Class of 2017 – Page 6

The world is currently facing the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Concerned Wesleyan students are volunteering with community organizations, coordinating various speaker panels, fundraising for international NGOs and agencies, and engaging in advocacy efforts. This fall, Casey Smith ’17 and Cole Phillips ’16 founded the Wesleyan Refugee Project (WRP). Smith, a College of Social Studies major who is pursuing certificates in Middle Eastern studies and international relations, has worked with refugees since high school, advocated for refugees’ rights in Washington, D.C., and volunteered for refugee resettlement organizations. She is currently studying abroad in Jordan, where she helps refugees access…

Q: Anna, where are you from and what attracted you to Wesleyan? A: I am from Woodbridge, Conn. and I was born in New York, but I didn’t seriously look into Wesleyan until October of my senior year of high school! When I was looking for schools I wanted to stick closer to home and, at the time, I was being recruited for swimming—a sport that had dominated my time during high school and that I had decided to pursue at the collegiate level. Of all the schools I looked at, I narrowed it down to a couple NESCAC schools and Wesleyan…

In this News @ Wesleyan story, we speak with Ian Rice from the Class of 2017. Q: Ian, where are you from and what is your major? A: I’m from Boise, Idaho and I’m double majoring in physics and film as well as getting a Writing Certificate. Q: Why did you decide to study abroad in Copenhagen through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) in Spring 2015? A: I was very interested in Scandinavian culture, partially due to the modern portrayal of Scandinavia as a haven of progressiveness and equality as well as the incredibly high standard of living.…

In this News @ Wesleyan story, we speak with David Schwartz from the Class of 2017. Q: David, where are you from and what is your major? A: I grew up in Amherst, Mass. When I first came to Wesleyan, I walked around wearing my Amherst sweatshirt for awhile before realizing there was a bit of a rivalry. I’m an Economics and Government double major, with a minor in data analysis. I’m particularly interested in applying “big data” techniques to government policymaking. Q: You are founder and president of the Wesleyan Radio Control/ Drone Club. How did your interest in…

Eleven Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows delivered brief research proposal presentations July 23 in Fisk Hall. The fellows, six from Wesleyan and five from Queens College, City University of New York, spent the past two months developing their research projects with the assistance of their peers, Wesleyan faculty and Wesleyan librarians. The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program provides minority students and others with a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities, with support to pursue graduate degrees in the arts and sciences. Research topics range from deconstructing African feminism to the role of political theater for a post-combat audience to trauma in Japan caused by the Atomic Bomb.

Science in Society major Stacy Uchendu '17 is participating in Wesleyan's Ronald E. McNair Post Program, which assists students from under-represented groups in preparing for, entering and progressing successfully through post graduate education. Stacy is researching second generation biofuels as a McNair Scholar.

In this News @ Wesleyan story, we speak with Joli Holmes from the Class of 2017. She is one of 24 students in the Quantitative Analysis Center's Summer Apprenticeship Program. Q: Joli, what is your major and what’s your specific area of interest? A: I’m an economics major. I'm particularly interested in studying investment-related practices from an environmental and social perspective. Q: Have you worked in the Quantitative Analysis Center before this summer? A: I’ve taken a lot of classes through the QAC, including “Working with R,” “Excel with Visual Basic for Applications,” and “Python.” These are all classes on how to use…

University Protestant Chaplain Tracy Mehr-Muska and Lydia Ottaviano '17 were interviewed on the WESU 88.1 FM show "Reasonably Catholic" about a new interfaith organization on campus that is working to build ties between the various faith traditions. Ottaviano is a member of the new interfaith council, which planned the first Faith Shadowing Week this spring. During the week of April 19, students attended regularly scheduled meetings of various religious and spiritual groups other than their own, including several Christian fellowship group meetings and bible studies, Shabbat services, Buddhist Faith Fellowship, Wesleyan Mindfulness Group, Quaker Meeting, Catholic Mass, Muslim Jumma Prayers and Vespers. The week concluded…

More than 185 Wesleyan students are employed in various campus departments over the summer. Of those, about 78 are work-study eligible. Students earn money that can be contributed to the cost of their education, while learning skills that will benefit them in the classroom and beyond. Employers benefit from students' skills, insight and enthusiasm. (more…)

The Wesleyan Argus student newspaper had a big showing at the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists' Excellence in Journalism awards dinner on May 21. Gabe Rosenberg '16, co-editor-in-chief of the Argus last semester, won a Bob Eddy Scholarship to Foster Journalism Careers, and Argus writers won several other awards, sweeping the editorial/op-ed category in the college competition.

In this video, the Wesleyan Beekeepers discuss what they've learned about bees and the threats posed to them by tending a hive at Long Lane Farm.

Two Wesleyan students, Lucy Rubin ’17 and Aletta Brady ’15, have been awarded U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) to study critical needs languages abroad this summer. Rubin will study Japanese in Hikone, Japan, while Brady will study Arabic in Amman, Jordan. (more…)

Wesleyan Refugee Project Aids Refugees from around the World

Science in Society Major Lu ’17 Interested in Public Healthcare, Neurophysiology

Rice ’17 Studies Philosophy, Film and Music in Copenhagen

Schwartz ’17 Founder of Wesleyan Radio Control/ Drone Club

11 Mellon Mays Fellows Present Research Topics

Uchendu ’17 Researches Production of Biofuels as McNair Scholar

Holmes ’17 Studies Congressional Tweets in QAC Summer Apprenticeship

Mehr-Muska, Ottaviano ’17 Discuss Interfaith Relations at Wesleyan

Students Gain Skills, Help Departments While Working on Campus this Summer

Argus Wins Big in Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists’ Competition

Wesleyan Beekeepers Tend Hive at Long Lane Farm

Rubin ’17, Brady ’15 to Study Critical Needs Languages Abroad