Kenyon Class of 2010 Fall Class Letter

Dear classmates,

Lately, I know it can seem like good news is in short supply. So as I sat down to write this class letter, and started to make a list of the many positive updates I had to share with you, I felt a welcome sense of gratitude for our alma mater. Even during the most challenging of years, Kenyon has remained a bright spot and a point of connection and positivity for its community. As I sat listening to President Decatur and others on the virtual alumni town hall several weeks ago, I was struck by how the Kenyon spirit continues to shine amidst this tumultuous year of change and unpredictability. The students who spoke showed me that Kenyon is still Kenyon in all the best ways, even though not all the students are on campus and life in Gambier looks a lot different these days.

In-person instruction just wrapped up for the approximately 950 first-years, sophomores and international students who studied on campus this fall, numbers intentionally kept low so no one would share a room. (Yes, it took a pandemic for a freshman to score a North Campus Apartment for one.) The College developed clear COVID-related policies and protocols that included regular testing for those on campus and the implementation of the “Kenyon College Commitment,” a personal pledge developed in cooperation with the student council that emphasized the well-being of the entire community. Life on campus looked a bit different as Kenyon adapted its many facilities to ensure safe access to dining, athletics, research and more.

In addition to adaptations for on-campus instruction, juniors and seniors and members of the faculty discovered new ways to learn and teach remotely. (Yes, it took a pandemic to make sweatpants acceptable classroom attire for even the professors.) Check out our new faculty notes section to hear how your favorite faculty members dealt with the shift to Zoom classes, virtual office hours and online assignments.

Our alumni community has shifted to meet the challenges of 2020 with an equal degree of innovation — organizing and attending virtual events, connecting with current students and new graduates as volunteer mentors, and giving back during June’s record-breaking online giving challenge, Kenyon Together. (BTW — well done us for being part of the incredible young alumni response to that challenge. We spoke up and the College responded with new gift designations for the things that matter most to us. Let’s keep that momentum going and continue to look for ways to make the most of our dollars when we give to Kenyon.) Planning is underway for Reunion Weekend 2021 and, if conditions allow, it could be the biggest alumni gathering in Kenyon history! (We’ll be sharing more details in the months to come, as all alumni will be invited back for the festivities.)

Yes, good things are happening at Kenyon and that is why I support it every year with a gift to the Kenyon Fund — to keep the good news coming. I give to bolster the student emergency assistance fund, which helped dozens of students get home when the spring semester unexpectedly went virtual. I give to make it possible for the College to award more in financial aid this year, when many families’ budgets are strained. And I give to help fund new scholarships like the Kenyon Women’s Annual Scholarship and the Lowry Annual Scholarship for underrepresented students, which was announced just last month along with the renaming of the Kenyon Athletic Center to honor Emeritus Trustee William E. Lowry Jr. ’56 H’99. Scroll on to read full details on this exciting piece of Kenyon news!

During challenging times like these, alumni support is more critical than ever. Join me in making your gift to the Kenyon Fund at gift.kenyon.edu to ensure good things continue to happen on the Hill this year, and in the years to come.

Thank you and stay well!

Sincerely,

Michelle von Hirschberg

P.S. Scroll down to read our fall class notes.

Introducing the Lowry Center & Scholarship

William E. Lowry Jr. ’56 H’99 was the first Black student in the nation initiated into Beta Theta Pi, was student body president and captained the football, basketball and baseball teams. He went on to serve in many volunteer roles at Kenyon, including as trustee. In honor of Bill’s accomplishments and impact at Kenyon, the Board of Trustees decided to rename the Kenyon Athletic Center in his honor.

Recognizing his legacy, Board Vice Chair Joseph E. Lipscomb ’87 has created an endowed scholarship in Bill’s name to help bring more underrepresented students to Kenyon. Anyone can make a gift to the annual fund portion of this scholarship, or one of many other scholarships at Kenyon, and provide an immediate benefit to a current student.

Support currents students now with a gift to scholarships

Despite a challenging year, the College remains committed to continuing to meet 100% of students’ increased demonstrated need, with donor support. Every dollar you give goes directly to support students this academic year.

Consider giving today in support of:

Hannah More Scholarship for first generation students
Kenyon Women’s Annual Scholarship for female students
Lowry Annual Scholarship for underrepresented students
Pope Memorial Annual Scholarship for students from urban Ohio public school

And, of course, you can make a gift to the Kenyon Fund’s scholarships and financial aid designation, which supports the education of every single Kenyon student.

Make a Gift

Upcoming Virtual Events for Alumni

You're invited to join us this winter at these free events for alumni.

Alumni Town Halls with President Decatur
Thursday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. ET and Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. ET
Five-week mini class with Professor Emerita Pam Jensen
"Democracy & Education: An Introduction to Rousseau's Emile"
Tuesdays, Jan. 5 – Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET
A Celebration of Kenyon Green Initiatives (two-part series)
Wednesday, Jan. 20 and Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. ET

Visit kenyon.edu/alumnievents to register and view our full alumni event calendar.

Class of 2010 Fall Notes

Rachel Burgreen - Hi Everyone! I'm still living and working as a therapist in Austin, TX. Quarantine led me to open my telehealth private practice, specializing in Radically Open DBT. It's been going great and I'm loving running my own business. I'm getting ready to move in with my partner Stefan and embark on a major home renovation project to have a workspace/rental property. Stefan came as a package deal with his sweet dog, Cali, and I'm a very happy dog mom!

Lindsay Stevens - I married Adam Grybowski on September 5, 2020 in Lawrence, NJ. Because of the pandemic we had a (very!) small backyard wedding, but the weather was absolutely perfect.

Logan Donaldson - I and my wife have moved to Omaha, Nebraska where we have started practicing as a Veterinary Neurologist and Pediatrician, respectively.

Brittany Snyder - This September I proposed to my partner Aditya...and he said yes! Wedding plans are very up in the air ('cause COVID) but we're super excited to be engaged nonetheless. Last week, we also welcomed a new addition to the family -- a German Wirehaired Pointer puppy named Otto. Between him, our 1-year-old chocolate lab, and house hunting in our new city of Durham, NC, we're certainly staying busy. But in a good way! Hope everyone is staying safe, and I look forward to one day seeing my Kenyon family in person.

David Lazarus - I'm unaware in a comfortable chair sipping Merlot. Waiting until I hear my number called and it's my turn to go.

Khalid Eldahan - I finished my PhD last year and have been living in Ann Arbor, MI since then. I'm moving to Houston TX this month to start an exciting new chapter of life and maybe even become a cowboy.

Nicole Zimbardi (Green) - My husband Angelo and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl named Nina back in March! While things aren’t the way we planned, we’re thankful for the technology that allows us to see family. We’re very happy!

Katherine Von Culin and Daniel Iwamoto - We welcomed our baby girl, Linnea Claire Iwamoto, to the world this summer. She is now a happy and healthy 4-month-old. We are grateful that she is doing well and that we have time to be with her while we work from home as we ride out the pandemic.

Alyssa Gomez Lawrence - Jon Lawrence 09', our four-year-old daughter Evie and I introduced a new family member this year! Aurelian (Ari) Arthur is four months old now and loves Pink Floyd.

Katie Weber - Hey everyone! I continue to live in Seattle, with my husband, Wilson Bull '08. In true Kenyon fashion, I wrote a book called When Life Hands you Lemons...And Other Trite Bullshit We Tell Ourselves to Get Through Cancer. It's about some lessons I learned while going through treatment for brain cancer, but I think it's applicable to everyone! I'm really sad we didn't have our 10 year reunion, but I guess there are more important things in our world to be sad about right now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Michelle von Hirschberg - My husband Ray and I have been working from home since March and doing double duty taking care of our one year old daughter, Ellie. Despite the stress of this unpredictable year, we have enjoyed spending time together and experiencing so many fun milestones with her. We built a fire pit in our backyard (perfect for distant socializing!), continue to enhance our home offices, and are planning our future travels to make us feel like we will someday leave our house again. My fingers are crossed for Reunion 2021!

Laura Goehrke - I recently proposed to my now fiancé, Alysa, and we are happily engaged! We live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, just two blocks away from Claire Steines, so it feels being neighbors in Gund 219 & 220 all over again...except Rach, you'd just have to move here from Michigan :) Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Natalie West - I'm still working for the World Food Programme (recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate!). In March I moved to Dakar to work on nutrition and food security analyses for West Africa - although I did end up back in the U.S. for most of the spring and summer to avoid getting stuck abroad. My new role is supposed to involve a lot of travel across the region, but instead I'm currently enjoying cautiously exploring Senegal and its abundance of (safer) outdoor activities.

McNeil Parker - My wife Christine and I welcomed our second daughter to the world this May. Katherine Ruth Parker is a wonderful baby and already working to keep up with her big sister Nelle.

Read notes from the Class of 2009 and the Class of 2011.

New this year! Read notes from faculty.

Support Kenyon

If you missed the chance to share your news for this letter, you can submit a class note at any time via class.letters@kenyon.edu.

Class Listing

Kenyon is grateful to the following donors for their generous support of the College, including the Kenyon Fund, during the 2019-20 fiscal year. An asterisk (*) indicates a donor is a member of the Henry J. Abraham Society for loyal and consecutive giving. An obelisk (†) indicates an individual who is deceased. Please note that as of July 1, 2019 Kenyon’s annual giving societies have changed. Visit kenyon.edu/societies for more information.

2010

Annual Fund Total: $26,612

Class Participation: 23.81%

President's Society

Donors of $50,000 or more

Katherine F. Wright

Philander Chase Society

Donors of $10,000 to $24,999

John M. Crain*

Gabriella P. Hoehn-Saric

Gambier Society

Gifts of $1,200 to $2,499 (10-14 years post-graduation)

Kendall A. Krawchuk*

Matthew D. Sargent*

Kenyon Society

Donors of $1 to $1199

Geoffrey P. Anderson*

Christine Arcidiacono

Piper Beckwith Martin

Oliver S. Bierman-Lytle*

Naomi L. Blaushild*

Kegan R. Borland*

Andrew G. Borrasso*

Megan D. Briggeman*

Christopher T. Brophy*

Elizabeth M. Brophy

Allen C. Brown MD*

Thomas H. Brown*

Emily C. Bushman

Stephanie Caton

Eva Ceja

Amanda M. Cohen

Megan L. D'Orazio

Joseph W. Dagger

Yi Dai*

Ninah de Ruijter Van Steveninck

Bakary Diaby

Jenny Dillon

Bob Dorff

Lillian J. Doyle

Catherine C. Duennebier

Peter DeC. Dumbadze*

Katherine Ernst Mehta*

Tracey Farris

Daniel E. Franz*

Rebecca Freedholm

Laura K. Goehrke*

Alyssa Gomez Lawrence*

Samantha M. Goodin

Nathaniel F. Gray

Martha C. Gregory

Katherine A. Guerard*

James J. Gyenes*

Theresa C. Hardcastle

Brandon J. Harmon

James C. Hatzopoulos*

Michael E. Hermanson*

Rachel Heydlauff*

Sara R. Hirsch

Peter D. Johnson

Joseph J. Johnston*

Basil M. Kahwash

Kasey L. Kelly

Shanna Keown Calcei*

Chase T. Kreuter*

Georgia A. Kuss

Frances A. Lazarus

Brigid E. Leavy

Kathryn A. Leech*

Katherine Z. Lin*

Nathan P. Lourie*

Mark W. McCarter*

Dominique A. McKoy*

Jonathan A. Meyers

Kyra E. Mirante

Esei M. Murakishi*

Andrea L. Patterson

Ariel A. P. Perkins*

Janae A. Peters*

Lauren C. Pfundstein

Hannah M. Posner*

Christine M. Quinn

Justine V. Roach

John J. Robling*

Gregory O. Rosenbaum*

Paul M. Rutherford*

Claire Z. Steines

Lindsay M. Stevens*

Daniel W. Streicher*

Adam M. Toltzis*

Robert D. Toth Jr.*

Geoffrey C. Toy

Samantha M. Turner*

Michael W. Underwood

Monica L. VandenBerg*

William H. VandenBerg*

Taylor L. Verderame*

Michelle A. von Hirschberg*

Harry F. von Kann

Stephen C. Waite

Kathleen W. Weber*

James T. Wendt*

Natalie E. West*

Jamie H. White

Lee H. White*

Megan E. Wilhelm*

Rachel D. Williams

Yaowen Yap*

Grace Zakim

Aaron J. Zaremsky

Pengyu Zhao

George Wharton Mariott Society

These alumni have included Kenyon in their estate plans or have made other planned gifts.