STANLEY F. KAY, 93, a retired national general sales manager for International Silver, died Dec. 19, 2014. He was a member of Chi Psi. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He joined International Silver, eventually retiring as national general sales manager of the World Tableware Division. His wife, Lois Moneypenny Kay, predeceased him. He is survived by one son, three daughters, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
ARTHUR W. FEINSTEIN, who practiced law in Hartford, Conn., for almost 50 years, died Dec. 29, 2014, at age 94. In addition to Wesleyan, he attended New York University and then received his law degree from the Hartford College of Law, now the UCONN School of Law. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army. After practicing with Cole and Cole, he co-founded Krevolin, Feinstein, Gorman & Herrmann, P.C., in Hartford and was active in the community. Among those who survive are his wife, Rhoda Grodin Feinstein; three children, including Andrew Feinstein ’72; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; his niece, Susan Barry ’76; and his cousin, Julius Kaplan ’56.
HARRY W. CROOP JR., a retired sales manager, died Dec. 12, 2014. He was 94. A member of Eclectic, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. His career was in the building materials sales industry, and he retired as general sales manager for the General Dynamics Corporation. He also volunteered in his community in numerous projects. Predeceased by his first wife, Rosemary Shea Croop, survivors include his wife, Helen O’Reilly Croop, two daughters, and numerous nieces and nephews.
DONALD G. ARNAULT, M.D., a surgeon in Middletown, Conn., and a former associate physician at Wesleyan, died Dec. 9, 2014. He was 96. A member of Chi Psi, he received his degree with honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, after which he served in the medical corps of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He practiced general surgery for 32 years and was also a longtime member of the Conversational Club. After retirement, he became an avid artist in oils and watercolors. In 1993 he received an MALS in painting. His wife, Carol Barrows Arnault, died in 2009; they had been married for 63 years. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, two daughters, six grandchildren, a sister, and several nieces and nephews.
The class of 2014 is continuing to take the world by storm (in true Wesleyan fashion). Here’s a glimpse into what your classmates are up to:
Jason Mix started a job as a relocation accounting analyst at Cartus in Danbury, Conn.
Natalie Robichaud is “doing what all English majors do and working for a technology-based hedge fund in NYC. Of course.”
Lizzy Steiner says: “Hi, everyone! I completed the Columbia Publishing Course in July (along with Hanh Le ’12) and am now interning at a literary agency in Brooklyn. I love living in NYC (especially since many of my friends and Rho Ep sisters decided to move here) and am having fun working in publishing. If anyone is interested in the Columbia Publishing Course/wants to talk about publishing in general, please feel free to e-mail me at esteiner@wesleyan.edu.”
Lawyer in training and yogi Anya Morgan writes, “I’m in my second semester at UT Law in Austin, Texas. I teach yoga once a week, I’m on the Texas Law Fellowships board, and I’m a research assistant for my Critical Legal Studies professor. I’ll be working at the DLA Piper Austin office as a law clerk this summer.”
Julian Harris is working in the sports industry at a startup in NYC, OpenSponsorship. They were recently featured in Forbes; the future looks bright!
Alex Cantrell moved back to Boston and is busily leading a double life: By day, he works through New Sector Alliance (a nonprofit fellowship program that matches young professionals with nonprofits) at Jeff’s Place, a children’s bereavement center in Framingham. By night, he is endeavoring to launch Sealed, a social app that allows users to send time-delayed photos, videos, and gifts. He wishes that he’d had Sealed during college so he could have captured some of those gloriously youthful late nights and sent them to his friends to unlock on their 50th Reunion. Reach out to him if you want to help make it happen!
Tom Brewer: “From Tulsa, I headed westward by bus, ultimately landing softly on the couch of Casey Feldman ’12 in Santa Monica. Inspired by SoCal’s palm trees, dry heat, and pretty faces, I have been working diligently from aforementioned couch on a book of semi-erotic poems, all based on my most beloved sitcom characters: Ross, Phoebe, Rachel, Joey, Monica and, of course, Chandler. I plan to sell the rights to Friends with Benefits (working title) to a big-time LA movie studio by spring of 2016. With any luck this penniless English major will be able to cash in on his much-cherished but oft-maligned liberal arts education.”
Maurice Hill started his career in higher ed administration: he’s an admissions counselor for Kenyon College. He recruits students from the Chicagoland area, Michigan, and Toledo, and he works with the director of multicultural admissions on the recruitment, retention, and success of students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Sarah Litton Burkett: event coordinator and media relations at Henke & Pillot downtown lounge and kitchen in Houston, Texas.
Yusaku Takeda writes, “After graduation, I moved to NYC to take a position as an IT consultant. But realizing that academics is a better fit for me, I quit my job and moved back to Japan. I work as a research assistant at the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy of Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo. It’s nice to be back home.”
Maureen Gorman: “I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Aurelien. I’m a junior consultant at a financial technology firm. A bit after our intimate wedding back on a gorgeous October day in my hometown of Milwaukee, Aurelien and I spent a lovely honeymoon in New Orleans, enjoying the unique architecture, delicious food, and bayous. We love taking advantage of all of the cultural offerings of NYC and our proximity to Prospect Park!”
From our nation’s capital, Maggie Feldman-Piltch writes, “Julian Purkiss and I are living in D.C. with our newly adopted and incredibly adorable pitbull, ziva bell hooks. (Pretty sure no one cares about this, but just in case, I’m finishing up a national security and international trade fellowship and he’s working at a non-public, tuition-free school for boys in South East.) We’ll be hosting the Wes GOLD party on April 2 and really look forward to seeing everyone. Leo Liu, Izzy Rode, Olivia May, and Benny Doctor are close by, and we get to play Settlers, drink boozy milkshakes, and be homesick for the crunchy people of Wesleyan on the regular. I also see Emma Daniels ’13 weekly during Congressional Chorus rehearsals.”
Leslie Lai started her PhD program in cognitive science at Brown. Her research investigates how perceptual information is transferred to conceptual understanding in human vision. Leslie is interested in how color and perceptual organization influence the way people process visualized information.
Nick Buffie is working at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, DC. He writes blog posts on economic policy, provides research assistance for various economists at the Center, and tracks CEPR’s appearances in the media. His writings to date have focused on the Affordable Care Act’s positive effects on the job market; the pace of economic recovery; hidden regressive features of the tax code; the conditions necessary for wage growth; the difficulty of prolonged unemployment; and living standards in the U.S. versus other developed countries. His writings have been cited in various newspapers and media outlets for public policy.
It’s always great hearing from you all. Never hesitate to write. Much love,
Mary diaz | mcdiaz@wesleyan.edu
Class Notes intern: Susannah Betts ’15
Let’s get right to it!
Syed Ali is at the national offices of FoodCorps in NYC, helping get the word out about a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who connect kids to real food and help them to grow up healthy. If you’re interested, they’re recruiting!
Corey Guilmette is halfway through his second year at Yale Law School, well on his way to becoming a public defender.
Hannah Bailenson was promoted at the National Dance Institute (NDI), where she’s been working on school-based arts education programming. Her Home Ave. housemate Joel Hochman is on the forefront of recent changes around immigration, working with relevant populations as a paralegal at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG).
After stints in Boston and New York working for Analysis Group, Saumya Chatrath has settled in between in New Haven. She’s now a research associate for a Yale University health economist.
After 1.5 years pursuing being an “employed professional” at a tech startup, Evan Carmi quit his job to go backpacking in South America. He’ll be in Mexico, Argentina and Chile from February to May. He is simultaneously excited and terrified.
Marisa Stotter directed and produced She Makes Comics, a documentary celebrating the history of women in comic books, released in Dec. 2013 to great acclaim. Now based in LA, she’s begun working in TV and film development at Valhalla Entertainment, the legendary producer of Aliens, the Terminator trilogy, and The Walking Dead. Marisa is happy to report that she is not yet a zombie.
Laura Machlin is in DC, doing research on anxiety as part of the Post-Bac IRTA program at the National Institutes of Health.
Estée Rubien-Thomas is going strong as an associate researcher in neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her roommate, Leah Koenig, has been working at a reproductive health advocacy nonprofit in NYC. This fall, she’ll begin pursuing an MPH. Their other roommate, Lisa Lee, is a strategy consultant at Deloitte. She’s making migrations to New Jersey every week as part of her current project posting.
Ryu Hirahata moved to Williamsburg after graduation and has been living there while working for an architecture firm based in NYC’s financial district. Zack Sulsky also made the move from Wes to Williamsburg with Ryu to work at Carnegie Hall, but has since moved to Colorado to work full-time on his start-up, Edify Technologies, Inc. Their mobile app, Sketch-a-Song, makes music composition accessible to beginners.
Janet Cushey moved from Seoul to New York in September and began working for a boutique investor relations firm called Argot Partners. Her clients are pharmaceutical companies, with a majority working in the oncology sphere.
Miriam Kwietniewska left the 9-5 race to freelance and pursue her passion. She’s happy to announce the creation of Four Ingredients, a healthy frozen dessert company serving the vegan, paleo, and health-minded communities with delicious desserts made from the best stuff on earth. Check it out at fouringredients.com
David Shimomura is actually back at Wesleyan after having spent a year back home in Chicago. He is the new program coordinator for the Center for the Arts, otherwise affectionately known as the CFA. His New Year’s resolution is to have more Twitter followers than Gabriel Urbina.
Samantha Melvin is a lab manager at Columbia University’s Neurocognition, Early Experience, and Development Lab. Meaning she gets to hang out with adorable preschoolers and do science. She’s moved in with boyfriend Andy Ribner ’14.
Christina Ermilio has been working for nonprofit executive search firm Isaacson Miller and is living in Somerville, Mass., with Lydia Rex ’14, Sarah Kalish ’14, and Yara Kass-Gergi ’12.
Chelsea Goldsmith has been living, working, and enjoying life in Baltimore, where she’s worked at six different museums and is the volunteer coordinator at the Baltimore Urban Debate League, an educational nonprofit. When not organizing debate tournaments, Chelsea is out and about exploring the city, learning how to use her new sewing machine, and waiting for NYC Wes friends to come and visit. (“Yeah, I’m looking at you, Cassie Liu.”) If life ever brings you to The Greatest City in America, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Anna Swartz is a staff writer for The Dodo, an animal news site. She writes a lot of cat listicles, and is very happy to live within walking distance of so much of the Class of 2013 in Brooklyn.
Since last writing in, James Gardner has taken on an Afro-German mentee and is tutoring him in German and American history. He also helps out at workshops for the parents of Afro-German children. The mothers have reacted positively to the presence of a brown-bodied male figure in their children’s lives. Additionally, James has taken on more responsibility at his job and is showing more entrepreneurial initiative (one of his New Year’s resolutions!). He is working on becoming an even more valuable member of his company’s executive committee. As always, he hopes to convene more frequently with WesBerlin-ers and WesAffiliants passing through the area.
Kateryn Nuñez is getting a second degree at the NYU College of Nursing. She works closely with a midwife as part of her aspirations to join that field.
Jaewon Chung lives on the edge of Queens, NY, working as a clinical research coordinator for the North Shore-LIJ Health System
Bill Beluch is in Tübingen, Germany, working as a research assistant at The Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society.
Aria Danaparamita was invited to take part in a documentary series on Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (founder of Singapore; subject of her thesis). After finding her thesis online, the filmmakers asked her to share her insights as one of their experts. The “Raffles Revealed” episodes aired this January on Channel NewsAsia, a Singapore-based news channel broadcast in more than a dozen countries around Asia and the Pacific. It was a great opportunity to share her research on Raffles and the history of British colonization in Java.
Alex Kuwada is in his second year working at Saint James School in Maryland. He teaches upper school math, coaches basketball and soccer, and lives in a dorm with 8th grade boys at the boarding school. He takes pride in being the self-proclaimed best FIFA player on campus and convincing the student body that his nonsensical nicknames are funny, especially “BKE.” Overall, he would describe his journey as an educator and mentor as “flippant,” “circuitous,” and “hardo.”
Michael Steves is still in LA directing and writing. In December, he was hired to write and direct his second feature film The Cold Descent, a horror-western set on a midnight train headed for Atlanta in the 1870s. The movie stars Tony Todd (Candyman), Michael Eklund (Bates Motel), and Lance Henrkison (the Alien series). More recently, Michael directed a horror-comedy feature film, Clinger (made by many Wes students and ’13 alums), that was an official selection of the 2015 Slamdance Film Festival. It premiered January 24, in the narrative feature competition, as one of 11 selected out of 3,000 feature submissions, and one of three American films in competition. The movie sold out both of its Park City screenings, and has received multiple distribution offers. In between features, Michael writes and directs commercials.
Wishing all my classmates the best! Cheers,
Laura Yim | Lyim@wesleyan.edu
Cheers to the class of 2012! We are celebrating our third anniversary away from Foss Hill. As juniors in the “real word,” many of us are exceeding all expectations, not surprising for a Cardinal!
Grace Ross joined the Denise Shannon Literary Agency, a New York-based boutique agency. They count many distinguished nonfiction and fiction authors as their clients, including Lydia Davis, Karen Russell, and Gary Shteyngart. Grace hopes to begin taking on her own clients, under the tutelage of Denise Shannon. In the meantime, she is always on the lookout for new authors, so you creative Wes alums, be sure to connect with Grace regarding your literary aspirations!
On a similar note, Harry James Hanson was promoted to creative director at Black + Gold, a full service creative agency in Brooklyn. Harry splits his time between Black + Gold and WENN, an international paparazzi agency, where he is a photography editor. Hopefully, Harry will be snapping the picture of one of our many talented Wes alums.
Harry Bartle is fundraising for a short film he wrote and will be directing: Rouler, Sonner (roo-lay, son-nay). The crew is full of Wesleyan folks: The co-producers are Thomas Waltcher and Chachi Hauser ’13, the director of photography is Justin Zweifach ’11, the lead will be played by Bennett Kirschner ’13, and the production designer is the multi-talented Anna McKinsey, among others. Please check out Harry’s Kickstarter campaign and support your fellow Wes alum!
Alexa Narzikul has completed her first semester at Jefferson Medical School in Philly, where she’s been exploring different areas of medicine and pursuing her love of biology. As a freshman, she serves as an interviewer for Admissions. She meets with prospective med students and helps the university decide on the next generation of doctors. In her free time, she enjoys playing on a pick-up hockey team and supporting all Philly sports teams!
Sunil Chulani has traded in his days as a Mandarin translator to China’s ambassador in Jamaica for a white coat. Sunil is in his second year of medical school at St. George’s University School of Medicine and is loving it. He says, “I dearly miss Wesleyan and cannot wait to see everyone again.” I know many of us share his sentiments.
Up in Troy, N.Y., Cella Jones has been working with a prominent alternative energy researcher at RPI. Together, they are transforming developing countries and our environmental footprint. When she is not making the world a greener place, Cella spends her time in NYC.
As for me, I have completed my master’s in education from Relay Graduate School in NYC. I’m still fighting for education equality and have the privilege of working for the hardest working students at Achievement First East New York Charter School in Brooklyn. Wishing the class of 2012 Wesleyan alums all the best!
Daisey Perez | deperez@wesleyan.edu
Updates from the Class of 2011!
Todd Keats writes, “This Feburary I visited Sun Valley, with Anthony DePietto ’11 and Adam Kaiser ’13 to play with the St. Nicks Hockey Club of NYC in a senior men’s hockey series against the Sun Valley Suns. A 119-year-old franchise and perennially one of the country’s best elite squads, the St. Nicks brought our usual fleet of ex-NCAA Division I and III college and minor league hockey veterans. We swept the weekend series 9-0 and 6-2. Anthony finished the weekend with two goals and one assist, Adam dished out two assists. In addition to the hockey, we also had a great time on the slopes and, of course, at the local watering holes (especially Grumpy’s).
Moon Herrick reports, “I’m in NYC, working to navigate the health insurance system for clients of the AIDS Services Center during the week, and teaching yoga and Brooklyn Boulders on the weekend. On the side, I’m communication manager for CapraCare, a nonprofit based in Haiti.”
Jared Gimbel returned from Germany and is living in NYC, studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s grad school. In addition to designing his upcoming game “Kaverini,” he also teaches Scandinavian languages as a personal mentor.
Katherine McDonald is living in Oakland. Having just completed her master’s in music composition at Mills College, she is now recording her first album while continuing to collaborate with Bay Area dancers, filmmakers, and musicians: katherine-e-mcdonald.squarespace.com.
Arielle Hixson reports, “I just started a job as a reporter for Channel One News: channelone.com/reporters/.” Lindsay Ballard writes, “I’m in my first year of medical school at Florida International University in Miami and had a Wes reunion with Eleni Healey and Margaret Aldredge in NYC.”
An update courtesy of Joe Giaimo: “Our Wesleyan football team finished 7-1 this fall for the second time in a row. First time that has happened in 66 years! Congratulations, Cardinals!”
Allie Southam | asoutham@wesleyan.edu
Greetings, Class of 2010: I hope you enjoy the following updates from our classmates:
Alice Goldsmith has started a floral design studio, Wild Vase, in LA. Check it out at wildvase.com.
Jessie Schiewe is in LA, a freelance journalist and photographer for a slew of publications like The San Francisco Chronicle, LAist, Miami New Times, The Oakland Tribune, Flaunt Magazine.
Caitlin McHugh earned an M.Ed. at Western Washington University in 2014, and moved to Moscow, Idaho, where she is the education coordinator for the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute. Caitlin manages grants that pay the institute to educate children on the diminishing aquifers from which their community draws its water: “Additionally, we have spearheaded a new winter family education series for the community that seeks to connect folks with the natural world and each other even when it’s cold outside. It’s been a lot of fun and really successful this far!”
Alice Maggio checks in from the beautiful Berkshires: “Over the past year my life has intertwined with many Wesleyan graduates, mostly in the realm of music. In March, Eli Hetko ’11 and his 5 Mile String band came to play at the Sheffield Contra Dance that I help to organize. This March, my friend Emily Troll—the girl most responsible for my love of contra—is coming from Somerville to play our dance. I’m excited to tell my fellow organizers that Emily wrote her thesis on contra dance fiddling at Wesleyan. At the beginning of this January I had the pleasure of hosting musicologist and singer Tim Eriksen M.A. ’93 and his Trio de Pumpkintown, who played a concert in my living room to an audience of 50 people. In June, Anna Roberts-Gevalt ’09 stopped by to play her second house concert here, and she will be back on March 17th with Elizabeth LaPrelle to put on a “crankies” show at our local little community hall in Sheffield. I remember Anna’s senior project well—it was the genesis of her current “crankies” project! I have now worked almost three years at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics as the local currency program director, where I’m in charge of BerkShares, a currency for the Berkshires that celebrates our region, supports our locally owned businesses, and serves as a tool for community-driven economic development. My path crossed with Jean Willoughby ’08 in California last January, and then she came to visit us in the Berkshires for a few days. She is doing really cool work at Rural Advancement Foundation International in North Carolina, managing their grants program for farmers. We wish she would come work for us! The two most surprising things that happened to me this year were a visit to Cuba and being interviewed by punk rocker Henry Rollins. Henry came to the Berkshires to learn about local currency for an episode of his show called 10 Things You Don’t Know About Money. I went to Cuba as part of a ‘new economy’ delegation organized by the Schumacher Center and Christopher Reynolds Foundation, to learn about Cuban organic agriculture and social enterprise.”
From Dan Heinrich Manuyag: “I wrapped up four years with the Admissions Office at Wes and landed 5,000 miles away at the Iolani School in Honolulu, as an associate director of college counseling. I had the good fortune of being welcomed by island locals Lindsay Kosasa ’13 and Lindsay Kukona ’07. The transition has been smooth and life couldn’t be better (especially in the winter). I certainly miss all my WesFriends and family dearly back on the mainland but am ready to host with awesome hikes, surf, mai tais, and sunsets to those who venture out here. Until then, I’m looking forward to our 5th Reunion this May!”
Dylan Marron wrote and directed The Human Symphony, a show that is currently running in NYC, entirely performed by randomly selected audience members via individual MP3 tracks that Dylan has recorded for them. Dylan is also going on a two-month tour of every state in the continental U.S. with Welcome to Night Vale, a podcast that he’s been working for since 2013. Finally, he got engaged to his boyfriend, Todd. Congrats from the Class of 2010!
Jess Brownfeld works on communications and event planning in the Psychiatry Department at Mount Sinai, and she teaches yoga in NYC. She is excited to be chair of the Reunion committee and hopes you will all return to campus in May!
Tara Kelton is lead editor at Brave New Films, making social justice short documentaries. “I am also getting married in March on Pi day (because this year is 3.14.15, and we are signing our marriage license at 9:26 a.m.)” Congratulations, Tara!
Tony Zosherafatain found his way back to NYC after moving back home to Boston for a bit. While in Boston, he got to hang with Elise Herrig and Franni Paley and also got to see Kait Halibozek and Paul Edwards ’09 the week before he departed. Tony is attending NYU to become a nurse practitioner, with a focus on trans-inclusive endocrinology. He’s also aiming to take more film classes and is directing and producing (with the help of Kait Halibozek) I Am the T: an FTM documentary, which chronicles the stories of trans men around the world. He wrapped up production of an I Am the T segment in Norway this November, which will be released for viewing this spring. Check out iamthetfilm.com.
Michael Keoni DeFranco “Things have been going well at Lua: We now have 30 employees and representatives in Boston, Chicago, and London We’re working with healthcare providers such as Kaiser Permanente, professional teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, and branches of the Department of Defense. We’ve also been donating our software to nonprofits such as the Special Olympics and Team Rubicon (a unit of first responders) and are launching with our first hotel chains, retail stores, and airlines, as well as expanding into Europe and Asia. I was featured on BloombergTV’s In the Loop, alongside Strauss Zelnick ’79, where we discussed Lua, the enterprise market and Wesleyan.
“Personally, I’ve been working with a taro root farm on Kauai to ship 60 lbs of poi, a staple food of Hawai’i, to NYC once a month to distribute to the Polynesian community out here. Over time, I am working to powder the root and help ship it into disaster zones as a simple and easily transportable form of nutrition, just add water!
“I am also on the greeting committee for the Hokule’a voyage, landing in NYC in July 2016. The Hokule’a is a four-year worldwide voyage in a Hawaiian outrigger, stopping in 60 ports around the world with a mission of “Malama Honua” or caring for the earth. The Hokule’a is sailing with no navigation equipment, traveling only by the stars.”
From a business trip in Mumbai, Johanne Lin shares that she has been happily working for a tech company going on three years now. Johanne’s territory includes India, Israel, and South African markets. She enjoys her job for the places it has taken her and may be headed to Israel in March. She hopes to connect with any alums living in Tel Aviv!
And Gina Yeomans anticipates graduating from Columbia Law in May, taking the bar in July, and starting a clerkship in New Haven, on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in August. “Also in August, I’m getting married to Nate Green ’09 with a little help from my bridesmaid, Cate Haring.” Congrats, Gina and Nate!
Finally, don’t forget that our 5th Reunion is around the corner! For more information, visit wesleyan.edu/rc. We hope to see everyone in May.
David Layne | dlayne@wesleyan.edu
Hi, everyone! After a grueling winter, your fellow classmates have been eager to share their latest and greatest news. Hope you enjoy!
After several months of training in DC, Max Krafft is heading off to begin his new career as a diplomat in the Foreign Service with an assignment to the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara, Mexico. He’s looking forward to hosting some visitors during his next two years abroad, and is eager to find out where the State Department will send him next.
Lisa Zweigenhaft and Adam Kirk are getting married on June 20, 2015, in New York. Jennifer Bianculli ’07, Amanda Facelle, Yuri Hoshino, Katie Bofshever, Hailey Sarage, Russ Follansbee, Terence Malangone, Nick Hayes, Jason Ben-Eliyahu, and Field Yates will be in the wedding party.
Matt Patterson writes, “In December I left my job of four years and started traveling in Southeast Asia. I had been running a young craft brewery in San Diego and one of the highlights of these months on the road will be working on a New Zealand hop farm for harvest this March. I will be back in the U.S. visiting friends and figuring out relocation by late summer. See you then!
Tyler Chapin wed Lauren Scheese on Sept. 12, 2014, in Philadelphia. Tyler’s groomsmen included Grayson Connors ’08, Louis Gabel ’08, and Baker Woods. The four lived together in Lowrise E2 in ’06-’07, after meeting on Nic 7 third floor the year prior. Tyler met his wife in Hawaii while vacationing with Grayson during August of ’07. The wedding was a great celebration with food, fun, and plenty of dancing late into the evening.
Aviva Tevah is in Philadelphia at UPenn, getting an MPA at the Fels Institute of Government. This semester she’s a policy intern at the Mayor’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity, an agency responsible for organizing and implementing a coordinated approach to reducing poverty in the city.
Jeremy Finch lives in Somerville, Mass., with Stephanie Fungsang ’08. He’s excited to be attending MIT’s Sloan School of Management in the fall.
Jess Eliot Myhre has been exploring intersections of different kinds of American roots music, working full-time as a clarinetist, vocalist, and bassist in DC. She fronts and manages a band, Bumper Jacksons, which will be releasing a new record this summer, Too Big World: An Adventure Story. (You know you went to a liberal arts college when your albums contain colons, eh?)
This January Joe Newman moved to SF with his wife, Allie. He’s a privacy and consumer protection attorney at Electronic Arts, which has been great so far! “Looking forward to meeting up with all my Wes friends in the Bay Area!”
Tressa Eaton is living and writing in Tel Aviv. Drop her a note if you are in the area!
Mike Repplier produces digital video and live streams for ABC News. He also hosts an ABC News/YouTube series focusing on viral content. He ran the New York City Marathon in Nov. 2014, finishing in 3:14:44. He plans to begin training for this year’s marathon… maybe next week.
Graham Immerman is the co-owner and CMO of Olive Natural Beauty, a 100-percent organic skin care line that focuses on the amazing anti-aging benefits of extra virgin olive oil. Learn more about his company on the class notes website!
Anastasia Chiu finished her MS in library and information science in May 2014 and is on the hunt for academic library jobs and residencies. She enjoys the occasional crafting hangout with Annina DeLeo and Linda Shum, and would love to catch up with other Wes folk in the area.
Brittany Delany is living in southern Arizona with her boyfriend and working as a grant writer. In the upcoming months, she will be involved in dance projects in Santa Fe, N.M., with Wesleyan associate professor of dance Pedro Alejandro and Sarah Ashkin ’11. She had a blast connecting with Ginna Curry for a visit in Phoenix.
Saul Carlin heads business strategy for Medium’s publications platform, which helps media startups acquire funding, reach sustainability, and maximize their impact in the world. Life in San Francisco as a coffee sipping, cocktail mixing, vinyl listening, road biking tech yuppie treats him well.
Ari King writes, “I’m exceptionally honored and pleased to announce the third season of Off Campus, an online community and podcast based out of Brooklyn. Off Campus offers interviews, stories, and advice about life in college, getting a job in the ‘real world,’ and how to have a career.” More information about Season 3 can be found on the class notes website!
Alan Ashenfelter is assistant director of admissions at The Rivers School in Weston, Mass., and founded Standout Recruiting Consultants. They provide college counseling and guidance services for student athletes going through the college recruiting process: standoutrecruiting.com. .
Grace Petersen has been living in London for the past year working on business development for Google Glass. She has been learning to appreciate cask-pulled ales, or at least trying to, and using weekends to explore Europe farther afield.
And Shane E. Heckstall writes, “Hi. I finished a book titled, Did You Create a Monster? Available on Amazon starting June 1, 2015, this book is a keen way of ‘looking back to move forward.’ All material personally written and researched by me in a way to answer questions about African-American identity in higher ed and their success. This book comes from within and it makes an easy summer read, a good source of college-level coursework, a gift for a college-bound minority student or a thought-provoking book for educators across the board. If you know me, support me. Remember: June 1, 2015. Did You Create a Monster? Amazon.com! Help me reach 500 books sold and reach out to me on LinkedIn. Thanks.”
Graham Immerman:
Olive Natural Beauty is a 100% natural and organic skin care line that focuses on the amazing anti-aging benefits of extra virgin olive oil. The company was founded by CEO and President Jessica Dupuis (Emerson ’10) in 2009, and is co-owned by Chief Marketing Officer Graham Immerman (Wesleyan ’09).
Olive currently offer 15 piece product line of lip balms, bar soaps, salves and are launching a body lotion and facial skin care line in retailers this month. Olive currently hand-make and manufacture all of their products in the Olive Natural Beauty headquarters & manufacturing facility in Easthampton MA. We have 25 retailers in 6 states, as well as Canada, and are expanding rapidly. We’ve sold over 130,000 units to date and have some very exciting partnership opportunities lined up for 2015 including:
-Working with Ipsy (the largest cosmetic sampling program in the world)
-Accepted into the Springfield Valley Venture Mentoring Program Spring 2013
-In January, we were accepted into and are currently participating in the the Mass Mutual/Valley Venture Mentors Business Accelerator Program in Springfield, Ma where we work with industry professionals and compete for $250,000 in grants.
Our products contain no parabens, no pesticides, no chemicals, no synthetics or synthetic colors, no sulfates, no silicones, and no genetically modified ingredients. Also, we never use animal tested ingredients, only use recyclable packaging, and support fair-trade. For instance, our Good Trade organic cocoa butter and organic shea butter are fairly traded through the African Fair Trade Council, who’s profits support the empowerment of women in Africa.
Ari King:
I’m exceptionally honored and pleased to announce the third season of Off Campus-an online community and podcast-based out of Brooklyn, NY. Off Campus offers interviews, stories, and advice about life in college, getting a job in the “real world”, and how to have a career.
Season 3 episodes of Off Campus will feature:
Margaret Sullivan-Public Editor of The New York Times, Malik Yoba-Actor on FOX hit show Empire, Kristen Kish, Top Chef Season 10 Winner, Jen Messier & Jonathan Soma- Co-Founders of the Brooklyn Brainery, Ian Harnarine-NYU Tisch Professor, Taylor Pemberton-Creative Director of Pemberton , Nicholas Woo-Academic Director of Highbridge Voices, Kris Hayes, Proprietor of Easy Plateau Productions.
There has been no marketing budget for the show and I quit my full-time real estate job in Manhattan because I believe in the people and I believe in our mission. We are raising money for Season 4 through kickstarter! Please consider donating to the show so we can hire interns, editors, producers, do more interviews and take Off Campus to the next level. To listen to interviews and learn more, please go to www.thisisoffcampus.org.
To access Season 1 & 2, you may listen through iTunes and to read highlights and bio’s of each episode, please visit www.thisisoffcampus.org.
Thanks to everyone who sent in notes and please keep them coming!
Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com
