Alumni – Page 16

Sarah Schechter '17 is exhibiting her first solo show, "Kasual Bagel," at the Shrine Gallery in New York City. Her paintings will be on display through Jan. 5. Shrine is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and is located at 179 East Broadway. Schechter, who majored in history at Wesleyan, lives and works in Harlem, and is completing an art education certification program at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Along with other musicians around the world this week, Goth Girlfriend (Gaby Giangola '17) posted her "2019 Spotify Wrapped" overview to Instagram. Accompanied by the caption "gotta start somewhere, eh?," the photo summarizes the number of streams and listeners who tuned in to Goth Girlfriend's music on the streaming service this year. The caption encapsulates Goth Girlfriend's tireless ambition. The up-and-coming artist's music is self-described as banshee rap or alternative rock; her sound is raw and meticulous at the same time. The five tracks on her recent EP, Sex Sprain, mix guitar chords and hip-hop beats with punk vocals, and…

Steven Greenhouse ’73, P’08, author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor, spoke in the College of Letters Library on October 29 to a group that included Professor of History Ron Schatz's class on American Labor History on Oct. 29, in the College Of Letters Library. His topic was "White Collar, Blue Collar and Gig Workers: What is the Future of American Labor?" The lecture was sponsored by the History Department and the College of Letters. Greenhouse is a former New York Times labor reporter, and a review by Zephyr Teachout of Greenhouse's book…

More than 50 students attended an alumni conversation on "Careers in Public Policy and Criminal Justice Reform" Nov. 13 at the Gordon Career Center. Each of the panelists: Sarah Cassel '13, James Jeter (who earned his degree in 2016 while incarcerated through Wesleyan's Center for Prison Education), Lexi Jones '17, Aaron Stagoff-Belfort '18, and Nina Stender '16 are working in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, analyzing and impacting policies dealing with inhumane jail conditions, policing, housing inequality, and issues around incarceration. Stagoff-Belfort and Jim Kubat, associate director for job and internship development at the Gordon Career Center teamed up to…

In the sixth 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. KK Ottesen ’94, Activist: Portraits of Courage (Chronicle Books, Oct. 8, 2019) Ranging in age from 12 to 94 years old, the activists photographed and recorded in Activist: Portraits of Courage will inspire you to “dissent, disrupt, and otherwise get in the…

Human rights advocate Christopher Swain '90 returned to Middletown last week, carrying an Olympic-style torch during what will be a nearly 5,000-mile journey to the spot where the US-Mexico border begins at the Gulf of Mexico, and then on through the border states to San Diego. Swain, a parent of two, is participating in a March for the Kids, honoring the memory of the six children known to have died in federal custody. He is hoping to bring awareness of the children who have been separated from their families and imprisoned and lost at the border; to advocate for all…

Claude Clayton "Bud" Smith '66, professor emeritus of English at Ohio Northern University, is an author who throughout his career has worked behind the scenes to bring Native Siberian creative writing to an English-speaking audience and to promote global indigenous literature. In that spirit, before Smith's story starts, he recommends we tune in to the PBS premiere of N. Scott Momaday: Words From a Bear, on Nov 18. Smith's connection with N. Scott Momaday is personal. In 2016, Smith co-edited and translated Meditations After the Bear Feast, a collection of poems exchanged between Momaday, a Kiowa writer and the defining…

Christopher F. Roellke ’87, PhD, has been named president of Stetson University, effective July 1, 2020. Currently dean of the college emeritus and professor of education at Vassar College, Roellke will be the 10th person to hold this position, succeeding Wendy B. Libby, PhD, who has served as Stetson's president since July 2009 and had announced her retirement last February. Roellke is also past president for the Association of Education Finance and Policy, a 2014 Fulbright Scholar, and the founder and fundraiser of Vassar College’s Urban Education Initiative. “The Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Dr. Roellke to lead Stetson…

Numerous students, alumni, and faculty from Wesleyan's Cognitive Development Labs recently presented their research at the 2019 Cognitive Development Society biennial meeting, held Oct. 17–19 in Louisville, Ky. The labs are led by Professor of Psychology Hilary Barth and Associate Professor of Psychology Anna Shusterman. Barth and Kerry Brew '18, MA '19 presented their poster, "Do Demand Characteristics Contribute to Minimal Ingroup Bias?" The work was done in collaboration with lab alumni Taylar Clark '19 and Jordan Feingold-Link '18. Sophie Charles '20, lab coordinator Katherine Williams, and former lab coordinator Alexandra Zax presented their poster, "The Role of Digit Identity…

This football season marked the 50th anniversary of Wesleyan’s undefeated football season of 1969. It was a year that garnered a number of individual and team honors. The team was named the UPI New England College Division Champions and they shared the Lambert Cup with the University of Delaware as the East’s top-achieving college division team. Individually, the late Dave Revenaugh ’72, MALS ’98 was ranked sixth in New England for scoring, and the late Peter Panciera ’71 was ranked ninth in New England for passing. The Athletics Department hosted a dinner to honor the team on the Friday evening of Homecoming…

In October, President Michael Roth and other Wesleyan faculty and staff traveled to Asia to meet with alumni, parents, prospective families, and others. The trip included visits to Seoul, Beijing, and Taipei. A highlight of the trip was Wesleyan’s second annual Liberal Arts + Sustainable Economic Development Forum, which took place in Beijing on Oct. 19. Last year, Wesleyan held the inaugural Liberal Arts + Forum in Shanghai, which highlighted film education and US-China collaborations. (Read the story here.) Over 100 people attended this year's forum, including prospective students and families, current parents, counselors, and alumni. The day started with…

Paintings by Schechter ’17 on Exhibit in NYC

Gaby Giangola ’17 Is Goth Girlfriend

Greenhouse ’73, P’08 Lectures on the Past and Future of American Labor

Alumni Speak with Students about Careers in Public Policy, Criminal Justice Reform

“You Just Have to Read This…” 3 Books By Wesleyan Authors: Otteson ’94, Stoberock ’92, Wickwire PhD ’83

Swain ’90 Passes through Middletown, Honoring Children who Died in Federal Custody

Smith ’66 on Translating and Promoting Global Indigenous Literature

Roellke ’87 Elected President of Stetson University

Psychology Faculty, Students, Alumni Present Research at CDS Meeting

King ’97, Perez ’98, Santana ’98 at 27th Dwight L. Greene Symposium

1960s Football Celebrated at Homecoming

Annual Liberal Arts + Forum Highlight of Recent Trip to Asia