| Kenyon Class of 2011 Spring Class Letter
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Dear Class of 2011,
After a year that felt like a decade, we are filled with hope and optimism as we head into the warmer months. We were so looking forward to seeing you on the Hill this spring for our 10 Year Reunion! However, as you all likely know by now, the reunion weekend has unfortunately turned into a virtual celebration.
The 2011 Reunion Committee had anticipated the move to a virtual reunion which is why we have been hosting multiple virtual events to celebrate our class! We had an amazing turn out at our Virtual Trivia Night in February, hosted by our classmates Hannah Withers, Rachel Oscar, Evan Weiss, and Richard Wylde. We had nearly 100 participants join us that night and we were able to raise $2,229.00 for the Kenyon Fund! Congratulations again to the winning team, That’ll Do, Crowley, consisting of Will Arbery, Matt Crowley, Kathleen Jordan, Bri Parry, and Bryn Stole! We also hosted a Concert and Conversation with Abby Comstock-Gay Guner and Mary Jeanne Harwood Brown featuring Half Waif’s Nandi Rose! We can’t wait for Nandi’s new album to come out this summer - check it out!
Make sure to save the date(s) for May 16-29! The college is planning two weeks of events to bring the Hill to us virtually for this nontraditional reunion. Watch your mail for a special opportunity to win some Kenyon swag by joining in the fun! There will be events with our favorite professors, online social gatherings, a tour of *the new* Chalmers Library and more. We look forward to celebrating with all of you during our virtual “class dinner” on Thursday, May 27th at 7:00pm EST during which we hope to show a slideshow of photos. If you are interested in submitting any of your favorite photos of your time on the Hill, please do so through this Google form.
Hard to imagine it’s been 5 years since we were all last together on the Hill! At our 5th year reunion, our class was honored by winning the “Class of ‘62 Award” given to the young alumni class with the highest participation of donors! We had over 38% of our class make a donation of any size to Kenyon, totaling over $18,000. In honor of our 10 year reunion, we feel determined and know that we can win this award again! We have a lofty goal of 50% participation, and are well on our way to reaching this with 27.8% participation as of March 2021.
We hope you will consider making a contribution to the Kenyon Fund before virtual reunion begins! As a reminder, any donation amount, no matter the size, counts towards our participation rate! And ultimately the alumni participation rate helps influence college rankings, which in turn influence applications, enrollment, and scholarships, not to mention tuition revenue. 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. We invite you to join us in supporting the College in both of these ways. Our alma mater and all of you have contributed to the hope and optimism we feel for the future by providing regular points of connection during an isolating year. No matter how you choose to stay involved with Kenyon, we hope you too are breathing a sigh of relief as we prepare for better days ahead.
We hope you will join us for our future virtual events and consider making a donation to the Kenyon Fund!
Stay healthy and see you soon,
Rachel and Sam
UPDATES FROM THE COLLEGE:
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 campaign, Our Path Forward to the Bicentennial, relies on our increased participation and continued support of scholarships for students.
Kenyon is 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 Chalmers Library will be open to greet them when they move in.
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 we have been pleased to see these designations remain on Kenyon’s main giving page ever since.
Now scroll down to read our 2011 spring class notes!
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Support current students now with a gift to scholarships
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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.
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Connect with your classmates at these class-specific reunion events:
- Virtual Class Dinner (following the Alumni Town Hall)
7 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 27
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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
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Reunion Committee MembersReunion Committee Members are your connection to campus. If you would like to learn more about becoming one, contact Isabelle Rivers McCue at riversmccuei@kenyon.edu.
• James Asimes
• Kara Crowther
• Laura Kirschenbaum
• Lindsay Means
• Margaret Rodgers
• Mathew Cowlin
• Prita Kidder Carroll
• Rachel Berger
• Sam Reichenbach
• Victoria Lederer
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Class of 2011 Spring Notes
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Nandi (Plunkett) Levine
Hi all! I loved seeing so many of you at the Kenyon trivia night (shout out to our very funny hosts). I wanted to sneak off into side convos and catch up with each one of you. Maybe we could laugh about the time I submitted my first class note and it was the length of a senior thesis dissertation. Anyway, I'm still doing the music thing, putting out a new album this summer (my second with ANTI- records), living in Upstate NY with my husband Zack, and using the pandemic - which has cancelled all our touring (indefinitely) - as an opportunity to apprentice with an herbalist, learn about plant medicine, and birdwatch every day. Ok - I'm verging on tome length again so I'll wrap it up by saying I hope to see you in person when this is over, maybe at a show when that's a thing again!
Bryn Stole
I decided that Christmas in the midst of a pandemic was the perfect time to move and start a totally new job, so after six (!) years with The Advocate newspaper in Louisiana I packed up my car and moved cross-country for a new gig with the Baltimore Sun (arriving on New Years' Eve). Some Kenyon buds have made it a charming year, all told, for which I'm immensely lucky. Hannah "Free Willy" Withers rolled into New Orleans just as the pandemic struck (she watched as I got what turned out to be my haircut *during* my last visit to a bar); Rachel "Dorito Fingers" Oscar and I hit the Smokies in October (she's great at crossing log bridges); got to catch my ol' roommate Sam Tyler around DC for some Trojans basketball (very relaxing).
Jillian Arenz
I've been keeping busy with school during this weird year but close to the end of my PhD in Clinical Psychology :) I'm working at a private practice and an inpatient hospital and writing my dissertation on environmental injustice, climate change, and mental health. NYC is weird but I'm grateful to have been reintroduced to all the "outdoor" "nature" things to do here - would love to meet up for outside excursions with other Kenyon folks as the weather gets warmer!
Laura Paul
It was fun to see many of the class of 2011 at trivia night! You all looked great and I was impressed by your trivia knowledge. My biggest regret of the evening was not knowing that NC whole hog barbecue requires a mop to apply vinegar.
Victoria Lederer
Hey 2011! While it's been said many times already, it's boggling to think 10 years have gone by since we were last students on the Hill. It's been fun reconnecting with classmates at our virtual reunion events. Hope to see people at some of our future spring offerings. When I'm not busy with work, I'm enjoying training for triathlons. I hope to be officially competing in Ironman Lake Placid this summer. If you are ever in the Adirondacks for adventures, let me know! I'm lucky to have the park right in my backyard.
Hannah Withers
I've been living in Portland, OR with my tall fiancé, named Jeff, and our dog, named Swayze. I'm working in tech, and have fashioned a not-too-shabby office in the corner of our dining room between the cookbooks and the ailing ficus. I'm still writing a novel, which has been the case, and likely will be the case, for the rest of time.
Margaret Wardrop
Who wants s'more? Join me to wallow (with a marshmallow) out in southern Utah where I am working at a glamping site in Zion National Park!
Grant Johnson
I'll defend my PhD in art history at the University of Southern California this May—let me know if you need an annual physical for your painting, the doctor is IN!
Casey McKone
I’m continuing to enjoy Cleveland, work as a nurse practitioner and recently adopted a 1 year old cane corso named Gloria.
Sam Mashaw
I am half-way through my course of study at the Smith School of Social Work, studying remotely from my hometown of New Haven, CT. I am the proud parent of a longhaired kitty cat and a growing number of plants.
Wesley Keyser
Wesley Keyser and his wife, Lauren, recently welcomed their daughter Poppy Margo to the world. She can't wait to meet all her class of 2011 baby friends next time we are all able to be in person!
Kate McLean
Kate McLean is currently working as a Senior Researcher and Designer for a business strategy and design firm in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. She recently celebrated the official issuance of her first software patent for environmentally contextualized pattern generation. The product of her Master's thesis at Carnegie Mellon University, her software will be leveraged to create regionally-specific cycling clothing and equipment that improves safety in integrated cycling-transit networks.
Elana Spivack Carlson
Hello! After a couple years in LA, I am back home on the East Coast (Martha's Vineyard). I recently founded a company called Fantzye ("fancy"). We make sourdough bagels (Fantzye Bagels) and source ingredients for bagel toppings from local farms. We're also private cooking (Fantzye Suppers) and doing a weekly pop-up at a beloved Island restaurant. Think your favorite natural wine bar, but outside for pandemic times. Definitely reach out if you find yourselves on Martha's Vineyard :)
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Great attendance at our recent Zoom event!
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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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Kenyon College
105 Chase Avenue, Gambier, OH 43022
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