Class Notes | 2000s

Warm greetings from new class secretary Matt Danzig. I’m excited to be the first to hear all your exciting news. On my part, after stops in Ann Arbor, Denver, and Milwaukee, my wife, Ellie Hall, and I returned to New York City in 2022 with Hannah (now seven) and Asher (now three). We live in the Bronx where I work as a pediatric urologist and somehow finished coaching a season of Hannah’s peewee soccer team despite not knowing any of the rules. I’d be happy to connect with any ’09ers living in the area or passing through, even if we didn’t know each other well back on campus. Please continue to write in with updates, big or small!

Max Krafft continues to enjoy life in Norway, where he works on an open-source software project, coordinates a book club, manages two local baseball teams, and has just completed a master’s degree in English literature at the University of Oslo.

Catherine Kast Stickney and her husband, Ben Stickney, moved from Brooklyn to Decatur, Georgia, so Ben could join CNN’s Atlanta bureau as a producer last year. They welcomed baby Roger Paul Stickney in November 2024. Roger joins big sister Wynne, who is six.

Michael Repplier returned to New York City after several years in Miami. He produces documentaries for ABC News as well as projects for streaming platforms. He became engaged in February, and with fiancé Kyle looks after their cherished dog, Bruno.

Evan Coleman is excited to share that he and wife, Lisa, welcomed a beautiful new baby girl, Taylor, on June 30. She joins four-year-old brother Reece and two-year-old sister Robyn.

Congratulations to Sean Michael Chin who made his Broadway debut this spring as assistant fight director for Othello. He teaches stage combat at Pace University and Muhlenberg College, as well as for private studios in NYC.

Sophie (née Pollitt-Cohen) Reagan writes: “Hello from Oslo, Norway! My family and I moved over here in July. We’ve been having a blast exploring our new home, and I can’t wait to meet up with Emily Dine next time she is in Greece. If you find yourself in Oslo, give a shout!” 

Justin LaSelva writes after last updating us in 2020. He and wife, Sarah, moved from Austin, Texas, to rural Vermont in 2023. He continues to work remotely for the University of Texas at Austin while enjoying his new environment “on a dead-end dirt road in the forest,” spending time cycling, snowshoeing, kayaking, hiking, traveling to concerts, and splitting lots of firewood to stay warm and cozy. He is president of the local sportsmen’s club and recently started a recreational kickball league. He enjoyed reconnecting with classmates at last year’s Reunion and revisiting favorite Middletown haunts (though sadly missing O’Rourke’s Diner of course). 

Murder.” Lynn was also a principal in the “VitaminWater: Brooklyn Bridge” commercial directed by Spike Lee and filmed a SAG feature in Atlanta this May. She continues to be repped by Buchwald and Entertainment Lab in NYC, Forward Talent in Georgia, and The Wayne Agency in LA.  Lynn welcomes creative collaborations with fellow Wes alums. More at www.lynnfavin.com!

Anthony Nikolchev writes, “My newest performance [written, performed, and created by me and my partner Gema Galiana’s company, The Useless Room] had its premiere at the 2025 Theater Venice Biennale under the artistic direction of Willem Dafoe. We were presented alongside Romeo Castellucci, Thomas Ostermeier, and Milo Rau. The show, called The (Un)Double, based on Dostoevsky’s The Double, was well received with [one critic] saying, ‘The (Un)Doubleis a dark mirror. It reflects our fears, our conflicts. It is theatre that does not tell but shows. It does not explain, but makes you feel. And it forces us to look inside. Even when we don’t want to.’— Andrea DiMaso, Notizie Teatrali (Venice, Italy). Next show dates are [in] October at La MaMa in NYC.”

Lauren Goldman and her husband, David, welcomed their son, Maximilian George Cooper on April 10 in New York!

Sam Barcelo got married to Christina Mastrocola on May 3 in Newport, Rhode Island.

Though Patrick Armano-Amato and his husband, Dominic, have been living in Los Angeles for five years now, they are excited to have become homeowners again this year. 

Over the summer, Patrick participated in his third AIDS/Life Cycle (a 545-mile, seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for HIV/AIDS prevention and research) as team co-captain for the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America team. While this was the last year that the SF Aids Foundation and the LA LGBT Center co-hosted the ride, both organizations will be creating new rides starting next year, and Patrick fully plans on continuing his participation in this great cause. 

In the beginning of the year, he was elected to be vice president and board member of the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, which provides visibility, advocacy, and business development for the LGBTQ and allied business community. In the fall he will be joining the board of APAIT, an organization whose mission is to positively impact the quality of life for vulnerable communities experiencing behavioral health challenges, housing insecurity, justice-involved individuals, victims of human trafficking, and those at risk for HIV/AIDs and sexual health issues. He is also an active member of the WeHo Chamber of Commerce, the California LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, and, in service to his community, regularly volunteers at organizations such as Project Angel Food, Family Equality, APLA Health, the Williams Institute, Gay for Good, and the Hollywood Food Coalition.   

He is still loving his career at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor in wealth management, and, within the organization, became the vice chair of the LA Pride Business Council in the spring. 

Later this year, he is looking forward to participating in the Zuma Beach Triathlon to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation and potentially getting his fur baby, Dolce, a younger sibling (who will appropriately be named Gabbana). 

Abigail Hinchcliff, co-founder of Olson Grimsley, will be honored by the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Foundation at its 19th Annual “Raising the Bar” Celebration. Recognized for “speaking truth to power” and “leading through adversity,” Abigail has played a pivotal role in landmark cases, including a $60 million verdict against Enfamil’s maker and ongoing litigation against predatory rental fees. A Yale Law graduate and former first assistant attorney general of Colorado’s Consumer Fraud Unit, she continues to champion justice for everyday Americans.

Greetings, Class of 2007! Megan here, ready to provide you with some classmate news. 

Leon Hilton announced that he has a new book published by the University of Minnesota Press. The book, titled Counter-Cartographies: Neurodivergence and the Errancies of Performance, was published in August 2025.

Lauren (Tinkoff) Domaszowec reports that her nonprofit, Gryphon Foundation for Global Change, recently gave a $10,000 grant to a Ukrainian NGO during a wartime visit. Domaszowec is a founding board director for the Gryphon Foundation, an independent nonprofit committed to advancing human rights, resilience, and social justice around the world.

Jocelyn Bonadio-de Freitas gave a life update, telling classmates that she is living in Brooklyn with her son, Arjun, while working as a community educator and writing a Substack about parenting, “Millennial Parents.”

Laura Catana shared that she was recently promoted to director of content and social media strategy at Symphonic Distribution, a 100% independent Latino-owned music distributor. Laura says, “I’m now leading our incredible U.S. and Colombia-based team in crafting content that celebrates, supports, and educates independent artists around the world.”

Jane Charles-Voltaire, Esq. has an exciting career update. She reports, “I’m honored to share that I’ve recently stepped into the role of deputy executive director at the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). It is a true privilege to continue advancing IAWJ’s mission alongside our dedicated team and the remarkable global leadership of women judges committed to justice.”

Wishing you all the best for the remainder of 2025! Please continue sending updates to us!

Daniel Dykes married the wonderful Xiao Lin in Brooklyn, Connecticut, in June, with Wesleyan professor Duffy White in attendance! He is enjoying getting back into theater and is currently playing Emperor Joseph in a production of Amadeus in Madison, Connecticut, after starring in Uncle Vanya and directing his sister Emily’s play At the Still Point.

On June 18, 2025, Jesse Young and his wife, Michele Viterise, welcomed Dylan August Young into the world—their first child (a boy). A rotating cast of family members helped the new parents and baby get through the first few weeks, all of which helped function as an excellent distraction from the state of the country (and world) in mid-2025!

Saad Handoo writes, “Hi! I live with my family of four near North Druid Hills in Atlanta. I work in sales strategy for Delta Airlines and recently ran into Ayando Kono while on a business trip to Tokyo—such a fun and unexpected reunion! We’re always looking for fun things to do around the city and love connecting with other local families.”

Leah Stern and Teague Hopkins were thrilled to welcome baby Ori in summer 2024, joining Asa, who is now four. Asa’s most recent bedtime story is how Teague and Leah met, “so we’re starting the indoctrination early. We’re grateful that our Wes and Alpha Delt friends are still a huge part of our community and our kids’ lives, both virtually and IRL.”

A crew of 20-plus classmates in NYC came together for a happy hour in April, organized by Jess Smith and Fazal Yameen. “Some old friends, some new. All sparked by a convo with Jess while I was searching for a new tech leadership role. If you’re in NYC and want to join the next one, please reach out to Jess or myself.” Fazal can be reached at myameen@wesleyan.edu.

Mel McCrea is living in her hometown of Oakland, California. She practices as a psychotherapist at Blue Oak Therapy Center, with a focus on supporting queer and trans thriving and multicultural relationships. She welcomes client inquiries, as well as being set up for dates with cute, liberation-oriented people in the East Bay. 

After celebrating the first birthday of her second child, Russell Louis Gomes Galdston in May, July saw Maya Gomes become a tenured professor of earth and planetary science at Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Baltimore with her husband, Jesse Galdston, and her other son August Eugene Gomes Galdston.

“Laura Rindlaub can’t remember the last time she contributed to the class notes and therefore has no idea where she left off! “My husband, two daughters (Kate, eight, and Mari, six), and I have lived in Montclair, New Jersey, since 2021, and frequently run into Adam Stone ’05 at the town pool in the summer. Our lives have assumed that sweet suburban, early ’40s cadence of work, kid activities, gardening, and now renovating our 100-year-old house. We love it all. A fellow psychologist friend and I started a private CBT practice in Summit, New Jersey, in 2020, which we are in the process of expanding. I’m so lucky to report that my work is interesting, challenging, and delightful every single day.”

Kate Longley-Wood’s job at The Nature Conservancy is taking her around the world, including to Belize and to the Seychelles to help support these countries in their marine spatial planning processes. Despite her love for the ocean, she is still too afraid to go SCUBA diving.

Paul McElfresh was appointed middle school director of The Berkeley Carroll School. Here is a link to the announcement: new school director. 

Sarah Myksin and Brian Heiss welcomed their son Alexander (Class of 2046?!) in May 2024. They share, “The last year has been a joy and we’re hopeful we can introduce him to Wesleyan at our 20th Reunion next year. Brian and I have been in D.C. for the last four years after time in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. After completing his fellowship in oncology and clinical pharmacology, Brian joined the FDA as a medical officer in 2021; I made the move from fundraising to edtech at the same time.”

Celia Reddick, her husband, Alain Uwumugambi, and their two daughters (ages six and one) live in Tallahassee, Florida, where Celia is an assistant professor of education and international development at Florida State University. She writes, “If you find yourself stumbling through the Florida Panhandle, please give a shout! We’d love to see you.”

Molly Dengler is planning a move within the next year from her hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, back to the Dominican Republic with her partner and son, who was born there 10 years ago. She is dreaming of their future house serving as a retreat center for international leaders in education to share ideas as she coaches school and district leaders to center global competence in her current role at World Savvy. 

As one of the founders of Child Care for Connecticut, Izzi (Autumn) Greenberg shared the exciting news that her organization was able to pass transformative, first-in-the-nation, childcare legislation in the Connecticut legislature in its 2025 session.

Ethan Leinwand is working as a blues pianist, performer, and advocate in St. Louis, where he serves on the board of directors for the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation.

Ben Shestakofsky and family have moved from Philadelphia to Ithaca, New York. Ben is now an assistant professor of information science at Cornell. 

Luke Snelling married Kathryn McKinley in Sonoma, California, surrounded by Wesleyan folks, including best man Philip Cortes ’06 and Casey Wilson ’06, who gave a blessing at the wedding. Ben Flynn ’03 and William Shaw were also in attendance. Luke writes, “I also brought Kathryn to Wesleyan for Reunion, where it was fun to row with some members of the crew and celebrate the life of David Wyant by dedicating a shell in his honor. It was also fun to visit WESU and reminisce with Eli Schned about our time on air.”

Lodro Rinzler continues to write books about and teach meditation from his very old home in upstate New York, where he lives with his wife and toddler. The three of them recently met up with David Delcourt for a lovely romp while spending a month in Scotland.

Katie Walsh had a ball with the Class of 2005, dancing the night away in Club Hewitt at our 20-year reunion (still got it!). She is still in Los Angeles, working as film critic for the Tribune News Service, and is the vice president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. 

David Rood-Ojalvo married Alice Buttrick on June 28, 2025, in Mahopac, New York. Rachel Pecker officiated. Vivian Rood-Ojalvo, one, attended, as well as 22 graduates of Wesleyan.

Liz (Beedy) Wendorf has three kids and lives in Massachusetts, teaching high school math and running her hemp farm and CBD business, Windy Village Wellness, alongside her husband, Matt. Dancing until the wee hours with her fellow ’05ers at Reunion was a highlight of the year so far.

Marcus Bach-Armas also writes that most special moment of the last few years was probably having fun at Reunion with his fellow ’05ers.

Andrés Méndez-Peñate is enjoying life teaching Spanish in the Boston area and hanging with his eight-year-old, Diego.

Doro Globus is the publisher at David Zwirner Books, the publishing arm of one of the world’s leading commercial art galleries. She also writes children’s books celebrating creative careers. Her upcoming series, It Takes a Team, will launch in 2026 with We Made a Song and We Made a Movie, published by Bloomsbury. Doro lives in London with her husband and their two children, Tristan (10) and Thea (six).

Emily Pfeiffer-Russell lives in Bakersfield, California, with her spouse, Ed, who is an agricultural scientist in the citrus industry, and their two sons, Henry (nine-and-a-half) and George (six-and-a-half). Emily helps junior high students in the resource specialist program with their academics. The ’05 Reunion was a definite highlight of the year, including the sad, but beautiful tree dedication memorial service held for Jesse Brenner, aka “The Bizzle.”

Ben Popper recently attended our 20th Reunion and danced his face off. Since then, he started a new role as director of content marketing at Writer and is eager to connect with anyone interested in AI agents.

Jenny Mariaschin-Rudin and Rachel (Morris) Bruce ’03 ran into each other at their synagogue B’nai Jeshurun, on the Upper West Side and realized they were not only Wes alumni, but also were in the Mazeltones together! They have happily reconnected, and their children make mayhem and music together on Shabbat. Jenny has a private psychotherapy and neurodiversity consulting practice, and Rachel is an ER attending. 

David Delcourt writes, “I’m stillrunning my hot sauce company, Seed Ranch Flavor Co. (and sister brand GrownAs Foods), out in Boulder, Colorado. We have a delicious sauce featured on this season of Hot Ones. . . . So far, Owen Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Aaron Paul, and Adam Levine have loved it! The aches and pains of 20 years out of college haven’t kept me from keeping in touch with Ben Brown, Will Conkling, Teek Thaker, Tom Facelle, Rodney Solomon, and Lodro Paul Rinzler.”

Jeremy Paul is now working at Oberlin College—the Wesleyan of the Great Lakes—as their dance production coordinator.

Amy Crawford recently joined the team at global music and sound company MassiveMusic and is still based in NYC with kids (ages three and five) who are loving every minute.

Adam Smiley Poswolsky loved 20th Reunion so much he decided to volunteer to be our class secretary! Reunion highlights were MGMT karaoke in WestCo, dancing in Club Hewitt, and celebrating the life of his best friend Jesse Brenner. Email your class notes to aposwolsky@gmail.com.

Hi ’04! Hoping this edition of Class Notes finds you well. I’m back with a new round with some fun updates:

Mark Schindler continues to run his consulting firm, OtterBear, helping companies navigate digital transformations and build stronger leadership and operations teams via coaching and advising. This fall, he launched the Second Circle Institute (2CI), a leadership accelerator program and peer-driven community designed to help midlevel leaders grow into strategic, confident executives.

William Gilmore told us back in July that he, Michael Lang, David Whiting, Scott Zimmer, Jon Youngner, and their families gathered in Boston for a long-awaited meetup, reconnecting and reminiscing about the good times they shared at Wes. Mosah Goodman had booked tickets to join but a last-minute business meeting foiled that plan. He and Blake Williams were able to join via video call to share some laughs.

Stephanie Mandell writes in to tell us that last fall she and her husband competed in the World Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships in their age division, and their team won third place! “I hope to have more experiences like that before we all get too old.”

Dorian-Jamal Cool tells us: “I hope you’re doing well. Here are some updates. My fiancée and I married on May 1 of this year. We went to the Shakespeare Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and made wildflower crowns for each other and jumped the broom (which my aunt made). The other big news is we spent a month in Mother Africa traveling solo in Namibia. We almost died in the desert, we ate the best sushi I’ve ever had, we swam with wild dolphins in a shipyard, and saw a lion pretend he could challenge a rhino—the rhino called his bluff and drank the water. Oh, and we weren’t killed by an angry elephant who just wanted us to get out of his place. He was quite cross.” He also added: “We were those cheesy dorks who, when driving through the desert, played “Africa” by Toto. It was nerdy, but I won’t say it wasn’t totally cool.”

Bernadette Doykos also writes in to share: “I am living in Salt Lake City but working for Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s media company, Boardroom, which is based in NYC. It’s been a big year of getting acclimated to a new home and pining for New England. The good news is that ski trips bring folks through town a fair amount, so I was able to hit some intermediate blues with Brent Taylor ’07 and Jenn Brown this winter!” Bernadette also said that she “had a sweet lil WesLax reunion” with Meriel Darzen and Sonya Behnke Page ’03 at the wedding of Erin Malone ’03, “though we missed Martina McPherson more than words can say.”

She also follows up to shout-outs to Adam Hodge for his selection to the Board of Trustees. “Proud of that guy!” [Insert writer’s note here, I have to echo that!]

We also heard from Adam himself who has been keeping busy too! “This summer, I completed my first half ironman and lived to talk about it. I’m excited to represent the Class of 2004 on the Wesleyan board as an elected trustee. Don’t hesitate to reach out!”

Brian McKenna is living the dream in NYC with his beautiful wife and two daughters. He continues his dedication to the professional passions he discovered at Wes, fusing music/audio with visual storytelling as the founder of BtOVEN MUSIC (www.btovenmusic.com), established in 2009 after launching his career writing jingles.

            “Recent work includes: experiential animation for Disney with partner studio Cartuna, under Clio consideration; a growing Telly count, including the most recent 2025 award for work supporting Ukraine on Raw Travel, TV’s #1 rated travel show; cause-driven work with organizations like The Ghetto Film School and NYC–based PSA powerhouse F.Y. Eye, e.g., Rising Tide Effect | Water Wise; and purposeful podcast productions across corporate and entertainment sectors, e.g., Symptomatic with iHeart and Novartis.” 

            Outside of his work in studio and on location, Brian focuses his time on family, friends, fitness, fun, and foodie culture—in perpetual pursuit of perfecting his lasagna.” =)

As for me, I continue to live in and love Chicago, when I’m not traveling across continents for work. I’m hoping to get back to the East Coast in the late fall to visit the family and some of my favorite neighborhoods!

As always, if you’ve got class notes, please share them at wes04classnotes@gmail.com.

Alison Criscitiello co-led an international deep-ice coring project on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian high Arctic this past spring. After two months, Alison and team reached bedrock at 613 meters, making this ice core the deepest in Canadian history (and in all of the Americas)! The ice core contains 10,000 to 20,000 years of climate history. Here is a link to an article about it: deepest ice core.

On June 21, Erin Malone married her partner of 16 years, Brian Guy, in Lincoln, Vermont. They had many alums join them “in celebrating our midlife love including: my freshman year roommates, Julia (Bruckner) Newman and Rachel Schiff; my WesLax teammates, Sonya Behnke, Meriel Darzen ’04, and Bernadette Doykos ’04; Clark Hall buddies, Sarah Erlinder, Allison Lorentzen, Erica Sattin, Alison Plenge, Maggie McConnell, Cara Romanik, Colin Aitken, Noah Newman; and a few dear friends I’ve connected with since graduating, Eve Hadley, Bethany Caruso, Adam Lachman, Cecelia Bathory ’02, Tamara Reimer ’02, and Jodi Reiter ’01. Obviously, the Wesleyan crew brought the energy and enthusiasm.

Meredith Barrett and Aaron Stoertz took a seven-month sabbatical with their two daughters to travel the world, visiting Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Tanzania, Switzerland, and Italy. Along the way, they enjoyed Negronis on the shores of Lake Como with Noah Newman and Julia (Bruckner) Newman, who were traveling Europe with their two daughters, National Lampoon style. 

Tejas Desai’s new book, Bad Americans: Part 1, was published in September. Tejas said, “This is an ambitious pandemic novel filled with six long stories that portray different aspects of the American experience during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic—basically Boccaccio meets The Bachelor.” A review by Publishers Weekly described it as a “powerful rending of the human experience uniting a divided America.” In addition, it has been described as “a genre-defying tour de force” and a “vital mirror to America’s soul.”

Thanks to everyone who wrote in! Always great to hear from you, but especially these days where reminders of your integrity, creativity, and kindness are most welcome.

Joanna Weaver reports that she was lucky to be visited by her three 19 Fountain housemates one right after another this summer. Lisa Kagan, Ali Stumacher, and Jess Firestone all made the trip to Boston to see Joanna, her husband, their two sons, dog Sparkle, and the beautiful city they’ve called home for the past three years. Joanna was recently promoted to associate teaching professor of psychology at Northeastern University, where she often wonders whether blue books will make a comeback. Her most recent adventure was cycling the Camino de Santiago on the Portugal to Spain route. She hopes to see everyone at the 25th Class Reunion in May.

Congratulations to Maria McKee, who received a SPUR Good Government Award this year for her work at the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department. “I am truly humbled and honored, especially when good governance and justice system reform is under attack.”

From Chris Saenger: “After an amazing 16 years in the USAID Foreign Service, I’m ‘DOGEd’ out of a job as of September 2. Not sure what’s next, but I’m hoping to stay in the world of service-minded international affairs. In much happier news, it was a blast to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nietzsch Factor men’s ultimate with ’01ers Justin Brant, Steve Munno, and Oliver Platts-Mills (among many, many others) on campus in May. I also caught up with classmates Avi Stopper and Ben Kramer at Avi’s son’s Bar Mitzvah in Denver in June. And our 80 Home alumni group chat is full of smiling kiddos and not-a-day-older-than-we-used-to-be parents. I’m grateful for the many enduring Wesleyan connections in my life.”

From Andrea Donnelly: “The past few years have been a whirlwind. I moved to Philadelphia in 2022 and find myself particularly fond of the rivers and trees. When I’m not taking long walks around the city or serenading my 13-year-old cats, I continue building the shamanic healing practice I launched in 2020, which has expanded in some very cool ways. My work has been featured in places like Bustle and Homes & Gardens, and I’ve shared my story and vision on podcasts like Third Eye Awakening, High Vibin’ It, and In My Non-Expert Opinion.

“I’m in my second year of teaching other people my modality, which is an absolute dream come true. I can’t wait to see how things continue to blossom on that front. I’m always looking to collaborate and help people cultivate their spiritual intelligence. If any of that sparks an interest, you can find me at wearehere2remember.com and on YouTube @birdtvdotcom.”

After nine years of teaching and chairing the performing arts department at Vermont State University Johnson, my beloved Wes housemate Isaac Eddy and his family (Lucia, three kids, 19 sheep, and lots of other animals) moved to Granby, Massachusetts. Isaac is the artistic director of a new theater in Springfield called the Hope Center for the Arts, which is focused on free arts education for youth in the area. “We have also begun processing the wool from our Shetland sheep, so if you are interested in a blanket or yarn hit me up!”

Best,

Mara

Ciao, classmates!

We’d like to give a round of applause to We’d like to give a round of applause to our Reunion Ambassadors: Denise S. Breland, Avery W. Esdaile, Hirut Johnson, Kristen A. Lindgren, Scott A. Mayerowitz, Sarah Schur-McCarty, Bakley Smith, and Ku Yoo!

Claudia Cruz has been busy as usual. Before arriving at Reunion this past May and learning to juggle for the first time, she graciously accepted the award for being the best administrative faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she runs the internship program and teaches a bilingual journalism course at the Reynolds School of Journalism. In July, as part of her academic research, she presented a documentary and panel discussion on race-based hair discrimination in television newsrooms at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Claudia shared how reenergizing it was to see ol’ WesHeads back in Middletown and wishes to connect with more alumni out West.

Liz Darlington wrote in that she “had a fantastic time seeing old friends at Reunion, and she and Leah Grabelsky successfully introduced Leah’s adorable one-year-old to campus. 🙂  Leah did a great job getting the baby to sleep in a dorm room! Liz learned many lessons about Reunion for next time: Try to get over to the class lounge, which she didn’t really know was a thing and she therefore didn’t get any class merch! Try to go to a lecture and not miss every single one somehow. Try to save energy for the last night so she won’t need to go to bed by 9 p.m. Try to walk around campus more because there isn’t enough time. Try not to go on a very long walking excursion to Eli Canon’s (just kidding that was a highlight!), but don’t forget how far the walk is. And don’t miss the crazy dance party in WestCo cafe with a band that she still forgets the name of but is well-known and they are from Wesleyan. Everyone should go next time!” [Liz, it was one-half of MGMT.]

We were happy to hear from Ray Sanchez who shares, “I started as general counsel in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services back in December. I’d love to connect to other Wesleyan alumni in NYC government; I know there is a good number of us.” Ray, we missed you at Reunion!

Dr. Eden-Reneé Hayes gave a TEDx talk exploring how the wisdom of Jedi Master Yoda can help reframe diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a path to deeper connection and organizational success. Google “Yoda DEI” to watch!

Matt Rahaim is enjoying the late sunsets in Minneapolis and is deep in rehearsals for a new suite of pieces he composed for musical instruments, made from decommissioned police rifles, which will be featured this fall at the Modulus Festival in Vancouver.

Leora Wien came home from Reunion with a friendly “great-to-see-you” type of text with a photo of Nick Suplina in the center, surrounded by herself and four other classmates. So, she texted him:

Leora to Nick Suplina: “Nick Suplina! It’s Leora as co-class secretary and . . . you guessed it. I’m following up regarding that time you left my LinkedIn message about sending me a class note unanswered. With your permission, I would like to interview you via text. 1) Nick, what is this center for gun control program at Wes? I hadn’t heard of it. 2) How did it get started? Did you reach out to a certain professor? 3) Anything else you’d like to share? How was Reunion?

Nick Suplina to Leora: “Hey Leora, this is Hannah Breul.”

Leora to Nick Suplina  Hannah: [ha ha tapback] “Omg. Well, Hannah. While I have you . . . could I ask you some questions for Class Notes? We might call it ‘Class Texts’?”

Hannah: “Ha, sure!”

Leora: “Excellent! Hannah Breul, thank you for joining this edition of Class Texts. I’m sorry I thought you were Nick Suplina. Hannah, how about three questions in this order: 1) Profession-related 2) Philosophical 3) This-or-that?”

Hannah: [thumb tapback]

Hannah: [some discussion about there being a better topic]

Hannah: “Instead, let me tell you about my fun summer travels. I spent two weeks in Italy and am now with family in Grand Cayman for a week. In Italy, I was with a group of 20 people (most of whom I had not met) at a beautiful villa in Tuscany. . . . It was a really fun mix of wonderful people. We spent many lovely hours drinking in the pool and making up synchronized dancing routines.”

Leora: “Maybe our this-or-that should be gelato or tiramisu?”

Hannah: “Ooooh. I think I’d go tiramisu. I’m not much of a sweets person but I did get a gelato one in Rome (spent five nights there solo after the villa adventure to be a tourist).”

Leora: “And which flavor?”

Hannah: “Salted caramel was my pick. It was so damn hot I barely wanted to eat in Rome, but I knew my dad would be bummed if I didn’t try it once.”

Leora: “You did it for Dad!”

Hannah: [heart tapback]

Leora: “Thank you, Hannah! I’m going to write up a draft of our convo for your OK before including it in the notes.”

Hannah: “Sorry about the phone number confusion. Hilarious that you thought you were getting Nick and ended up with me. Not the prestige interview you wanted! . . . I think there was a whole thing about tapping our phones to share contact info that people did over the Reunion weekend. With varying levels of success.”

Leora:“It’s all newfangled phone wizardry to me.”