Class Notes | 2000s

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!

Hi ’04,

As we get into the spring season, I hope this finds you well.

Back with another round of class notes for you, with some fun stuff from fellow classmates:

Abraham Lateiner is living in the Boston area and enjoying being a father to his 11- and 15-year-old daughters. His current passion is a performance art piece called the Support Genius Chatbot, which Abraham developed as a part of the Relational Uprising community of practice. This “chatbot” engages audiences to identify and uplift the supportive relationships in their lives, tapping into narratives of AI to encourage and equip people to protect their relationships amidst increasing social fragmentation. Abraham has performed on the street, at open mics, variety shows, and other gatherings of artists and creatives. You can see the chatbot on Instagram and read the FAQ here. 

Kevin Baker has started a new job as executive director of the West Virginia State Bar after working as the city attorney for Charleston the last seven years. He and his family—wife, Sarah, and kids, Wesley (12), Josephine (nine), and Harriet (seven)—welcome all Wesleyan visitors to Charleston, West Virginia; plus the new job will see Kevin traveling the country and hoping to visit you in your town too.

Brian Hennessey tells us that on his end he’s now living in Coconut Grove in Miami with wife, Berit, and their now walking 15-month-old daughter, Sylvia. “I’m working for Norwegian Cruise Lines, so anyone coming to Miami definitely should drop me a line.”

Chetan Devaskar also reports: “Oasis wasn’t the only big reunion last fall!” In 2004, Nick Sabloff, Steve Morgan, and Chetan,“caught up in Los Angeles to join 80,000 fans for one of the band’s record-breaking performances at the Rose Bowl.”

As always, if you have an update, please send it to me at wes04classnotes@gmail.com. I love getting them and look forward to the next notes from you all.

Charles O’Connell married Robyn Swift this past June and had a celebration in October. In attendance were Lucy O’Connell ’06, Jason Scott ’04, Andy Casden, and Ellen Jewett ’81. Charlie and Robyn are living in San Francisco, California.

Samantha (Gillombardo) Larson is the attorney manager of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s newly minted Non-Profit Legal Resource Center. She provides free legal education and representation to nonprofits in northeast Ohio, 96% of which lack in-house counsel. Sam counts herself exceedingly lucky to remain connected to so many Wesleyan friends and cherishes her weekly phone dates with Emily Teitsworth.

Joey Wender now serves as executive director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition. He still lives in the D.C. suburbs with his wife, son, and daughter. 

Julie Stankiewicz will begin a new role as an instructor at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Julie will be teaching a course that she created—Understanding the Experience of Chronic and Invisible Illness—to clinical psychologists, who will receive formal continuing education credits for completion of the program. In the near future, Julie plans to offer this course to social workers, nurses, and physicians through additional departments at Rutgers University. This course was created to fulfill the mission of the nonprofit organization that Julie founded and leads—CARE for People with Chronic and Invisible Illness. Julie has been happily married to Ben Teaford for more than 11 years. Ben owns his own videography business and enjoys the creativity of his work. Together, Ben and Julie enjoy spending time with their cat, Vespurr, long walks in nature, and travels to the mountains and coastlines of New England.

I’m back with a quick roundup of notes from our classmates.

Adam Cayton-Holland wrote the film See You When I See You, directed by Jay Duplass—it had its world premiere at Sundance in February! This film was based on his 2018 book, Tragedy Plus Time. Adam says “the cast is incredible and I’m thrilled for people to see it . . . really excited about the start of this journey. I was a big indie movie kid growing up, a film major at Wesleyan, so this is, needless to say, a dream come true.” The film will next play at SXSW.

Radhika Singh’s debut novel, Earthly Playing Field, is forthcoming May 2026 from Common Notions Press. Set in the sci-fi present, the novel ruminates on Sufi poetics and the role of faith in resistance, while speculating on a bioengineered technology to hack AI warfare. Her second novel, Weirdly Tuned Antennae, is forthcoming November from FC2 Press. Set in the future in the hills of India, it speculates on a post-imperialist world enabled by ongoing people’s movements and by a ubiquitous plant-based technology that fosters gender magic, healer witches, and interstellar romance.

Lydia Menendez Parker is working with The Nature Conservancy in Vermont on land protection, and loves keeping in touch with friends from Wes, while skiing and hiking in northern New England as much as possible with her family.

As for myself, I also debuted a project at Sundance—the first episode of a three-part series called The Oligarch and the Art Dealer—about a Swiss art dealer and a Russian oligarch caught in a web of secrets, lies, and money. Last year, amongst the projects I produced, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my faves: Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost, Apple TV’s number one film, directed by Ben Stiller about his famous parents; Champions of the Golden Valley, a feature documentary about the Afghan ski team, also produced by Malala; State of Firsts, a doc that premiered at Tribeca about Sarah McBride, the first trans member of Congress; Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari, a Hulu stranger-than-fiction true crime series; and animated short All Heart, about a father grieving his daughter. I also produced a podcast about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Paramount, which was really fun to work on!

Wow, it’s almost time for another reunion! One year away.

Hello, 2001, and welcome to our 25th-anniversary reunion year. Truly hard to believe, but here we are. Thank you to everyone who wrote in. We always love to hear what’s going on.

Karen Gross shares that she became an adjunct member of the faculty at Temple University in January 2025, teaching a course called Creating a Media Business, aimed at juniors, seniors, and grad students in Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication. Karen draws from her 25 years working across communications, journalism, and speechwriting, including 12-plus years as an entrepreneur running a communications consultancy, to develop curriculum that is relevant to her students today. She also continues to consult with executives, thought leaders, and national organizations on their communications strategies, as well as shares her own voice as a keynote speaker, singer, and Substack writer (Karen invites Wesleyan friends to tune in at sherockedit.substack.com.)

After working remotely in Oaxaca, Mexico, Rachel Feinstein Stevens came home with bilingual kids and an extra dog. Rachel is starting a new data analytics arm of her architecture firm that is focused on environmental data and homeowner choices. Please reach out at Rachel Stevens | LinkedIn if you’re a data geek who wants to kvell and/or collaborate!

Oliver Platts-Mills and Natasha Sienitsky ’02 have been hard at work in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This fall they celebrated a successful first full wedding season at the resort-retreat they renovated. Love Ridge (www.loveridgeva.com) welcomes reunions and retreats, and it’s perfect for couples or larger groups. Oliver says, “Come on down, our girls (10 and seven) will make you feel right at home!”

Peter Cambor recently moved to Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Chrissy, and their three children, Claire, Beau, and Birdie. In 2025, Peter was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy Award for the Paramount+ documentary As We Speak, which he produced. He also co-wrote American Curl, a feature comedy film about the 2018 U.S. Men’s Olympic Curling Team, currently in production and slated for release in late 2026 via Paramount Pictures.

For the past year and a half, Mike Homolka has been living in a small town in southern Spain. He reports that his two children are adapting nicely, and everyone is enjoying being a bilingual, bicultural family. Mike continues to write poetry and hopes to teach high school literature in this new context.

Chris Saenger let us know he got “DOGE’d” out of his job at USAID in 2025, along with the agency’s other approximately 2,000 foreign service staff. Chris wanted to share stories of what overseas life and work was like for many staff and their families, so he launched a podcast called It Was Never a Job (itwasneverajob.com). The stories are harrowing and hilarious, heartbreaking and joyful. If any other Wes folks have a USAID connection to share, drop Chris a line!

Owen Panettieri is loving life in NYC with his husband and dog. He is a playwright and vice president of 5000 Broadway Productions—the production company of Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02—alongside fellow vice president, Sara Elisa Miller ’02. Check out Owen’s plays, which are published through Concord Theatricals. Owen signs off, “Happy 25th, everyone!”

Adam Goss writes in to say, “Congratulations, Class of 2001! I cannot believe it has been 25 years since we tossed our graduation caps.” Adam shares he is still working as an exploration manager in Houston, Texas, finding new natural resources across Latin America and West Africa. He had a busy year with work and leisure travel to Calgary, El Salvador, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic. The Wesleyan connection is strong in Houston, as he often runs into other 2001 E&ES energy powerhouses in town, including Matt Bourke and Andee Marksamer. Adam is proud to share that in 2026 he will be serving as the technical chair for the largest geoscience energy conference in the world, IMAGE 2026, in Houston. If you are in town, drop by and say “howdy.”

Thanks for writing in and sharing little slices of your life. Hoping to see many of you in person in May on Foss Hill.

Until next time,

Aryn and Mara

Dan Packel completed the Philadelphia Marathon in November. He was happy to be cheered on by Ben Stanko ’01 and his family. “Our local public school in northwest Philly is a mini-Wesleyan cluster: my daughter and Ben’s kids are joined by the children of Catherine (Beer) Coleman ’01, Ali Stumacher ’01, and Jean Friedman-Rudovsky ’02. 

Liz (Doctors) Alleva teaches HypnoBirthing® childbirth education and supports families in creating calm, confident birth experiences. “It’s truly amazing what the power of the mind can do—especially during birth. If you or someone you know is expecting and would like to learn more about empowered birth, please visit my website: www.HypnoBirthingMommy.com.”

Trace Peterson finally joined the Wesleyan chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi Society this year as an alum after pledging 30 years ago, most likely setting the record for longest perma-pledge ever. Trace’s second full-length book of poems, The Valleys Are So Lush and Steep, won the 2025 Alma Book Award from Saturnalia Books and was just published in October 2025. The book features blurbs by Anne Waldman, Samuel R. Delany, and Sandy Stone. This year Trace also published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Boundary 2 and an essay in the nonfiction book Fast Famous Women (Woodhall Press) edited by Gina Barreca. Stephanie Burt wrote a chapter about Trace’s work in her new book Super Gay Poems (Harvard University Press). Trace continues to teach at UConn.

From Mandy Snyder: “Hello, Classmates: Life is good for me in western Massachusetts. I am continuing to practice contact improv and teach groups in parts work and somatics. My latest passion is exploring the Enneagram, a system for personal and spiritual growth, through the lens of embodiment. Any Enneagram enthusiasts, reach out! I would love to connect about it: mandy.jean.snyder@gmail.com.”