Dear, ’98s! Summer is often a time when our lives slow down. It’s a time when many of us take vacations, read books and articles, and seek adventure. I can’t believe that the summer of 1994 was 30 years ago!

For many of us, this summer is special. You may be celebrating your children or even a relative’s or friend’s child who graduated from high school. I caught up with Rachel Bogardus Drew and Jon Drew recently and they shared that their oldest, Leah, is headed this fall to Mount Holyoke College, where she will study history or political science. I also heard from Shirley (Sperling) and Eric Paley, who wrote that their eldest, Zoe, is going to Colby College in Maine and plans to study molecular biology and environmental sciences with a side of music! Chris Wang shared that after he retired from a 20-year banking career, he is focused on getting his second and final kid out of the house! Chris’ son is headed to Dartmouth to join his sister (’25).

For some of us, our children are still deciding which college they want to attend or even what new adventure they want to pursue. Allison (Ahart) Geving wrote in to share that her son, Will, is in the process of deciding on a college for this fall. As a mom of a junior who will be immersed in his process this summer, I celebrate Rachel, Shirley, Chris, Allison, and other Dartmouth ’98s who have successfully launched their kids into their life adventure. I’m re-reading Belinda Chiu’s The Mindful College Applicant as a helpful guide through this process. I caught up with Chinwe Ajene-Sagna recently and she shared that after seven years in Paris and then in Lagos, Nigeria, she and her family moved to Cairo, Egypt. Chinwe’s eldest, Abi, will be a junior at Exeter in New Hampshire this fall.

I enjoy hearing about your summer adventures. Jennifer Peters McCurry wrote in to say that she is the (interfaith) coordinator of religious and spiritual life at Carnegie Mellon University and this summer she will be taking a grant-supported trip to Berlin and Prague to explore post-Holocaust narratives and cultural history. Speaking of adventure, do you remember the article “Vanderlust” in DAM? Well, Mary Stanfield Hollendoner is the author of Monkeys on the Road. What is your favorite DAM article?

Recently, Rick Ouimet was featured in a New York Times article titled “A Bronx Teacher Called. Tommy Orange Answered.” Rick said that this article may be of interest to those ’98s who learned their craft in Silsby with Professors Garrod, Lyons, Sanborn, and Jahner and in public schools scattered around the Upper Valley. Rick’s class discussed Orange’s book, There, There. Congrats, Rick! I’m snapping my fingers as I write this part of the Class Note!

Inspiration has many sources. Maurissa Horwitz is inspiring children through animation. At Dartmouth she was a film minor and today Maurissa is the lead editor in Pixar’s Inside Out in theaters on June 14.

Lastly, it is with a heavy heart that I share news about Kiesha D. Sellers’ passing. Kiesha was a psychology major at Dartmouth. She participated in an Asian studies foreign study program and the Women in Science Project. I remember Kiesha’s smile. She was an incredibly kind and positive presence on campus. After Dartmouth she pursued culinary arts and went on to serve as the executive sous chef at the White House residences. Please share your memories.

I hope you take time to relax this summer and strengthen your lifelong friendships with each other.

—Carline M. (Dorcena) Durocher, 137 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02460; cdurocher07@gmail.com