Tag: 2012

Happy 2016! It is hard to believe that this May will mark our fourth anniversary away from the Hilltop. I am proud to highlight some of our classmates who have been pioneers of social change by dedicating their life to improving the lives of others.

Noah Heau is living in Queens and works as a community health specialist at the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center. The majority of his clientele are current and former injection drug users, many living with hepatitis C, HIV, and other unaddressed healthcare needs. Noah coordinates rapid testing and vaccination services, patient navigation services, and establishes linkages with community health clinics that are sensitive to the needs of marginalized populations.

Lena Solow and Katherine Wolf reconnected as members of Resource Generation. RG organizes young people with wealth and class privilege to work towards the equitable distribution of land, wealth, and power. Together they helped organize the NYC chapter’s fundraising efforts for It Starts Today Campaign to move resources to black-led black liberation community organizing efforts, which raised more than $1.3 million. Lena and Katherine continue to work together as chapter coordinators in NYC, and would love to talk to any interested Wes alums about RG!

Nathan Mackenzie is doing tremendous work with the El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs.

Emily Brown is an MFA candidate at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and is working on her thesis, a collection of poems. At the University of Iowa, Emily teaches an undergraduate literature course called Hybrid Forms, which incorporates works that defy genre boundaries. Emily also works as a projectionist at FilmScene, Iowa City’s only independent cinema.

Marjorie Romeyn-Sanabria started working for Audible, one of Amazon’s child companies that creates audio content. She says, “I never imagined I’d be working in tech, much less enjoying it!” Additionally, Marjorie met a wonderful man last winter and they are planning a small wedding for the spring of 2016. Lilah Sloane ’11 agreed to be one of her bridesmaids. Congratulations on two new beginnings, best wishes to you, Marjorie!

Many alumni, including myself, have followed Kennedy Odede’s journey since his days at 200 Church. This fall, Kennedy and Jessica Posner ’09 released their book, Find Me Unafraid. I was able to join the many Wesleyan alumni who turned up for the book launch on Oct. 13th in New York City. Kennedy and Jessica have unfolded the story of SHOFCO and their joint mission to improve education for girls and build infrastructure in one of the world’s poorest neighborhoods in Kenya. If you have not already, go onto Amazon and order this extraordinary and powerful book!

As for me, I am still working towards education equity in New York City and recently celebrated Teach For Americas 25th Anniversary.

Wishing the entire Class of 2012 all the best!

Daisey Perez | deperez@wesleyan.edu

Please write to your class secretary:

Daisey Perez | deperez@wesleyan.edu

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!

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

I have been fortunate to run into many of you over the past year and always can count on Facebook and Instagram (thanks, Zuckerberg) for even more updates. After connecting with a few folks, I can happily report it is certainly an exciting time! For many of you, your careers are taking off and you are thriving with new responsibilities. Moving up in your respective companies, you are destined to succeed in your positions. Others have taken the time to finally figure out what they want to do (I throw myself into this category). While it may have been a bumpy road, it has been an incredible adventure. I hope you also feel this way.

Continuing on their adventure, Alexa Narzikul and Raghu Appasani will begin medical school this fall. Raghu has been working full-time on The MINDS Foundation both in Boston and in India. Alexa has been doing research and is excited to stay in Philadelphia at Jefferson Medical College.

Cella Jones has moved her adventure back to the East Coast. She has just completed her two years in Mumbai and will be continuing to improve the lives of others by working with an alternative energy company in Troy, N.Y.

Rebecca Snelling left her job in Hartford last November and moved to Boston to continue her work in environmental consulting with a new Boston-based company. She hopes to jumpstart G&T (EES slang for Gin & Tectonics) Nights. Rebecca wants to let all Beantown natives, other EES alums, local rock-lovers, or beer-loving individuals from near or far know that they are cordially welcomed to join in the festivities!

Marjorie Romeyn-Sanabria is in DC interning at The American Conservative. She just covered CPAC alongside Mytheos Holt ’10. Marjorie said, “I really love it here; it’s full of great Wes peeps but is also a wonderful way to meet new people.” In June Marjorie is starting a master’s program in international studies at Concordia University in Irvine. After a summer semester, she is hoping to go to Kunming, China, where she’ll be teaching college-level English and working on a thesis. Marjorie sends love to all her Wes classmates!

As for me, I have just completed my second, and final, year in Teach for America. In June I will have completed my master’s and I plan on continuing my adventure in New York, for now.

Wishing all the class of 2012 the very best in all their adventures this year and always.

Daisey Perez | deperez@wesleyan.edu

Daisey Perez
deperez@wesleyan.edu