Our Path Forward: The Campaign for Kenyon

Kenyon Class of 2013 Spring Class Letter
Hi everyone,

After a year that felt like a decade, I am filled with hope and optimism as we head into the warmer months. As of mid-April, roughly one-quarter of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and life feels like it is inching back to “normal” (though hopefully we can keep some of the positives of the last year, like greater work flexibility for many of us and more events that are accessible to all). 

Kenyon is also planning its return to normal operations, including having all four classes back on campus in the fall. And, due in no small part to our alumni support, the College is wrapping up a financially and logistically challenging year on track to balance the budget, just like they have the last 50 years. 

After receiving a record number of applications, Kenyon has enrolled its Class of 2025 – and the new Chalmers Library will be open to greet them when they move in!

In January, Kenyon received the largest gift in its history that will fund construction of three new South Campus residence halls, allowing the College to increase focus on growing resources for scholarships. This is where we come in! The success of the next part of the current campaign, Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial, relies on our increased participation and continued support of scholarships for students.

If you haven’t heard, reunion is going virtual this year. The College is hosting two weeks of online programming from May 16-29 and most events are open to all alumni. Even though we aren’t celebrating a reunion this year, I encourage you to register for events with your favorite professors and reminisce with classmates at the online social gatherings. I’m planning to join the tour of Chalmers Library and take part in some of the other fun events they have planned to bring the Hill to us virtually for this nontraditional reunion. I look forward to bumping into some of you on Zoom! 

The College is also counting on us to show up (and break our record numbers!) for this year’s 36-hour Kenyon Together giving challenge kicking off the morning of Wednesday, May 19 as part of the virtual reunion. Mark your calendar for a fun chance to help Kenyon students today, score prizes, join in some good friendly competition and win bragging rights. After the success of 2020’s Kenyon Together giving challenge, the College knows just how impactful our young alumni community can be when we work together to raise money for the causes at Kenyon that matter most to us. They heard us when we asked to designate our gifts to things like diversity, equity and inclusion during Kenyon Together, and I have been pleased to see these designations remain on Kenyon’s main giving page ever since. 

As alumni, we can help today’s students by staying connected with the College and making gifts to scholarships that help Kenyon continue to meet the growing financial needs of students and their families. I invite you to join me in supporting the College in both of these ways. Our alma mater and all of you have contributed to the hope and optimism I feel for the future by providing regular points of connection during an isolating year. No matter how you choose to stay involved with Kenyon, I hope you too are breathing a sigh of relief as we prepare for better days ahead. 

All my best,
Meaghan Pachay

P.S. Scroll down to read our 2013 spring class notes.

Support current 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 to:
  • 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

Virtual Events for Alumni

All alumni are invited to join us at these virtual reunion events in May:
  • Opening Ceremony/Virtual Hospitality Tent
    4 p.m. ET Sunday, May 16

  • Kenyon Together 36-Hour Giving Challenge
    from 9 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 19 – 9 p.m. ET Thursday, May 20 

  • Town Hall with President Decatur
    7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27
Visit kenyon.edu/reunion to view our full virtual reunion schedule.

Class Agents

Class agents are your connection to campus. If you would like to learn more about becoming a class agent, contact Parker Subia at subiap@kenyon.edu.

• Kendra Mabie 
• Meaghan Pachay
• Phili Dube
• Rachel Max
• Raleigh Dierlam
• Stella Ryan-Lozon 
• Tristan Neviska

Class of 2013 Spring Notes
JJ Jemison reports: Hi Everyone! I am so proud and excited to announce that I am going to be a dad! My wife and I have a baby boy on the way and he will be joining us in late April. I am also proud to be wrapping up my fourth year as an admissions representative for this amazing institution that is so near and dear to all of our hearts. I hope this note finds the rest of you Lords and Ladies doing well and staying safe throughout the remainder of this pandemic!

Tess Waggoner will be attending New York University in the fall, pursuing an MA in Near Eastern Studies at the Hagop Kevorkian Center.

Eve Asher reports: I’m in my last semester of the screenwriting MFA program at USC, though I take all my classes from my couch in Brooklyn. My hobbies include collecting pens and taking my cat to the dentist. I think it would be neat if Kenyon recognized the student workers’ union.

Jaqueline Neri Arias reports: 2020 was a particularly unique year, aside from being in quarantine for the majority of the year. I moved back to Chicago near family and started a new job as the founding director of a multicultural center at a different university. My husband and I welcomed a baby boy in September 2020 and we've been enjoying life so much. Hoping to see so many Kenyon friends in 2021!

Clifford Eberhardt reports: I recently published a book exploring race relations in the United States. Here is the link to the Amazon sales page.

Chad Weisman will matriculate into Case Western Reserve University School of Law’s Class of 2024 this coming August. He plans on studying International Law with the hope of eventually becoming Secretary-General of the United Nations. Look out world!

Rowan Kurtz reports: Greeting from Japan! I spent the past year working in Tokyo and occasionally catching up with Kyle McDonald (lucky me)! This summer I plan on heading to Alaska to commercial fish and then am moving to NYC this fall! So any Kenyonites who want to catch up/have housing leads/food tips, hit me up!

Willie Plaschke reports: In August, I proposed to my girlfriend (now fiancé) in Kansas City. We are now planning our wedding! Last summer, I also made a career transition: from teaching high school English to writing content for small law firms as part of a tech / marketing company. Our office is in KC but we’re all working remotely for now. I’m enjoying it quite a bit. When I’m not researching and writing content for lawyers, I’m hanging out with Alisha and our cat Electra, listening to tons of music, reading Muriel Spark’s novel The Comforters for the fifth time, writing some words to be released this spring as part of a blog called Ice Cream is Frozen & Words Don’t Exist, getting my music composition project off the ground (it only took me a decade), and planning a pilgrimage to Dayton, Ohio, to see my favorite band. If you’re anywhere in the Kansas City area, reach out to me!

Libby Panhorst reports: I bought an old townhouse on the near west side of Cleveland in October 2020 and moved with no small help from Anna Walley '15. Let the record show she is skilled at parking a large vehicle in a small space. Highlights of late fall included backyard fires with Anna, Willie Miller-Little, Colleen Damerell, and Colleen (Halpin) Kelly '08 (...but not all at the same time...), cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner for one, and readying the new guest room for eventual indoor hosting. COVID derailed plans to visit Olivia Strauss in Baltimore and to travel with Maggie Jaris to Maine ... can't wait to gather again with dear friends from farther afield.

Eliza Weeks is living in Baltimore and searching for jobs after finishing a Master's of Food Studies in which she focused on the power of storytelling to amplify diverse voices in the food system. When she's not on the job hunt or chasing down her cats for a quick pet, she is trading laughs with Maya Artis as they record episodes for their new podcast, Dear Human. Give it a listen!

Maya Artis is living in NJ and enjoying her role as Director of Communications at Olive Branch Educators. She has resumed her piano lessons and loves the opportunity to get back into her art. Most of all, Maya is enjoying being able to trade laughs and stories with her co-host, Eliza Weeks on their podcast, Dear Human (available on all streaming platforms). In the fall, Maya will be moving to Charlottesville to be a 1L at UVA School of Law.

Liliana Martinez reports: This past February, I relocated from Dubai to London with my company, International SOS to start a role as Security Manager in charge of Europe. Relocating during a pandemic was interesting to say the least, although I was lucky enough to be vaccinated in Dubai before I left. I'm now settling into life in London with my cat Odette and getting used to lockdown. Leaving my friends and life in Dubai was a challenge but I look forward to what the coming year holds.
Read notes from the Class of 2014 and the Class of 2012.
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.
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