Class Notes | 2010s

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well and staying safe. Here are some updates from our peers:

Katie Tyner recently published a co-authored, open-access article in Politics & Policy with Farida Jalalzai covering women prime ministers during COVID-19. Katie and Farida interviewed 45 politicians, civil servants, medical professionals, local journalists, and other leaders for this study, including Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir and New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson. The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12511.

Sarah Paulson graduated this summer from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands with a master’s in marine biology. She recently started a new job as a coastal restoration science technician with the Nature Conservancy. Sarah’s girlfriend Anna Knes also recently received a master’s—hers in forensic science from the University of Amsterdam in October ’22. Both recently moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and together they are looking at adopting a cat!

Special thanks to everyone who reached out with their life updates. Keep an eye out for my next email about the next edition of the alumni magazine soon.

Paige Amanda wrote a children’s book earlier this year called Spencer’s Noisy Mixer. In 2023, they will have another book coming out called Spencer’s Special Interests. These books are part of a series of neurodiversity-affirming children’s books about two autistic siblings. You can check out their writing at: paigeamandawrites.com.

Cloie Logan has been working ridiculously hard to unionize her workplace, Allandale Farm, in Brookline, Massachusetts! (Follow us at Allandale Workers United on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!) After a whirlwind campaign, she and her co-organizers secured 75% of employee signatures in three days for a petition for a union election. Three weeks after Allandale Workers United filed the petition with the NLRB, the employer voluntarily recognized the union!! She is now heading into potential affiliation and eventual contract negotiations. Anyone in the Boston area looking to help out (pro-bono labor law advice? local union rep connections?), or anyone in a similar industry looking to unionize their own workplace, please reach out at allandaleworkersunited@hotmail.com.

Lydia Ottaviano has spent the past 14 months as a digital nomad, working and traveling around the country and the world alongside her partner of five-plus years. She’s a product manager for a fintech start-up based in Cleveland, Ohio, where she had been living full time until throwing her stuff in storage and beginning her adventures. Highlights of her adventures have included spending two months in Mexico City and Playa del Carmen, a second-annual ski month in Salt Lake City, weddings and graduations in California and Colorado, summering in Cleveland with new and old friends, familiar beaches and family time on Fire Island, five European countries in five weeks, and late-fall southwest hiking with family. 2023 is still shaping up, but you can definitely catch her back on the slopes of SLC in February and March, and eventually reminiscing at the weddings of close friends, including one of her oldest and best Wesleyan pals, Keyonne Session, and his new fiancée Ketrah Mugambe ’18 (“Congrats!!!”).

I’m very happy to announce I got engaged during November’s Homecoming weekend at Wes to Ketrah Mugambe ’18. Luckily, Wesleyan photographer Tom Dzimian caught the moment on camera.

Hello Class of 2016! I’m happy to report the following updates from our classmates:

Deren Ertas has been pursuing her PhD at Harvard University in history and Middle Eastern Studies since 2019. She is working on a dissertation that deals with the history of mining in the Southeastern Taurus Mountains from the 18th century onward. This year, she became a Fulbright-Hays Fellow, which will bring her to Turkey, France, and Germany throughout 2023. She would be happy to connect with other alumni who live in these places!

Gari Francois is in an expansive and healing chapter of her life. She has been traveling the United States for the past year, hosting community gatherings and workshop/dialogue spaces and getting to experience different ways of living in America. She is currently back in NYC, but soon to be in Miami, Florida, for the winter. She does not enjoy the cold—LOL. Recently, she landed a role she had always asked for but never thought would come to fruition; she is a care coach for a virtual IOP provider, where she gets to serve and support kids in their journey toward mental wellness, which she describes as really fulfilling and gratifying work. She is also looking to begin her studies as a death doula in 2023. She is also currently brainstorming/creating in person gathering spaces that invite participants to engage in experiential learning and somatic healing.

Ellen Paik and Melissa Leung are enjoying their blissful grad school vacation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, over hot pot dinner followed by bottles of wine. Since it is cold AF, Melissa does seek snuggles from Ben Romero when he returns from the woods of New Hampshire and Ulysses Estrada ’17, who is her neighbor! She has yet to cuddle with Chase Knowles but is hopeful they will meet soon after this update publishes.

Kellyn Maves and Sarah Mi are surviving intern year and were able to have a little reunion in San Diego when Kellyn went to visit Sarah on a coinciding weekend off. Kellyn also recently cut down a Christmas tree and just finished decorating it!

As for me, I am busy with medical school but have to say this has been the best year yet with exploring all these different specialties and departments. Most exciting is that I have decided to apply to ophthalmology next year, so if anyone has any advice or words of wisdom as I embark on that journey, they will be well received!

I hope for a great start to the year!

Stay well,

Mariam

Dana Louie and Jonathan Coombs got married this fall in Nahant, Massachusetts. Several classmates came to celebrate with them. They live in Boston with their two cats, Biscuit and Bun.

Iliana Ortega, Davion Hounchell, and Lizzie Jáuregui would like to congratulate Vicky Hill (née Ramos) and her husband Harry Hill on the birth of their daughter, Ivy Amelia Hill, on November 13, 2022.

Alicia Gansley is an engineering manager at crypto analytics firm Chainalysis in New York City.

Chris Tugman is enjoying his time in London, U.K., where he’s spent the last four and half years. Chris enjoys exploring Europe and still manages to play basketball a couple of times a week. He leads strategic partnerships for Xero, a global financial technology company located near King’s Cross. If any alums are visiting London, he’s always up to connect and grab a pint.

Marjorie Hunt shares she “started an MA program in history at Cal State LA this fall, and I also just moved into a co-op house in Northeast LA.”

Mary DePascale graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May with a PhD in Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. This summer she was awarded a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship grant, and she is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Boston College, conducting research on family math engagement in early childhood.

Julia “Jay” Benedith writes, “This year, I moved from New York City—my home for 30 years—to Washington, DC! I am a homeowner, a business owner, and a doctoral student. I’m so thankful for my time at Wes. My support system is based in the lifelong friendships I made on campus!”

Gianya Breland gave birth to a baby boy, Cassius Lee, on July 24, 2022, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

Sky McGilligan and Brooke Baker ’13 got married on September 10, 2022, and had a ton of Wesleyan people from both classes in attendance.

Leo Liu shares, “Still living in Washington, D.C., and working in politics! I was enjoying age 30, going on lots of gay dates, and then this summer I got the dreaded long COVID. I basically had to cancel all my plans, and I’ve since been focused 100% on trying to recover my health.”

Will Dubbs currently lives in Washington, D.C., advising on political campaigns and biosecurity. But in his head, he’s back making pizzas at 14b Warren.

Ella Dawson sold her debut novel, The Reunion, to Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. If all goes smoothly, it will reach the shelves of your local bookstore in 2024.

For the past couple of years Amanda Sonnenschein has been developing her directing portfolio in Los Angeles and New York. Since 2021, she has directed a short, animated film titled Pizzato (available on YouTube); the first episode for an anthology horror series, Legends of Sleepy Hollow (on Amazon Prime); a comedy short, Will You Be My Quaran-tine? (on Facebook Watch and YouTube); and is currently in postproduction on the pilot for a D&D comedy fantasy series, The Game, which she both directed and produced. In addition to preparing for future episodes of The Game, Amanda is in preproduction on her first feature film.

Andrew Cohen has enjoyed dominating his Wesleyan fantasy football league—now in its 12th year (starting freshman year!)—which includes Nathan Josephs, Richie Starzec, Jake Barack, Joey Schwartz, Will Dubbs, Christian Schneider, Jordan Gaynes, Alex Cannon, and Brett Keating ’15. They are using their experience to inform a new-wave stage adaptation of the popular FX show The League, set to begin workshops at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this summer.

Please send news and updates to your class secretary.

Just a couple of post-reunion notes to share:

Ian Hoffman writes, “I’d like to offer a huge belated thanks to all my 2012 friends I got to see at our reunion in May! In September I got to help welcome the Wesleyan Wind Ensemble back out of our pandemic hiatus and we’ve been having some fantastic rehearsals leading up to our fall concert. It’s great to be on stage at Crowell again after being kept off for two and a half years

And Abaye Steinmetz-Silber reports, “I’ve been living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and I work at a local community development nonprofit called Fifth Avenue Committee, building new affordable housing here in Brooklyn. It was great to see old friends at our 10-year reunion this year! If anyone’s swinging through Brooklyn, drop me a line!”

Hi Class of 2011,

Hope this finds you well and having enjoyed a wonderful 2022 and now 2023!

Austin Woolridge writes, “Players’ Lounge (co-founded by me) raised its Series A.” https://venturebeat.com/games/players-lounge-raises-10-5m-in-funding-plans-future-expansion.

Joe Giaimo contributes, “Emily and I welcomed a baby boy, Joey, back in July. Our oldest, Siena, is enjoying her new role as big sister, and we all enjoyed a fun time together at Homecoming in November watching the Cardinals take home the Little Three Football Championship with a win over Amherst!”

Thank you to all who continue to support our annual class gift. Last year we raised $10,753 with classmates supporting financial aid, sports teams, clubs, departments, and more. This year we have a goal of $14,000. We hope to surpass total donor totals of 200! Please consider supporting with a donation by going to wesleyan.edu/giving. Thanks for the update on this, Joe!

All my best,

Allie

Greetings Wesleyan community! I hope you enjoy the following updates from the Class of 2010:

Syd Berkman contributes: “I just finished a PhD in behavior analysis at Western New England University. After many years of grad school and 12 years working in special education at the New England Center for Children, I’m taking what I’m calling a #sydbattical with my adventure dog, Buster. The loose plan is to travel around the U.S. then through Latin America (without Buster): backpacking, bikepacking, kayaking, sightseeing, and adventuring however I can. I’ve seen a few Wes friends—Justin Spring, Sam Kurtis, and Amy Lum—and I hope to see others! Undetermined where I’ll end up afterward. If you’re anywhere in the eastern two thirds of the U.S., in Costa Rica, or somewhere in the Andes, I’d be thrilled to meet up!”

Abby Blake and Chris Foley were married this past August in Portland, Maine, with lots of Wesleyan friends in attendance, including Anne Rosenthal, Charlie Kurose, Megan Nash ’09, Jamie Pesuit, Dan Charness, Jane Nestler ’12, Rick Maynard ’11, Julia Heffelfinger ’11, and Craig Ewer.

Abby and Chris also welcomed their daughter Sadie Blake-Foley on November 5th—their 13th dating anniversary! Congrats to Abby and Chris!

Thanks as always to those who contributed and, as always, feel free to pass along notes anytime at DavidALayne@gmail.com.