Alumni – Page 14

Several Wes alumni went on to pursue jobs in sports and athletics. While some became professional athletes on nationally-recognized teams, others delved into coaching, refereeing, sports reporting, and team management. In this "Best of Wes" article, read about Wes alumni who turned their love of the game into a lifelong passion and career. (Interested in other Wesleyan-themed lists? Check out our previous “Best of Wes” pieces, including Alumni in Sports I.) Field Yates ’09 is a National Football League (NFL) Insider for ESPN and co-host of ESPN Audio’s Fantasy Focus Football podcast. He joined ESPN in 2012 and is a…

Scores of commencement ceremonies around the United States have been canceled or postponed this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means scores of graduation gowns could sit unused in closets. Instead, Taran Catania ’13, an MBA student at the University of Vermont, wants students past and present to put those gowns to a different use. Together with her classmate Nathaniel “Than” Moore, who works as an emergency medicine physician assistant in the UVM Medical Center, Catania earlier this month launched Gowns4Good, which coordinates the donation of gowns to health care providers on the front lines of the pandemic. The…

J.R. Mannetta ’13 is not a super genius. Nor is he the kind of guy who goes around flaunting his broad grasp of esoteric facts. In fact, he’s pretty much a regular guy. A regular guy with impressive knowledge of wide-ranging arts, sports, and pop culture, who, with a healthy dose of perseverance, patience, and practice, made it to the big stage to compete on that bastion of television trivia, Jeopardy! The Boston native’s interest in trivia—and Jeopardy! in particular—began when he was in high school and continued through his college years at Wesleyan, where he competed in trivia contests…

Despite graduating from Wesleyan with degrees in fields such as economics or psychology, several Wes alumni went on to pursue jobs in sports and athletics. While some became professional athletes on nationally-recognized teams, others delved into coaching, refereeing, sports reporting, and team management. In this "Best of Wes" article, read about Wes alumni who turned their love of the game into a lifelong passion and career. We'll include another Alumni in Sports feature next week! (Interested in other Wesleyan-themed lists? Check out our previous “Best of Wes” pieces.) In March 2020, Rob King ’84 was named vice president and editor-at-large…

When Wesleyan parents and alumni in China learned how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting the Wesleyan community, dozens worked together to raise funds and send much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to campus. To date, the Wesleyan Chinese Parent Committee, made up of more than 70 families, has already raised $29,000 to support Wesleyan's Emergency Fund for Students, and combined, has donated more than 400 disposable gloves and 800 masks (N95 and surgical). Approximately 500 masks are being used by staff from the Davison Health Center, Physical Plant, WesStation's mailroom, the Information Technology Services Help Desk and Public Safety. "The parent…

A number of Wesleyan alumni act in, write, direct, and produce popular TV programs. Earlier this month, we shared a list of those alumni and their shows, as part of our “Best of Wes” series—and today we are sharing a second installment, listing even more alumni and their shows. (Interested in other Wesleyan-themed lists? Check out our previous “Best of Wes” pieces.) Additional alumni-produced TV shows and series include: The TV mini-series Fosse/Verdon is directed and produced by Thomas Kail '99, produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda '02, Hon. '15, and written by Sam Wasson '03. Amelia McCarthy '04 worked as the…

In the eighth of this continuing series, Sara McCrea ’21, a College of Letters major from Boulder, Colo., 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. Christina Pugh ’88, Stardust Media (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020) In this time of social distancing, I find myself surrounded by media more than ever. My Wesleyan friends, thousands of miles away, flicker on all my screens; I watch from my…

A number of Wesleyan alumni act in, write, direct, and produce popular TV programs. We've compiled a list of those alumni and their shows below, as part of our "Best of Wes" series. (Do you have a favorite that's not listed? Email your idea to newsletter@wesleyan.edu, and we'll add it in! You can also view previous "Best of Wes" pieces.) The alumni and their roles on various TV shows are listed below: Phillip Abraham '82, P'20 has directed, produced, or directed the photography of episodes of Most Dangerous Game, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Glow, Orange Is the New Black, Daredevil, Ozark,…

A lack of fast, reliable diagnostic testing has played a major role in the rapid proliferation of cases of COVID-19. Rahul Dhanda ’95 and his team at Sherlock Biosciences are working furiously to change that, potentially shortening the testing’s time horizon to a matter of minutes. Dhanda is co-founder, CEO, and president of the engineering biology startup based in Cambridge, Mass., which is creating two different diagnostic tests for COVID-19—one rooted in CRISPR technology, the other in synthetic biology. The hope is that the tests can be released during the course of the current pandemic, Dhanda said, each with its…

Starting April 1, Matthew Arkin '82 will read from his suspense thriller In the Country of the Blind (2013) on YouTube Live. "I'll be reading in an effort to fight the strain and isolation [of the COVID-19 pandemic] and perhaps provide a little entertainment," he said. This is Arkin's first attempt at livestreaming, which he's calling "social distance storytime." "It's an idea I had because we're all under quarantine right now, we're social distancing, stuck at home, and like many of you, I wonder how I can fill fill my time, what I can do to help others fill their…

A new film produced and edited by Joel Viertel '97 centers on revolutionary entrepreneurs Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who devise a risky plan to purchase buildings in "white only" neighborhoods during the 1960s, to help black families pursue the American dream. Inspired by true events, The Banker premiered at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., on March 2, and is now available for viewing on on Apple TV Plus. The New York Times featured The Banker in a March 20 article. Viertel, a film studies major at Wesleyan, also produced Birth of the…

Plug in those earbuds, crank those dials, and tune in to some of the many podcasts written, produced, and hosted by Wesleyan alumni. Two more alumni-produced podcasts are making their debut this summer. Ian Coss ’11, a producer for PRX and Radiotopia, is the host of the new podcast Forever is a Long Time (August 2021). In the five-episode series, Coss interviews every living member of his family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced: parents, grandparents, and all his aunts and uncles on both sides — some of them twice. The series weaves reflection and original music…

Best of Wes: Alumni in Sports II

Gowns4Good, Co-Founded by Catania ’13, Connects Health Care Workers with Alternative PPE

Mannetta ’13 Takes Second on Jeopardy!

Best of Wes: Alumni in Sports

Parents, Alumni in China Donate Masks to Wesleyan, Local Community

Best of Wes: More Alumni-Produced TV

“You Just Have to Read This…” Books by Wesleyan Authors: Pugh ’88, Tupper ’95, and Pompano CAS’95

Best of Wes: Alumni Act In, Produce Popular TV Shows

Startup Led by Dhanda ’95 Developing COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

Arkin ’82 to Livestream Readings of His Suspense Novel During COVID-19 Outbreak

Viertel ’97 Produces The Banker, Featuring Samuel L. Jackson

Coss ’11, Kuebrich ’10 Contribute to Alumni-Produced Podcasts