Tag: 2000

Ciao, classmates!

We’d like to give a round of applause to We’d like to give a round of applause to our Reunion Ambassadors: Denise S. Breland, Avery W. Esdaile, Hirut Johnson, Kristen A. Lindgren, Scott A. Mayerowitz, Sarah Schur-McCarty, Bakley Smith, and Ku Yoo!

Claudia Cruz has been busy as usual. Before arriving at Reunion this past May and learning to juggle for the first time, she graciously accepted the award for being the best administrative faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she runs the internship program and teaches a bilingual journalism course at the Reynolds School of Journalism. In July, as part of her academic research, she presented a documentary and panel discussion on race-based hair discrimination in television newsrooms at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Claudia shared how reenergizing it was to see ol’ WesHeads back in Middletown and wishes to connect with more alumni out West.

Liz Darlington wrote in that she “had a fantastic time seeing old friends at Reunion, and she and Leah Grabelsky successfully introduced Leah’s adorable one-year-old to campus. 🙂  Leah did a great job getting the baby to sleep in a dorm room! Liz learned many lessons about Reunion for next time: Try to get over to the class lounge, which she didn’t really know was a thing and she therefore didn’t get any class merch! Try to go to a lecture and not miss every single one somehow. Try to save energy for the last night so she won’t need to go to bed by 9 p.m. Try to walk around campus more because there isn’t enough time. Try not to go on a very long walking excursion to Eli Canon’s (just kidding that was a highlight!), but don’t forget how far the walk is. And don’t miss the crazy dance party in WestCo cafe with a band that she still forgets the name of but is well-known and they are from Wesleyan. Everyone should go next time!” [Liz, it was one-half of MGMT.]

We were happy to hear from Ray Sanchez who shares, “I started as general counsel in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services back in December. I’d love to connect to other Wesleyan alumni in NYC government; I know there is a good number of us.” Ray, we missed you at Reunion!

Dr. Eden-Reneé Hayes gave a TEDx talk exploring how the wisdom of Jedi Master Yoda can help reframe diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a path to deeper connection and organizational success. Google “Yoda DEI” to watch!

Matt Rahaim is enjoying the late sunsets in Minneapolis and is deep in rehearsals for a new suite of pieces he composed for musical instruments, made from decommissioned police rifles, which will be featured this fall at the Modulus Festival in Vancouver.

Leora Wien came home from Reunion with a friendly “great-to-see-you” type of text with a photo of Nick Suplina in the center, surrounded by herself and four other classmates. So, she texted him:

Leora to Nick Suplina: “Nick Suplina! It’s Leora as co-class secretary and . . . you guessed it. I’m following up regarding that time you left my LinkedIn message about sending me a class note unanswered. With your permission, I would like to interview you via text. 1) Nick, what is this center for gun control program at Wes? I hadn’t heard of it. 2) How did it get started? Did you reach out to a certain professor? 3) Anything else you’d like to share? How was Reunion?

Nick Suplina to Leora: “Hey Leora, this is Hannah Breul.”

Leora to Nick Suplina  Hannah: [ha ha tapback] “Omg. Well, Hannah. While I have you . . . could I ask you some questions for Class Notes? We might call it ‘Class Texts’?”

Hannah: “Ha, sure!”

Leora: “Excellent! Hannah Breul, thank you for joining this edition of Class Texts. I’m sorry I thought you were Nick Suplina. Hannah, how about three questions in this order: 1) Profession-related 2) Philosophical 3) This-or-that?”

Hannah: [thumb tapback]

Hannah: [some discussion about there being a better topic]

Hannah: “Instead, let me tell you about my fun summer travels. I spent two weeks in Italy and am now with family in Grand Cayman for a week. In Italy, I was with a group of 20 people (most of whom I had not met) at a beautiful villa in Tuscany. . . . It was a really fun mix of wonderful people. We spent many lovely hours drinking in the pool and making up synchronized dancing routines.”

Leora: “Maybe our this-or-that should be gelato or tiramisu?”

Hannah: “Ooooh. I think I’d go tiramisu. I’m not much of a sweets person but I did get a gelato one in Rome (spent five nights there solo after the villa adventure to be a tourist).”

Leora: “And which flavor?”

Hannah: “Salted caramel was my pick. It was so damn hot I barely wanted to eat in Rome, but I knew my dad would be bummed if I didn’t try it once.”

Leora: “You did it for Dad!”

Hannah: [heart tapback]

Leora: “Thank you, Hannah! I’m going to write up a draft of our convo for your OK before including it in the notes.”

Hannah: “Sorry about the phone number confusion. Hilarious that you thought you were getting Nick and ended up with me. Not the prestige interview you wanted! . . . I think there was a whole thing about tapping our phones to share contact info that people did over the Reunion weekend. With varying levels of success.”

Leora:“It’s all newfangled phone wizardry to me.”

Please write to your class secretaries.

Jill Rappoport shares: “I’ve been a professor of 19th-century British literature at the University of Kentucky since 2011. I remarried in 2022, and we have three sons (14, 12, and 9). Life is busy but a lot of fun! Looking forward to hearing other classmates’ news.—Jill”

Alexis Hyder writes: “I’ve been living in Los Angeles for six years, primarily working remotely for WBUR in Boston as a chief of staff and director of special projects. I recently launched my own business, Telescope Advising, to help mission-driven leaders answer strategic questions, evaluate emerging opportunities, and plan for future sustainability—without disrupting operations or letting go of other critical priorities. I’m learning a lot on this new journey! I’m in close touch with Nomi Maeyama and Jessie (Polin) Moseley, a Trinity grad who did a semester at Wes with the Twelve-College Exchange Program. I see Wes folks in LA and enjoyed catching up with Camille McGadney ’93 (alum and career center staffer) when she was in town moderating an alumni panel that featured classmate Josh Goldin!”

Bakley Smith: “My family and I moved to Decatur, Georgia, in the Atlanta area, in spring 2021. This was just after the arrival of our second child, our little pandemic baby, LOL. That has us with an eight-year-old and a three-year-old (no pets). Living in a city that is both old (I grew up here) and new (I lived away for 20-plus years) has had its challenges and adjustments, but I’ve been very happy with the change. I continue to work in the financial field focused on consumer products and food technology. One thing I want to shout-out to Wesleyan: one of the things the school emphasizes is a lifelong love of learning, and people around me have over and over noted that I seem to have a knack for wanting to inquire, learn about, and get to know things in an ongoing way. I think it is a cool compliment and I learned to develop it on our campus. Hope to see you in May!”

Melanie Grubman is the co-founder of a cohousing village and regenerative agriculture education center in central Vermont. She is living in a house that she designed with her 10- and 12-year-old sons. She runs an all-women’s masonry business, which focuses on traditional dry-stack walling methods, and teaches middle school at the Orchard Valley Waldorf School. “Come visit!” www.livingtreealliance.com

Paul Edlefsen and Liz Darlington are still in Seattle and raising their two fantastic kids, Eleanor and Arthur. Their relationship has shifted to co-parenting rather than remaining a couple, and they are making it work! They both work at Fred Hutch Cancer Center—Liz as a social worker and Paul as a biostatistician. They just had a reunion of their old band, Sweetness, with Anil Seth ’98, and they look forward to bringing the kids to our 25th Reunion!

Claudia Cruz was recently elected to serve as the Nevada chapter president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She also attended the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with 16 of her students, and several colleagues, from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. Claudia has plans to be in the Boston area in September and hopes to meet with Jennifer Tomasello and other Kappa Alpha Theta (Xi Chapter) sisters for brunch.

Jonah Dickstein shares, “I live in St. Petersburg, Florida, running my own criminal defense and appellate law firm [and] raising my son, Steven (age seven), and daughter, Kaia (age 2), with my wife, Margarita.”

Liz Alleva, née Doctors, lives in the serene woods of Wilton, Connecticut, with her husband, Neill, their 9-year-old son, Mason, and their tiny but spirited 3.5-pound dog, Kylie. As the founder of HypnoBirthing Mommy, Liz is dedicated to helping expectant parents experience a safe and gentle birth by guiding them to unlearn fear and embrace the natural birthing process. Mason is her best helper and sidekick in the business!

Tim Howard wrote in, “I’m enjoying summer in Berlin. This year I’ve been working as a story editor on a German podcast and playing shows with my band, Soltero. We’re also finishing up a new album, which will be out this fall.”

Hirut Johnson shares: “I’m still a mom in Maryland to a 5-year-old. I work for the World Bank if anyone wants to meet up in Kensington or K Street. I was covering Europe but now cover west/central Francophone and Lusophone, Africa, if people want to meet up in the field. This last fiscal year I was in Georgia, Serbia, and Montenegro. All beautiful places with fascinating history. Since my sector is governance, I worked on projects that improved digital services to citizens and modernized the tax administrations. If you are a wine lover or nature lover these are great places to visit.”

Scott Mayerowitz just celebrated the first anniversary of his own travel, loyalty, and media consultancy business: GlobeTrotScott Strategies. After 23 years in media, including jobs at ABC News, the Associated Press, and The Points Guy, Scott started his business to ease many of the friction points in travel that he personally experienced as a frequent traveler and complaints that he often heard from everyday travelers. His clients include JetBlue Airways, a leading ski company, and WeatherPromise, a start-up protecting travelers against rain on their vacations.

Mandy Snyder wrote: “I moved to Greenfield, Massachusetts, last year to enjoy the amazing improvisational dance community here, and it has been wonderful. I am offering groups in somatic and parts work around western Massachusetts.

“I recently visited the campus after many years. My brother, Jeffrey Snyder, a professor at Carleton College, gave a talk on free speech for the annual Hugo L. Black Lecture. That was a special moment for me, and it was so great to be back. So many great memories, especially from living at Art House and all of the dance opportunities there. 

“Reach out if you live nearby and enjoy walking or hiking. I would love to connect with other alums.” 

From Peter Wiley: “I’m so sad to report that my wife, Hilda Ives Wiley, died on March 28, 2024, from a six-month battle with colon cancer. Hilda and I met in the first few days of our freshman year and by the end of our first semester, we were in a ‘Wes marriage’ for the rest of our four years. I am so grateful for the 27 years we shared together and for Wesleyan being the place that brought us together. Hilda’s freshman roommate, Marisa Suescun, and floor mate, Jill Berlinski,were able to visit with Hilda just a few days before she died and we did a lot of reminiscing. Like the time Jill and Marisa created a dinner party for Hilda’s 20th birthday in a Nicholson dorm room, putting a wooden board atop a bed, creating a makeshift dining room table. More information about Hilda’s journey with cancer is available on the CaringBridge website and an obituary was published in the Portland Press Herald.”

Greg Amis shared two updates: “In November of 2021, my wife, Karen Ferreira Amis, died of sarcoma. Her good friend, M. J. Lanum, and her sister, Kristen Ferreira, wrote a wonderful obituary, available at http://karenferreiraamis.name. The kids and I have grown and healed a lot in the last three years. She would be proud of us.”

And “last October I was laid off after five years at Abbott Vascular. It was a blessing in disguise as I joined Insitro, an amazing tech-bio start-up focused on AI-accelerated drug discovery.”

Greg and Peter, we are sorry for your losses and offer our heartfelt condolences to you and your loved ones.

Matthew Lenard said he “earned his PhD in education from Harvard University this spring and will join the Department of Education Leadership and Policy Studies at Florida State University this fall.”

Trace Peterson has moved back to Connecticut, where she continues to teach as a visiting assistant professor of English at UConn, Storrs. This year, so far, her article “A Pre Narrative Manifesto: kari edwards’ Trans Poetics” was published in The Weird Sister Collection, edited by Marisa Crawford (The Feminist Press), and her nonfiction essay “Between Muses” was published in Gina Barreca’s new edited collection Fast Famous Women (Woodhall Press). She also had new poems published in Interim: Poetry and Poetics and The Arts Fuse and was invited to give a talk on trans poetry at The Poetry Foundation in Chicago. Currently a member of the Wallace Stevens Poetry Committee at UConn, she was a judge for this year’s Wallace Stevens Poetry Prize.

As a spring chicken of 45, Tamar Wilner is setting out on a new career. Having wrapped up her PhD at the University of Texas, she’ll be starting this fall as an assistant professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of Kansas. Tamar will be relocating to the charming and surprisingly hilly college town of Lawrence, where she looks forward to patronizing a vibrant local music scene, and possibly investing in her first e-bike.

Alua Arthur’s book, Briefly Perfectly Human, was recommended by Gayle King for Oprah’s Book Club and has been a New York Times bestseller. The book description says it is “a deeply transformative memoir that reframes how we think about death and how it can help us lead better, more fulfilling and authentic lives.” Alua has also been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in health in 2024. @alualoveslife

Dear Classmates,

Thank you for sharing your submissions. We hope that this finds you and yours well, even as world events continue to be challenging. Please enjoy hearing from our class below.

From Demian Szyld: “We are enjoying the school-age phase: Lila is in third and Riki is in kindergarten this year here in Cambridge. One of our new family traditions is apple picking at Lyman Orchards since that is halfway to New York, and I must say that I do enjoy the nostalgia that comes with driving near Middletown.”  

From Luke Davenport: “I got married and moved to Peekskill, New York, in 2020, and now have a wonderful two-year-old daughter. I’m still running a small company, analyzing data for NYC public schools.”

Josh Sohn reports that he is holding things down in Brooklyn, tutoring, writing, and playing as much ultimate as is humanly possible. He’s also proud to note he just notched 2,000 students tutored and has supported over 150 students through the college application process. Five of those students ended up at Wes. . . .  Just sayin’.

From Leora: A Mad Libs-inspired microshare:

“I have been ______________ and am listening to _______.”  

“I have been managing a persimmon tree harvest for the past month or so and am listening to a lot of PJ Harvey.”

Our best wishes,

Serena and Leora

From Chinelo Dike-Minor: “Still very much in touch with my Wes girls, Shakira Adams and Karen Alvarez ’02. Living in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and two boys, and teaching law. My PSA: I have recently learned that roasted broccoli is truly quite delicious. Who knew?”

Claudia Cruz visited Miami, Florida, in July for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention where she moderated a panel on the need for more Latino business reporters to help close the wealth gap in the U.S. A past-president of the NAHJ San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, she now teaches journalism courses at the University of Nevada, Reno. While in South Florida, Claudia met up with Anne Janet “A. J.” Hernandez Anderson (formerly De Ases). A. J.’s daughter Sienna’s 10th birthday brought the two former Hi Rise roommates together after more than a decade. A. J. is a senior supervising attorney at Southern Poverty Law Center where she helps develop and litigate individual and federal class action cases.

From Lauren Anderson: “I’m sending an update on behalf of the husband and mutual friends of a Wes friend who recently passed. . . . Yi-wen Huang  passed away on June 16, 2023. Her Wesleyan achievements included earning a Freeman Scholarship, Phi Beta Kappa, and University Honors in Chemistry. She is missed dearly by her loving husband, Bor-rong Chen, her boys, Aiden and Brandon, and the many friends she made at Wesleyan and beyond. A full obituary can be found here.”

Serena Jones is “working as a book editor at Holt and living in Rye, New York, with my three boys.” She attended a gathering of Eagle’s Nest Camp alums in Asheville, North Carolina, and had the pleasure of reuniting with former staffers AND Wes alums: Ami Student ’00, Katie Barge Paris ’01, Erin Malone ’03, and Margot Wallston ’98.

From Leora Wien, reporting from Los Angeles: “I met with Tony Ducret one dark and stormy night at a bar in North Hollywood. We both felt good about the outdoor air circulation and had a lot to catch up on. In June, happily gave Jessica Sanders ’99 a fabulous in-person hug. This August, I had long overdue quality time with Laura Plageman ’99 et famille in the Bay Area. As an educational therapist, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with language arts and social studies teacher Sarah Chaskes ’91.

As the Class Notes were going to press, we were saddened to learn about the passing of our classmate Andrew Silverman. Please read more about him here.