Alumni – Page 12

Alumni and staff who have met with success in the November 2020 elections include: Amy Bello, administrative assistant for the African American Studies Department, won her first term as a State House representative for Connecticut's 28th District. Bello, a Democrat, is serving on the Wethersfield Town Council and is the former mayor. Read more in this Nov. 5 Hartford Courant article or in this past Wesleyan Connection article. Michael Demicco ’80 won his second term serving as a State House representative for Connecticut's 21st District. Demicco, a Democrat, represents Farmington and Unionville, Conn. Read more here. Former two-term Democratic Colorado…

On Oct. 26, Matthew Arkin '82 interviewed author Heidi Mastrogiovanni '79 on his YouTube show "Creative Conversations." Mastrogiovanni is the author of the comedic novel Lala Pettibone’s Act Two (finalist for the Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Awards) and the sequel, Lala Pettibone: Standing Room Only. The prequel in the trilogy, Lala Pettibone: Curtain Up, will be released next year. As a graduate of Wesleyan, Mastrogiovanni chose to have all of the protagonists in her novels be alumni of her alma mater. With James Napoli (The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm), Mastrogiovanni is co-host of the “Movies Not Movies” comedy podcast.…

In this continuing series, Annie Roach ’22, an English and Italian studies major from Middletown, Del., reviews alumni books and offers a selection for those in search of knowledge, insight, and inspiration. The volumes, sent to us by alumni, are forwarded to Olin Library as donations to the University’s collection and made available to the Wesleyan community. Jeremy Arnold ‘91, The Essentials Vol. 2: 52 More Must-See Movies and Why They Matter (Turner Classic Movies, 2020) In 2020, many of us have been turning to movies for entertainment in the comfort of our homes, making the demand for good film…

(more…)

The 18th annual "Where on Earth Are We Going?" Symposium of the Robert F. Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment was held on Oct. 16 and 17 in a virtual format as part of Homecoming and Family Weekend events. (more…)

A film directed by Joel Gershon '94 will make its world premiere on Oct. 21. The documentary, titled "Cirque du Cambodia," is about two teenagers from Cambodia who learned how to become circus performers at a special school for the arts near their home village. They became determined to become the first Cambodians to take the stage with Cirque du Soleil after seeing one of their videos. The two of them moved across the world to Montreal, where Cirque du Soleil is headquartered, in order to attend the world’s most elite circus school after getting full scholarships there. The film…

In this continuing series, Annie Roach ’22, an English and Italian studies major from Middletown, Del., reviews alumni books and offers a selection for those in search of knowledge, insight, and inspiration. The volumes, sent to us by alumni, are forwarded to Olin Library as donations to the University’s collection and made available to the Wesleyan community. Makenna Goodman ’06, The Shame (Milkweed, 2020) In a letter to her children that she writes in case of an untimely death, Makenna Goodman’s protagonist Alma muses, “My great fear, which has kept me up nights for years, is that you will have…

A film directed by Leon Ristov '21 was selected to be screened on demand during the Sarajevo Film Festival Aug. 14–21. The 12-minute piece, titled I'm Calling Your Father, is among only 10 films selected for the festival's TeenArena program. The film tells the story of Damjan, a 16-year-old who gets jumped by neighborhood hooligans. Damjan's hard-headed mother comes up with a plan to protect him. Ristov's film was supported through a Gordon Career Center Summer Grant. Rent the film online here. A film directed by Thérèse Heliczer '93 will make its world debut at the New Haven Documentary Film…

On Aug. 18, Wesleyan faculty, staff, and alumni presented a WESeminar titled "Hidden Treasures." The seminar focused on the holdings of the Dietrich American Foundation on long-term loan at Wesleyan, which includes letters, writings, and manuscripts by Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, among others. All documents are available to Wesleyan students and faculty through Wesleyan's Special Collections and Archives. "One of the hallmarks of the experience of studying at a liberal arts college is the opportunity to interact directly with material objects of the past—documents, rare books, artworks, cultural objects—in ways that are often only reserved for graduate…

In honor of the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, when women won the right to vote, New York City will welcome a Women's Rights Pioneers Monument to its grounds on Aug. 26. Designed and sculpted by nationally-known artist Meredith Bergmann '76, the statue depicts and honors women’s rights pioneers Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The statue will be located in Central Park and will be the first statue depicting real women in the park’s 166-year history. Currently, there are 23 statues of real men in Central Park; women are "represented" through fictional…

Last March, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to plague the United States, Dr. Amy Fogelman '97 became engrossed in the country's lack of understanding about the virus, and even more so in the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. "At certain hospitals in Massachusetts masks were required, but in others, physicians were told that they were not allowed to wear masks, even if they personally supplied them, because administrators were afraid that the masks would 'scare' the patients," Fogelman recalls. "I watched as my colleagues on social media shared their fears for their lives, and their patients’ lives,…

On July 20, recent alumnus Eunes Harun '20 was chosen to join the first cohort of the Governor’s Innovation Fellowship (CTGIF) team. CTGIF offers ambitious, high-achieving recent college graduates the opportunity to work at top, innovative companies developing their career while working together as a community of fellows, growing together professionally and personally to create a cohort of talent, camaraderie, and growth in the State of Connecticut. The fellowship comes with a $5,000 award. Harun, a government and economics double major, will be joining McKinsey & Company in Stamford, Conn., as a business analyst and will be participating in the…

Wesleyan Alumni, Staff Win Local, National Elections

Arkin ’82 Interviews Mastrogiovanni ’79 on “Creative Conversations” Series

“You Just Have to Read This…” Books by Wesleyan Authors Arnold ‘91, McKenna ’79, P’20, and Posner ’86

“Educating for Equity” Discussed at the 28th Annual Dwight L. Greene Symposium

Accelerating the Climate Revolution, Life on Venus Discussed at “Where on Earth Are We Going?” Symposium

“Cirque du Cambodia” by Gershon ’94 to Make World Premier Oct. 21

“You Just Have to Read This…” Books by Wesleyan Authors Goodman ’06, Thoms MAT’62, and Blake ’78

Films, Shows by Ristov ’21, Heliczer ’93, Stone ’05 and Stone ’05, Okun ’22, Zosherafatain ’10 Released, Screened at Festivals

Documents by Hamilton, Washington Explored during “Hidden Treasures” WESeminar

Bergmann ’76 Designs Monumental Women Statue for Central Park

Wesleyan Alumni, Students Take Action during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Harun ’20 Receives Governor’s Innovation Fellowship