Alumni – Page 14

Jeffrey Stein ’08 had only one thing on his mind when he registered for the 43rd Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.—redemption. After a wrong turn off-course a quarter mile into the race in 2017 landed him an 8th place finish and a trip to the hospital for heat stroke, Stein registered for the 2018 race with one overriding goal: “to reclaim a little bit of dignity.” He achieved his goal and more, surging ahead in the last 2 miles to finish first with an official time of 2 hours 22 minutes 49 seconds. (more…)

In this Q&A, we speak to artist Melissa Stern '80, whose latest exhibition, Strange Girls, is open at the Garvey Simon Gallery in New York City Oct. 11–Nov. 11. Stern double-majored in anthropology and studio art at Wesleyan, and earned her MFA in ceramics from SUNY New Paltz. In Strange Girls, Stern uses media such as assemblage, ceramics, painting, drawings, and collage to explore girlhood as a state of being and state of mind. Q: You have been exhibiting your art since the ’80s, and Strange Girls is your ninth solo show in New York. How is this exhibition a continuation of…

Dan Bobkoff ’05 believes that, for better or worse, much of American life is lived through brands. “Whether you like iPhones or Androids is almost like a religious affiliation,” he says. “Or you might have had a poignant family moment at McDonald’s.” This is the lens through which Bobkoff explores brands in his new podcast, Household Name, from Business Insider. Bobkoff launched the podcast in July, and will produce and host 36 episodes over the course of the year. Its tagline—“Brands you know, stories you don’t”—captures the cultural history and surprising stories of unintended consequences that are featured in each…

Six Wesleyan alumni were inducted into the 2018 Athletics Hall of Fame class on Oct. 19 during Homecoming festivities. The ninth class features James Carrier '42, Philip Rockwell '65, Allison Palmer '95, Jed Hoyer '96, Flo Stueck '96, and Herb Kenny. Wesleyan’s Athletics Hall of Fame (HOF), both online and on campus, is filled with entertaining and enlightening accounts of Cardinals past. It features exciting stories of accomplishment, character, perseverance, courage, loyalty, teamwork, and generosity. The HOF was founded in 2006 through the collaborative work of the Athletics Advisory Council, the Athletic Department, and the Office of University Relations and…

There’s a certain sense of effortlessness that Alex Levi ’90 remembers from his rowing days at Wesleyan—that feeling of being perfectly in sync and in so doing achieving something better and greater than any individual effort could reach alone. That feeling came back to inspire Levi in a recent project, designing a collective office space that serves as the administrative hub for four sports-based youth development (SBYD) nonprofits in New York City. The 10,000-square-foot open workspace in the middle of Manhattan’s Garment District is home to the offices of VitaSports Partners, the collective umbrella under which Row New York (rowing),…

A four-part documentary directed by Joseph Sousa '03 will be released on Oct. 23 on PBS. Native America, produced by Providence Pictures, weaves history and science with living indigenous traditions. The series travels through 15,000 years to showcase massive cities, unique systems of science, art, and writing, and 100 million people connected by social networks and spiritual beliefs spanning two continents. Sousa and his fellow producers and film crew were provided access to Native American communities, going behind the scenes at special events, including a pilgrimage to ancestral ruins at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, a trek across lost territories in…

Muzzy Rosenblatt ’87; David Jones ’70; Phoebe Boyer ’89; Sharon Greenberger ’88, P’19; David Rivel ’83; and Alan Mucatel ’84 were recently honored for their contributions to social services and nonprofit organizations in New York with their inclusion in “The 2018 Nonprofit Power 50,” representing a strong showing by Wesleyan alumni in the 50-person list. The list was produced by City & State New York, a self-described nonpartisan media organization that covers New York’s local and state politics and policy. “...The nonprofit and philanthropic sectors tend to go unnoticed and are all too often unheralded,” the publication wrote. “But behind…

Wesleyan hosted its annual Homecoming celebration Oct. 20 on campus. The Cardinals took on Little Three rival Amherst College during this year's Homecoming game. Other highlights included: Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony and Dinner Alumni Volunteer Leaders Meeting Team Tailgates hosted by baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, football, lacrosse, softball, and swimming and diving. Reception Honoring Leadership Donors and Volunteers Alpha Delta Phi Reception and Banquet Dinner Guided Gallery Tour: Kahlil Robert Irving Exhibition View the photo gallery below or on Wesleyan's Flickr Album. https://www.flickr.com/photos/wesleyanuniversity/sets/72157696770950170

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…

Kitchen Ceilí and Friends performed at Russell House on Sunday afternoon of Family Weekend. Formed in 1993, Kitchen Ceilí features private lessons teacher Stan Scott PhD '97 on vocals, guitar, mandolin, and banjo; Dora Hast PhD ’94 on vocals, tin whistle, and recorders; and George Wilson on vocals, fiddle, banjo, and guitar. A ceilí (English pronunciation: kā'lē) is a traditional Gaelic social dance or gathering with music. On Sunday, the trio was joined by "Friends"—the Hindustani vocalists of the Rangila Chorus and vocalist/guitarist Sam Scheer—and the group widened their geographic focus, performing not only original and traditional music from Ireland, America,…

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…

Stein ’08 Wins 2018 Marine Corps Marathon

Artist Melissa Stern ’80 on Strange Girls as a State of Being

Bobkoff ’05 Explores Cultural History of ‘Household Name’ Brands in New Podcast

6 Alumni Inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame

Levi ’90 Creates Meaning and Connection through “SLO” Architecture

Sousa ’03 Produces, Directs Native America Documentary for PBS

6 Wesleyan Alumni Named to Top Nonprofit Leaders List

2018 Homecoming Game Features Cardinals vs. Amherst on Oct. 20

Annual Legacy Photo Highlights Generational Wesleyan Connections

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

Alumni-Led Kitchen Ceilí and Friends Performs Traditional Music Spanning Cultures

Chen ’98 Explores Emotions of Directorial Debut for Filmmaker Magazine