Class Notes

Please send updates to the editors.

TED NELSON
BrightView Commons,
57 Grandeville Crt., apt. 307, Wakefield, RI 02879

Sad to let you know, we’ve lost another member of our class. On July 16, 2015, Hoyt Chapin passed away at his home in New London, N.H. Hoyt went on to the Columbia University School of Business in New York upon graduation from Wesleyan and began his career in home furnishings at both Bloomingdale’s and Dansk International Designs. The majority of his work life was in the retail sector as owner and president of the Pottery Barn, Inc., until his retirement. He was recognized and known for his forward thinking and creative entrepreneurial approach to good contemporary design at a great price. Hoyt retired to New London and Vero Beach, Fla., where, according to information received, he remained involved in several business adventures, including creation of two developments—Browns Hills and the Georges Mills Boat Club in Sunapee, N.H. An active member of the New London community, Hoyt served as a director of the Little Sunapee Protective Association, New London Hospital, and the Kearsage Council on Aging.

Note: Wesleyan was notified of Hoyt’s passing by his daughter, Deborah Chapin ’81 and I know I speak for all of us in offering our sincere condolences to her and her family.

Yours truly has logged 4,493 cycling miles as of Oct. 4, and with any luck, should reach the annual target of 5,000 miles by year end. I mention “luck,” as I had the misfortune of being guilty of committing a rookie error on Sept. 27, by my failure to consume sufficient liquid during an aggressive 31-mile ride. Completed the ride, loaded my bike back into the car, discussed where we were going to snack and then, while removing my cycling shoes as I sat on the bumper of my car, I passed out. When I came to, I was in an ambulance on my way to the nearest hospital (four miles away). Two of my riding companions joined me in the emergency room and watched as the ER nurse hooked up an IV and gave me a “lecture” on the need to drink while riding. Stayed overnight while the usual protocol was performed (CT scan, MRI, echo test, neurological evaluation, etc.) and was released. Hope to be back in the saddle in a day or two, once the soreness lessens and of course, plan on being a good “student” by consuming more fluids more often! Really felt pretty lucky I came away from the experience with four stitches and a few bruises. But, to be truthful, I was certainly embarrassed!!!

To all of you, I’d really appreciate a word or two to share with classmates if you have a moment. And, know my sincere best wishes for health and happiness are sent to you and your loved ones.

DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@bellsouth.net

27A Stratford Ln. W., Boynton Beach, FL 33436; 561/654-3711

The class of 2014 continues to kill it. Here’s what they’re up to:
Jessica Titlebaum is gearing up to attend Michigan State college of veterinary medicine—class of 2019.

Jeremy Judelson writes, “I am working at Mass Appeal magazine and have put on lots of weight since graduation.”

John Steel is working at a pharma startup in Westchester, N.Y., with a bunch of other Wes alums including Hannah Plon. Very exciting and thrilling company (currently focused on women’s health, as well as sports nutrition and diabetes).

Henry Cheung just finished his first year of teaching in the Bronx through Teach For America and is enjoying the summer by conducting fascinating clinical research at Bellevue Hospital. Next year, he will be leading his school’s geometry and precalculus departments, spearheading in the creation of the curricula, training new teaching assistants, and guiding new teachers joining the department. In addition, he is expanding his organization, Equal College Guidance, to aid the juniors and seniors in both SAT math and the college admissions process.

Laura Getchell and Kevin Hughes worked at a company called OPENPediatrics, which is sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital. OPENPediatrics is an online digital learning platform that provides open-access educational resources to clinicians worldwide. The mission of the program is to build an international community of clinicians sharing best practices from all resource settings around the world through innovative collaboration and digital learning technologies. Through their website, clinicians can access academically rigorous and peer-reviewed content, including expert medical educational videos, interactive device simulators, protocols, and medical calculators. They currently have users in 125 countries. To those pursuing a career in medicine, particularly in pediatrics, this is a wonderful, free resource. Their website is openpediatrics.org and anyone who is a medical student can register for a free account to gain access to all of their content.

Joshua Krugman now lives in Glover, Vt., where he works for the Bread and Puppet Theater, a political puppet theater, and hangs out with Hailey Sowden ’15, who works at a local sheep dairy and orchard. He often sees Leah Frost ’05 at Couriers or the C&C, local grocery stores, and at the Bread and Puppet farm. His poems appear in summer issues of Osiris and Matter Monthly.

Matt Leibowitz writes, “I’ve been spending the past year building my own organization, Consent is So Frat, which works to make consent and healthy relationships part of what it means to be a fraternity brother or sorority sister. We currently have campus representatives on almost 50 campuses and are working with the White House’s “It’s On Us” campaign as an official partner to develop Greek specific programming. I’ll be speaking on the “It’s On Us” Panel in D.C. next month at the Make Progress Summit, which will also include Senator Gillibrand, Senator Cory Booker, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. I hope to connect with other alumni doing great work in this field!”

Katherine Clifford spent this past year working at the UCSF memory and aging center as a clinical research coordinator. She is now starting medical school this fall at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Michelle Agresti and Rachel Rosengard are roommates and have survived their first year in New York, despite their apartment’s best efforts. They are currently looking for a new apartment, and now on their list of requirements, in addition to affordable rent, is no mushrooms growing out of the kitchen ceiling (despite how scientifically stunning it was the first time). Michelle is working as an actress, attending acting school, and has a variety of jobs, including being a zombie. She just wrapped filming on a series of short films that she created with a fellow actor, and the crew was all Wesleyan! If you have any contact with her on the Internet, you’ll hear about it. Rachel assists in PET/MRI brain imaging to study schizophrenia and substance abuse. Trained in phlebotomy, the quality of your veins is one of the first things she’ll notice (and love) about you! Off the clock, Rachel volunteers at a nonprofit bookstore cafe.

Simon Riker writes: “I’ve spent my year since graduation working as a freelance musician, mostly in the theatre. I have worked on two new musicals as an assistant and orchestrator. I’ve played keyboard for New York regional theatre productions of Sweeney Todd and The Little Mermaid. I work as a music director at the Play Group Theatre in White Plains, N.Y., and as assistant music director for the Summer Theatre of New Canaan. Me Prometheus, my caveman musical, was produced at William and Mary in April and my co-writer and I are currently rewriting it and looking for its next opportunity to run.”

Hello, All! It has been two years since the Class of 2013 left Wesleyan. We’ve embarked on journeys near and far, collected master’s degrees or are enroute to becoming PhDs, changed jobs/lives/cities a few times, and we’ve stuck by each other through it all.

Chantal Ferguson, Suzanne Gallo, and Emily Wolcott are just about to move out of the Jolly Rogers house they have shared for the last two years. Emily and Suzanne are getting their master’s in social work and Chantal is starting her MD/PhD at UMass. They are frequently visited by local classmates including Thomas Kassel and Andrew Perlmutter. Current pastimes include competitive knitting, basket weaving, and soup-making competitions. Weekends are often concluded with team bowling and all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. If anyone is visiting Boston, the Jolly Rogers crew would love to have you at their new digs close by.

Trevor Michelson will be representing the United States in the lightweight single sculls at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea in July. Randy Linder is working at Capital Group in Los Angeles. Bennett Kirschner started a small theatre ensemble/Vietnamese pop-up in New Orleans called the Cobbleslop Group. Their first production, titled Feast & Crime, went up this past March and was a resounding success. Their next production, titled John Locke Schmidt: The Unforgiven Betrayal of a Close Friend will be in mid-August at a small art gallery, and he would love it if any and all Wesleyan grads could make it!

Joseph O’Donnell is over half way done with a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, which spans 2,189 miles from Georgia to Maine. He is fundraising along the way for Hike for Mental Health, an organization devoted to promoting mental health research and hiking as a therapeutic activity. To follow or donate for mental health, visit psychhikes.com. Chloe Lalonde and Ceili Brennan are hiking the Pacific Crest Trail the summer. As of this message, they are on top of Mount Whitney! 766 miles out of 2660 down. They are also wearing their Wesleyan Cross Country T-shirts and repping our alma mater.

Ross Gormley is starting an MFA program this fall in creative nonfiction at UNC Wilmington. Before he enrolls, he is traveling out West on a trip made entirely possible by Wesleyan friends—many thanks to them. Sarah Cassel will be beginning a master’s degree in criminology at the University of Cambridge, U.K., in Oct. Ever since participating as a writing tutor in Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education, she has become passionate about working in the intersecting field of prison reform, rehabilitation, and racial justice.
Last year, Lia Monti moved into a historic home in Brooklyn Heights built in 1834 by Walt Whitman’s father (with help from young Walt). She graduated this May from Columbia University with a master’s in postwar Japanese art history. Janet Cushey moved from Seoul to NYC in August of 2014 to begin a position as an investor relations associate with a small firm that works with oncology and drug development companies. Anna Swartz is living in Bed-Stuy, writing for The Dodo and looking forward to some scenic drives through good ol’ Connecticut this summer. Walter Rodriguez started a new role this year in global procurement at Pfizer, where he’s been since graduating from Wesleyan. His daughter, Adriana, just graduated from kindergarten this June. He is looking forward to many summer weekends in NYC with her at parks, zoos, aquariums, and gardens. She loves taking the train from New Jersey.

Taran Catania has spent the last year in Washington D.C., working for an international bird conservation organization. Previously, she spent a few seasons in the field catching migratory shorebirds in Delaware Bay. She loves D.C., but does not love the Red Line metro. Evan Okun is now a central leader of Circles & Ciphers, a restorative justice organization or young people of color who are court and gang involved. This coming August, the organization will hire Cherkira Lashley ’15 to start a branch of the program for young women. This past May, Cherkira and Evan brought Circles & Ciphers to Wesleyan to facilitate conflict resolution circles with various groups on campus. One such circle focused on rebuilding community between residents of fraternities, Women of Color House, and Open House. Evan Okun has also brought with colleagues and Wesleyan alumni together to release an album, Well Lit LP. The debut music video can be found on YouTube: E. Oks—Beez (ft. Ash Frost). More music, articles, and poetry can be found at E-Oks.com

Chelsea Goldsmith has an update from the 410: “Cassie Liu came and visited me. The rest of you are still in trouble.”

As for myself, I’m continuing to enjoy the spoils of the Bay Area and am about to hit my two-year mark at Apple. Still making my way through SF gastronomy and exploring the world whenever time permits. Thanks to everyone for writing in and best wishes to all my classmates!

As another cohort of freshman begin to make Wes their new home, it is time to reflect on the adventures our 2012 classmates!

Zachary Cuong Nguyen and Mari Sahakyan both chose to attend UC Berkeley-Boalt School of Law last fall and have been roommates ever since. As their 1L year came to a close, they set off for their summer jobs; Mari was at the US Attorneys Office in San Francisco and Cuong spent the summer at the SEC in New York. Mari writes, “I am very lucky that one of my best friends from Wes is also in the program with me…and so live on the Wes connections!”

Mari continues her praises with another Wes alum, “Possibly the kindest and most-grounded individual from our class (and someone I am very lucky to call my friend) is finishing up his master’s in just about a week at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy!” I know we can all share in a round of applause for Justin Pena; we fully expect to hear about your accomplishments in the news.

And continuing the Wes connection overseas, William Miller, Nica Latto, and Phillip Ross have been living in Prague, Czech Republic, for the past two years. Will and Phil work for dueling social media marketing companies, while Nica teaches English and teaches people how to teach English. Recently, Nica began organizing trips throughout the Czech countryside, Phil settled down with a cat and a car, and Will completed a treacherous drive to Mongolia. They spend their free time gallivanting around Europe and would welcome a visit from any other Wes alumni!

Nathan Mackenzie recently returned to the U.S. in Nov. 2013 after working with Shining Hope for Communities in Nairobi, Kenya, since graduating. He has moved back to his home state of Colorado and worked for two nonprofits in Denver focused on local economy and local food economy work. Since July 2014, Nathan has been a part of El Pomar Foundation’s Fellowship program, which is a two-year leadership development program in Colorado Springs.

And back to my stomping grounds in BK, Lila Rachel Becker has finally settled in Brooklyn with all the many other Wes alums after living in Maine, Mass., and D.C. Lila directs plays professionally, most recently at The Flea and in the Source Festival in D.C.! She is thrilled to collaborate with cello wizard Mel Hsu ’13, who is composing and recording music for one of the plays. Outside of the rehearsal room, Lila works as a grant writer at BRIC.

As for me, I am rounding out my fourth year in the Big Apple, and hope to see and hear from many more Wes alumni. Wishing the class of 2012 all the best in all their endeavors!

Class of 2011, hard to believe but our Fifth Reunion is less than a year away! For those of you who don’t know, Reunion and Commencement weekend is May 19–22, 2016. Please be looking for information via e-mail on how to register! Hope to see you all there!

Updates from our class: Ivan Maulana reports, “I’ve just graduated from Texas A&M with an M.S. in geology, and am starting work as a petroleum geologist with an exploration and production company in Singapore.”

Alex Bean writes, “Its been a fun final year at Dublin School in New Hampshire! I had a unique opportunity to coach the snowboarding team at Dublin School and we ended up winning a Lakes Region championship for the first time in school history in our Slopestyle competition. Although I will miss Dublin dearly, I am excited about my next move as the director of institutional giving at the School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y.”

Devon Hopkins is enjoying the muggy D.C. summer, continuing to run the marketing team for EveryAction, a nonprofit CRM platform. He will be traveling to Italy and Croatia this summer with Emma Lewis, Katie Colasacco, and Allie Rowan, and is looking forward to Henry Kiely’s wedding in August!

Maryann Platt is moving back East from UC, Irvine, to finish her PhD at Columbia. “See you soon, Manhattan!”

Ross Shenker writes, “After working professionally as an actor and director for a few years, I will be attending the University of Louisville in the fall for my M.F.A. in acting. I will teach a theater appreciation course in the first year and introduction to acting in the second and third years for undergraduates as well.”

Guangshuo Yang informs us, “We have celebrated the successful conclusion of a year-long program on local history with a live performance in Pittsfield, Maine. As the co-leader of “Local & Legendary,” a local history initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Maine Memory Network, I have been volunteering with local residents, schools, and NGOs in an effort to raise communal awareness of local memory. We collected and digitized local artifacts related to the Civil War, organized book panels, brought in speakers, established QR-imbedded history boards, and restored some war-related sites in town. It’s been a fun and rewarding ride for me, particularly as an outsider.”

Amanda Faraone writes, “I’m working at One Story (one-story.com), a literary nonprofit in Brooklyn, and just finished my MFA in fiction at Brooklyn College. In July, I’m getting married to Alex Anthony ’10, who is finishing his PhD in philosophy at Rutgers.

Last but not least, Eliza Jane Gordon accepted a position as a bilingual instructional coach and reading specialist at Brooke Elementary School in Austin. She is halfway finished with her graduate program at the University of Texas, where she is working on her master’s in educational administration in the Principalship Program. Eliza will graduate the same weekend as our Fifth Reunion!

As always, keep the updates coming! Looking forward to seeing you all back on Foss Hill very soon!

Greetings Class of 2010, I hope you enjoy the following updates from our classmates around the country:

Niki Holtzman is thrilled to report that she and Nick Hayes ’09 were married July 26 in Chatham, Mass. They were happy to have been joined on Cape Cod by a strong contingency of Wesleyan friends from our class and beyond. Niki and Nick started dating at Wesleyan in the spring of 2008.

Micah Weiss reports that he will begin rabbinical school at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia this fall.

Also continuing his education in Philly is Jeff Katzin, who is starting a PhD program in art history at the University of Pennsylvania. Jeff completed his MA in art history at the University of Texas at Austin back in 2013.

I’m excited to report that my Wesleyan hockey teammate Sam Decock and his wife Tracy have welcomed their second child, Annie, into the world. Annie joins Sam and Tracy’s energetic 2-year-old son Tyler. The Decocks are enjoying life and working at the Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Conn.

Kait Halibozek started her new job as the campaign coordinator in Picture Motion’s L.A. office back in March. Picture Motion is the leading marketing and advocacy firm for issue-driven films, and has offices in NYC, L.A., and D.C. She loves working with nonprofits and other progressive organizations to change the world through film. In her spare time, she continues to co-write and produce the web series Zach and Anton Save the World with her boyfriend. It’s a sci-fi comedy about two guys who move into a house where the downstairs bathroom happens to be a portal to other universes. Alex Finkel ’08, Dara Jaffe ’09, Ben Kuller ’11, Brian Velsor ’11, Amanda Sonnenschein ’14, and Christian Schneider ’14 have all helped out on one episode or another. Kait loved seeing everyone at Reunion and can’t wait for the next one!

Katherine Kitfield Bascom has a new job with CrossFit Solace, a dynamic athletic training facility in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan. She is performing with aerial hoop and pole dance, and helping run a circus school in Brooklyn. She also tutors with the IRC and works as a freelance editor, and is still in love with the NYC hustle.

Leah Lucid, who has been doing research for the past three years, is now working towards a PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Washington. Leah is also singing in a choir and enjoying Seattle life with her puppy, Moose.

Finally, while we are several months removed from Reunion at this point, I’d like to say thank you once more to everyone who made it to Middletown for an incredible weekend. “Officially,” 373 of our classmates gathered on campus—a Wesleyan five-year Reunion record! I trust everyone had a blast, reliving the glory days on Foss Hill, waxing nostalgic at dinner in the Russell House gardens, or in some cases, enjoying a cold one once more in Clark Hall. It truly was a pleasure to see everyone and I hope our 10-year even a fraction as good. Thanks also for everyone’s contributions to this edition!

Your fellow classmates have been busy earning degrees, publishing works, traveling, and getting married—read below for more details!

Kwabea Osae-Kwapong just received her MBA from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business.

Rachel Berkowitz graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in May. In July, she will begin a one-year optometry residency at the Boston VA healthcare system in Brockton, Mass. She is sad to leave Chicago, but is looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and Wes alum in Boston!

For the last three years, Jake Abrahamson has been writing and editing for Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club. His piece on solar power in rural India will appear in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2015, to be released in October.

Seth Halpern graduated with honors from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He purchased a condo near Dupont Circle and is now working in new product development at Privia Health.

Laura Masulis moved and took a new position at MassDevelopment working on the downtown revitalization of Springfield, Mass.

Sara Deniz Akant’s first book of poems, Parades, was published by Omnidawn in Oct. 2014, and a full-length collection, Babette, is forthcoming from Rescue Press this November. She’s also the author of chapbook titled Latronic Strag, published by Persistent Editions in April 2015. She mostly lives in New York and plans to begin a PhD in English at the CUNY Graduate Center this fall.

Mike Repplier is a booking producer at ABC News, securing competitive interviews for Good Morning America and digital platforms. He recently traveled to Germany to cover the German wings plane disaster. Last November, he ran his first NYC marathon and is currently deciding whether to train for this year’s race… or if the summer would be better spent drinking sangria on the beach.”

Daphne Schmon finished directing a feature documentary called Down to Earth, which follows Venezuelan Ernesto Gainza on his journey to achieve a Guinness World Record for skydiving with the smallest and fastest parachute in history. Trailer available here: seek-films.com/project/down-to-earth/

Keiko Hamano writes, “I am in my second year of practicing as a certified massage therapist. After receiving my initial training I went on to complete an additional course in neuromuscular massage therapy. My education and experience in massage has exposed me to a whole new world of health care practices. This has sparked my interest in complementary and alternative medicine, especially chiropractic and acupuncture. I have been accepted into the doctor of chiropractic program at the Southern California University of Health Sciences in Whittier, Calif., and I’m starting courses in September. I’m also hoping to complete a masters’ of acupuncture and oriental medicine as well. I am passionate about providing holistic health care options to people suffering from pain or disease. I believe in the power of these fields on their own, but feel the best way for me to serve others is through a multi-disciplinary practice. Looking forward to taking the next step on my journey of helping others through health and wellness!”

Megan Nash and Charlie Kurose ’10 were married on June 6 in Chicago. They were thrilled to celebrate with so many of their Wesleyan classmates: Chris Goy, Graham Immerman, Catherine Kast Stickney, Erik Underwood, Jenny Ajl ’10, Abby Blake ’10, Dan Charness ’10, Chris Foley ’10, Matt Nestler ’10, Jamie Pesuit ’10, Rachel Schwerin ’10, D Williams ’10, Julia Heffelfinger ’11, Zoe Jick ’11, Rick Maynard ’11, and Sophie Sadinsky ’11.

Finally, Paul Edwards will be going to Germany with a grant from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD, German Academic Exchange Service) for his dissertation on the reception of jazz culture in interwar Germany.

Thanks to those who submitted notes. Please keep them coming in!