Author: classnotes

Yusaku Takeda completed his PhD at Harvard in 2022 and is now in his fourth year as a tenure-track assistant professor of organizational behavior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Outside of work, in November 2025, Yusaku represented the United States at the World Judo Championships in the masters division (ages 30–35) and placed seventh. His son is now almost two years old and is happy and well. Yusaku is happy to connect with fellow Cardinals in the Chicagoland area or the Midwest—reach out to him if you’d like to get together.

Former roommates Rachel Warner and Rachel Olfson recently reunited in the classroom. After accepting a position as an assistant instructional professor at the University of Florida this past fall semester, Warner welcomed Olfson—a triple board–trained child psychiatrist—as a guest lecturer in her expository writing course for undergraduates preparing for careers in the health professions. The fall 2025 collaboration brought together shared Wesleyan roots and a mutual commitment to teaching and mentorship. Warner and her partner were expecting a baby boy in January 2026!

The Class of 2013 is welcoming many new family additions this season!

Evan Okun welcomed his daughter into the world in March 2025. She’s already a better freestyler than him. Margot Sidman and Matt Lichtash welcomed their second son, Nathan, at the end of December 2025. They’re happily adjusting to life as a family of four! Evan Carmi welcomed his first child into the world in September. He’s been enjoying parenthood and can often be seen walking around Portland, wearing his baby girl in a homemade linen-woven wrap. Ross Gormley lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, works at Cambridge Health Alliance as a psychotherapist, and has a baby on the way in June. He writes here and there for Psychology Today and is always toying with book projects. He gets hot pot once a quarter with Jacob Eichengreen and plays in a virtual band with Henry Robertson. Ross is grateful to have avoided sunburn at the Virginia waterpark with Nate Jacobs and his bachelor crew. Nate kindly asks that no one ever wear a shirt with his face on it ever again. You can find Ross on Instagram and Midway Cafe on Friday nights. 

As one of the many civil servants whose federal service ended abruptly in 2025, James Gardner has redirected his energy toward humanitarian work in Cairo, Egypt, for 2026. He had some great mini-reunions in 2025: eating great, German cuisine with Amanda Morrow in the summer (prost!); finding an uplifting respite with Cristine Khan and Joel Hochman in NYC; playing “country tag” with the phenomenal Barbaralynn Moseman in NYC and Brussels; and enjoying an amazing moment in Cairo with Miriam Manda ’12. Wes alum or prospective students traveling through the Cairo area in 2026 are warmly welcome to reach out over Instagram—inshallah!

Zachary Malter was recently a television game show contestant on season 5 of Fox’s Name That Tune, where he was the winner of his episode. Jeanne McPhee married her husband, Danny Boessenecker, in Laguna Beach, California, in November 2025. The happy couple danced the night away with many Wesleyan alumni, including Ruby Hernandez ’11 and Peter Modera ’11, Katie Schad and Adam Purdy, Laura Volgenau, Ashley Palmieri, and Claire Larson ’15.

Prince Emenalo and his wife welcomed their third child last year, a little girl. He was also selected for Wesleyan football’s 2010s All-Decade Team. “It was nice to be honored at halftime and get to see a lot of former teammates and reconnect on old times. Go Wes!” 

Greetings, Class of 2012!

Please enjoy the following updates from your classmates:

Raghu Appasani writes, “I am living in San Francisco and loving it. Enjoying my career as a concierge integrative and addiction psychiatrist and launched a new venture capitalist–backed start-up called Ginko! Staying in touch with my close Wesleyan friends and regular hikes with Leigh Stewart ’13 and others.”

Alek Barkats and Howe Pearson have just released an album of family-friendly music!

Alek writes, “Howe and I started working on this album way back in 2021. Titles were sent back and forth, and you had to write a whole dang song for the title you got. Luckily we took it easy on each other. We recorded everything ourselves in New Orleans, Oakland, and Philadelphia. You can even hear real live New Orleans rain on the album.

“The album is silly and special and good for your heart . . . so feel we! Hope you and the kids love it.”

Laura Bliss won the award for best feature at the Northern California Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards for her article about the mismanagement of Yosemite National Park under its concessionaire, Aramark.

Ashley Garrett writes, “I lost my job this year with the federal government, but now I am working in my hometown. I am the program manager of Roxbury Worx at The American City Coalition (TACC). We are focused on connecting Bostonians to jobs in the life sciences, biotech, and green jobs.”

Alex Ketchum writes, “In June 2025, I got tenure at McGill University at the Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. My books, Queers at the Table: An Illustrated Guide to Queer Food (with Recipes)! (Arsenal Pulp Press, October 2025) and How to Organize Inclusive Events and Conferences (Microcosm, January 2026), have just come out.”

Jisan Zaman writes, “2025 was an eventful year. At the beginning of the year, I got to spend a little time with my senior year crew, JAMPZ (short for Jisan Zaman, Adrian Rothschild, Michael Inkles, and Zach Tausanovitch), at Orlando, and we checked out Universal Studios and EPCOT. It was my first time, and it didn’t disappoint.

            “Most of the year, we were busy tending to our toddler, Aktaris, as we tackle the challenges of raising a neurodivergent kiddo. As friends and family are building families of their own, it’s great to stay in touch with some of the Wesleyan family we built over decades now.”

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

Hi, Class of 2011—I hope this finds you well!

Robert Alvarez writes, “I currently have a successful art practice, based here in Austin, Texas, under the name RF. Alvarez. I make paintings—ones that depict everyday life imbued with a bit of allegory; drawing juxtapositions between a queer modern existence and the history of loneliness and machismo embedded in the Texas heritage. This past year I showed at the Armory Fair and Art Basel, as well as my first West Coast solo in Los Angeles. I’ve had solos in London and New York, and I’ve shown in Rome, Dallas, among others. In the fall I gained my first major gallery representation with Megan Mulrooney Gallery. And I had my first institutional showing at the Palm Springs Art Museum. And at the Armory Fair, I was awarded the Delfina Prize—a very prestigious, three-month residency in London, which I will be doing this upcoming fall. I’m also in the process of turning my studio into an artist’s salon here in Austin: hosting creative workshops, film screenings, art talks, and providing resources to the art community here in town.”

Eliza (Gordon) Sears graduated from the University of Texas’s Cooperative Superintendency Program with her doctorate in May 2024. She currently works with an education nonprofit (The Holdsworth Center) that focuses on building leadership capacity in educators across the state of Texas. She married her best friend, Gage, in March 2025, in Austin, with many Wesleyan friends in attendance! 

Devon Hopkins tells us, “I started a new role at Adobe and am now splitting my time between LA and the Bay Area. Getting married in May right before Reunion and looking forward to seeing everyone there!”

Look out for updates regarding Reunion—15 years!

Best,

Allie

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

Sam Schilit BA ’10, MA ’11 and husband, Jeremy Rosenweig, welcomed their daughter, Brynn Schilit Rosenweig, in July 2025. Brynn is named in memory of Alex Brynn Hartley.Brynn will grow up learning about the enthusiasm, loyalty, inquisitiveness, and generosity that Alex emanated during her time at Wesleyan and beyond. Sam also started a new position as a clinical genetics laboratory director at Labcorp in December.

Chloe Bolton shares, “My brother and I started a design studio: Objects Mathematically Generated. We will be exhibiting at Alcova during Milan Design Week in April. Would love to connect with other alumni in Milan!” Here’s Chloe’s website: omg-home.com.

Finally, Sam Egendorf has started a business with a fellow Wes alum, Sam Walker ’13. The two are partners at Range Renewables, a boutique, clean energy finance advisory firm.

Thanks, as always, to all contributors, and feel free to share notes anytime to DavidALayne@gmail.com.

Oriana Korol writes, “I was arrested in Portland, Oregon, at the ICE building on October 12, [2025], while playing my clarinet with the Unpresidented Brass Band during the Naked Bike Ride Protest.” Oriana spent three nights in the Clark County Jail. “I have been accused of assault of a federal officer, and my trial has been scheduled for May 12.

“While I was in jail, my three-year-old became obsessed with The Wizard of Oz and has remained so. Thus, I have refreshed my knowledge of all the words to the WOO songs, though she still knows them better than me. (I was disappointed with Wicked: For Good, though I did like the opening scene.)” 

Nina Gonzalez passed the exam to become a master calligrapher and instructor with the Japan Penmanship Education Association, and some of her works will be part of an exhibition at the Tenri Cultural Institute of New York in May 2026. 

The Class of 2008 continues to check in with exciting updates.

Elissa Gross started the first psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy program in the Caribbean. Located in Grand Cayman, in the Cayman Islands, she is co-founder and lead clinician working with trauma, grief, depression, and other issues to support deep healing and transformation. Come visit!

Dana (Powell) Buchbinder from Toronto still loves trees and libraries. She had a musical visit with Ruby Corbyn-Ross in Virginia, while swapping kid updates with Erica (Belkin) Allen and Tanya Llewellyn’s families.

Lyz Nardo Levy writes, “This year marked a big milestone for our family as Mila and Sofia have both entered Livingston, New Jersey’s public school system. Navigating public school for the first time has deepened my appreciation for the education I received at BB&N. I’m grateful to be able to carry forward what I learned as chair of the school’s Multicultural Night and through my work with Livingston’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and Wait Until 8th. We feel incredibly grateful to be raising our children in a community that seeks to share more than just a zip code!”

Matt Ball was elected to the Colorado State Senate, representing his community in central and eastern Denver.

Asli Sonceley tells us: “This is my very first note since graduation. I’ve been based in LA ever since, though my career refused to stay in one lane. I wandered from the film industry to start-ups, from climate activism to psych. Today, I head up marketing at a tech company. It’s ICPs and CTAs all day. For the most part though, I am bossed around by my 14-year-old dog and two kids who regularly add items to the shopping list such as ‘giant remote control monster truck,’ ‘poop,’ and ‘unicorn.’ Sleep update: I average about seven hours, which is up by an impressive 1.5 hours from last year. I think often and fondly of Casey Otto and Dave Harris [who passed away in 2024 and 2008 respectively]. I would like nothing more than a message from an old classmate. So, if you’re reading this, don’t be shy to say hello on socials. Hope you’re all safe and well!”

Finally, Marianna Foos tells us: “This year I finally made it to Mexico, which has been on the list for a long time. At Wesleyan, I took a Mesoamerican art history class and despite loving it, I was struggling with the writing requirements. I’ll always remember how the professor let me (a bio major) write my term paper on maize domestication to keep me in the class. Thank you, [visiting] Professor Carrasco! I drank so much atole in Oaxaca!”

Hello, Class of 2007, and happy 2026!  We have a few updates from your classmates. 

Grace Nowakoski is still helping families prepare to meet their new babies, both as an independent birth doula and as a prenatal educator at a hospital midwifery practice in Northampton, Massachusetts. She launched a baby-and-toddler shoe business last spring, sewing them from upcycled leather upholstery samples @OtherPossibilitiesShoes. Her own babies are four-and-a-half and seven-and-a-half, and they enjoyed making and decorating gingerbread houses last December. A visit last August from Arielle Cohen and family was a highlight!

This past year, Erika Bonnevie reconnected with fellow ’07 alumni who were part of the ’03 pre-frosh summer program, the Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI), including Joel Pratt, Luis Gutierrez, Tashia Chin, Zak Alexander, Andrew Scatola, Oni Tongo, Melissa Miller, Janet Mosley, Talya Marshall, Arturo Rivera, Phu Nguyen ’09, and Azeb Gebre. “Many of us crossed paths on campus last July. Reconnecting, reminiscing about what dorks we were (and are), and sharing where life has taken us were personal highlights of the year.” She’s looking forward to many more years of staying in touch.

Jess Chayes, along with her husband, Ben, and daughter, Sarah, has recently relocated to Washington, D.C., to take a position as associate artistic director of Studio Theatre. She is looking forward to reconnecting with Wes pals in the area. 

Pia Silva recently published her second book, Scale Solo, a no-BS business model for experts and consultants who want to charge more and deliver faster—and in which she shares a Wesleyan memory fellow alumni will appreciate.

Smith Louis says, “As for what I’ve been up to lately, I’m working at a food tech start-up in Berlin, and I got married in Copenhagen this past November.”

Dan Lee says, “On December 23, 2025, my firm, Quantify Funds, was honored to ring the opening bell at Nasdaq in Times Square. We were grateful to mark the occasion alongside family and friends who joined us to celebrate this milestone.”

Zach Webster says, “I don’t think I have given class updates in 10 years, if I ever did. After working at Wesleyan for three years, from 2007 to 2010, I decided to go back to law school. I practiced commercial real estate litigation in NYC for three years, then made my way home to California, where I practiced all legal things related to residential real estate. I hung up the law license after 10 years and now am a managing broker at Sotheby’s International Realty Inc. in San Francisco. I love the work (including managing sales agents, though I don’t sell real estate), which I never thought I would say in any job related to law. I live with my partner of nine years in the Castro, where we just bought a house, and we are loving life. Never in a million years did I see myself on this course when I was an American Studies major at Wes, without a clue in my pocket. Go liberal arts education!”

Kevin Lohela lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with his wife and two children (Oliver, age six, and June, age three). He serves as a superintendent leading urban charter schools in Rhode Island and is grateful to be participating this year in the public education fellowship at Yale’s School of Management. He loved spending precious time last spring in Baltimore with Pat Garrity and Rob Weinstock to celebrate Max Kates, and enjoys frequent backyard hangs with next door neighbor, John Wesley.

Liz Dee lives with her husband, Nick Garin ’08, in Hudson Valley, New York. She works as CEO of Edward & Sons, a natural and organic food company and is looking forward to reconnecting with friends at the next Reunion!

Rachel Berger lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, ages 12 and seven. Rachel is the senior director of nutrition and meal programs at NYC Department for the Aging, overseeing NYC’s home-delivered and congregate-meal programs for older adults. 

Nyasha Foy writes, “I am excited to report that on the professional front, I currently serve as a business and legal affairs executive at an advertising agency, as well as vice chair of the Save the Music Foundation Board, and a board member of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA). I also recently published an AI article with the New York State Bar Association, “At the Intersection of Progress and Creative Protection: Copyright and AI Battle for the Future,” and look forward to upcoming speaking engagements. On the creative front, I am pursuing a screenwriting career and recently won my first two laurels (!!) for Chili and Boots, a screenplay inspired by my maternal grandparents—both Howard Medical School–trained doctors. I’m currently writing on four episodic projects and several feature films and look forward to getting my projects into development this year. Otherwise, I’m still traveling quite a bit and hope to visit some old and new places this year. See you all in May!”

Lodro Rinzler’s eighth book, You Are Good, You Are Enough, came out in March 2026, culminating the last five years of his work studying and teaching on the notion that inherently we as humans are basically good.

Albie Bowie Miller was born December 1, 2025, to Alyssa Zahler and Stewart Miller. Big sister Liesl, born in 2023, is handling the birth of her brother remarkably well!

Sivan Cotel spent two weeks in Mexico, motorcycling the Baja Peninsula from the U.S.–Mexico border to the desert peninsula’s southern tip. The total trip distance was about the same as riding from northern Vermont to Miami!

Khay Muhammad just finished double master’s degrees in acupuncture and Chinese herbology from Pacific College of Health and Science. She is fighting the good fight and embarking on her doctorate this January with Yo San University. Phew! 

Fifteen years after earning his master’s degree in counseling at the University of Pennsylvania, David Rood-Ojalvo is completing an internship to become licensed as a mental health counselor. He is currently offering therapy to New York State residents virtually for $30 a session. For more information see his profile on Open Path Collective.

In February 2026, Natalia Ortiz was awarded the New York University MLK Faculty Award. Nominations for this award are submitted by current NYU students, and it acknowledges faculty who promote the “principles and ethos of Dr. King’s extensive global contributions in the research, teaching, leadership, and/or community-building efforts.” Natalia was honored and humbled to receive this recognition. 

Lastly, I got married in Sarasota, Florida, surrounded by close family and friends, including superheroes Andrés Méndez-Peñate and Gabe Prager. It was the best day of my life. Email your class notes to me anytime!