I type this up having just returned from Hanover and the amazing 20th reunion! The weather-perfect weekend included meeting up with old friends, checking out new campus buildings or being amazed by the combination fireworks show and Aires concert (no, really—they were synchronized). A warm thank you to reunion chairs Veree Hawkins Brown and Juli Hincks for engineering a great event! Check out the ’93 Facebook page for lots of pictures and updates—and if you couldn’t make it, post a picture there to let the rest of us know what you are up to.


Reunions also marked the switch to a new slate of class officers, with Veree now serving as our new president. Staying in their current roles are treasurer Sara Ehrlich and head agents Tammy Sloan and Amanda Salzhauer. New officers include: newsletter, Seth Alpert; strategic communications, my old roommate Rich Yeung; Alumni Council reps Aly Jeddy and Matt McGinnes; gift planning, Juli Hincks; and webmaster Ryan Pulis, who will use Wonder Twin powers with Olaf Minge.


Reunions brought people from far away, although I think the winners are Adam and Melinda Persson, who traveled from Singapore! Since it’s Olympics season, it’s time for a ’93 all-international update. Many responded to the call, so this will carry over until next time as well.


Laura Gulayets Iwan has been living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for the last 15 years: “I am a systems engineer at Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation, where I help design and test proton exchange membrane fuel cells for use in hydrogen-powered Daimler and Ford passenger cars. I work part-time, however, so that I can help keep things running smoothly on the home-front with my real Canadian-born husband, Brian Gulayets, and two sons, ages 5 and 7. I still enjoy playing trumpet with various bands around town. I’m a Canadian citizen now, and really like the benefits of the socialist government, including affordable healthcare and many parks and recreational facilities. In my opinion, the increased taxes are worth it!”


Laura isn’t the only one working on cars. Adrienne Parker writes from Versailles: “I work for PSA Peugeot Citroen in Paris in the radio and navigation development. I joined in September 2010 after 11 years at Audi in Germany. With our recent alliance with GM I may be making some visits to Detroit in the next months. Would love to welcome Dartmouth visitors to Versailles (where I live) or Paris!”


Speaking of the City of Light, Somesha Ferdinand and Kadesha Bagwell send salutations du Paris: “It’s funny that we both settled in France as our first encounter was in 1991 when we participated in the Lyon language study abroad program. Apparently, we were taken by our linguistic and cultural immersion experiences. Twenty years later we live in Paris and are raising bicultural families with our respective husbands!” Somesha finished Columbia Law School in 1996 and is raising two very energetic, irresistible little men with one not-so-little man, her husband. She is general counsel at AXA Corporate Solutions. Kadesha obtained her law degree from Boston College in 1999; currently a full-time mother, she returns to practice international business law this fall.


There is one officer I left out from the above list: the secretary, responsible for this very column. Indeed, I pass the pen to someone whose voice should already be familiar: our former president Beth Krakower, who takes this on right as she moves from New York to Los Angeles. It has been a real pleasure to serve as class scribbler for the last three years, and I look forward to reading more about you in columns to come. 


—Jeffrey Middents, 505 Ethan Allen Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912; dartmouth93@gmail.com