Class Notes | 2020s

Please write to your class secretaries or send updates to classnotes@wesleyan.edu.

Please write to your class secretary.

Hi everyone. Here are some updates from Class of 2021:

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.

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.

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!

Please share your news with your class secretaries.

“My name is Mohammed Ullah and I have been at Northwestern University for graduate school. I am on track of getting my master’s degree in chemistry by March 2024, and for the past year and a half, I have been working on electrochemical and photochemical C–H functionalization. Aside from being a chemist, I have been attending protests for the millions of displaced Palestinians and calling representatives with the hopes of a permanent ceasefire. What is taking place in Gaza and the West Bank is a genocide where thousands of children and women have been murdered. I am hoping there is more advocacy for the Palestinian people.” 

Nabiha Syed writes: “I have been out working in the ‘real world’ for over a year now. With all of the atrocities happening in the world right now, and especially the current ongoing genocide in Gaza, I have been missing the community of like-minded students I had surrounded myself with at Wesleyan. I appreciate the spirit of activism that I experienced during my time at our school, and I am proud to see fellow alumni carrying that spirit with them at a time like this. As I am disheartened by the silence of those I see in the community around me, I am empowered by the unity and humanity I see being displayed around the world in support of the Palestinian people through protests and voices. While it is easy to feel overwhelmed, seeing awareness and activism from students and alumni sparks hope that the voices of our generation can create a better path to change in the future.”

Maya Gomberg writes: “Hello! This year I moved to Philly for law school at UPenn. In my free time I’ve been working toward a ceasefire in Gaza and encouraging other alumni to sign the divestment petition calling for Wesleyan to divest from companies profiting off of Israeli apartheid. ~Solidarity, Maya”

“As a graduate student, I often reflect on my choice to pursue a dual master’s degree in public health and social work. Recently, I’ve reaffirmed my commitment by applying my skills to advocate against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In moments of doubt, Wesleyan’s community and our shared activism provide strength. Fellow Wesleyan grads inspire me with their ongoing advocacy, including an alumni petition for divestment supporting the demands of the current student coalition known as WesDivest. Witnessing the ongoing dedication of the Wesleyan community, both past and present, underscores the lasting connections forged during our time at the University. Knowing that I can always look to my fellow Wesleyan classmates for inspiration, reassures me that our shared commitment to positive change persists beyond our academic years.”~ Tashfia Jilu

Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well and staying warm this winter.

Here are some updates from the Class of 2021:

Langston Morrison writes: “After a trying time in the middle of the pandemic, I graduated from Wes and secured a position in Chicago, Illinois, working as a diversity and inclusion coordinator at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. While working there, I applied to about a dozen law schools and decided to attend Fordham University School of Law. After my first year at Fordham, I was afforded the opportunity to work at the New York State Supreme Court as a judicial intern (where I work again this fall as a judicial extern) writing a bench memo on a defamation claim, and at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila as a summer associate writing research memos on trade secrets, inevitable disclosures, federal preemption, and 1983 motions in limine. Over the summer, I also was selected to be a Crowley Scholar (a highly competitive international human rights program), a member of moot court, and a member of the International Law Journal, where I hope to expand my cultural awareness, practice my languages, and contribute scholarship to the greater international legal community.”

Bryan Chong has been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and recently signed the alumni petition demanding that Wesleyan divest from companies profiting off Israeli occupation and apartheid.

Thank you everyone for submitting a note. Please feel free to send me updates throughout the year and look out for new submission requests.

Mariel Klimasmith (née Baitenmann-Middlebrook) is in her second year of teaching and is a bilingual history teacher. Isaac Klimasmith will be graduating with a PhD in environmental science from the University of Illinois and in January will begin a job as a professor of statistics at the same university. Isaac and Mariel continue to acquire more rodents and will be staying in Champaign-Urbana permanently.

From Nick Ticali: “This semester I initiated my role as vice president of the NYIT PA Program SGA (Student Government Association). Hopefully I will be elected president next year, but we’ll see where life takes us. Most importantly, I’m excited to complete my second didactic year and initiate my clerkships at the end of this school year. I hope all my fellow 2020 grads are doing great out there!”

Lars Babbott’s lil update: “Things that have been bringing me joy lately is that I am starting a music curriculum at Excel Academy charter schools in East Boston, and I am coaching paraplegic rowing, high school rowing, and starting a team for the Deaf at Community Rowing Inc.”

Iman Sigman has been encouraging other alumni to sign the divestment petition calling on Wesleyan to divest from companies profiting off the Israeli occupation of Palestine and apartheid. Jules White ’22 has also been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and recently signed the alumni petition.

From Grace Morenko: ​​“This year, I started working as a designer at a bio-architecture nonprofit organization called Terreform One. We are experimenting with new building materials, such as mycelium, algae, and 3D print clay, as well as researching how to actively ‘design against extinction.’ Recently we finished a large pavilion that guides the grafting of willows together to research how we can incorporate living trees into our structures and demonstrate the possibility of cohabitation with other species. It’s so exciting to be a part of such a new field trying to address the issues of modern urban development and biodiversity loss. Stay tuned.” 🙂

Thanks to everyone who submitted updates! As always, it’s so great to hear from you. Recently, my energy is going toward supporting my mom, Susie Greenberg, in her campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives District 53 in the 2024 election cycle. 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 of the support my mom has received from the Wesleyan community so far. If you’re interested

To the Class of ’23:

Hey!! My name is Isha Jha and I’m one of the class secretaries for our year! I hope everyone’s first months as a recent grad have been going well, whether that has involved traveling, spending time with friends and family, working, or all the above. I’ve been working in New York postgrad and have been having a ton of fun! 

Going forward, we’ll be emailing you all a couple times a year to check in and get some updates about what everyone is up to. Can’t wait to stay in touch and see what incredible things everyone accomplishes!

—Isha

Hi All,

My name is Go Uemura and I will be serving as a co-secretary for the Class of 2023 along with Isha. We will be keeping everyone in the loop by reporting updates and submitting news to be included in the Wesleyan Alumni Magazine.

At Wes, I studied economics with minors in data analysis and the College of East Asian Studies and played on the men’s hockey team. Since graduating, I have been working at an investment bank in NYC and live in the East Village with two of my former teammates. I had such an amazing experience at Wes and it would be awesome if we can keep this class as connected as possible, so please keep an eye out for future emails from us to help keep the chatter going. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of you at the Homecoming game in Middletown.

In the Bonds,

—Go

We received this news about Connor Gregoire, who is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps: Connor Gregoire graduated from the Basic School at the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, on May 19, 2023. Connor will continue his training in his first choice of military occupational specialty as an infantry officer. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in August 2022 upon completion of Officer Candidate School as part of the USMC platoon leaders class program. Connor will continue onto the USMC Infantry Officer Course, also located in Quantico, with an anticipated graduation of October 2023. Upon completion of his professional training, he will be assigned to the fleet as a platoon commander.