Class of 2018 – Page 2

After a historic 2017-18 campaign that featured the University's first national team championship (men's lacrosse) and a record-setting five-time individual champion in tennis (Eudice Chong '18), the Cardinals raised the bar once again this past year with arguably the greatest all-around season in Wesleyan Athletics history. The 2018-19 campaign was highlighted by the women's tennis team winning the National Championship–becoming the first women's team ever at Wesleyan to claim a national title–while Ivie Uzamere '21 of the women's track and field team won the National Championship in the weight throw at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.…

On May 8, the Office of Student Affairs hosted a reception honoring students who received academic or leadership prizes, fellowships, and scholarships in 2018–19. More than 315 students and recent alumni received one of the University's 180 prizes. (View the list below or on the Student Affairs website.) Scholarships, fellowships, and leadership prizes are granted to students and student organizations based on criteria established for each prize or award. Certain University prizes are administered by the Student Affairs/Deans’ Office, while others are administered by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD). (more…)

Ten Wesleyan seniors and recent alumni are the recipients of 2019-20 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) and Fulbright Open Study/Research Awards. The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to local English teachers. ETAs help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. The age and academic level of the students varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level. Applicants for Open Study/Research Awards design their own projects and will typically work with advisors at foreign universities or other institutes of higher education. The study/research awards are available in approximately…

Several Wesleyan students, faculty, and alumni attended the 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) March 18-22 in The Woodlands, Texas. Members of the Wesleyan Planetary Sciences Group presented their research on a range of planetary bodies. This annual conference brings together international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology, and astronomy to present the latest results of research in planetary science. Earth and environmental studies major Emmy Hughes '20 presented a poster titled “Observations of Transverse Aeolian Ridges in Digital Terrain Models" during a session on “Planetary Aeolian Processes.” Earth and environmental science graduate student Reid Perkins MA '19 presented a…

On March 4, not three, but four student-run ventures received $5,000 seed grants from the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship (PCSE). The unrestricted funding is accompanied with training, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center. On March 1, six finalists pitched for a panel of judges in Allbritton 311. "As always, the competition was steep, and the judges had a tough time selecting grantees," said Makaela Kingsley ’98, director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship. "In fact, this year they decided to make a special donation to the Patricelli Center so we could offer four grants instead…

An invited perspective article written by Michelle Personick, assistant professor of chemistry, and Danny Robertson ’18 is featured on the cover of the Feb. 26, 2019, issue 4 of Chemistry of Materials. Personick was invited to contribute the perspective article as part of Chemistry of Materials’ “Up-and-Coming” series of Perspectives. The series provides a place for emerging, early career scientists to discuss and provide insights into new areas of materials science, and to showcase their research accomplishments. The perspective, titled "Growing Nanoscale Model Surfaces to Enable Correlation of Catalytic Behavior Across Dissimilar Reaction Environments," highlights recent advances and potential future directions in the…

Connecticut Magazine included Alicia Hernandez Strong ’18 in its 2019 list of “40 Under 40," recognizing her leadership in community activism. “With her firm convictions, Strong lives up to her name,” the magazine wrote. “I am honored to be included in Connecticut's '40 Under 40' Class of 2019. It is truly a testament to my hard work and dedication,” Strong said. At 21 years old, Strong became the youngest person nationally to be given the title of executive director of the Connecticut chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), where she worked for less than a year before leaving to…

More than 25 Wesleyan affiliates attended the 233rd American Astronomical Society Meeting Jan. 6-10 in Seattle, Wash. All current Wesleyan students who attended presented posters of their research. Campus attendees included: Bill Herbst, the John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy and professor, integrative sciences; Roy Kilgard, associate professor of the practice in astronomy and associate professor of the practice, integrative sciences; Michael Henderson '19; Allison Quintana '19; graduate student Jessica Klusmeyer; graduate student Ismael Mireles; and graduate student Anthony Santini ’18. Alumni included Hannah Fritze ’18, Aylin Garcia Soto ’18, Prajwal Niraula MA ’18, Amy Steele MA ’14, Nicole Arulanantham MA…

Two graduate students and three undergraduate students are recipients of Fall 2018 NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC) awards. They are among 39 students from 13 CTSGC academic affiliate institutions to be honored. NASA CTSGC is a federally mandated grant, internship, and scholarship program that is funded as a part of NASA Education. There are Space Grant Consortia in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Earth and environmental science graduate student Christina Cauley received an $8,000 Graduate Research Fellowship for her project “Chemistry and Biology of Giant Hydrothermal Mounds in Paulina Lake, Oregon." Her advisor is Joop…

Claudia Kahindi ’18 is a recipient of the 2019 Rhodes Scholarship for Kenya. Established in 1903, the Rhodes Scholarship is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, international scholarship programs in the world. It offers about 100 fully funded scholarships each year to students around the world for post-graduate study at the University of Oxford in the UK. Recipients are selected based on their “outstanding intellect and character” as well as their motivation to “engage with global challenges,” serve others, and become “value-driven, principled leaders for the world’s future.” “For me, receiving the Rhodes Scholarship means that even the…

The 2018 spring season will go down as the greatest in Wesleyan University Athletics history. On May 26, Eudice Chong '18 of the No. 5-ranked Wesleyan University women's tennis team made history at the NCAA Division III Individual Championships in Claremont, Calif., as she became the first person to win four NCAA Singles Championships in any division of college tennis. She competed against her teammate, Victoria Yu ’19, in the finals while the duo also finished as runner-up in the doubles bracket. As a team, Wesleyan women’s tennis reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships for the first-time ever. Read a…

On May 26, 78 members of the Class of 2018 were inducted into Wesleyan’s Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest national scholastic honor society. The Wesleyan Gamma Chapter was organized in 1845 and is the ninth-oldest chapter in the country. To be elected, a student must first have been nominated by the department of his or her major. He or she also must have demonstrated curricular breadth by having met the General Education Expectations, and must have achieved a GPA of 93 and above. Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest surviving Greek letter society in America, founded in…

Wesleyan Celebrates Historic 2018-19 Athletic Season

Students Celebrate 2018-19 Leadership Prizes, Fellowships, Scholarships at Reception

10 Wesleyan Students, Alumni Win Fulbrights

Students, Faculty, Alumni Present Research at 50th Annual Planetary Science Conference

Student-Led Ventures Win $5,000 Entrepreneurship Seed Grants

Article by Personick, Robertson ’18 Featured on the Cover of Chemistry of Materials Journal

Connecticut Magazine Names Alicia Hernandez Strong ’18 in “40 Under 40”

Students, Faculty, Alumni Attend American Astronomical Society Meeting

5 Students Receive NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Fellowships, Awards

Kahindi ’18 Awarded Rhodes Scholarship

2017–18 Athletic Season Concludes with 2 National Championships

Students Elected to Phi Beta Kappa