CLASS OF 2009 | 2023 | SPRING ISSUE
Please write to your class secretaries.
Tag: 2009
CLASS OF 2009 | 2022| FALL ISSUE
Hi everyone! This is Asia Neupane and Ally (Heaney) Lamson—we’re really glad to be your class secretaries! Please send any news and updates (or any other ideas) to us anytime this year so that we can include it in the upcoming newsletters. Asia is based in New Haven and Ally is in Philadelphia. Please definitely let us know if you are in these areas too!
Congratulations to Michael Green for developing Lynit, an outlining tool to assist writers in structuring and developing their novels. Michael also finished writing his first book, The End of Nobility, which he has been working on since the age of 15. The book will be released in early 2023.
Paul J. Edwards writes, “Happy to report that I will be starting as an assistant professor of English and dramatic literature at New York University after two years as an assistant professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. As well as my engagement to Rebecca Kastleman, assistant professor of English at Columbia University.”
Eugene Wong was named CFO of Boston-based start-up Hometap.
Michelle Katz writes, “Last fall, my partner Robert DeSimone and I finally tied the knot at the Bronx Zoo. Rachel Berkowitz, Nina Cohodes, and Joseph Melendez ’07 were all in the wedding party, and many Wes alumni, ranging from the classes of ’92 to ’10 (with heavy ’09 representation, of course) were in attendance. And, after more than a decade in Brooklyn, we’ve moved to Philadelphia, as I am starting rabbinical school this fall. Would love to grab coffee with any other Wes Philly folks!”
One of those Philly folks is Ally (Heaney) Lamson who is working as an insurance broker for Gallagher, raising three Spanish-speaking daughters, and occasionally playing beach volleyball.
Oriana Korol has been “working as a nature-based therapist for over a year in Canby, Oregon, at the Center at Heron Hill” and was expecting her first child in August!
On August 21, 2021, Ryan Walsh married his wife Kristen at Valley View Farm in Haydenville, Massachusetts. Several Wesleyan hockey alums were there to celebrate, including: J. J. Evans, Bryan Wieland, Scott Burns, John Wierzba, Mike Dorsey ’08, and Michael Ruderman ’11.
CLASS OF 2009 | 2022| SPRING ISSUE
Scott Cole has recently become the chief operating officer of Divot Assets (www.divotassets.com), the leading provider of fixed asset inventory services for K–12 public schools.
Sofia Warner and Eric Weiskott welcomed their second child, Theo Warner, into the world last July 4. Sofia, Eric, Theo, and Theo’s older sister Lili live in Brookline, Massachusetts.
From Sophie Reagan: “Still in DC but always a New Yorker at heart. Our daughter is three—not sure how that happened—but we don’t know how old our dog is. Workwise, I’m a chief of staff within Deloitte’s Government & Public Services practice. There are a couple of us Wesleyan alums here! A small but mighty bunch.”
Abby Rosenstein writes: “My husband Neil and I welcomed our baby, Ezra, in September! We live in central Massachusetts, where I work as a nurse practitioner in a community health center.”
Editor’s note: We need a new class secretary! If you are interested, please email: classnotes@wesleyan.edu.
CLASS OF 2009 | 2021–2022| WINTER ISSUE
Those with class notes, please write to your class secretary.
CLASS OF 2009 | 2021| ISSUE 1
Hello fellow ’09ers, below are some updates on your classmates:
Eli Wilson has recently released his first book, through NYU Press, entitled Front of the House, Back of the House: Race and Inequality in the Lives of Restaurant Workers. “The book makes for a pretty decent read for anyone interested in learning (or teaching) about race, service work, immigration, and social inequality. So far, the book has received some promising early reviews.” You can learn about it at nyupress.org.
Evan Coleman had a baby with his wife on December 24, 2020. His name is Reece, and he’s a healthy, happy future Cardinal!
Sharmeen Mazumder would like to announce the birth of her daughter, Rokeya, and her marriage to Rokeya’s father, Robin Gordon Leavitt.
Jodie Rubenstein is living in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and nine-month-old baby Hiram. She is working as the director of development for the Patriotic Millionaires.
Lastly, after spending a year in Manhattan working as an anesthesiologist on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hollie Matlin moved to the Philadelphia area with her husband Ross and her toddler son, Noah. She is in awe of the wildlife in her yard—groundhogs, foxes and a whole family of deer.
Thanks for submitting notes and please keep sharing!
CLASS OF 2009 | 2020 | ISSUE 3
Those with class notes, please contact:
Class Notes Editor
classnotes@wesleyan.edu
CLASS OF 2009 | 2020 | ISSUE 1
Hi, Class of 2009. Some exciting notes to share on your classmates as we enter the new decade:
Bryan Wieland writes: “My wife, Nicole, and I welcomed the newest future Cardinal to our family, Cameron Wieland. He was born Sept. 18.”
Justin LaSelva and Sarah Yost married in Hawaii in December. Wonderful Wesfolk Jeffrey Kaplan and Laura Rubin attended the traditional Hawaiian ceremony, which took place on an off-grid mountainside coffee plantation. Justin, who has been living in Austin since 2011, works in information security at The University of Texas at Austin; Sarah is a senior product marketing manager with National Instruments. The two recently built a house and share it with their adorable Havanese, Seymour. Outside of work, Justin produces a weekly radio show on the cooperatively owned and operated KOOP 91.7 FM.
Annie Paladino began a barbell-coaching business last year. Paladino Strength is body-positive, identity-affirming, and no-nonsense, helping folks of all ages, genders, and sizes become strong and capable. She enjoys working with beginners and those who are new to fitness, as well as anyone who has felt intimidated or unwelcome in traditional fitness spaces. She coaches private sessions and group classes in Seattle, as well as offering online coaching for folks around the world. Find her at paladinostrength.com.
Daphne Schmon writes: “I am approaching my fifth year living in London and will be going into production on my debut narrative feature film this March. The Eye is a very personal project, a psychological thriller co-written with close friend Emily Carlton, and set on the Greek island where my mom is from. This spring will also mark the third edition of our Breaking Through The Lens initiative, connecting female directors to film financiers at the Cannes Film Festival (breakingthroughthelens.com).”
Sofia Warner and Eric Weiskott welcomed their daughter, Lili, into the world in August.
Katie Hanna got married to Will Cerbone on Aug. 17, in Cold Spring, N.Y. Bridesmaids included Madeline Trimble, Lauren Barth, and Joan Bosco. Eyal Bar-David and Jia Yee also attended.
Lastly, former tennis stars Matthew O’Connell and Ania Prenata are teaming up in doubles play versus a new opponent, their daughter Natalie Halina O’Connell, born on Jan. 4, 2020. This match will certainly end with a score of Love-Love.
Thanks for sending in notes and please keep them coming!
Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com
CLASS OF 2009 | 2019 | ISSUE 2
Hi, fellow 2009ers! Here are some updates on your classmates.
Allison Heaney Lamson is living in Philadelphia with one husband, two cats, and two daughters. She is working for Temple Law School in their global legal studies department.
Jodie Rubenstein and her husband Alex (and their dog Barnum) moved back to Alexandria, Va., after a two-year stint in Denver.
Matt Connolly completed his first year as an assistant professor of film studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He earned his PhD in film studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison last May. He’s thrilled to see old friends at this year’s 10-year Reunion, especially Sara Beth Hoffman and Laurenellen McCann.
Sophie Reagan writes “I’m in D.C. doing federal consulting at Deloitte but currently living that maternity-leave life. Our daughter Lily was born in April. It’s pretty amazing and totally nuts, and I am beyond grateful to my crew of Wes moms including cousins Rosa Cohen-Cruz ’07 and Stephanie Pfeiffer ’08, and dear friends Emily Dine, Sophia Dumaine, and Ally Lamson.”
Seth Halpern’s tech company Ori.ai is being acquired and integrated into a newly formed venture to build a network of modern and thoughtful therapy practices across the country.
Lastly, Joe Newman writes: “As of January I’ve started at the law firm Fenwick & West, working on privacy issues and focusing on supporting the video game industry. Also, my wife, Allie, and I are expecting a baby girl this August—super excited!”
Thanks for submitting notes!
Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com
CLASS OF 2009 | 2019 | ISSUE 1
Hi, Class of 2009! Notes from your classmates are as follows: Last May, Matt Connolly received his PhD in film studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is now an assistant professor of film studies in the department of English at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Joe Newman left Ubisoft to start as a technology transactions associate at Fenwick & West, staying in San Francisco, focusing on privacy matters, especially as they affect the video game industry.
Kennedy Odede ’12 and Jessica Posner welcomed baby Oscar Garvey Odede in August! Jessica is the CEO of international nonprofit, Girl Effect.
After working at Sotheby’s auction house for more than five years, Michelle Brown has joined Pentagram, a leading graphic design firm based in NYC, where she works as a project manager specializing in print publications, exhibition design, and environmental graphics.
Graham Immerman’s company, MachineMetrics, a startup leading the effort to bring AI and analytics to manufacturing, has raised $11.3 million in Series A financing. Graham is head of marketing and one of six on the executive team. Learn more at machinemetrics.org.
Dominic Ireland Halliday writes, “Wesleyan wound up turning me into a permanent resident of Connecticut. My wife and I bought a house in Norwalk, allowing us to participate fully in the hallowed state pastimes of grumbling about traffic and taxes. If this kind of thing keeps up, I’m likely to be in the nutmeg import/export business by the 20-year Reunion. Can’t believe that the 10-year is right around the corner—I’m looking forward to attending and hope to see many old classmates on Foss Hill. Going to throw some MGMT bootlegs into the mix as I work in the backyard today. Not much chance of hitting up Mamoun’s food truck after, unfortunately.”
After eight years of working at Lyon-Martin Health Services as trans health manager, J.M. Jaffe created Trans Health Consulting, LLC, a consulting agency.
Thom Sisson and Nina Gonzalez created Mobile Suit Breakdown, a weekly podcast about Japanese sci-fi mega-franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam. Each episode they watch, analyze, and review the iconic anime in the order it was made—researching its influences, examining its themes, and discussing how each piece of the Gundam canon fits within the changing context in Japan and the world, from 1979 to today. Find it at gundampodcast.com.
Jena Gordon and Pearce Talbot were married on Oct. 6 in a beautiful ceremony in Boston. They danced the night away with Andrea Giuliano, Michela Stager Black, Andrew Black, Caitlyn McCann Wong, Eugene Wong, Chris Mixon, Steve Rebh, Rachel Lurie Melikan, Heather Flemming, Kim Lam ’08, Mike Lubrano, Anthony Marsella, Vinny Colangelo, Allan Collins ’08, and Malcolm Hill ’08.
Shane Heckstall writes, “Sup? I started my own business and I’m getting married. Peace.”
Finally, Evan Coleman got married in July 2017 to his longtime girlfriend and got a new job as attorney advisor for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination in Worcester.
Thanks for all your contributions. Get excited for our Reunion in May!
Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com
CLASS OF 2009 | 2018 | ISSUE 2
Hi, fellow 2009s. Here are a couple of updates on our classmates. Ray Ward and Lucas Hoeffel both launched new media ventures, Opalite Media and Lucas Hoeffel Photography, each focused on digital media production. They’ve kickstarted several photography/film collaborations while Ray lives in Boston and Lucas in NYC.
Mike Repplier writes, “I tell the stories of people in extraordinary circumstances as a producer for the primetime newsmagazine 20/20 on ABC News. As a booking producer, I manage the people whose stories we tell and am often the first line of reporting. I won my first Emmy Award for my work on a town hall special with President Obama on race and law enforcement. Most recently I helped produce an exclusive interview with Tammie Jo Shults, the hero Southwest pilot who landed her plane after an engine explosion and saved 148 people on board.”
Thanks for your submissions and please keep them coming!
Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com