to book lodging soon. I am told rooms on campus will be in very short supply and therefore very expensive! If you wait for registration to come out, it will likely be too late to secure something close to campus and/or affordable. In speaking to several of our class members who have already booked on Airbnb, there are certainly great choices available, but they are going quickly, and prices are increasing!

Go Wes!!

Please send news to your class secretary.

Greetings from sunny Los Angeles! Please enjoy the following updates from your classmates:

Andrew Dominguez has moved out to Durham, North Carolina, after living in Los Angeles for a decade. And while he misses all his SoCal Wes pals, the great cinemas, and the excellent hiking, he’s thrilled to be back in school. Andrew is in the middle of a two-year program at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment where he’s run into quite a number of awesome Wesleyan alums of various vintage who have graduated from the same program, are currently classmates of his, or are teaching or studying elsewhere at Duke. (He’d include their names but he can’t be bothered to ask for their releases). Outside of the Duke bubble, he also gets to hang with Noa Borkan and little baby Aviva. If anyone is ever in the Triangle Area or is thinking about also moving to this cozy part of the country, say hey!

Ashley Garrett writes, “After serving on the SPARK Council for one year, I am a captain for the council, which helps connect young adults to leaders in local government, city services, and one another in Boston. I’ve recruited Ashley Slay ’11, Olivia Grant ’14, and Genelle Faulkner ’13.”

Noah Heau is currently a field researcher within the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment. He is also involved in tenant organizing in conjunction with Astoria Tenants Union (ATU) and other autonomous tenant-driven organizations. His band, the Arcane Insignia, released the first single of their second album in October.

Marjorie Romeyn-Sanabria writes, “After three years living and working in Washington, D.C., and another three living and working back home in New York, I’m in my final year of law school at Syracuse. Graduation day can’t come soon enough! Law school in your 30s during the COVID era has been a wild ride, but I don’t regret it for a moment. I studied abroad in London this past summer, and I’m planning another shorter study abroad trip to Switzerland in the spring. Time is going by fast, but the adventures are still plentiful. I’m still the same 21-year-old who packed two suitcases and went to Taiwan over a decade ago as a junior at Wes.”

Jake Schofield is in his seventh year of teaching high school science research in Yonkers, New York, and has been getting lots of volunteer help from New York–based Wes friends who’ve met and mentored some his students, including Jesse Humm, Christian McLaren ’13, Alek Barkats, and Katherine Mullins. “Our school is expanding our science and college-access programming to Jersey City, New Jersey, and Nashville, Tennessee, if you or anyone you know is interested!” Shoot Jake an email at Jake.Scho@gmail.com.

AhDream Smith is happy to share that she recently made her off-Broadway debut in Mint Theater’s world premiere of Partnership by Elizabeth Baker. She was offered the understudy role for all the female parts in the play (five to be specific: Kate Rollings, Maisie Glow, Miss Blagg, Miss Tracey, and Lady Smith Carr-Smith), with a guarantee to go on as Lady Smith Carr-Smith for the final week of performances. It was a privilege to be stretched in such a way and to work with director Jackson Gay again, who she had the pleasure of working with in graduate school. Since the show closed on November 12, she has had several auditions ranging from lead regional theater roles to Broadway and TV. She has also been busy utilizing her talents in the audiobook arena. Last fall she partnered with Learning Ally (a nonprofit that makes audiobooks more accessible for students that have reading challenges) as a primary narrator on their roster and this fall she recorded her first audiobook for Recorded Books. With all these new developments, she is excited to see what the new year has in store.

Rhyan Toledo writes, “This year I’m celebrating 10 years in NYC! I currently live in West Harlem with my partner and our cat, Wilbur. I’m in the fifth year of my PhD program in clinical psychology at City College where I’m working on my dissertation, which explores LGBTQ+ young adult experiences of religion and spirituality. I’ve also been advocating for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the occupation of Palestine. I encourage other alumni to sign the divestment petition calling on Wesleyan to divest from companies profiting off Israeli occupation and apartheid.”

Jisan Zaman writes, “In 2023 my wife, Alissa, and I were lucky enough to welcome our son, Aktaris, into this world. And we all got to celebrate the wedding of our friends Emma Gorin and Zach Tausanovitch in June.”

The Warfish crew of Adam Ilowite, Noah Feingold, Peter Frank, Phil Hall-Partyka, Jeremy Koegel, Julian Silver, Kevin Walters,and David Wei were excited to get together in November for their most recent tournament in Salt Lake City. Congrats to Adam and Jeremy on the win and to those in the group with newborns or babies on the way! 

Thanks to those who contributed and feel free to pass along notes at any time.

Max Slater and his wife, Megan, welcomed boy-girl twins last year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their older son Levi started pre-kindergarten this fall. Max is working as an administrative law judge, and recently earned a black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu, as well as his CrossFit L1 coaching certification. He is constantly in awe of his wife’s badassery as a civil rights litigator.

Greetings Wesleyan community! Please enjoy the following updates from the Class of 2010:

We have three publications to report!

Rebecca Turkewitz recently published her debut book, a spooky, literary, short story collection titled Here in the Night, with Black Lawrence Press. It’s got dark New England woods, a boarding school murder mystery, queer ladies telling each other ghost stories, and lots of people still awake when they really should be sleeping! https://blacklawrencepress.com/books/here-in-the-night/

Phil Singleton adds, “I published my first novel and made it an audiobook as well! Daybreaker is the story of the titular spaceship as it ‘tows’ the earth to a new star after our sun mysteriously goes supernova.” Phil’s book can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/DAYBREAKER-Book-1-Phil-Singleton-ebook/dp/B0BX4SBBZK/

Carolyn Sinclair-McCalla recently published a children’s book entitled, We Can Walk Around with Everything. It is the Good News of Jesus Christ, penned to help parents and grandparents share their faith with their children, and beautifully illustrated by Kamar Thomas. It is available from Westbow Press, on Amazon, and wherever books are sold.

Shannon Sun-Higginson and Andrew Murphy were thrilled to welcome their daughter, Kira, in March of this year. Kira currently loves eating books, splashing around in the tub, seeing dinos at the museum, and shaking her shaky egg. Kira has loved meeting her aunts and uncles Yulhee Cho ’11, Gabriel Furtado, Samantha Sherman ’09, Tara Kahn Rooks,and Aaron Izakowitz .

Elizabeth Larner changed her last name to Leonard. She adds that she “finally got around to it after getting married more than four years ago.” And in more exciting news, she and her husband welcomed their second son, Adam, in August. 

Dan Heinrich Manuyag is currently based in Los Angeles and is fortunate to be still able to build community, travel, and create art with NYC–based Chelsea Rodriguez, Lorena Estrella, and Genesis Grullon through the Reading and Writing Rainbow Collective. This December he celebrated the adult Bar Mitzvah of Miles Tokunow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mazel tov, Miles!

Lorena Estrella is back in the printshop dusting off old type, slinging ink, and learning the art of letterpress printing. She has also been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza by making and distributing free posters and stickers, attending local protests, and reading Palestinian poetry. Dan Heinrich has joined Lorena in this effort by attending local rallies and sharing Lorena’s and other alumni’s protest artwork. Dan and Lorena are joined by Lex Horan, Leah Lucid, and Miles in encouraging alumni to move Wesleyan toward divestment from “companies profiting off Israeli occupation and apartheid.” Feel free to reach out to them for further details regarding a circulating alumni petition.

Thanks as always to those who contributed and, as always, feel free to pass along notes anytime to DavidALayne@gmail.com.

Please write to your class secretary.

Lucia Pier lives in Los Angeles. Last fall she was organizing with local groups to advocate for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. She signed the alumni letter calling on Wesleyan to divest from companies that profit off Israel and its ongoing war in Gaza. Other classmates have also signed this petition, including Jessie Spector.

Lauren Goldman writes: “I am finishing law school on December 15, 2023, at City University of New York School of Law.

            “I have enjoyed spending time with Aleya Brahmachary, Rashida Richardson, and Adit Shah in New York last fall. Last summer, I studied in London at Queen Mary University of London, where I was lucky to see Caroline Janin, Armando de Moura Palha Filho, and Tara Moore.”

Hello, ’07 classmates! Megan here with a few updates. First of all, I need to give a little shout-out to my co-secretary, Victoria Belyavsky Pinsky. In October, she ran her debut 26.2-mile race at the Wineglass Marathon. Congratulations, Victoria!

In other news, Laura Catana reports that she recently joined the marketing team at Symphonic Distribution where she manages marketing teams across the U.S. and Colombia. She was also invited to join an artist management collective as the artist relations lead and works closely with musicians to develop their musical careers. Although she is always planning her next international adventure, Laura is back stateside and currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

Sarah Elmaleh also has some exciting career updates. She says, “2023 was big for games I’d worked on for years finally releasing: as a voice actor, Hi-Fi Rush, [and] as a voice director, The Lamplighter’s League, Goodbye Volcano High, and more Fortnite. But the biggest project by far has been chairing the Interactive Negotiating Committee at SAG-AFTRA. At the time of writing, we’ve been negotiating with the major game publishers over issues like wages, safety, and AI for over a year—with luck by the time of publishing, we’ll have a deal that protects performers in our space. Best wishes to all my fellow ’07s!”

Nicholas Nauman said, “I have disengaged with Wesleyan in recent years: at our 10-year reunion, I watched President Roth deflect students who were incredulously angry at the University’s decision to override student and staff organizing for divestment from apartheid Israel. This is why I’ve reengaged: the organizing has persisted and we can all take part.”

As always, we are eager for your updates! If you have news (big or small!), please send it to your class secretaries, Megan and Victoria, at the email addresses below. Wishing you all a peaceful and prosperous 2024.

Mel McCrea received an MA in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is in clinical practice with Sessions Psychotherapy and is accepting new clients in California.

Lorraine Umwiza Githiora says, “I’m expecting my first child in June 2024! That’s the biggest news I can think of. 🙂 . . . . I am in New York, working as a program manager for CUNY. The granny hobbies I picked up as a child continue to bring me solace—jigsaw puzzles, fiber arts, and baking.”

Elena (Won) Kermah says, “I am currently living in Pennsylvania. I have six kids, who are all being homeschooled. My husband is working on his PhD in Hebrew bible. We returned from living in Israel a few years ago and are planning to do international Christian missions in West Africa as our long-term goal.”

Alex Pfeiffer Reynolds “spent a great four days lounging on the beach and eating tacos with Adam Maxwell and his family, [who were] visiting from Steamboat Springs, down in Las Gaviotas, Rosarito, Baja Mexico. We had a great time catching up and shared some laughs about how we first met, living next door to each other on Clark 1 freshman year!” 

Psyche Cassandra Dunkhase shares, “I continue my work as a professional cellist and teaching artist in the greater Boulder, Colorado, area, where I stayed after receiving a master’s of music degree in cello performance from the University of Colorado. Three years ago I founded Cellists for Change, a nonprofit that aspires to build a more equitable, inclusive, and connected world by investing in young people while making sustained progress toward paradigm shifts within the classical music sphere. Check us out at www.cellistsforchange.org! I travel to Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on a regular basis to work with Escuela de Cuerdas, a school of music partnered with Cellists for Change, and volunteer with a cleft lip/palate medical mission through Rotary International. When not teaching or performing, I enjoy foraging with my herbalist nurse wife out the backdoor of our high-altitude permaculture home, reading in front of a cozy fire with our two orange kittens, and dreaming up Cellists for Change’s next big project!”

Jesse Young married Michele Viterise at a ceremony near their home in Washington, D.C., on September 23, 2023, where they were joined by their dear Wes friends Katey Rich, Nat Webb, Nicole Weiskopf, Rachel Wertheimer, Hayley Stokar, Dana Raviv, Paul McElfresh, Rae Kaplan ’07, Jessica Chayes ’07, Margaret Dickson ’07, Lauren Smith ’07, as well as Jesse’s brothers, Zach Young ’08 and Ethan Young ’13! And, yes, they all sang the Wes fight song, as well as MGMT’s Kids (the unofficial Wes fight song).

Nina Eichacker and Johann Patlak and their “two daughters (now eight and six!) are keeping on keeping on in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, where we are all loving life in the Ocean State. If you find yourself in those parts, please reach out!” Nina is working as an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island; Johann is an anesthesiologist working at Rhode Island Hospital. 

Sam Han says, “After living in Perth, Australia, I moved to London with my partner, Ruth, in 2022. I continue to teach sociology and media studies, now at Brunel University. My latest book, The Concept of Tragedy: Its Importance for the Social Sciences in Unsettled Times, was published in April by Routledge. When not reading, writing, and teaching, I’ve been walking around the city with Ruth and making photographs in earnest and have been posting quite a bit on my Instagram (@dolo.graphs).”

Naomi Goldenson contributed, “I’ve moved to Montreal to start a job as the director of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) Regional Information for Society (RIFS) International Project Office. Quite a mouthful, so you start to understand why there are so many acronyms. I’ll miss seeing Sarah Weigle and family around Seattle, but excited to explore and try to catalyze research to inform regional decision-making.”

Ché Landon, who lives in Los Angeles with their wife, Kiki, has been working at Amazon MGM Studios for the past two years as the lead DEIA creative executive for Prime Video U.S. Movies and Sports Original Series. Their purview recently expanded to include EU Local Original Series and Movies. They traveled to London on assignment in January to implement country specific diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across EU content and production slates. 

Delilah Lora wrote, “I was promoted to head of Upper School at New York City independent school The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine.”

Lodro Rinzler and his wife, Adreanna, welcomed their daughter, Ruby, into their lives in June 2023. Lodro continues to write books and teach Buddhism from their home in upstate New York. 

David Rood-Ojalvo lives in Rockaway Beach, Queens, where he and his partner, Alice Buttrick, were expecting the birth of their first child in January 2024.