Tag: 2009

Let’s welcome the fall/winter season with some new updates from your fellow classmates!

George Bennum is living in Cambridge, Mass. He works for Bjönd, a healthcare start-up co-founded by Dave Blauer ’84 and Ben Flynn ’03. Their first application, called BjöndHealth, invents and automates hyper-personalized workflows that clinicians, social workers, and family members execute collaboratively to intervene with patient’s suffering complex diseases and conditions. George mentions seeing Conor Veeneman and Adam Nikolich around town a lot.

Seth Halpern has been promoted to strategic consultant at The Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C. In his new role, Seth will deliver actionable insights and advise a large cohort of several hundred of Advisory’s member health systems across the United States. Seth is in his third and final year at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business (evening program) and will earn his MBA in May.

Anthony Marsella is in his sixth year coaching college football. He coached at Wes in the 2009 season, then worked at Mount Ida College for a year. He is now in his fourth year at Middlebury College coaching running backs, tight ends, and coordinating the special teams.

Sophie Regan (formerly Sophie Pollitt-Cohen) is living in Washington, D.C., and pursuing her MBA at Georgetown University. Sophie got married this summer with some help from two wonderful Wesleyan bridesmaids—Emily Dine and Jodie Rubenstein.

Tess Smagorinsky and Tim Horgan-Kobelski got hitched outside of Boulder, Colo., amongst mountains and margaritas in late June. Among the wedding party (moral support, y’all!) were Barry Finder, Robbie Rindlaub, Liz Demakos, and Liana Hernandez, with many other Wes alumni on the attendee list. Tess and Tim continue to live in Oakland, Calif., where Tim is attending law school at UC, Berkeley, Tess works in HR for Zenefits, and their dog, Huck, spends his days pondering existential questions and eating things from under the couch.

Heather Sheriff just started her graduate studies at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, to become a certified nurse midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner.

On Aug. 3, 2014, Samantha Hurley Doucet and Hannah Barber Doucet were married in a ceremony at Dream Away Lodge in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Attendees included Lesley Chapman, Lily Bushman-Copp ’10, Adrienne Russman ’10, E. Evnen ’10, Katherine Nilson ’11, Mattie Liskow ’11, and Nina Terebessy ’11. Upon returning from their honeymoon in Belize, Hannah began her third year of medical school at SUNY Downstate and Samantha took on a new position with St. Nicks Alliance, a community nonprofit, where she will put to use her graduate degrees in education and social work. The two reside in Brooklyn, with their dog, Olive, and two cats.

Sara Deniz Akant received an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in May 2012. She won a chapbook contest for her manuscript Parades, which will be out from Omnidawn Publishing on October 7th. Her first full-length book manuscript was selected for Rescue Press’s Black Box Poetry contest, and will be published in fall 2015. She also has a chapbook coming out titled Latronic Strag (Persistent Editions). She just moved back to New York and teaches composition/writing at CUNY Baruch.

Shane E. Heckstall writes, “Whats up? I’m doing well. Please buy a copy of my book titled The Romance of LaLa available on Amazon. Stay tuned for my next book scheduled for a 2014 December release titled Did You Create a Monster?, which looks at African-American identity in higher education… much more dense, intriguing, research-based, and contemplative. Find me on LinkedIn.”

Thom Sisson and Nina Gonzalez were married on Sept. 15th in Brooklyn, where they live. Thom is also a graduate of NYU Law and has been working as an attorney since 2012. Nina is an MIM graduate of Instituto de Empresa in Madrid and works in nonprofit management.

For the New Orleans’ Art Biennial Prospect 3, Wesleyan grads and artists Silvie Deutsch and Kira Akerman ’10 have collaborated to create Intimate Immensity, an immersive, site-specific art installation. Using a cloud tank (a hands-on SFX technique) and the centuries-old process of paper marbling, stop-motion animations are projected onto a ceiling: the small-scale process becomes gigantic. An organic interaction between pure water and spray paint reveals a push-and-pull relationship—two substances making room for each other on a finite surface. The piece opened Oct. 25th.

Arthur Nazarian has started his first year of his two-year MBA program at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management alongside Arran Bardige ’10, who joins him in the same class, and Alison Kung, who is a second-year in the program. He is enjoying the unusually pleasant warm weather this autumn as he studies accounting, marketing, and economics—all very exciting fields of study that are unfortunately lacking that intellectual Wesleyan flair.

Jon Short spent three years as a special education teacher, earning a master’s in education, and is now in his third year as an instructional coach, working to bring under-performing K-8 Phoenix, Ariz., schools into high-achieving status. He dedicates most of his free time to working as the vice-chair for the Board of Grand Canyon Performing Arts, Arizona’s oldest and largest LGBTQ arts organization.

Paul Boulat and Michelle Brown are roommates once again, now living in Astoria. Paul is continuing his work with Vermont-based luxury textile company ANICHINI and recently started an MBA at NYU’s Langone program. Michelle completed her master’s degree in art history from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts in 2012 and currently works in the editorial department at Sotheby’s.

Alicia Garrison writes: “I have been working on mosaic murals in Philadelphia. The first mosaic is for Maplewood Mall, a small area in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia that is undergoing a long-term beautification and revitalization program. It is a 5 x 6-foot mural, due to be installed this fall. I worked with wonderful students at Germantown Friends School and the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in creating this image. The mural with the two children reading and sitting back to back in the sunset is the first mural I had the pleasure of designing and creating all myself. It was for Belmont Charter School, an elementary/middle school in West Philadelphia. I was given two words for the theme: ‘Youth Empowerment.’ My goal was to create an image that represented a safe haven for youth, education, growth, and knowledge. The design was loosely based on a piece of work I actually made when I was in middle school.” See the photos of Alicia’s work on our Class Notes website.

Thanks to everyone who sent in notes. Please keep them coming!

Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com

Your fellow ’09ers have been staying busy—below is a glimpse into some of the exciting things your peers have been up to…

Jake Abrahamson writes and edits stories for Sierra magazine. He recently covered Trevor Thomas, a blind long-distance backpacker, and a group of unlikely environmentalists in Missouri’s Ozarks.

Alex Segal is living in Los Angeles, where he and business partner Riley Rea opened furniture company, Croft House. It is now in its 3rd year! Croft House furniture is handmade in LA primarily with reclaimed and sustainable materials.

After living for a year in Kabul, Alex Footman opted to move to Berlin, which offers more public transportation options and slightly less kebab. Alex has connected with some Wes alumni but would be glad to see more of you!

This May, Eric Weiskott graduated from Yale with a PhD in English Language and Literature and moved to Brookline, Mass. In September, he will take up a position as assistant professor of English at Boston College.

Hollie Matlin is a current third year medical student at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She is engaged to Ross Littauer, a Swattie she met at the post baccalaureate premedical program at Bryn Mawr College. Their wedding date is the ultimate Pi Day, 3.14.15!

Saul Carlin is joining Medium, a new online publishing platform created by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams, after receiving his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. As one of the first members of Medium’s business team, he’ll be working to help people and organizations share stories and ideas that inspire change.

Justin LaSelva has been doing IT work at UT Austin for about three years now and co-hosts a radio show called This Great White North, which airs every Friday on KOOP, America’s only radio cooperative. In December, he and his girlfriend, Katie, made the trek from Austin back to his native Massachusetts and also spent a night in Middletown exploring the campus, the river, Wadsworth Falls, and (of course) enjoying Klekolo and O’Rourke’s. When he’s not working or in the studio, he’s partaking in Austin’s incredible live music scene and eating large amounts of food.

Elana Baurer graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in May 2013. She passed both the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars and is working at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia as an immigration and employment attorney. Elana is also in the process of launching a juvenile justice focused nonprofit organization that will serve system-involved youth in facilitating their reenrollment back into school when they return home from juvenile detention facility placements.

Sophie Pollitt-Cohen is living in Washington, D.C., where she stays cultured by going to book club with Jodie Rubenstein. Sophie is getting married this summer and then starting Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business this fall.

Still in north Idaho, Oriana Korol is writing for Sandpoint Magazine and guiding nature connection trips through Rewild Institute, a nonprofit that she and her partner, Mike Kopf, began. Visits from Maggie Starr ’06 and Jey Ehrenhalt have been great!

Laurenellen McCann recently organized D.C.’s first ever Dino Co-op, which collaboratively purchased and stewards the use of a Kickstarter-custom-made, 13-ft-tall velociraptor costume. (Look for pictures this fall.) The #DCDino Co-op is sort of connected to Laurenellen’s new gig as a civic innovation fellow at the Open Technology Institute (part of the New America Foundation), but not really. In other news: Laurenellen and her partner, Karl Grindal, proposed to each other in March and plan to get married in 2015. (Yes, the dinosaur will be part of the wedding party.)

Brittany Delany is moving to Santa Fe in early summer 2014. She looks forward to dance collaborations with Sarah Ashkin ’11 and to continuing work in fundraising and development for nonprofit organizations.

Keiko Hamano is now a certified massage therapist in California. She will graduate from the National Holistic Institute in early July. In addition to building her private practice, she has also been hired at a local spa. Keiko volunteers her services at a homeless youth clinic and at various sporting events throughout the Bay Area. She is also progressing through the post-bac program at UC, Berkeley, Extension in preparation for graduate school in physical therapy.

After five great years in D.C., Abby Rosenstein is moving to Philadelphia to study at Penn to become a nurse and family nurse practitioner.

Laura D’Iorio, Becca Freed, Tyler Snell, Jade Scott, and Tanya Moss united to recreate happy Foss Hill memories at San Francisco’s Dolores Park in March. The afternoon rekindled Wesleyan friendships and featured a visit by Tyler’s adorable Labradoodle, Scooter.

Additionally, Laura D’Iorio, Becca Freed, and J.Z. Golden ’08 took the city of Philadelphia by storm in December. The trio took in a victorious Eagles win and tailgate, noshed on Philly’s finest cheese steaks ’wit, and stole the show at a renowned karaoke bar.

Please see photos on the Class Notes website.

Thanks again for all your updates!

Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com

Winter is near and what better way to enjoy a warm fire and a big mug of hot chocolate than with some class notes, right?! Here’s what some of your fellow classmates are up to:

Seth Halpern is working in Washington, D.C. as a strategic consultant for hospital executives at The Advisory Board Company, and is also in his second year of the evening MBA program at Georgetown University. Seth is overworked and underpaid, and looks forward to seeing everyone at the five (5!!!) year Reunion in the spring.

Laura Masulis is working as the senior partnerships manager at Interise, a social enterprise that trains local business owners to help take their businesses to the next level. On the side, she is helping found a community bike and board shop, The Lawrence BiciCocina, to improve the quality of life in Lawrence, Mass., encourage more physical activity, and provide job and leadership training for youth. Laura also just had a wonderful woodsy get-a-way weekend with Tressa Eaton, Sara Hirsch, and Ellie Wiener.

Lilly Fink Shapiro shares that she is studying public health and sustainable food systems at the University of Michigan.

Dominic Ireland left Bridgewater Associates back in February, spent March wandering solo around Turkey (awesome), and now he’s in Connecticut, working IT at Stamford Hospital.

Elana Baurer is a first-year associate at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia, PA, working in the Employment, Labor, Benefits, and Immigration group. She splits her time between employment and immigration matters. Elana passed the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars and was to be admitted formally before the New Year.

Ray Ward, Sawyer Greene, and Jeremy Finch are now living in Cambridge, Mass., where their apartment features nearly one pull-up bar per capita.

Ari King has launched a website and podcast titled Off Campus, which is based on his book Now What?! Conversations about College, Graduation, and the Next Step and has a Kickstarter to raise money to produce the show. To find out more, see: thisisoffcampus.org

Only five months until our 5-year Reunion. Get excited! And keep the notes coming!

Alejandro Alvarado
ale.alvarado12@gmail.com

Four years after graduation, here is what some fellow 2009 grads are up to…

Elana Baurer graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in May. After taking the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars she will be moving back home to Philadelphia to work at Duane Morris, LLP. She also hopes to start a juvenile advocacy nonprofit in Philadelphia.

Katie Shelly is publishing Picture Cook, which is a collection of more than 50 dishes that completely re-invent the traditional recipe format by rendering each recipe as a hand-drawn, flowchart-like illustration that uses a minimum of words. It will be published by Ulysses Press in October. The link to pre-order is on facebook.com/PictureCook

Aviva Tevah has been in NYC since 2009, working on reentry education issues with the non-profit service providers, city agencies, and academic institutions that constitute the New York Reentry Education Network. The Network is organizing its first conference, called “Pathways of Possibility: Transforming Education’s Role in Reentry,” which will bring together stakeholders to build a shared reentry education agenda moving forward.

Chris Goy spent the summer in Chicago as a management fellow in Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office and then returned to Philadelphia for his final year studying public administration at UPenn before starting a life out in the Rockies…or Hawaii.

Julie Neuspiel will be moving to Boston (living in Allston!) to begin a PhD in clinical psychology at UMass Boston mentored by Dr. Abbey Eisenhower. She will be studying the supportive roles of parent-child and teacher-child relationships in social emotional development, particularly within contexts of economic and developmental adversity during early childhood and the transition to school. Her training will be supported by Boston’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities fellowship which is funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the US Department of Health and Human Services through the 2006 Combating Autism Act. Max Wu ’08 is a second-year doctoral student in the same program, and Cara Herbitter ’03 is in her entering class as well! George Bennum is living in Boston, working as a GIS analyst for a civil engineering company. He is hanging out with Adam Nikolich a fair amount and brewing beer with him.

Sarah Gillig Sunu just wrapped up her first year of graduate school at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, where she is earning a master’s of environmental management with a concentration in coastal environmental management. Sarah has also changed her name to Sarah Sunu (maiden name at Wesleyan was Gillig); her husband, Steve Sunu ’08, is in North Carolina with her and is a freelance journalist.

Gabriel Fries has taken the four years since Wesleyan to do the “post-college wandering” thing. He has been a zombie in an episode of Good Morning America, passed out real estate flyers in a monkey costume, and been a tall skinny Toys “R” Us Santa, among other odd jobs. He has also gotten into teaching—teaching filmmaking for three summers at a camp in New Hampshire, teaching English, baseball, and hamburger eating (this is not a joke) at a place called American Village in France, and most recently, teaching English through theater with a traveling children’s theater company in Italy! It’s been a good ride, but now he is ready to stay in one place and start focusing more on depth than breadth

Ari King recently published his book, Now What?! Conversations about College, Graduation, and the Next Step. More information can be found on the alumni website., which is exactly what it sounds like—a night of veterans sharing their stor ies.

Dominic Ireland is leaving his position at Bridgewater Associates, taking a month to travel through Turkey, and then moving to Austin, Tex.

In 2012, Daphne Schmon finished her first feature documentary, Children of the Wind. So far, they have been to four festivals and won six awards, most notably Best Documentary and Best Emerging Filmmaker at X-Dance Film Festival, the world’s premiere action sports film festival. The film will be released this spring worldwide. Website and trailer can be found at: childrenofthewindmovie.com. Daphne is living in New York where she has founded her own film company, Seek Films. In addition to touring the festival circuit, she is in development for her next feature film project.

Chris Helsel has just arrived in Madrid where he will be completing a master’s (LLM) in international sports law this semester. Chris finished at Villanova Law this fall and will receive his joint JD/LLM degree when he finishes in Spain.

Karl Grindal and Laurenellen McCann have been living in Washington, D.C., for the last 3+ years and celebrated their first year of living together by getting a domestic partnership. Karl is a cyber-security consultant for the government and is helping a former professor write a history book on cyber conflict. Laurenellen is the national policy manager at the Sunlight Foundation and spends her days thinking about government transparency and open data. On the side, she runs a project about mapping public art and occasionally gets Karl to help her run The Alley of Doom, a pop-up game, funded by the Awesome Foundation, that allows passersby to pretend to be Indiana Jones.

 Jesse Coburn has been on the road doing his Mute Puppets show for the past three years. Drawing on his readings of mysticism and Martin Heidegger, he has developed a performance that bypasses the “Gerede” of the everyday, allowing (for once) silence to pour out of the furry mouths of puppets. Their frenzied gestures refer to a different language, one inscribed in the natural world. In ’13-’14 he will mostly be in Tennessee, West Virginia, and upstate NY. He is always dutifully polite upon meeting a fellow alum.

Zeeba Khalili is living in Somerville, Mass., and started an awesome new job as a program associate at Summer Search, a national non-profit that supports low-income youth to develop leadership skills and graduate from college. She is still waiting to find out if she can join the Mystical Seven.

Sam Ottinger is living in New Orleans and is now a licensed mortgage loan officer. He’s baking bread, brewing beer, and growing his own tomatoes. Come visit! Minimum of five drinks required per visitor.

Brittany Delany, based in the Bay Area, collaborates regularly with Wes Alums in art and performance projects. In February 2012, she danced with Shayna Keller, Samantha Sherman, and Sarah Ashkin ’11 at Movement Research at Judson Church in New York and also co-choreographed a dance sequence for a film directed by Nikhil Melnechuk ’07.

Delany runs a monthly arts program Ground Series in Oakland with Sarah Ashkin ’11. Ground Seriescreates a space where art and community find common ground. All of the programming prioritizes communal exchange of skills, resources, and experiences in order to strengthen and unite artist and neighbor. In January 2013, Britt and Sarah hosted Wes Alums Khalia Frazier ’07, Aaron Freedman ’10, Allison Hurd ’11, and Samantha Sherman with director Pedro Alejandro, professor of dance at Wes, to create a dance for camera in a Berkeley arts space and to develop a new work premiering at Wesleyan in April 2013.

Michelle Brown and Paul Boulat are wrapping up a wonderful year living together in Astoria, NYC, following a tradition starting at Wesleyan where they lived together for five semesters. Michelle graduated from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts with an MA in art history in May and is now looking to enter the museum professions. Paul is a manager for Vermont-based textile company Anichini. They are looking forward to staying neighbors, as both are staying in Astoria for the foreseeable future.

Ryan Walsh sends “a pic of me and Dino playing for the Eaton Vance hockey team. We worked together for most of the year until Dino left to work for a start-up, this is all we have for memories…. just in case you needed some ammo.” You can see the photo online: go to wesleyan.edu/magazine and click on “class notes.”

 

And finally, Sara Swetzoff, her spouse and her child have moved to Portland, Ore.

Alejandro Alvarado
ale.alvarado12@gmail.com