Author: Randi Alexandra Plake

Mara writes this time: Rebecca Schiff’s first book, a collection of stories called The Bed Moved, was published by Knopf in April. I remember Rebecca’s writing from college and can’t wait to read it.

Adriana Laser contributed two articles, “Becoming SHE” and “Nursing Solace,” which were featured in the book Being a Woman Surgeon, published by Gordian Knot Books.

Christopher C. Jeffries, of counsel at Kramon & Graham, has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Maryland Super Lawyers for his work in business litigation and civil litigation. Chris has been selected to appear in the directory every year since 2010.

Eric Schultheis writes, “I’m about to finish my PhD at MIT in August and then I hope to travel for a few months before continuing my efforts to never stop going to school and to continue collecting degrees.” We wish you well in that endeavor, Eric!

Ross Evangelista sits on the board of a nonprofit art space in Manhattan called Participant, which he notes might be the last of its kind.

Don Kim reports daughter Madison was born last Dec. 8, weighing in at six pounds.

Emily Archibald and Ben Paradise welcomed their second son, Walter Vincent Paradise, in August.

Rebekah Raleigh writes, “I recently became the executive producer at Rotary International, which means I lead a team of photographers, producers, et al, highlighting Rotary’s great works around the world. I’m pretty excited about it. If any Wesleyan alumni are working with Rotary projects around the world, I’d love to hear what they are doing. We’re always looking for new stories to cover.”

Michael Polson writes, “I was just awarded a PhD in anthropology from CUNY Graduate Center for my work on the marijuana economy in Northern California. I’ve just landed a visiting professor job at American University, too, where I’m resurrecting my Wes training in queer and feminist studies for a course on Sex, Gender and Culture. Other than that, I’m living the post-hippie West Philly life and trying to remember what my hobbies were before grad school colonized my existence.”

“We’ve moved to Frankfurt, Germany,” reports Chris Saenger. “I’m still working for USAID, starting a four-year Foreign Service tour at our support platform for the Middle East. Before leaving D.C., I enjoyed a wonderful reunion with 80 Home Ave. housemates and our growing brood.”

Rachel Chasan, husband Uri Felsen, and son, Izzy, welcomed twin boys to the family, Nathaniel Henry Felsen and Leo William Felsen, last July.

Lauren Bloom Hanover is serving as the interim artistic director at Profile Theatre in Portland, Ore., where she lives with her husband and 15-month-old daughter. If you are passing through, get in touch!

Jim Isler edited a narrative feature film, Claire in Motion, which premiered in South By Southwest in March. The cinematographer was Andreas Burgess. Jim and his wife, Emily Barth Isler, welcomed their second child, Max, in January of 2015.

Peter Colvin writes, “I continue to work at the San Diego VA hospital/UCSD doing post-traumatic stress disorder clinical research with veterans. My wife and I have a 3-month-old, Joaquin Ozzy, who looks like a fat baby monkey; we are concerned he is not going to grow up with the East Coast edge. We are embracing the California lifestyle with triathlons and surfing.”

Eli Wise (formerly Eli Sheridan) is finishing his fifth year teaching Orff music and movement at Kaiser elementary school. He’s released another full studio album, Let My Tethers Fall, that’s available at eliwiseband.bandcamp.com. He’s also singing with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, keeping busy with his private music studio, and collaborating with local musicians and choreographers.

Kathryn Van Nimwegen Lachenmaier is now busy chasing after two little ones, with the addition of her son, Bradley, last May. She continues to enjoy her work at Kindering, serving the birth-to-three population with special needs. She’s especially enjoying teaching a class for children with significant motor challenges, creating a welcoming space for families to have their first preschool experience.

Amy Larkin Gelbach answered my call for praiseworthy nonprofits and writes, “I am back in my beloved hometown and volunteering (alongside my dad, Robert Gelbach ’63) for a great organization called New Haven Reads. We work one-on-one with public school students to help them develop their skill and love of reading.

Lauren Singerman writes in, “In 2015 I co-created, produced, and starred in my Web series, Precious Cargo, which was directed by my buddy, Ben Simington. Precious Cargo is a comedic series about the trials and tribulations of two sisters who tutor the fanciest kids in NYC, and it will be released this spring. I’m currently Salma Hayek’s on-set speech coach for her new film, Drunk Parents, in which she costars with Alec Baldwin.”

Bhavna K. Bhandari Mahal moved to Orlando, Fla., with her husband and two sons. She writes, “I am a NY-licensed attorney, originally from New Jersey, but here in Florida, I am preparing for the Florida bar exam and working as an advocate for special needs children in the public schools. Funding for public services and amenities in the schools is a very different story down here than in the North.” Despite the uphill battle, she is finding the work extremely rewarding.

Elizabeth Savage is practicing law in Portland, Ore., and she and her husband welcomed their second daughter last October.

Erica Gersowitz Bond recently took a job as special adviser for criminal justice and public safety to New York City’s First Deputy Mayor and would love to hear from any alumni working on criminal justice issues or in NYC government.

Just last night I caught up on the latest episodes of The Circus on Showtime, co-executive produced by Mary Robertson. The show intimately tracks the presidential election almost in real time. Riveting stuff. Why am I not surprised?

Thank you for writing in. Until next time,

ARYN KALSON-SPERANDIO | arynsperandio@yahoo.com

MARA VOUKYDIS | maravee@gmail.com

George Obulutsa is still going strong as a correspondent for Reuters News, based in Nairobi, and had the pleasure of covering Pope Francis’s visit to Kenya in 2015.

Marisa LaScala and Jesse Hassenger ’02 welcomed their daughter, Eloise, in October. They live in Brooklyn in an apartment almost big enough for the three of them.

Coe Hoeksema (Will) and husband Craig, welcomed their son Owen Calder Hoeksema on Aug. 24, 2015. He is so delightful that Coe quit her architectural marketing job of 10 years at FXFOWLE and took a position as marketing manager for WE Design in Brooklyn, within walking distance of her apartment. She continues her freelance architectural photography work on the side.

Neville Galloway-Williams began a year-long clinical psychology post-doc in PTSD at the Baltimore VA in July 2015. She, her partner Joshua, and their daughter, Alice, welcomed baby Louis in Dec. 2015. The family of four continues to enjoy Baltimore, and they have been lucky enough to hang out with Rachel Gooze ’02 and Amy Sanchez ’02. Anyone in the Baltimore area is welcome to come hang out!

Arcelie Reyes and Evan Newell ’02 welcomed their third child, Cassius, on Feb. 2. Cassius was born peacefully at home and is getting lots of loving attention from his older siblings, Kingston and Phoenix. Arcelie has been busy attending other Brooklyn mothers and babies as a birth doula and providing postpartum support, including lactation counseling and babywearing tutorials.

Bethany Caruso completed her doctorate in public health at Emory University in mid-December 2015, and just two weeks later she and her husband, Matthew Freeman ’00, welcomed their daughter, Hannelore Scout Caruso Freeman. Bethany and Matt both work at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory.

AMY TANNENBAUM | atannenbaum@wesleyan.edu

Baby boom, courtesy of the class of 2004! Plus more of our classmates finding love, finding their passion, and doing amazing work in this world.

Ashley Elia Weller and Kyle Weller welcomed baby boy Jett Ryan one Jan. 22, 2016. As weather systems seem to align with all Weller major life events, Jett was born during a snow storm in New Jersey. Luckily with Facetime, visitors were still able to meet the little guy in his first days (including me, from over here in Switzerland). With his long fingers, toes and limbs, he just might be a baller like his mom! Ash and Kyle are elated, and adjusting to life as new parents.

Malia Shelton Kuss and husband Josh Kuss will be welcoming their first child, a baby boy, in March. An early congratulation to these San Diegans, who are loving life in the Golden State!

Joshua Kaye and Megan Ridley-Kaye ’05 welcomed their son Benjamin Ridley Kaye (‘37?) in November. They are overjoyed. Megan has just returned to work as an in-house attorney at Noble Americas, focusing on structured finance and mergers and acquisitions, but also fielding the occasional call from a freighter captain. Josh is a litigator at Paul Weiss, where in addition to representing a wide range of corporate clients, he devotes a substantial portion of his practice to marriage equality and LGBT rights. He represented Edie Windsor in her successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act in the Supreme Court in 2013. He is currently representing married gay couples who are challenging Mississippi’s blanket ban on gay couples adopting.

Lauren Pearlman and Fletcher Durant ’03 have had a busy year, first with a move from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Gainesville, Fla., where they both started tenure track jobs at the University of Florida. Lauren is an assistant professor in the History and African American Studies Departments, and Fletcher is a preservation librarian. In November, they welcomed Milo Freeland Durant into the world. He joins older brother, Felix, who has quickly accumulated all the blue-and-orange clothing a boy could need. They welcome visitors to Florida to stay in their guest house—Julia Pearlman ’10 has already visited several times!

Gregory Heller and his wife, Diana Lind, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Theodore Douglas Heller, on Nov. 24, 2015. They have been celebrating with Wes friends Katherine Gajewski ’02, Liz King ’03, and their neighbor, Brad Moss ’80. In addition to their family growing, Greg’s organization, ACT, has also grown exponentially, now working on community development projects in 27 U.S. cities. Last year, Next City featured Greg in a piece titled “This CEO Wants to Change the Real Estate Game for Low-Income Neighborhoods.” Greg also received the honor of being named Urban Innovator by Urban Innovation Exchange—a project of the Kresge Foundation and Meeting of the Minds to identify the nation’s top urban leaders. If you want to learn more, you can also check out his TEDx Philadelphia talk, discussing how “social impact real estate” can transform our cities: youtube.com/watch?v=1ueVS1acOgo

Joseph Berman married Sarah Novick last summer. He also started working with Jewish Voice for Peace in D.C., working for justice, equality, and human rights for Palestinians and Israelis.

Rebecca Solow has been living in Geneva, Switzerland, for the past year, and working at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria. Rebecca and husband, Scott Griffin, were married in October, and had a wonderful time celebrating with the many Wes alums in attendance, including Josh Kaye, Megan Ridley-Kaye ’05, Jon Lashley, Alden Ferro, Dael Norwood, Michelle Paul, and “Maid of Dishonor” Susan Manikas. They look forward to heading back to New York in March, where Rebecca will rejoin the Boston Consulting Group.

Katie Schoendorf and Noah Nattell were married in Big Sur, California, on September 5th, 2015. The ceremony was officiated by Emma Alpert and Krishna Andavolu, with music by Joaquin Cotler ’05 and Steven Gravatt. The wedding party included Mark Hatch-Miller, Rose Lichter-Marck, and Aaron Schoonhoven. Others Wesleyan alums in attendance: Robbie Botta ’05, Katy Clark-Spohn Botta ’05, Carl Cervone, Laurel Daen ’05, Andrea Garcia, Ben Goldwasser ’05, Lucas Jansen, Aaron Lowenstein ’98, Jesse McIntosh ’05, Lindsey Reynolds, Lindsay Rodgers ’06, and Peter Thilly. The couple recently moved to Los Angeles, where Noah is a fellow in obstetrics and gynecology with a focus in family planning at the University of Southern California.

Jeremy Levinn is a financial planner at an independent firm (Financial Life Focus) in the greater NYC area that is working to re-shape the industry, and is helping their clients make decisions that align with both financial goals and personal values. Their approach is simple: they don’t sell anything except expertise, and don’t get paid by anyone, except their clients. Financial Life Focus is part of a small minority in a sea of brokers and insurance salesmen acting as “advisers” but really pushing product. The firm works with people of all ages and financial means, including clients in their 30s, faced with important financial decisions, but typically ignored for lack of millions of dollars. It’s his great hope that more of the smart, thoughtful graduates of Wesleyan will eventually help change this industry for the better.

Jenina Nuñez | jenina.nunez@gmail.com

Meeghan Whooley Ward | meeghan.w.ward@gmail.com

Greetings class of 2007! As we welcome spring, we also begin the countdown to our 10-year Reunion. Between new family additions and exciting career moves, our class has been busy. Mark your calendars—we’ll have a lot to catch up on at the tent party next May!

Wedding bells have been ringing for many of us and the big day often provides a great opportunity to see old friends. Frani Geiger was excited to celebrate with her 35 Home Ave. housemates Ben Levinger, Scott Diamond, Loren Adler, and Brandon Stein at her wedding in November. To add to the excitement, the whole 35 Home Ave. crew was able to spend time with the first baby in the group, Desmond Levinger!

Molly Shuster married Edward Otocka on Sept. 12, 2015, in her hometown in Massachusetts. Many Wes friends were in attendance, including Victoria Santoro, Tiffany Lo, Elise Meyer, Amanda Belichick, Nicole Foley Clement and Lirra Schiebler Hill. Molly and Eddie recently moved to Riverside, Conn., with their two dogs, Penelope and Shiloh. Molly continues to work as a freelance food stylist and writer. Her first cookbook is slated to be published in 2017 by Hachette Livre.

Yoni Rabino and Naomi Ray-Schoenfeld also got married this past summer! Yoni recently started a distillery called Neversink Spirits, where they make apple brandy, whiskey, and other liquors for people to enjoy. Naomi is a nurse practitioner working in NYC and they are living in Queens.

Over this past New Year’s—as they’ve done for several years running—Arielle Cohen, Erica Pasciullo Cahill, Annie Rorem, and Nicole Tirado Strayer got together for a celebration and adventure. These friends have had plenty to celebrate recently, including Nicole’s wedding to Vlad Gutkovich, and Erica’s to Chris Cahill—both in 2014. Arielle, a family nurse practitioner serving un- and under-insured patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center in Santa Rosa, and Nicole, a developmental psychology doctoral student looking forward to her 2016 graduation from Stanford University, live in nearby neighborhoods in Oakland. On the other side of the country, Erica, in the third year of her obstetrics and gynecology residency at George Washington University, and Annie, recently hired as the senior research manager for the National Women’s Business Council, are also lucky enough to live within walking distance of each other. These women look forward to welcoming Erica and Chris’ new baby into the mix in April of this year!

The Class of 2007 is also doing its part to fill future Wesleyan classrooms. Robert Chang writes, “Our oldest daughter Angelina is now 23 months old and we are expecting the arrival of her baby sister in March. We also just bought a house back in my hometown of Bethesda, Md. The girls are now within walking distance to the same primary and secondary schools that their father attended.”

In December, Abby Bader Bullock and her husband, Jon, welcomed baby daughter, Juniper Lou.

Melissa Mondesir Miller and her husband, Andrew, celebrated the birth of their son, Theodore Olivier, on Nov. 29, 2015. Theo can’t wait to have play dates with fellow Wes babies in NYC! Melissa also completed her master’s in fundraising management at Columbia University in October.

James Picariello is an equity analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets in Cleveland. He received an MBA in finance from Washington University in St. Louis (2011). James married Hannah Stubbs ’06 in 2012. Hannah, who was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, is a molecular medicine PhD candidate at the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western University, with research focused on brain cancer. Their son, Jack, was born in October 2015. The three Picariellos and their two dogs live in Shaker Heights at a home residence aptly numbered 3033 (James #30, Wes football; Hannah #33, Wes basketball).

Plenty of ’07 grads have been making Wesleyan proud when it comes to career success. Luke Mecklenburg graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 2014, was a law clerk for Chief Justice Nancy E. Rice of the Colorado Supreme Court, 2014–15, and now is an associate at the law firm of Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.

And 2015 was a big year for Portia Hemphill. In August, she received her joint PhD in political science and public policy from the University of Michigan and was chosen as a 2015 Presidential Management Fellow. Portia works at HUD’s headquarters in DC and is having a ball. She says, “See y’all next year!”

Gabrielle Fondiller has taken a one-year sabbatical from running her nonprofit in Kenya to pursue an MS in management at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Gabi reports that, so far, she loves it! Meanwhile, her nonprofit is now sponsoring and mentoring 300 Kenyan students in high school and university.

Tessa Hirschfeld-Stoller is living in NYC and working on her PhD in neuroscience at Columbia University. Her research investigates the role of developmental serotonin in psychiatric disorders. When not in the lab, Tessa is doing photography, traveling, or on her bike! Also in NYC, Scout James (née Michael) is in his second year of Juilliard’s drama conservatory.

Himanshu Suri reports that he’s enjoying the Heritage Hotel Artist Residency in Goa, India. And in case anyone is wondering, he still raps.

As we gear up for the big 1-0, keep the updates and good news coming! Send submissions to wesleyan007@gmail.com, or either address below:

Megan Harrington | megan.kretz@gmail.com

Victoria Pinsky | victoriapinsky@gmail.com

As usual, the Class of ’08 is doing impressive work! Paul Johnson writes: “I finally wrapped up a PhD in bioengineering last year, then started a job at Apple. I can’t really say much about what I’m working on, except that I sit at a computer a lot of the time, use a mouse, type on a keyboard, that sort of thing (I’ve said too much).”

Meanwhile, Lauren Goldman moved back to New York in June and is working at a solar energy company. She was happy to ring in the New Year in Brooklyn with Rashida Richardson, Annie Shepard ’09, and Molly Birnbaum ’09.

Karla Hargrave is working as a trekking guide in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile for six months, collecting research material for her next theatrical creation: a world traveling multimedia experience about climate change, the things we don’t want to change, and how to push for the solutions that we need. She is seeking a team of artists, scientists, lawyers, engineers, administrators, and of course, funders. Home base: Oakland, Calif.

Lucy Bickerton writes: “I was married this summer in Mexico to Cedric Vara, an ’06 Vassar alum. We met working on a film production, although I have since made a career change, and was just accepted to medical school! In the meantime, I am teaching chemistry at Hunter College and trying to make the most of my precious free time before classes start in August. I have had a blast reliving my college roommate days this month, with Stephanie Calvert staying in my guest room in Park Slope after she had an apartment fire.” Before the fire, Stephanie started working on a new art project, Shame to Pride, in the summer of 2014. This past November (2015) the work culminated with two solo shows, one in Dumbo (Brooklyn), one in the Lower East Side. The New York Times also wrote about her work on opening day of the Dumbo show: takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/a-mothers-hoarding-a-daughters-art/?_r=1

Daniel Collins and his wife just had a baby on Sept 25. Marianna Foos got her MS in bioinformatics in August. She jokes, “I think the peak number of Wes alums at the Boston Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Meetup was five, which is pretty solid for a field you’ve never heard of.” D. Ross Pemmerl writes: “I was selected as one of American Cancer Society’s two sponsored runners for the 2016 Boston Marathon. Interestingly enough, the other representative selected was Caroline Mead ’15. Both Caroline and I will be running to raise money for the American Cancer Society with all donations going to fund cancer research, maintain ACS care facilities, and support their outreach programs. If anyone is interested in learning more and/or donating to the cause, please e-mail me at rosspemmerl@gmail.com or look me up on FB (Ross Pemmerl). I’m running to honor my father who passed away from cancer my junior year at Wes, and I am excited to tackle the 26.2 in his memory!”

Jacob Mirsky says, “I moved to Boston (well, Brookline) with Gavriel Elkind ’09 to start my residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital on my path to becoming a primary care doctor. The stars aligned over Christmas, when I worked with my freshman (one-bedroom) roommate, Zack Frosch, on the cardiology service. I then had the pleasure of spending a weekend in Portland, Maine, at the winter chalet of Oren Gersten and Olivia Dooley ’09, which included cross-country skiing out their front door with their impressively well-behaved dog, Toby (Wes class TBD).”

Oren Gersten adds, “In November, my dog had a bowel obstruction caused by a corn cob. Luckily Ezra Steinberg ’01, VMD, was working that night and performed an emergency ex-lap and fixed him right up. Thanks, Dr. Steinberg!”

Alicia Collen Zeidan | acollen@wesleyan.edu

Having finished her four-year teaching-writing MFA stint in Iowa City, Sara Deniz Akant is now bouncing around Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Her first full-length book of poems, Babette, was selected by Maggie Nelson ’94 and published this past November by Rescue Press. She is also the author of Parades (Omnidawn, 2014), and Latronic Strag (Persistent Editions, 2015). Sara recently returned from a residency at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, and continues to pursue a PhD in English at the CUNY Graduate Center. After teaching poetry and writing at the University of Iowa and Baruch College, she’s looking forward to teaching at Medgar Evers next fall.

Mike Repplier is an editorial producer at ABC’s 20/20, where he develops stories of national and cultural importance into hour-long shows. One of his key responsibilities is to secure highly competitive exclusive interviews for the network. Right now, Mike is preparing to embed in upstate New York for a murder trial and is stocking up on hand warmers, as the daytime temperature there often averages below minus-15°F.

Finally, Sophie Pollitt-Cohen Reagan is living in D.C. with her husband and she’s about to finish her MBA at Georgetown. This fall she’ll start as a senior consultant with Deloitte’s federal practice.

Thanks to those who sent in notes; let’s keep them coming!

Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com

Hey, gang! Just a few updates for this edition:

Seth Rosen moved to San Francisco in July and is now working at console game studio, Hangar 13, on its open-world action-adventure game, Mafia III. Seth’s job is to make the game’s setting of 1968 New Orleans feel alive.

In January of 2017, Max Rodriguez will be serving as a law clerk for a fellow Wes alum, the Honorable Denise Jefferson Casper ’90. It’s always good to see Wesleyan paths overlapping in the working world!

Rebecca Lee is taking a short break from medical school to live in Quito, Ecuador, for three months learning Spanish. Becky reports, “The food here is not the greatest. but the weather definitely beats the frigid winter of the Northeast!”

Hallie Coffin-Gould is in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, where she is pursuing her MBA. Hallie added, “Hooray for going back to school!”

Enjoying a new job in admissions and “weaving dreams for the youth of the world” at Boston’s Bentley University is Jorge Delgago, who has this to report: “Bo Jung ’11 misses late nights in SciLi, but is making do. Matt Tannenbaum graduated from law school (UMich) in December (Go, Blue!) and Mike Cifuentes, Bo, and I surprised him at his graduation.”

Micah Weiss responds to the call for notes with this: “I got engaged to Nomi Teutsch ’11. That’s a cool thing to report, perhaps.” Congratulations. Micah and Nomi! Cool, indeed!

Aaron Freedman submits the following: “Christina Boyd just joined me in the master’s program in somatic psychology in SF, so if you need a therapist for the late 20s existential crisis, give us a call and we’ll help you find your body. I got to perform a durational movement piece called ‘Gender x Technology’ with Nathalie Brillant recently, so keep your eyes on her to be the next Le1f ’11 of the art world. Ari B. King ’09 and Maren Ellingboe have a lovely home in Oakland and we’ve been taking some awesome hikes and mountain bike rides if you’re in the area. Every time I go back to Mecca (Aka Crown/Prospect Heights, Brooklyn) I get to have triple dates with Josh Wood, Kaitlin Kall ’09, Sarice Greenstein, David Schumeister (’09 honorary), Erica Rome, Scott Sasso (’09 honorary) and it’s amazing. Who’s ready for wedding season?”

Finally, Ram Sivalingam, a VP at Deutsche Bank, is back in the news. From a pool of over 15,000 of America’s best and brightest young people in sports, entrepreneurship, technology, finance, and entertainment, Ram was named one of the “30 under 30” in the finance sector. [See Newmakers.] Congratulations from the Class of 2010!

As always, feel free to send me an e-mail:

David Layne | dlayne@wesleyan.edu

Hi, Class of 2011! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the five-year Reunion, May 20–22, 2016! Hard to believe it’s already here!!

Natalie Unger reports: “I’m loving becoming an SLP (speech-language pathologist) in Northwestern University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Getting my M.S. in August and moving to the mountains. Hoping to make it to Reunion!”

Jeremy Bazinet finished a scientifically fruitful research assistantship in the lab of Michael Greenberg ’76 at Harvard Medical School in 2015. Since then he has moved to Seattle, where he has begun his PhD in pharmacology at the University of Washington.

Laura Geronimo writes, “I arrived in Puerto Rico three years ago and got involved in grassroots groups fighting to improve conditions for cyclists in the car-dominated city of San Juan. From there I was recruited into a bike-share startup, and then a reputable planning agency, where I now work on transportation planning and climate change adaptation strategies, among other projects. Meanwhile, the bike share start-up is gaining momentum. Though nothing is on paper yet, we recently learned that the project has been approved by the Municipality of San Juan. We are tying up the financing of the project and in negotiations with potential investors, and if all goes well, we hope to launch this summer or early fall. It is a very exciting project, and I feel lucky to be working in a team of young Puerto Ricans passionate about alternative transportation options that could have far-reaching social, economic, and environmental benefits for the island.”

From Ian Coss: “I am in my second year of grad school and just finished an audio oral history project on Boston radio; it’s up now at radiocontact.org. Also, Kelsey Tyssowski and I finally got married!”

Camila Rodriguez, a 2L at Columbia Law School, will be a summer associate at Paul Hastings in New York City. Donovan Arthen is touring Eastern and Western Europe, singing with the world music ensemble, Northern Harmony.

Kim Prosise’s alter ego, Ember Flynne, is a full-time circus artist with Boston Circus Guild, performing aerial acrobatics and fantastic feats of flaming daredevilry (Thanks, Prometheus!) for events and original productions. Kim also works as a freelance travel and lifestyle writer and recently adopted a fluffy tabby cat named Merlin.

Elizabeth Gauvey-Kern writes, “I was recently on NY Star of the Day of Fox 5 NY, youtube.com/watch?v=Ergd12Jv3e4. I’m also releasing six singles with accompanying music videos. You can find them on Spotify and iTunes. Looking forward to Reunion and seeing what everyone else is up to.”

Emily Brackman informs us, “I am in my third year of my PhD in clinical psychology at Fordham University in New York and just completed my master’s thesis and received my MA. I’m researching the associations between interpersonal experiences (for example, bullying) and non-suicidal self-injury and suicide. As a psychology extern, I’m conducting psychotherapy at Harlem Hospital Center and am moving into the dissertation stage of my doctoral program.”

From Susie Howe: “I bounced around after graduation from the corporate world to a spice shop to working at a horse farm, but I think I finally found my calling. After completing my master’s degree in secondary education during the summer of 2015, I am finishing out my first year as a high school Latin teacher at Loyola Academy near Chicago. I also ran a local horseback riding summer camp the last three years and I look forward to another summer at the barn!”

Jess Rebekah Friedman writes, “I got married in October to Nick Church. We’re living in Atlanta, Ga., and I’m continuing to teach middle school English at a expeditionary learning STEM school called Amana Academy.

Yael Chanoff reports, “I just went to Sundance with a film I worked on as a researcher. It’s called Audrey and Daisy. Otherwise, I am still a freelance writer in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

Joella Jones is the program coordinator at the Columbia University Maison Française—maisonfrancaise.org/events—in charge of special events.

And finally from Joe Giamo and Brittany Richard in University Relations: “We look forward to Reunion. If you haven’t done so please get your gift in to contribute to our Fifth Reunion Class Gift. The fiscal year ends June 30, 2016! Thank you for your generous support to continue to make the difference for students receiving a Wesleyan education!”

See everyone May 20–22, 2016. Happy Fifth Reunion, Class of 2011!

Allie Southam | asoutham@wesleyan.edu

Happy 2016! It is hard to believe that this May will mark our fourth anniversary away from the Hilltop. I am proud to highlight some of our classmates who have been pioneers of social change by dedicating their life to improving the lives of others.

Noah Heau is living in Queens and works as a community health specialist at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. The majority of his clientele are current and former injection drug users, many living with hepatitis C, HIV, and other unaddressed healthcare needs. Noah coordinates rapid testing and vaccination services, patient navigation services, and establishes linkages with community health clinics that are sensitive to the needs of marginalized populations.

Lena Solow and Katherine Wolf reconnected as members of Resource Generation. RG organizes young people with wealth and class privilege to work towards the equitable distribution of land, wealth, and power. Together they helped organize the NYC chapter’s fundraising efforts for It Starts Today Campaign to move resources to black-led black liberation community organizing efforts, which raised more than $1.3 million. Lena and Katherine continue to work together as chapter coordinators in NYC, and would love to talk to any interested Wes alums about RG!

Nathan Mackenzie is doing tremendous work with the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs.

Emily Brown is an MFA candidate at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is working on her thesis, a collection of poems. At the University of Iowa, Emily teaches an undergraduate literature course called Hybrid Forms, which incorporates works that defy genre boundaries. Emily also works as a projectionist at FilmScene, Iowa City’s only independent cinema.

Marjorie Romeyn-Sanabria started working for Audible, one of Amazon’s child companies that creates audio content. She says, “I never imagined I’d be working in tech, much less enjoying it!” Additionally, Marjorie met a wonderful man last winter and they are planning a small wedding for the spring of 2016. Lilah Sloane ’11 agreed to be one of her bridesmaids. Congratulations on two new beginnings, best wishes to you, Marjorie!

Many alumni, including myself, have followed Kennedy Odede’s journey since his days at 200 Church. This fall, Kennedy and Jessica Posner ’09 released their book, Find Me Unafraid. I was able to join the many Wesleyan alumni who turned up for the book launch on Oct. 13th in New York City. Kennedy and Jessica have unfolded the story of SHOFCO and their joint mission to improve education for girls and build infrastructure in one of the world’s poorest neighborhoods in Kenya. If you have not already, go onto Amazon and order this extraordinary and powerful book!

As for me, I am still working towards education equity in New York City and recently celebrated Teach For Americas 25th Anniversary.

Wishing the entire Class of 2012 all the best!

Daisey Perez | deperez@wesleyan.edu