Class Note 2011
Issue
Sep - Oct 2018
Hey, ’11s! Brandon Aiono here, writing a guest Class Notes column so that Hillary Cheng and her beau, Thomas Lane, can enjoy some summer fun.
What a wonderful and exciting year it has been for our class! A few months ago I traveled up to Beijing to help Sydney Ribot direct a short film she wrote; it was a whirlwind of a weekend, but not only did we (and almost all of the extras) survive, but her work earned her acceptance into the American Film Institute! Soon after taking the train back to Shanghai, I embarked once again to attend a writing retreat on Chongming Island organized by Lelia Taha-Burt; she led us in composing stories, songs, and slam poems by unlocking our creative energy—all this only a few weeks before her four-stop wedding tour and a few months before finishing her master’s program in intercultural communication at Shanghai Theatre Academy. Even more recently I was honored to be reinstated as vice president of the College alumni club’s China chapter for a second term alongside two classmates on the executive board—Stephenie Lee (club secretary) and Trevor King (Shanghai regional representative). We hope our first act of business will be planning a trip down to Hong Kong so local legend Steve Avila can take us for a day on the harbor and night on the town.
Right now I’m home in the Bay Area, reconnecting with family and counting down the hours until Kathleen Mayer’s wedding festivities. The bride-to-be, who continues shattering societal norms even after graduation—she was the one to propose to her man—is saying her vows at a woodland retreat in the Cascades. I’m looking forward to reuniting with Amanda and Bennett Siegel, Brielle Milano, Eileen Vogl ’12, Ellie Hunter, Marian Mathias, Maya Granit, Meredith Greenberg, and Taja Braggs, and I already have bets placed on who will give the most outlandish gift, who will make the drunkest speech, and who will end up catching the bouquet (obviously me…y’all better watch out).
Many ’11s are tying the knot this year—including Emily Duke, Genevieve Adams, and Mary Rockwell—with even more on the way, such as Tyler Ford, who just got engaged while on a trip to Monaco. For those of you who are nuptial-ed out, fret not—bridal parties are about to be replaced with baby showers. Carter Scott spent this Father’s Day celebrating the birth of his new daughter, just one of a handful of ’11s to ascend into parenthood. As the season for dads is also one for grads, we want to congratulate all of the masters, doctors, and b-school ballers who completed degrees this spring, such as Joe Coleman, who I’m sad to have missed while he toured China earlier in the summer. Remember to keep sending in your announcements and updates to the class account. We love knowing what y’all are doing, and we know your classmates do, too!
When I passed through New Orleans a few weeks back, I serendipitously ran into Lindsay Van Landeghem, who was in town from South Africa for a conference. I am making plans to meet with Madolyn Mertz, who recently moved to San Francisco to be with her fiancé (another wedding!). I love meeting and catching up with members of our great class. At my sister’s graduation earlier this month I discovered that her best friend’s father (Matthew Berardo ’86) is a Dartmouth alumnus, and as we shared our memories with one another, I felt a tacit understanding pass between us. There is truly no feeling more magical ’round this girdled earth than running into another soul whose heart has bled green in the wilderness of the still north.
—Hillary S. Cheng, 16013 Legacy Road, #304, Tustin, CA 92782; (603) 546-8452; hillary.s.cheng@dartmouth.edu
What a wonderful and exciting year it has been for our class! A few months ago I traveled up to Beijing to help Sydney Ribot direct a short film she wrote; it was a whirlwind of a weekend, but not only did we (and almost all of the extras) survive, but her work earned her acceptance into the American Film Institute! Soon after taking the train back to Shanghai, I embarked once again to attend a writing retreat on Chongming Island organized by Lelia Taha-Burt; she led us in composing stories, songs, and slam poems by unlocking our creative energy—all this only a few weeks before her four-stop wedding tour and a few months before finishing her master’s program in intercultural communication at Shanghai Theatre Academy. Even more recently I was honored to be reinstated as vice president of the College alumni club’s China chapter for a second term alongside two classmates on the executive board—Stephenie Lee (club secretary) and Trevor King (Shanghai regional representative). We hope our first act of business will be planning a trip down to Hong Kong so local legend Steve Avila can take us for a day on the harbor and night on the town.
Right now I’m home in the Bay Area, reconnecting with family and counting down the hours until Kathleen Mayer’s wedding festivities. The bride-to-be, who continues shattering societal norms even after graduation—she was the one to propose to her man—is saying her vows at a woodland retreat in the Cascades. I’m looking forward to reuniting with Amanda and Bennett Siegel, Brielle Milano, Eileen Vogl ’12, Ellie Hunter, Marian Mathias, Maya Granit, Meredith Greenberg, and Taja Braggs, and I already have bets placed on who will give the most outlandish gift, who will make the drunkest speech, and who will end up catching the bouquet (obviously me…y’all better watch out).
Many ’11s are tying the knot this year—including Emily Duke, Genevieve Adams, and Mary Rockwell—with even more on the way, such as Tyler Ford, who just got engaged while on a trip to Monaco. For those of you who are nuptial-ed out, fret not—bridal parties are about to be replaced with baby showers. Carter Scott spent this Father’s Day celebrating the birth of his new daughter, just one of a handful of ’11s to ascend into parenthood. As the season for dads is also one for grads, we want to congratulate all of the masters, doctors, and b-school ballers who completed degrees this spring, such as Joe Coleman, who I’m sad to have missed while he toured China earlier in the summer. Remember to keep sending in your announcements and updates to the class account. We love knowing what y’all are doing, and we know your classmates do, too!
When I passed through New Orleans a few weeks back, I serendipitously ran into Lindsay Van Landeghem, who was in town from South Africa for a conference. I am making plans to meet with Madolyn Mertz, who recently moved to San Francisco to be with her fiancé (another wedding!). I love meeting and catching up with members of our great class. At my sister’s graduation earlier this month I discovered that her best friend’s father (Matthew Berardo ’86) is a Dartmouth alumnus, and as we shared our memories with one another, I felt a tacit understanding pass between us. There is truly no feeling more magical ’round this girdled earth than running into another soul whose heart has bled green in the wilderness of the still north.
—Hillary S. Cheng, 16013 Legacy Road, #304, Tustin, CA 92782; (603) 546-8452; hillary.s.cheng@dartmouth.edu