My name is Miles Allen, and I’m reaching out as your Wesleyan class secretary. Though our time on campus was temporary, the memories are forever . . . and for me, the position of class secretary is also forever. Essentially, three times a year—coinciding with each issue of Wesleyan University Magazine—I will be reaching out to solicit personal and professional updates to be shared in the Class Notes section of the magazine: https://classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu/. This is a wonderful space for memories, family news, travel experiences, mini-reunions, and more—a way to stay connected throughout the next chapters of our lives.
As recent graduates, our news isn’t included in this Fall 2024 Issue, but I will be reaching out soon about how you can share for the next, Spring 2025 Issue. Until then, I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and enjoying our postgrad fall!
Hi Cardinals. This is your new class secretary, Arthur Chen. Here are some exciting updates from your dear classmates:
Aldrean Alogon writes: “I want to say ‘hi’ to everybody in our class. Ashley Tuen and I are rooming together in the big city, and we miss the Class of 2023 so much. It’s nice that Wes built very strong connections, and we still hang out very frequently with our college besties. Can’t wait to see everybody sometime soon!”
From Aidan Jones: “I recently joined my thesis lab, as I started my second year as a Columbia University PhD student.”
From Elizabeth Rowe: “I spent the last year teaching English in Madrid, Spain. Now I am starting law school back in my hometown at UT Austin. Hook ’em!”
From Kelly Fenton-Samuels: “After graduating with BA degrees in chemistry and earth and environmental sciences, I stayed at Wesleyan for an additional year to complete an MA degree in earth and environmental sciences. My master’s thesis focused on ice, ocean, and climate interactions in Antarctica during the Plio-Pleistocene Transition, approximately 2.6 million years ago. This period marked the transformation from a world warmer than today to one with continental-scale ice sheets in both hemispheres. I am continuing this research within a PhD program at Columbia University and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, furthering my passion for exploring Earth’s natural laboratory and enhancing scientific understanding of climate change.” So exciting to learn about Kelly’s research; not going to lie, that sounds pretty cool (pun unintended!).
And from the very first friend that I made at Wesleyan, Quentin Rollet writes: “I just spent one year in Los Angeles working on several film sets and at a production company called Iconoclast. I even got to make my own short film. In the process, I realized that my Wesleyan film thesis was a piece of cake compared to the ruthless Hollywood money machine. Although I didn’t like the city that much, I met a lot of cool people there. “I also got to travel a lot recently—finally put my three years of Japanese to practice in Japan—and followed the filmmaker Wong Kar Wai’s footsteps in Hong Kong, where I met other Wes alumni. Now I’ll settle back in Paris and probably make more movies. Let me know if you’re visiting!” Visiting Quentin in Paris last summer, I can vouch that he will feed you a lot and different kinds of cheese every day!
Lastly, from me (Arthur): I am currently on a working holiday in Australia. Originally, I planned to find work in farming or hospitality to experience different jobs and meet new people, but I ended up as a research assistant at the University of Melbourne, which was quite unexpected—just like how unpredictable life can be after graduating! But I become more comfortable with embracing precarity now. Being on a college campus again reminds me of my time at Wesleyan, so whenever I work on student film sets, I wear my Wesleyan “Dad” hat to show my Cardinal pride. Haha!
Thank you “heaps” for reading our class notes! Please send me updates throughout the year to share with our classmates. I can be reached at achen03@wesleyan.edu. Topics can range from personal and professional updates, memories, family news, traveling, mini-reunions, and more! It doesn’t have to be long, even a sentence or two will do. Feel free to provide photos too. Cheers! (I realized Australians don’t really say this….)
This is a crew photo from a single-take, 30-minute short film that Arthur (second from left in the back row, wearing his Wesleyan hat) worked on. “It was kind of disastrous—as you may see from my face—but we had fun.”
Hi everyone! I hope you had a lovely summer no matter where you are. Here are some updates from the Class of 2021:
Gayon Yang recently moved to Chiang Rai, Thailand, to pursue her passion as a fifth-grade teacher at Chiang Rai International School. Gayon wrote, “Life is good here!” Congratulations to Gayon for starting a new chapter of life.
Costel-Tudor Voica was an international student from Moldova at Wesleyan. He is currently back in his home country. Costel’s American friend and housemate, Jonah Skolnik, visited Costel in the city he grew up in, Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.
Costel was invited by the Moldovan branch of EducationUSA, a U.S. Department of State network of international student advising centers, to give a presentation to high school students about Wesleyan. Costel invited Jonah to present as a duo.
Jonah Skolnik (on left) and Costel-Tudor Voica (on right) presented as a duo to high school students in Chisinau, Moldova, about their Wesleyan experience.
Costel wrote, “It was so much fun, it was a very natural, almost podcast-like conversation about Wesleyan, and everyone loved it. The Moldovan high schoolers had the unique opportunity to get a taste of Wesleyan and studying in the U.S. through the lens of an American and a Moldovan international alumnus. And Jonah had the chance to enjoy the places and food I’ve been telling him about during our time in college.”
Zoe Farnsworth is now a choreographer and organizer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Zoe had their local premiere of The Meaning of Where I’m From in September, their first public premiere of a dance show. Zoe explores their “trans”-generational Ashkenazi Jewish identity in a “solo” dance/theater performance through themes of family, ancestry, death, and ritual. They invite you into their composting process to dig, layer, and breathe new life into a complex past. What do you need to transform? Zoe can be reached by zoe.compostabledance@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to send me updates throughout the year and look out for new submission requests. See you next time!
From Grant Hill: “I have been traveling for most of 2024, after wrapping up a four-year career in the cannabis industry while living in Portland, Maine. After a countrywide travel stint ranging from North Carolina to San Francisco, and a dip down to Costa Rica, I will be moving to Asheville, North Carolina, to pursue career growth in business development and digital marketing and further grow my photography business. If you are in the area, feel free to reach out via my cell at (203) 895–2391!”
From Nicholas Ticali: “I am currently in my final year of PA school, rotating in family medicine while also serving as student society president. I also just had my closing performance as Stacee Jaxx in Rock of Ages the musical, which was ‘nothin’ but a good time!’ I hope all of you 2020 grads are getting ready for fifth-year reunion!!”
From Kush Patel: “I’m working as a dermatology physician assistant in a private practice called Schweiger Dermatology Group located in Connecticut. I’m looking forward to a fulfilling career in the outpatient world caring for my patients’ skin concerns!”
From Luke Green: “I’ve been working as a producer at WNYC in New York for over three years now. What’s new is I just got a promotion over the summer, which is exciting! In September, we will air a special WNYC centennial broadcast about the history of New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia. I was the lead producer of the show and was working on it for the last six months, so it’s gratifying for people to finally be able to hear it!”
Gabrielle “Gabe” Hurlock, founder of Tribe Arts Consulting LLC, continues to bridge arts, social equity, and education through her work in metro Atlanta. Her company partners with nonprofits and government agencies to provide creative solutions for high-risk communities. Gabe remains committed to driving transformative change through innovative arts programming and consulting.
Hannah Reale (credit Barbara McCrane)
Congratulations are in order for Hannah Reale who was named was named a 2024–2025 Becton Fellow by Boston public media producer GBH. The Becton Fellowship honors promising GBH producers and content creators whose work reflects the organization’s commitment to public service. Congrats, Hannah!
Thanks all for submitting your updates, as always it is so great to hear from y’all!
These days I am soaking up the last of the Chicago summer sun. This fall, I spend all the time I can in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, supporting my mom, Susie Greenberg, and her campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives District 53. Susie’s campaign is based on reproductive freedom, community safety, and economic prosperity in our Atlanta-area community and across Georgia. I am so grateful for all the Wesleyan community support Susie received from the Wesleyan community!
Hi everyone. Here are some updates from Class of 2021:
Sofia making edibles at work! Here, she is stirring a pot of vegan honeydew gummies.
Sofia Murtaugh wrote: “My post-college life in Honolulu has been filled with sunshine, ultimate Frisbee, cannabis, and good friends! I work in a lab, manufacturing products for medical marijuana dispensary, Noa Botanicals, learning about the growing cannabis industry alongside some of the coolest folks in Hawaii. Outside work I am thriving in the island’s Frisbee scene! I’m a captain of Hawaii’s only club ultimate team, Party Wave, a mixed team that competes in the mainland. I’ve also commissioned a community recreation league, captained a number of league teams with my partner, Mikey Palmer, and started a women’s pickup game that’s been going strong for over a year now.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have two mini-Wes reunions this year already! Tenley Abbott ’23 came to visit and compete in Hawaii’s biggest ultimate tournament, Kaimana Klassic, in February. In March, my classmates Ana Finnerty-Haggerty and Isabel Algrant came for a special beach-filled reunion!” So exciting to learn about Sofia’s post-college life in Honolulu. Sofia can be reached at smurtaugh@wesleyan.edu if you want to connect with her.
This is the Kaimana Klassic team. Tenley Abbott ’23 and Sofia Murtaugh played in February at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu, pictured in front of Diamond Head, their famous crater! Tenley is fourth from the left in the back row, and Sofia is directly below her.
As for me, I am halfway through law school. This spring semester I am doing direct legal assistance work through the Civil Practice Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. I am also happy that I attended the Master’s Recital by Hayley Qin ’22 at the New England Conservatory of Music on April 5 and celebrated my friend’s creative endeavors.
Thank you for reading! Please feel free to send me updates throughout the year and look out for new submission requests.
From Kush Patel: “I graduated from the PA program at Tufts, and I am now a board-certified physician assistant working in dermatology! I have the honor of working in my home state and caring for those that I was born and raised around. I’m looking forward to this new adventure!”
Miles Brooks has been working on the Klamath River Renewal Project in Northern California. Four dams are going to be removed to restore natural flow and fish passage on the Klamath River. Miles is working for the Yurok Tribe, the original stewards of the Klamath River who are leading the revegetation efforts following the drawdown of three reservoirs. They are seeding and planting native plants on the newly exposed sediments to restore the natural ecosystem.
View of the former Copco Reservoir a month after drawdown, February 12, 2024.
Thanks to Kush and Miles for their updates!
As for me, I’ve been going back and forth from Chicago to Atlanta, supporting my mom, Susie Greenberg (yes, like the Phish song but spelled a little different), and her campaign for Georgia House District 53. Susie is running on the fight for reproductive freedoms, community safety, and economic prosperity in our Atlanta-area community and across Georgia. If you’re interested in supporting her efforts to flip the district—where the governor lives—let me know or Google search for her name to get more info!
