Fellow ’98s, I cried in the wilderness for news from you. Here is what I found out.

Chinwe Ajene endured seven months of separation from her husband thanks to Covid-19! She and her two children (14 and 10) had been in Lagos, Nigeria, where Chinwe started her own real estate consultancy, Catalyst Realty Solutions. Chinwe’s husband was in Cairo, Egypt, with the African Export and Import Bank, commuting between Cairo and Lagos. Then Covid hit. Borders were closed, and Chinwe’s family was split in two. Finally, they were able to reunite by repatriating to Washington, D.C. Six weeks later, returning to Africa, they decided to all head to Cairo. Chinwe made it work by enrolling her kids in a terrific international school and commuting to see clients. Chinwe described her experience with Covid as “terrifying.” She gained, however, a greater appreciation for family, which supported her through her ordeal in Lagos. Another lesson learned is to make the best of the situation at hand. For example, over Easter Chinwe took a cruise up the Nile River, from Aswan to Luxor, relishing Egypt’s rich history.

Gabrielle Tito described this past year as “strange and challenging.” Her eldest daughter went away to college, and Gabrielle has treasured the extra time with her youngest daughter. Gabrielle is an artist, and the pandemic has been productive, affording her extra time in her home studio. Gabrielle’s last ’98 sighting: Mary (Albert) Koenen pre-quarantine at the Museum of Modern Art. Next spring Gabrielle’s youngest daughter will graduate high school. Then Gabrielle plans to move back to New York City. She is a New Yorker at heart and looks forward to a new chapter in the city.

Although the pandemic has limited in-person meet-ups, actual communication has increased through mediums like group texts and Zoom. For example, Tracy (Tylee) Silberfein, Katey (Ritrovato) Dadakis, Erica Brandling-Bennett, Candace (Cornell) Kristensson, Christine Alvarado, Kathleen (Eibl) Steele, and Bennett Arble ’99 have a standing weekly virtual happy hour. I heard from a few of them.

Tracy lives in Seattle with husband Adam Silberfein ’99 and their twin 8-year-old boys. The pandemic has taught Tracy to reprioritize her time: less work, more family. She loves seeing her sons more, even if they can be a handful. This past year the family has embraced outdoor activities; Tracy has even taken up skate skiing. Recently her family met up with Kathleen’s to ski in Park City, Utah. Coming up this summer, an “epic” road trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

Katey is still in Southern California with husband Jason Dadakis ’99 and their two daughters. They navigated the pandemic with a last-minute RV trip around California, a couple ski vacations, weekly virtual cooking classes, and binge watching The Amazing Race. Going forward Katey is eager to get back East to see family and friends, particularly Molly (Hershey) and Kevin Arista.

Erica has relied on the support of other professional women during the pandemic. She is “super grateful” for her fellow Dartmouth moms as a source of support. Erica commented that it is working mothers who have to deal with middle-of-the-day interruptions from kids, along with micro-managing their schedules. Meanwhile, if dads are home with their children, they are granted quasi-hero status. Erica concluded that this pandemic has magnified the inequalities in parenting and pushed working mothers in impossible ways. Erica and husband Ron Gregush ’97 each work in healthcare, forcing them both to be physically present at work. Thankfully, their two children recently returned to in-person elementary school, albeit for just two hours per day.

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