Let’s give a warm welcome to Ian Speers, who recently returned from Liberia! Since graduation Ian has been working for Americares, a private nongovernmental organization that provides emergency medical needs and promotes healthcare initiatives for communities affected by poverty or disaster. Ian studied global health at Dartmouth, but he wanted a more hands-on experience evaluating global health and emergency responses in Africa. For that matter, he spent six months in Liberia, where he worked alongside a team of eight local experts in global health, supply chain, and medicine. Fortunately, his teammates welcomed him from the get-go, and throughout his six months in Liberia, he became really close with them, meeting their families and even living with an Ethiopian expat. Although the work was strenuous and time-consuming, Ian got involved with the community by spending his free hours at church with his teammates and playing soccer with local students.

This summer Ian moved to Americares’ headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, where he writes proposals for global health programs, implements programs across regions, and coordinates with the regional emergency response team. Although his role is officially located in the United States, Ian will travel periodically throughout Africa and the Middle East to collaborate with teams and implement his programs.

Another international ’17 is Maeve Lentricchia, who completed her master’s in philosophy at the University of Cambridge this spring. Maeve focused on Hellenistic philosophy, specifically Aristotelian thought. She examined the works of Lucretius, a poet from the Roman Augustine period who analyzed atomic restitution and the erratic fear of death. During the next three years Maeve will pursue her Ph.D. at Cambridge and will study the overlap between ancient texts and contemporary issues in philosophy.

Although Maeve spent the majority of the past 12 months studying and applying to various graduate programs, she managed to escape the library every now and then. Maeve is an avid runner, so she often jogged with her friends while gazing at the scenery in the English countryside. She also loves her fellow students and considers Cambridge to be an “intellectual heaven.” She enjoys having a community of global scholars who are interested in the same subjects. Maeve feels pushed and inspired by her peers, but likes that the community is not competitive; everyone is supportive and genuinely interested in each other’s work.

Back on our side of the Atlantic is Caroline King, who matriculated at Georgetown School of Medicine in August. Caroline spent her first post-college year earning her master’s in physiology and biophysics at Georgetown and ultimately decided to stay in D.C. after being admitted to the medical school. According to Caroline, the most surprising thing about the real world is that she’s constantly surrounded by people with similar interests, and it’s a privilege to engage in discussions with wonderful people who share her goals. At Dartmouth she had a diverse group of friends who studied different subjects and have different life trajectories. Since she still spends time with other ’17s in D.C., Caroline feels fortunate to have the best of both worlds.

During the summer Caroline took a course in gross anatomy at Georgetown so she could become a teaching assistant in the cadaver lab in January 2019. After taking this course, Caroline confirmed her interest in a procedure-based specialty such as surgery. She’s had six eye surgeries herself and says her life was absolutely transformed by the procedures that gave her functional control and cosmetic reparations that have enabled her to be her best self; Caroline says, “To do that for others is the greatest gift I’ll ever receive.”

—Dorian Allen, 117 West Grant St., Apt. 123, Minneapolis, MN 55403; (973) 986-5988; dorallen@comcast.net