Author: etaylor

Juliana McLain and her now husband Zach Silversmith officially tied the knot at a beautiful and dancing filled Jain-Jewish fusion celebration in Pier 60 in New York City that I and many Wesleyan alums including Ferhad Sultani, Reina Barnswell, Jake Smith, Esthefany Castillo, Nicole Softness, Jessica Titlebaum, Nicole Okai, Lauren Seo, Will Durney, and Oren Cook had the privilege of attending. The Wesleyan fight song was definitely featured at the end of the night. Mazel Tov!

Jenna Lamm reports: “I’ve been in NYC since graduation and am now the associate director of Disability Programs at the City University of New York. Would love to connect with fellow alums who are in the field or work at an organization trying to ramp up disability hiring efforts. My students are amazing and many are looking for opportunities!”

Rachel Warner is earning her PhD in 20th-century American literature and gender and sexuality studies from UNC Chapel Hill this spring 2022.

Jay Benedith is leveraging her expertise as an instructional coach and a life coach, and founded J. Benedith Coaching Services (https://www.jbenedith.com/). Through her business, she facilitates workshops for educational entities and coaches Millennial and Gen Z educators to reach their professional goals. Furthermore, she is a contributing writer and podcast speaker for Truth For Teachers (https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/). Last but certainly not least, she is a doctoral candidate in Educational Sustainability at the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point and lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their mini-aquarium.

Take care of yourselves and keep shining.

We were all heavily impacted by the pandemic, and James Gardner managed to experience it working as the after-hours administrator in the emergency room of his Veterans Administration hospital. The federal government’s response was swift for a heavily bureaucratic agency, but he saw firsthand the toll on patients, their families, and staff alike—the uncertainty, deaths, resistance, PPE shortages, rapid change to policies, etc.—and decided to move away from frontline work. In October, James transitioned into a national VA career program for health care data analysis and informatics, where he—among funding, diversity, equity and inclusion, program analysis and other data projects for the leadership of his facility—oversaw the staff and veteran vaccination data for his facility. He’s happy to better the lives of veterans who trust him with their care in this new capacity.

Anna Swartz and her wife Netta are still camping out in the Boston area where they’ve been since the start of the pandemic. She continues to work remotely as a managing editor for the content section of Policygenius, an insurtech company. She did manage a trip back to Brooklyn in June to catch up with friends in person, including Lila Murphy and Jason Katzenstein. She hopes everyone is adjusting as well as possible to our new reality, and that any breakthrough infections are mild.

Mary Vallo and Bohao Zhou ’14 got married in July 2021 after first meeting at a performance in Crowell Concert Hall eight years ago. They were happy and grateful to celebrate with friends.

Sandy Durosier moved to Mesa, Arizona, to begin her medical education at A.T. Still University–School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. She is very excited to explore the desert and learn medicine. If you’re in the area, feel free to reach out!

Evan Okun recently finished his first year at Yale School of Management. This summer he’s working at Kapor Capital, an Oakland-based venture capital firm investing in racial and economic justice in the United States. Outside sourcing and diligencing early-stage companies, he is responsible for building the firm’s investment approach to the justice sector.

Margot Sidman and Matthew Lichtash are getting married this fall! After going on their first date to Fiore II on Main Street (shoutout to Jonathan Lis for the recommendation and Christian Lalonde for letting Matt borrow his pickup truck) and months of serenading Margot with Taylor Swift piano covers, it was inevitable that this day would come.

Best wishes to my classmates, hope everyone is staying safe and sane.

Those with class notes, please contact:

Class Notes Editor

Hi Class of 2011,

Great updates to read below. Thanks to all of you who contributed!

Kim Prosise is currently living in Boston, Massachusetts. She works as a performing artist and talent agent with her events company, Gold Arrow LLC, and spends her free time writing, hiking, and trying new desserts. She contributes to a number of causes and has become particularly passionate about premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) awareness.

Mallory Cruz writes, “I was recently invited to contribute a chapter to the book, Sincerely, Your Autistic Child. It was published back in April. It’s an anthology written by autistic individuals where we talk about our experiences growing up autistic and what we want relatives of autistic children to know and understand.”

Barbara Fenig and Patrick Cline welcomed their daughter, Eleanor, on April 8, 2021.

Ameen Beydoun (Film Studies) who is currently living in San Diego, California, tells us, “I published my first graphic novel called Habibti Pada. Available at www.ameenbeydoun.com. I was product manager for EdTech Company in Nairobi (2018–2020), launched a solar refrigeration startup in Dakar, Senegal (2018), and received a masters and MBA from Middlebury Institute of International Studies 2016–2018.” From 2015 to 2016 Ameen was an English teacher at Peace Corps Comoros and also an English teacher at Peace Corps Liberia from 2012 to 2014.

Tyler Wuthmann graduated from naturopathic medical school last month. He tells us, “An odd four years to be in medical school for sure but informative. I’m excited to start my residency in Seattle, Washington, in September. It is an integrative residency focused on family medicine and primary care at Bastyr Center for Natural Health.”

Eliza Gordon is starting her third year as an elementary school principal in Austin, Texas. She returned to the University of Texas at Austin to begin her doctorate this summer in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy in the Cooperative Superintendency Program with the hopes of completing her dissertation in three years.

Jacob Mergendoller graduated from New York University’s School of Social Work in May and started working as a psychotherapist at a community mental health center based in Manhattan (and anywhere else Zoom is available).

Thank you!

Greetings Class of 2010! We’ve got a great column this time around, with book releases, podcasts, and as usual, new jobs, babies, and weddings:

First off is Gina Yeomans reporting that she has started a new position as assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) in April. Nate Green ’09 and Gina still live in the Washington, D.C., area with their two sons, Auggie (3) and Milo (1).

Sam Schilit ’10 MA ’11 and her twin sister published their father’s book, A Moral Tail: The Life and Times of Woodchuck Village, posthumously! This illustrated chapter book is intended for kids of all ages and can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers worldwide. Please consider grabbing a copy for your little future Cardinals: all book sale profits go to Montgomery Hospice.

After a decade in New York City, Tony Zosherafatain is finally ready to embrace more chill vibes in Los Angeles (he will miss New York pizza though). He’s looking forward to new endeavors in the film industry, the sunshine, surfing, and plenty of hiking. If you’re also in the Los Angeles area, feel free to reach out to connect!

Ben Kuebrich reports that he’s launched a true crime podcast called Algorithm (find the podcast at algorithmpod.com)!

Gloria Fanchiang shares: “It’s been just over a year since moving to Los Angeles to pursue music, and I recently released a song called “God Who Sees Us” which speaks to anti-Asian hate.” Gloria adds, “I would love to connect with Wes friends locally and/or on the internet!”

Jonathan Killeen married Alisha Wielgoszinski on a beautiful July afternoon in New Hampshire. The couple was surrounded by a “strong Wes Lax showing,” including Nick “the Jiggler” Ajello, Jason Ben-Eliyahu ‘09, Lonny Blumenthal, Gavin Brennan, Colin Campbell, Nick Hayes ‘09, Dan O’Brien, Bo Pratt, Ram Sivalingam, Matt Ward and Field Yates ‘09. David Layne and Ashley Kass were not in attendance as they were busy tending to their newborn baby girl, and future Cardinal, Charlotte, who was born just days prior to the festivities.

After eight years in Philadelphia, Shannon Sun-Higginson and Andrew Murphy recently returned to New York City this summer. Shannon is currently directing two episodes of an upcoming HBO docuseries about Asian American cuisine, while Andrew recently graduated from an MD/PhD program at UPenn and is now starting his psychiatry residency at Columbia. They’ve been spending their days catching up with old friends Samantha Sherman ’09, Tara Kahn Rooks, Seth Rosen, Ian Park ’11, and Aaron Izakowitz.

Finally, Dylan Marron contributes: “I’m finishing up my first book and it’ll be out in January! Conversations with People Who Hate Me retraces my steps through the social experiment I’ve been doing for the last four years in which I call up internet strangers who have sent me negative or hateful messages and try to understand where they’re coming from. It’s out January 18, 2022!” Dylan’s book can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers.

Thanks as always to those who contributed and, as always, feel free to pass along notes real-time at DavidALayne@gmail.com, or dlayne@wesleyan.edu.

Those with class notes, please write to your class secretary.

Those with class notes, please write to your class secretary.

Greetings class of 2007! Megan is here to give you the updates on classmates as we approach our 15th (!) Reunion year.

Our ranks continue to grow with many of us expanding our families! Eric Altneu reports that he moved to Philly for his ID fellowship at Temple. And he adds, “My husband (Brookes Hammock) and I had a baby in May, Mabel Rae Altneu-Hammock.” Cortney (Tetrault) Duncan and her husband welcomed their second son, Jaxon Ryder Duncan last summer.  She continues to live and work at Kent School where she coaches the field hockey and lacrosse teams and is the director of athletics.

Peggy Gullick has been making moves in her career. She says, “I’m now the Director of the Center for Human Services Research at the State University of New York– Albany; we focus on social service program evaluation in New York state and beyond. So if anyone’s nonprofit or CBO is interested in contracting with an external group for a formal evaluation, feel free to check us out and get in touch!” She adds, “Otherwise, Nick Field ’09 and I have been in Albany for the past several years, as he progresses through his neurosurgery residency. Our son Caleb was born last spring; not many Wes friends have had the chance to meet him in person so far, but plenty have over Zoom, at least!”

Doug Rubenstein reports that he and his wife welcomed their second child (a daughter) during the pandemic and will be moving back to Los Angeles later this year. He adds, “I’m currently a recruiter at PayPal and I’m also a founder of a startup tech company called CHIP Professionals. Our goal is to provide a marketplace for people to be matched with financial professionals of color in order to improve the retention rates of financial professionals of color, as well as breakdown some of the barriers that people of color have in hiring financial professionals.”

2020 was a year of change for Sarah Sluis. She welcomed her second child, Juniper, and switched coasts to be closer to her family. After vowing not to live on the other side of a ferry, Seattle’s hot housing market convinced her otherwise, and she bought a home in April on Whidbey Island (the Hudson Valley of the West Coast?). She is working for her New York–based job 100 percent remotely, and was recently promoted to managing editor of AdExchanger. She would love to reconnect with any Seattle area–based Wes alums!

Raomej Caro reports that she’ll be attending CUNY School of Law this fall with the support and encouragement of her husband, Andrew Boatti. After the 2016 election and all the havoc that came with it, plus COVID-19 and our societal response, Raomej says, “I felt ready and compelled to get my JD and really lean into pushing for change both personally and professionally.”

Matthew Franco says, “It’s been an odd year and a half!” He continues, “I was teaching at Goucher College when COVID started and then agreed to teach as part of the Goucher Prison Education Project. I taught via Zoom into the prison for a semester, and it was tremendously rewarding. When courses were delayed/canceled for the spring, I began volunteering with Johns Hopkins at vaccination clinics. After volunteering for a few weeks, I stepped into a paid position and am helping run operations for mobile clinics that serve at-risk/marginalized communities. Before I got the job offer from Johns Hopkins, I had already signed a contract for a seasonal job working for the Maryland Park Service in a state park near Baltimore. It’s been a very busy summer, but rewarding!”

Jon Pierowicz has had a busy year. He shares that he recently got married and accepted a job as general counsel at Viridi Parente, an energy storage and battery technology company.

Annie Rorem chimes in with the news that she, along with former Home Avenue residents Erica Pasciullo Cahill, Arielle Cohen, and Nicole Tirado Strayer continue to have thoughtful conversations, late night dance parties, and outdoor adventures—with one fish, one dog, one cat, four husbands, six advanced degrees, and seven children between them.

Wishing you a wonderful fall and winter! As always, please continue to send updates to Victoria or me. And stay tuned for news about Reunion and Commencement in the spring (fingers crossed we can see each other in person)!

Please write to your class secretary.

 

Doro Globus will be publishing her first children’s book Making a Great
Exhibition this fall. Illustrated by the amazing Rose Blake, the book
introduces the journey of an artwork from an artist’s mind to an
exhibition. Doro really wanted to open up the visual art world to children
so they can visualize how a museum works, what it means to be an artist,
and what kind of creative careers are out there. The book is published by
David Zwirner Books where Doro serves as the managing director.

It can be viewed here.

Shannon McIntyre Hooper is making a few major career pivots already in 2021. After completing her executive MBA and graduating in the top 10 percent of the class at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 2020, she added the role of interim chief financial officer to her remit at ReviveHealth, a healthcare marketing and strategy agency where she’s served as chief growth officer for several years. In August, she’ll be leaving ReviveHealth and joining BehaVR, a behavioral health-focused technology company, as chief strategy and product officer. The new role will combine her passions for mental health, new media and technology environments, and high-growth entrepreneurialism.

Chris Lake welcomed his third son. The crew consists of Theodore, age 6; Wolfie, age 3; and now Fritz, age 0. They are moving from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles in September, and feel a bit nervous about it.

Jenny Mariaschin-Rudin and her husband welcomed a baby, Eloïse Chaviva Chloé, in September 2020, while Jenny also spent the pandemic at work as a clinical social worker at a Federally Qualified Health Center in New York City.  Jenny would be happy to hear from anyone in the area and wishes everyone well!

Kate Mitchell is still in Durham, North Carolina teaching high school history, where she welcomed baby Ivy in November 2020. She waited until the election results were finalized to arrive. Happy to connect with other single parents out there.

Molly Greenberg and her wife Nat Wood welcomed twins James and June in October 2020. Being pregnant during the first eight months of COVID certainly helped make quarantine more exciting, and since the babies arrived, they have definitely had their hands full in a wonderful way. The best part is that they are already close friends with other Wesleyan babies and kids, including the children of Cathy Pyenson and Jon McKinney ’04, Ann (Rush) Oliner, Ellie (Terry) Vierling, Eliza Butler and Jake Hudson, Jeremiah Friedman, and Becca Seely ’06. And of course they have a loving and doting aunt in Lucy Greenberg ’07!

Stonecutter Spirits was acquired in the fall of 2020, and Sivan Cotel is taking his first long breath in a very long time. He is currently enjoying a self-imposed sabbatical, while continuing to serve on six nonprofit and government boards. Most recently, Vermont’s state treasurer appointed Sivan to the Vermont Cannabis Control Board Advisory Committee, which is tasked by the state legislature with developing a detailed regulatory framework for Vermont’s upcoming legal cannabis marketplace.