Hello, ’98s. I reached out to you for your thoughts, including whether current events made you rethink your Dartmouth experience. Here is what I found out.

Christine Lin took a break from Zoom to write in for the first time! During the pandemic Christine has reconnected with Kimberly Coffey through regular Zoom chats. Christine has also had Zoom reunions with classmates from her summer 1995 foreign study program (FSP) in Beijing: Joan Ai, Lilei Huang, Eric White, Gary Jan, and Kevin Nguyen. They have been joined by Kenneth Leon and his wife, Meier Hsu, along with Christina Campo and Young Bae. While these ’98s would not have thought to meet before the world shut down, they have had a ton of fun reminiscing, catching up, and laughing. The group also has a soundtrack, as Christine unearthed a mix tape of songs playing in Beijing nightclubs during the FSP that she shared via Spotify. Christine also wrote that, although Dartmouth could have done better at promoting certain values, her experience there contributed to her pursuing a career as an attorney in social justice and advocating and representing asylum seekers and refugees. For the past eight years Christine has worked at the University of California, Hastings, College of the Law Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.

Natalie (Wood) Vogel wrote in from Reno, Nevada, where she resides with husband Alex Vogel and their two kids, 9 and 12. Recently they enjoyed a socially distanced, back-deck reunion with Nora (Bryan) and Scott Behrens and their three kids. Both Natalie and Alex work in healthcare, allowing them to see firsthand the effects of Covid-19. Natalie is the chief medical officer of a small health center that cares for indigent patients, Alex is an interventional radiologist. Natalie opined that 2020 has been quite a year. She and Alex feel optimistic that our country’s newfound attention and energy will lead to real change at every level. Natalie also hopes that our Dartmouth family is making it through this with curiosity, love, and kindness, our strongest tools.

Denise (Saunders) Norse is happy to report that she, her husband, and three sons are all doing well. Denise teaches math and introductory computer programming at Shelton (Connecticut) High School. Recently she has encouraged students to participate in Girls Go CyberStart, which fosters creativity and problem-solving through exploring cybersecurity. Last year Denise had five students sign up. This year the number increased to 17, and Denise’s top four students were invited to the two-day online national competition. There they finished 66th out of 366, including first in the state of Connecticut, which made Denise a very proud teacher.

I connected with fellow attorney James Jung, who checked in from northern Virginia and wrote that he is wrapping up active duty service as an officer in the Navy Judge Advocate General Corps. We reflected on our time in Hanover and our new perspectives on a Dartmouth education in light of Covid-19. As it turns out, James and I are both big fans of the New York Mets, so we spent the bulk of our time strategizing my next steps as his co-counsel for a class-action suit against Mets ownership on behalf of aggrieved and emotionally harmed fans everywhere.

As a history major, I can appreciate the significance of the times in which we live. On one hand, I am astounded to be witnessing the events of 2020. On the other, I just hope that you all are staying safe and sane. Please continue to keep me updated, as I love hearing from you.

—Gabe Galletti, 4000 Utah Ave., Nashville, TN 37209; galletti@gmail.com