Class of 1998

Dear, ’98s!

Hope your 2024 end-of-year celebrations were cheerful and filled with time-honored traditions. Did anyone try something new this past season? I certainly did. I celebrated Boxing Day (December 26) for the first time. That is right—I attended the annual Boxing Day brunch hosted by Marisa Howe and her husband, Kyle Marchesseault ’99. This festive celebration was complete with Premier League football on the telly and English-inspired food on the table (sausage rolls, anyone?). Hey, Marisa, I hope I am invited back to this annual celebration since I went ahead and booked it as a recurring event in my calendar. Marisa recently returned from a trip to Miami with eight other ’98s: Amy (Feldmann) Hauser, Hae-Seon Song, Meghan Pound, Mona Gupta, Beth Haas, Kate Kenney, Meg (Blakey) Lyons, and Diana (Bullen) Presciutti. Hailing from as far away as San Francisco and London, all had fun, including trips to the beach, drag brunches, long talks and walks, and good food. These ’98s brought the heat to Miami!

Speaking of heat, Chinwe Ajene-Sagna has social media buzzing! To commemorate the 10-year memorial of her dad’s passing, Chinwe (quietly) took on an ambitious project of transforming her Dartmouth senior thesis into a new book titled Borders and the Self.

Chinwe’s book explores African transnational migration, reflecting on “the journey to define oneself, one’s identity as transnational migrants who retain ties to both home and host communities alike.” I remember how blown away I was by Chinwe’s senior thesis presentation in Dartmouth Hall. Twenty-five years later, as we sat in our favorite Indian restaurant in Harvard Square, I felt that same level of excitement as I listened to Chinwe describe her book! Proud of you, Chinwe! Your book is next on my reading list.

Have an update? Write in to share it. One love.

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