Cynthia Rockwell

Newsday writer Rafer Guzmán quotes Jeremy Arnold ’91, a film historian, commentator, and author, in his roundup of new movies and old favorites for this time of year in his article "More Christmas Movies Than Ever This Holiday Season.” Arnold, the author of Christmas in the Movies (Running Press, 2018) a Turner Classic Movies book, points out that “The new big-screen films are not only competing with Hallmark and Lifetime but all the previous feature films that are available on home video.” A film studies major as an undergraduate, Arnold also answers Guzmán’s question of what constitutes a film of this genre: “‘I would say…

In a cover story for Vanity Fair, titled “The Supercalifragilistic Lin-Manuel Miranda,” writer Bruce Handy explores both the upcoming movie, Mary Poppins Returns, as a sequel to Walt Disney’s 1964 adaption of the children’s books by P. L. Travers, and one of its stars, Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, Hon. '15. In the 1964 movie, the chimney-sweep companion to Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) was Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke. This 2018 Mary Poppins (Emma Blunt) has chimney sweep Jack (supposedly a former protégé of the late Bert), played by Miranda, as her sidekick and friend. Hardy offers biographical background, along with personal…

Sophie Zinser ’16, deputy director of Syria Direct in Amman, has been selected as a Schwarzman Scholar, one of the world’s most prestigious graduate fellowships, located at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing. This Schwarzman Class of 2020 is only the fourth in the program’s history, with 147 Schwarzman Scholars selected from over 2,800 applicants. The class is comprised of students from 38 countries and 119 universities, with 40 percent originating from the United States, 20 percent from China, and 40 percent from the rest of the world. The Class of 2020 will enroll in August 2019. In a…

Alumni who have met with success in the midterm elections include: Democrat Alex Bergstein '88, who won a Connecticut State Senate race; Democrat Brian Frosh ’68, who won re-election as Maryland Attorney general; Democrat Matt Lesser ’10, who prevailed in Connecticut's State Senate race for the 9th district, which includes Middletown; Democrat Amy Martin ’99 is judge-elect for the Texas District Court 263; and Democrat Max Rose ’08, who won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 11th Congressional District. An article in the Greenwich Time quoted Bergstein, post-victory, as saying, "'I am elated. I am humbled. I…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News Inside Higher Ed: “Career Path Intervention–Via a MOOC” An open online course by Gordon Career Center Director Sharon Belden Castonguay, which helps young people explore their interests and career options, is featured. 2. NPR: “Midterm Election Could Reshape Health Policy” Associate Professor of Government Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, explains why Democrats are “laser-focused on health care” this election season. Fowler also recently was quoted on advertising in the midterm elections in The Washington Post and USA Today, and interviewed…

First row, at left: John Textor ’87, P’22; Christopher Textor ’22; Robert Gorin ’57, P’90, GP’22; David Gottlieb ’22; Bethel Gorin Gottlieb ’90, P’22; Stephen S. Daniel ’82, P’22; India Daniel ’22; Amy Appleton ’83, P’16, ’19; Ben Sarraille ’19; Langston Morrison ’21; Desirée Ralls-Morrison ’88, P’21; Greg Shatan ’81, P’22; Maximilian Shatan ’22; Richard Eaddy ’83, P’22; Deborah Eaddy ’22; Carolene Eaddy ’86, P’22 (with Matthew in front); Andrew Clibanoff ’86, P’19,’22; Leo Clibanoff ’22; Callie Clibanoff ’19. Second row, at left: Ari Baron ’84, P’22; Leah Baron ’22; Natalya Jewelewicz ’22; Daniel Jewelewicz ’90, P’22; Jonah Newmark ’22;…

Sasha Chanoff '94, founder and executive director of RefugePoint, and Amy Slaughter, the organization’s chief strategy officer, were named Schwab Foundation/World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneurs of the Year. This honor is bestowed each year by the Schwab Foundation, the World Economic Forum’s sister organization, to identify and recognize the world's leading social entrepreneurs. As awardees, Chanoff and Slaughter join the Schwab Foundation's global community of social entrepreneurs working in more than 70 countries. They will be integrated into World Economic Forum meetings and initiatives and invited to contribute in exchanges with top leaders in business, government, civil society, and media. Makaela…

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Already an actor and blogger, Lynn Chen ’98 is now also a director, with her first feature film, I Will Make You Mine. She wrote about the experience for Filmmaker magazine: “I Just Finished Directing My First Feature Film, Why Do I Feel Like I Have Post-Partum Depression?” The editors note that these low feelings are common for first-time directors but not frequently discussed. Chen, however, is an activist—the ambassador for the National Eating Disorders Association since 2012—and not afraid to tackle emotional content and bring taboo topics to the forefront. “When I was a women's studies/music double major at Wesleyan in 1998, I found…

Suicide and Resilience: Finding the Words was the topic of the 2018 Shasha Seminar, held Sept. 14-15 on campus. Endowed by James Shasha '50, P'82, the Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns supports lifelong learning and encourages participants to expand their knowledge and perspectives on significant issues. The educational forum provides Wesleyan alumni, parents, and friends with an opportunity to explore issues of global concern in a small seminar environment, The seminar was codirected by Karl Scheibe, professor of psychology, emeritus, and Jennifer D’Andrea, director of Wesleyan’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the seminar, held Sept. 14-15, (Photos by Olivia Drake, Rebecca Goldfarb…

In this recurring feature in The Wesleyan Connection, we highlight some of the latest news stories about Wesleyan and our alumni. Recent Wesleyan News The Washington Post: "Have Parents Made Their Kids Too Fragile for the Rough-and-Tumble Life?" President Michael Roth reviews The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. While the authors make some important points, Roth is skeptical of their argument, writing, "Are students today disempowered because they’ve been convinced they are fragile, or do they feel vulnerable because they are facing problems like climate change and massive, nasty inequality?"…

Nataly Kogan '98 will present a WESeminar, “What I Wish I Knew When I Was a Super-Successful Wesleyan Overachiever” in the Ring Family Center at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 28. Kogan, who at 13 emigrated with her family to the U.S. as a refugee from the former Soviet Union, graduated from Wesleyan with High and University Honors as a CSS major. She achieved early success as a consultant with McKinsey & Co, a venture capitalist at the age of 26, and a tech executive with companies like Microsoft. However, this came at a huge personal cost, she says, and it didn’t have…

New Book by Film Historian Arnold ’91: Christmas in the Movies

Vanity Fair Cover Story: “Supercalifragilistic” Miranda ’02

Zinser ’16 Receives Prestigious Schwarzman Scholar Award

Bergstein ’88, Frosh ’68, Lesser ’10, Martin ’99, Rose ’08 Enjoy Election Success

Wesleyan in the News

Annual Legacy Photo Highlights Generational Wesleyan Connections

Chanoff ’94 Receives Schwab Foundation/World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Hatch Speaks on Black Phoenix Rising for 2018 Dwight Greene Symposium

Chen ’98 Explores Emotions of Directorial Debut for Filmmaker Magazine

Shasha Seminar Explores Suicide, Resilience through Film, Narrative, Community, Research

Wesleyan in the News

Kogan ’98: “What I Wish I Knew When I Was A Super-Successful Wesleyan Overachiever”