Class of 2020 | 2020 | ISSUE 3
From Matt Huston: “In July I moved to the University of Michigan and am currently working as a research assistant and am heading a project focused on understanding proteins involved in SARS-COV-2’s ability to evade the host’s immune system and how those proteins can be targeted by therapeutics.”
Nate Gillman recently moved to Providence, Rhode Island to begin his PhD studies in mathematics.
From Sayem Talukdar: “Since June, I’ve had the privilege of working full time at Johnson & Johnson as a technology analyst through their Technology Leadership Development Program, a rotational program. My first rotation is in Corporate Business Technology on the Experience Design team. I’ve also decided to continue my education concurrently by pursuing a master’s in Technology Management at Georgetown University. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some of my close friends recently from Wes—Delando Clarke ’21, Autumn Rasmussen ’20 and Marisella Andrews ’19.”
Jack Warren’s film thesis, ARTEMIS, screened in competition at the Woodstock Film Festival in late September/early October.
Sarah Hutcheon got a job as a chemist at Abbott Laboratories and is making rapid COVID-19 tests.
Nick McCarthy is interning with Swing Left, working to get Democrats elected in the November election. He’s not sure what he will do after the election.
Sam Peterson moved to Washington, D.C. in the beginning of July. He is working for a company called CleanChoice Energy, which helps people find clean energy options for their homes, especially if they don’t have the means or infrastructure to install their own solar panels.
Inayah Bashir, Kolbi Bradley, and Latisha Leaperl started their own business called Holistic Wealth, LLC, which “provides personalized wellness services that inspire community and self healing.” From Inayah: “We’ve been putting on wellness programming during the pandemic! So far, we’ve had a solidarity circle for Black women on love and one for Black men. We also held a community forum for Black people to discuss love. This fall, we have been hosting weekly meditation sessions and we also are kicking off our TV Club series! It’s been such a rewarding experience for us so far! Here’s the website for more information: holisticwealthconsulting.com.
From Zoe Cassels-Brown: “Originally from Vermont, I relocated to Dallas to start my residency year with Johns Hopkins Urban Teachers program. I am currently teaching first graders online in Dallas for Uplift Peak Primary school and taking classes at night towards a double major in general and special education.”
Saadia Naeem and alums from the classes of ’20, ’18, and ’17 watched the U.S. Open from her backyard on Winged Foot, where they enthusiastically welcomed Tiger Woods to the fourth green.
Nick Ticali ended up using his Adelphic Educational Fund Wesleyan Summer Grant funds to take a microbiology course through the University of New England instead. He is living with his parents on Long Island, New York, is working full-time as an EMT with Hunter EMS, and has been sworn in as an EMT with his fire department. He is hoping to shadow PAs, take an AEMT course, and maybe apply to PA school in the near future!
Alex Sobor is living in her hometown, Chicago, and is an outreach coordinator for the State Senator Robert Martwick and State Representative Lindsey LaPointe campaigns in Illinois.
From Tyler Kobryn: “I recently signed a professional hockey contract with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL for next year. They are the minor league affiliate of NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. Looking forward to the opportunity.”
Saakshi Kakar is starting the first semester of her master’s program in developmental psychology and psychopathology at King’s College, London from home in Mumbai, India. Additionally, a paper she co-authored with 2020 grads Simone John-Vanderpool, Paul Willems, and Mubarak Sanni was published in the Journal of Community Psychology!
From Ariel Adler: “Since March, I spent a month in New Jersey living with my cousin, went back home to Georgia for another month, and then moved to Los Angeles in mid-June. Since moving, I traveled back to Georgia twice—to visit my 91-year-old grandmother in the hospital and later to attend her funeral. After spending two months in Los Angeles living off of my dwindling savings and applying for jobs, I was fortunate to be hired as the executive assistant to two senior executives at Access Hollywood.”
Lucie Plasse spent her post-grad summer at home in Lille, France studying for her French driver’s license exam. The exam contains an extremely detailed and difficult written portion, which she finally passed on the third try!
Jackie Duckett moved to Boston, where she is working as a clinical research coordinator in an infectious disease lab at Massachusetts General Hospital.
From Natasha Guandique: “Since Wesleyan I’ve had to completely shift my professional plans, it took some time, but I’ve recently gotten over myself and accepted that I can’t be in control of everything all the time. Now I’m focusing on my future, what I can control and fabricating positivity.”
From Anthony Price: “I recently joined the Universal Service Administrative Company as a program analyst in Washington, D.C. working to alleviate the digital divide amongst low-income families across the country.”
Maya Layne is currently a digital editor intern at CR Fashion Book, lovingly running her blog (mayalayne.blog), recording her podcast (Knowsy Pod), and finding labor-intensive recipes to make for no reason.
While the Class of 2020 had an unexpected senior spring and graduation, I loved getting y’all’s updates; they are a great reminder of our collective grit, resilience, and adaptiveness! As for me, I’m moving to Chicago in the spring to be a commercial health care consultant for Guidehouse. Big congrats to those who’ve found a path in this weird post-grad time and sending some love and support to those who are still searching for ways to fill their time. Thanks for your updates and look out for another email from me soon!
REBECCA GREENBERG | rgreenberg@wesleyan.edu