Commencement

VOLUME CXLIV COMMENCEMENT EDITION

FRIDAY, M AY 22, 2015

AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

COMMENCEMENT CXCIV

Photo by Shirley Duquene ’17

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868.

Schedule Events of

FRIDAY, MAY 22-SUNDAY, MAY 24

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 p.m.-9 p.m.

Check-In Alumni House

8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Check-In Alumni House

5 p.m.

Commencement Rehearsal Main Quadrangle (Johnson Chapel in case of rain)

9 a.m.

Phi Beta Kappa Meeting Stirn Auditorium

1 p.m.

Sigma Xi Meeting Lewis-Sebring Dining Commons 2 p.m.-3 p.m.

Conversations with Honored Guests See College Website

10 a.m.

Baccalaureate Service Johnson Chapel

3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m.

Conversations with Honored Guests See College Website

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Conversations with Honored Guests See College Website

4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

President’s Reception Garden of the President’s House

12:30 p.m.-2 p.m.

Luncheon Valentine Quadrangle

9:15 p.m.

Choral Society Concert Buckley Recital Hall, Arms Music Center

SUNDAY 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Reception Center Open Alumni House 10 a.m.

The 194th Commencement Main Quadrangle (LeFrak Gym in case of rain) Post-Commencement Luncheon Valentine Quadrangle

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sophie Murguia HEAD PUBLISHERS Emily Ratte, Tia Robinson EDITORS Dan Ahn. Johnathan Appel, Marquez Cummings, Megan Do, Gabby Edzie, Tess Frenzel, Elaine Jeon, Sunna Juhn, Cat Lowdon, Lauren Tuiskula CONTRIBUTORS Isa Goldberg, Kiana Herold, Eli Mansbach, Raymond Meijer, Evan Paul, Julia Pretsfelder, JinJin Xu, Jingwen Zhang PHOTOGRAPHER Shirley Duquene

2 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

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Table of Contents SENIOR PROFILES

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 24 25 26 27 28

Savannah West Campus Leader Carves a Legacy of Her Own Melih Levi Literature Lover Looks Beyond the Ivory Tower Ethan Corey A Journalist Who Isn’t Afraid to Ruffle Feathers Bryce Monroe A Performer Leaves the Field for the Stage Donna Leet All-NESCAC Scientist Excels in Every Field Dvij Bajpai A Curious Engineer Who Wears Many Hats Ricky Altieri A Language Enthusiast Finds the Right Words Caroline Katba Standing on Her Own, Usually in High Heels Chris Tamasi A Big Brother to Some, A Role Model to All Maria Darrow Breaking Down Barriers to Create Public Art Kyra Ellis-Moore A Passionate Advocate for Gender Equality Daniel Ang One-Man Orchestra Composes His Own Path Zalia Rojas Building Bridges Through Math and Spanish Peter Crane Senator Always Looking to Make a Difference Megan Robertson Rising Above the Odds, On and Off the Court

OTHER CONTENT PAGE

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Fellowships and Scholarships

Honorary Degrees

A Year in News

A Year in Sports

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May 22, 2015 | The Amherst Student | 3

Fulbright, Watson & Carnegie Scholars Fulbrights AMAR MUKUNDA Amar Mukunda is a computer science and geology major who is passionate about translation. He has been offered a Fulbright grant to travel to Switzerland and research Kamusi, an “online living dictionary” currently under development. Kamusi pairs equivalent words in every language and has the potential to improve machine translation tools, but no existing machine translation platform is currently compatible with it. Mukunda submitted a research proposal that aims to identify the obstacles keeping Kamusi

healing when the mainstream narrative misrepresents a marginalized group.

She plans to further use her affiliation with the Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum of Panama to help participate in the planning of West Indian cultural events like community meals. Through her Fulbright experience Miranda plans to enhance her understanding of how transnational migrant communities create their own support networks and organizations and use that to contribute to U.S. based grassroots organizations that share this vision of self-directed transformative justice.

Miranda wrote in her application that in the future, she hopes to work with domestic immigrant rights’ groups and possibly pursue a higher degree in American or migration studies.

CHRISTINE MIRANDA Christine Miranda has been offered a Fulbright grant to study the West Indian population of Panama. The American studies and computer science major has had a deep passion for service after years working at the homeless shelter Homeless Connect in downtown Amherst. She hopes to focus specifically on spaces in Panama that are important to the community’s history and culture and examine the formal and informal community spaces of Panama City’s West Indian population. Miranda finds cultural spaces vital to community culture because they function as alternate sites of learning and

MATTHEW GOODSMITH Matthew GoodSmith has been offered a Fulbright grant to conduct chemistry research at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.

GoodSmith has followed the pre-med track duirng his time at Amherst and will graduate a degree in geology. His proposed project at Eindhoven will connect these interests in geology and medicine. His research involves the controlled growing of magnetite nanoparticles, which have magnetic and biocompatible properties of interest to medical and environmental research. If passion for

SAVANNAH WEST Chicago native Savannah West will travel to South Africa next year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. A political science and art history double major, West has always been interested in both social justice and cultural exchange. While at Amherst, West was a highly involved student on campus and dedicated herself to many different groups, including the Black Student Union, the senior gift committee, Judiciary Council, the Center for Community Engagement and Dance and Step at Amherst College.

medicine and the environment are not enough, GoodSmith is also deeply dedicated to music. While at Amherst he was a music tutor in local public schools, Vice President of the Amherst College Jazz Program Board and a show host on Amherst College public radio. In the Netherlands, GoodSmith hopes to learn Dutch in order to engage more fully with the community and join the student jazz association at the Eindhoven University.

GoodSmith wrote in his application that he hopes to apply to medical school in the United States and possibly pursue a M.D.-Ph.D. program so that he can continue exploring bio-inspired mineralization and its medical applications.

In South Africa, West hopes to engage with her host community through attending painting class with regional artists and studying post-apartheid graffiti in the nation’s urban areas. In the classroom, West plans on creating a curriculum that addresses issues of social justice.

After completing her English Teaching Assistantship West hopes to return to Chicago and work within the Chicago public school system for a year, applying what she has learned from South Africa’s classrooms and educational policies to her work in underserved communities in Chicago.

West hopes to receive a dual degree in education and public policy by 2019, continuing her dedication to teaching and social justice.

TIMOTHY GAURA Anthropology major Timothy Gaura has been offered a Fulbright fellowship to spend the next year in Malaysia working as an English Teaching Assistant. Gaura wrote in his application that he first became interested in Malaysian culture after dining at a Malaysian restaurant with a new friend during the National Model United Nations conference in New York City.

Little did he know that his new friendship would lead to a Fulbright to Malaysia.

“I want to be a bridge-maker — teacher of empathy, respect and under-

SWATHI SIVASUBRAMANIAN Having worked as a seventh grade math teacher during the summer of 2012 for Breakthrough Cambridge, Swathi Sivasbramian already has some experience teaching. The neuroscience major has been offered the opportunity to continue her teaching next year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia. Sivasbramian has made frequent trips to India and hopes to use her knowledge of the Tamil culture and language to strengthen her interaction with the Malaysian communities.

“I am drawn to Malaysia because of its diversity of language, religion, cul-

4 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

from aiding machine translation and test some of its proposed benefits in the process.

Because multilingualism is at the heart of Swiss national identity, Mukunda plans to interview translators in Geneva, Basil and Zurich in order to better understand the role of multilingualism in everyday Swiss culture and how this new software could impact the Swiss community. Mukunda wrote in his application that after he returns home, he plans on applying to graduate programs in computer science with a focus on natural language processing.

standing — a connector of worlds,” Gaura wrote.

“I agree with Malaysia’s Educational Blueprint that the best hope for the future can be secured through education and I share many of the underlying values needed to accomplish this goal. This is why I want to teach in Malaysia,” he added. Known as one of the few students, if not the only student, who navigates campus on a unicycle, Gaura hopes to use this unusual skill, along with an array of others, like juggling, to teach others to push their limits.

“For many people, juggling is as unreachable as a better life; both are ‘impossible’ because they are limited by the doubt within their minds — this doubt is also a great hindrance to language acquisition,” he wrote.

ture. Tamil culture, a culture in which I am well-versed from my many trips to India, is but a component of the complex cultural landscape of Malaysia, and I am fascinated by the effects of such diversity on the realities of everyday life,” Sivasbramian wrote in her application.

One way that Sivasbramian hopes to connect to others in Malaysia is through music.

“This experience leading a musical group, along with the experience singing in an a cappella group throughout college, showed me the power of music to nurture friendships, “ she wrote. “And I would love to bring my music teaching experience to Malaysia to do the same.”

SOPHIA PADELFORD Biology and classics major Sophia Padelford has been offered the opportunity to continue her seven years of teaching experience by working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Bulgaria next year.

Rather than teach through one rigid style, Padelford has learned to cater her teaching to different students through tutoring at Amherst and in high school.

“With 18-year-olds as with 8-year-olds, I’ve found that my teaching is most effective when the material is presented in a way that is personally relevant,” Padelford said in her application.

SAMANTA ENGLISH The aptly named English major, Samanta English, was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in South Korea for the 2015-2016 academic year.

Originally from Brooklyn, English applied for the Fulbright because of her dream to go into early childhood education.

“This passion for teaching comes across in all the work I do with children,” she stated in her application.

It is clear that English has pursued this passion throughout her life. At Amherst, English was the Community Engagement Leader for Girls Incorporated of Holyoke, a tutoring service in the Holyoke community. She has worked in a range

Her first exposure to Bulgaria was through her one of her majors.

“As a classics major, I first became aware of Bulgaria through my study of Roman history, as the modern descendant of Thrace and Moesia. These were outposts of the Roman Empire where local culture and Roman cultural influence were intertwined,” Padelford wrote.

Padelford believes the most important part of her time in Bulgaria will come through personal interactions with those around her.

“I hope there will be many small moments that will make up a mosaic of cultural exchange — learning how to cook a favorite Bulgarian dish, playing pick-up soccer with my students, or inviting my neighbors over for coffee,” Padelford wrote.

of classroom environments from Brooklyn to Siena, Italy with young students in many disciplines.

She is excited to engage with her new home for the next year by crafting and hosting after school workshops in fields such as creative writing and theater.

“Both are methods to learn a language that encourages them to get excited about learning English and supplement their work from the school day,” English wrote. She also plans to work on her Korean through her own academic and extracurricular pursuits in the local community.

English’s experience teaching in South Korea this year will allow her to take the next step towards graduate school for a degree in early childhood education. “[I plan to] add to my knowledge of multicultural education, using all that I will practice while teaching abroad and in my future classroom,” she wrote.

ERIC STEINBROOK Biology and English major Eric Steinbrook has been offered an English Teaching Assistantship in Malaysia. As the co-founder of the Amherst Club Soccer team and a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team, Steinbrook has spent a lot of time on fields, yet it’s his time teaching there that he hopes will give him the skills to connect with others in Malaysia.

“I am eager to turn my experience coaching soccer and Ultimate Frisbee into a vehicle to engage students about the English language,” Steinbrook wrote in his application.

It is through playing Ultimate Frisbee at Trinity College with his friend

Lau from Malaysia that Steinbrook developed a desire to study the Malaysian language.

“In between points of Ultimate Frisbee, Lau and I would exchange stories about our hometowns,” he wrote.

Through stories and language, Steinbrook hopes to engage with the Malaysian communities.

“I revere the power of language,” he wrote. “I have come to understand that the words we write and speak can dictate our relationships with other people, help build bridges between different places and peoples and, most importantly, help heal invisible wounds. When troubling events evade our understanding, we can harness the power of words.”

Watsons RICKY ALTIERI A self-proclaimed “cross-cultural humorist,” Ricky Altieri received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for the 2015-2016 academic year. Through his project “Bridge of Laughter: Towards Cross-Cultural Comedy,” Altieri will spend the next year traveling to Chinese, Spanish and English speaking countries to study the way comedy relates to language and culture.

“Humor has the power to both reflect and reshape a culture’s artistic, social and political values,” Altieri wrote in his application. Altieri wrote that he is enamored with Louis C.K. and interested in the impact of comedy across cultures.

DAVID BERON ECHAVARRIA Environmental studies and economics major David Beron Echavarria received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for his project “Rubbish Collectors, Tech Inventors and Policymakers: Exploring Innovation in Waste Management.” He will travel to Argentina, Egypt, Singapore and Sweden to explore the latest waste management innovations in different global communities.

He will study groundbreaking methods of “reducing, collecting, processing, reusing, and recycling waste,” he wrote in his application.

“I want to contribute to finding solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues,” he wrote. “Especially those that regardless of who and where, affect myriads of people and landscapes around the world.”

Born in Colombia and raised in Ecuador, Beron Echavarria has been interested in

Altieri became interested in pursuing this project after realizing that there is a surprising lack of comedic cultural exchange. Comedy “tends to remain rooted in the culture of origin,” he wrote, although other art forms, such as the haiku, have spread across the globe.

At Amherst, Altieri has been a member of Mr. Gad’s House of Improv, an editor-in-chief of The Indicator and an emcee at Marsh Coffee Haus. He recently completed his honors thesis in philosophy. Altieri became interested in foreign humor after his first year at Amherst, when he studied Chinese satire in Hangzhou through the Amherst China Initiative Fellowship.

Ultimately, Altieri plans to work towards a cross-cultural understanding through humor. “On a more direct level, my goal is to form connections

studying the ways humans relate to the environment since his childhood. He described humans’ relationship to the natural world as “partly cooperative, partly perverse.”

Beron Echavarria spent his childhood commuting between a cloud forest and the city in which he attended school. Through this experience as well as through his field work in Brazil, Mexico and Vietnam, Beron Echavarria became interested in understanding and mitigating environmental issues. “[I want to take on] environmental issues that affect people regardless of their geographic, political or socioeconomic standing,” Beron Echavarria wrote.

While Beron Echavarria is eager for this opportunity gain real world experience outside the classroom, he is aware that his future as a policymaker or leader at a social enterprise will require more formal schooling. For this Watson fellowship year and beyond, he will explore and progress within the field of environmental and developmental economics.

Carnegie JEFFREY FELDMAN Economics major Jeffrey Feldman has been offered the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Fellowship for the 2015-2016 academic year in the Energy and Climate Program. The Carnegie fellowship seeks to advance international and cross-cultural cooperation while fostering engagement in international politics and pressing issues within the United States. The Junior Fellows Program grants 12 college graduates the opportunity to conduct real world experience in international affairs.

Feldman applied to the fellowship because of his interest in using policy research to help the fight against climate change. “The current crisis of the

oil sector is best understood as the nexus of multiple crises with respect to development, the environment, and international diplomacy,” Feldman wrote in his application.

“Policy is not something that can take place in the fluorescent-lit rooms of an administrative building,” he added. “It must seek to make connections between the technocrat and the citizen.”

Feldman has pursued his interest in environmental policy through internships at the City of Miami Beach firm, the Audubon Society and a socially conscious consulting firm. Ultimately, Feldman hopes that his experience with the Carnegie Fellowship will allow him to pursue a graduate degree in public policy and a career as a researcher and advocate for environmentally conscious public policy.

May 22, 2015 | The Amherst Student | 5

Honorary Degrees Paul Smith ’76 Attorney Paul Smith ’76 is a partner at Jenner & Block’s Washington, DC office and is also a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Smith graduated from Amherst in 1976, receiving both summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa honors. Smith then went on to receive a law degree from Yale Law School where he also worked as the editor-in-chief for the Yale Law Journal. After school, Smith worked as the law clerk for both Judge James L. Oakes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell. Throughout his legal career, Smith argued several high-profile cases at the Supreme Court, including Lawrence v. Texas, United States v.

American Library Association and Mathias v. WorldCom. Smith also received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association in 2010 as well as being named one of the “decade’s most influential lawyers.”

Smith currently serves as the co-chair of Lambda Legal’s National Board of Directors, a national organization that fights for the rights and liberties of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender Americans and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public works.

Alice Rivlin Economist Alice Rivlin is the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary later this year.

Rivlin was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Bloomington, Indiana while her father worked as a professor at Indiana University. Rivlin went on to study at Bryn Mawr College where she changed her major from history to economics. She earned her bachelor’s of art in 1952, writing her thesis on the economic integration of Western Europe (afterwards, she moved to Europe to work on the Marshall Plan). Later, Rivlin served as the vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board and was the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget during Bill Clinton’s administration.

Recently, President Barack Obama named Rivlin to the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (also known as The Simpson-Bowles Commission). She also co-chaired the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Debt Reduction Task Force. Currently, Rivlin is the director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution, where she is also a senior fellow in the Economics Studies Program. She is currently working as a visiting professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.

Jim Ansara ’82 Founder of Construction Firm

Pardis Sabeti Biologist Dr. Pardis Sabeti is an Iranian-American computational and evolutionary geneticist who developed a statistical method that identifies sections of the genome that have been subject to natural selection. Sabeti was born in Tehran, Iran during the Shah regime. She and her family fled the country after the Islamic revolution in 1979, finding sanctuary in Israel. After moving to Florida, Sabeti attended the Trinity Preparatory School and went on to study biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a bachelor degree in science in 1997. She then was named a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford where she completed her doctorate in evolutionary genetics in 2002. In 2006, Sabeti graduated summa cum laude with a Doctor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Sabeti has received a number of awards, including Smithsonian magazine’s American Inegnuity award in the Natural Sciences category in 2012. Most recently, Sabeti was named a TIME Persons of the Year for her work during the Ebola crisis. In her free time, Sabeti is the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Thousand Days.

Eric Carle Author & Illustrator Eric Carle is the award-winning author and illustrator of more than 70 children’s books.

He is best known for one of his earliest works, “The Hungry Caterpillar,” which sold more than 38 million copies and has been translated into 62 languages since its release in 1969. In 1929, a young Carle moved to Germany with his immigrant parents. In 1952, Carle returned to the United States and landed a job in the promotion department at The New York Times. Later, Carle became a designer at an advertisement agency, and Bill Martin Jr., a renowned author and educator, noticed one of his works. Martin asked Carle to illustrate “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?,” which remains a classic children book today. Since this early work with Martin, over 128 million copies of Carle’s books have been sold and are loved by generations of children and parents worldwide.

Images (clockwise from top right) courtesy of washingtonian.com, csmonitor.com, Nako Wowsugi, eric-carle.com, Wikimedia Commons, Paul Smith

6 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Jim Ansara ’82 is the founder of Shawmut Design and Construction, one of the country’s largest and most respected construction management firms. In 1982, Jim began with only a few employees while he established Shawmut as one of New England’s most successful start-up companies. Ansara specialized in developing projects with complex and difficult conditions, the types of projects most construction managers would not begin to consider. After 18 years of dedicated service to his customers and firm, Jim assumed the position of Chairman for Shawmut in 2006.

Today, Ansara continues to work closely with the Board of Directors at Shawmut while also turning his attention to philanthropy. He and his wife, Karen, helped establish the Ansara Family Fund with the mission to affect change in poverty. Since 2008, the Ansaras have worked with Partners in Health, a Boston-based international health organization that works to construct facilities in Haiti. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Ansara worked to reestablish the country’s power supply and primary teaching hospital, a project that proved to be a major source of economic development in the region. In 2013, Ansara continued his work in developing countries by establishing Build Health International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building medical facilities in Haiti as well as a number of African countries.

Sonya Clark ’89 Artist & Educator Sonya Clark ’89 is an award-winning contemporary artist and educator who is known for her use of common materials to address issues of race and class throughout history.

Clark first gained recognition for her work 20 years ago during an exhibition of her acclaimed beaded headdresses and braided wig series. Since leaving Amherst, Clark’s work has been shown in six continents, all of which earn consistently favorable reviews in publications such as The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago as well as a master of fine arts degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Throughout her career, Clark has received many awards and honors, including the United States Artists Fellowship, a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation Residency. Later, Clark received tenure with distinction as the Baldwin-Bascom Professor of Creative Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 2006, she has been chair of the Department of Craft/Material Studies in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, one of the top art departments in the nation.

Senior Profile | Savannah West

Campus Leader Carves a Legacy of Her Own Through sheer determination and unshakable conviction, Savannah West leaves behind a legacy that is characterized by her commitment to giving back.

— Gabby Edzie ’17 To accomplish everything that Savannah West has, you must possess an unwavering commitment that influences every decision and action. At Amherst, the community associates her name with confidence and conviction. The political science and art history double major devotes herself whole-heartedly to all that she does, and after a brief interview with her, it’s quite obvious what nourishes that notable determination: her legacy.

West has a hyperawareness of that which came before her, and therefore an ample readiness to work towards a better future for all those around her.

At Amherst, we see the result of her conviction: her dance career, her role on the Judiciary Council, and her recent acceptance of a Fulbright fellowship. But behind the endless accomplishments lies a deeply rooted belief that one individual can be a catalyst for widespread progress.

Roots West was born and raised in Chicago, a city grounded in a vivid history, and one West describes as an ideal place to live.

“It’s beautiful, accessible and cheaper than New York,” she said.

West is the daughter of a doctor and a teacher, and the oldest of four sisters. West cherishes the spirited family dynamic that exists within a family of four sisters, and her leadership skills are evident even within her role as the oldest sister “Savannah Joy — affectionately known as the only ‘Captial-S Sister’ — is the fearless leader of the West sisters,” said her sister Layla, a student at Howard University. “She is everything a leader should be: decisive, caring and confident. Her example has paved the way for all three of her younger sisters; we see her and know that success comes with not ambition, but with tenacity.”

West attended high school at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School where she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Latin National Honor Society, the Latin club

and the dance team. She was just as determined to leave a constructive legacy then as she is now and was an active member of the Middle Passage, the school’s Black Student Union, and the president of Students Against Drunk Driving.

West’s parents were also born and raised in Chicago, and West is heavily influenced by their determination and drive.

“Both of my parents are African American. They were born and raised in Chicago, and they were dirt poor. Also, my parents’ lineage can be traced back to Arkansas slavery,” she said.

West has been raised to remain aware of the struggles particular to minorities in America, and especially the African American experience. She said her family prides itself on a desire to give back to others, in hopes of one day expelling such racially rooted hardships from the future.

“My mom is a doctor and my dad’s a teacher,” West said “My mom works in this little rinky-dink hospital, even though she’s been offered a job at University of Chicago and all these other great places, simply because it’s really important in my family to give back. I really don’t care about money at all, and I don’t think I’ll ever be making much money. But the biggest priority in my family is to contribute to the community. And not just in general, but also to people of color.”

Coming to Amherst The choice to attend Amherst was simply another chance for West to acknowledge the importance of her family’s legacy. West’s uncle, Arthur Reliford, was the first in her family to attend college, beginning his Amherst career in 1971. He was a member of the varsity basketball team, president of Drew House, President of the Black Student Union and was the first black studies major. However, he found that Amherst was “a hard place to be black,” West explained. Reliford found himself dissatisfied with the administration. In light of his struggles

with the administration, he refused to walk at his commencement in 1976.

Despite Reliford’s experience, West decided to continue the family’s Amherst tradition, in hopes that Amherst had changed for the better.

“I decided to apply because I’m really into history and legacy and traditions. I wanted to continue this family tradition of going to Amherst, even though only one person had gone,” West said. “He told me to beware Amherst’s administration, as some things don’t change, but then I came here and I had a great time.”

West’s time at Amherst inspired Reliford’s decision to return to Amherst for the first time since he earned his degree — and this time he’ll certainly be attending commencement.

West’s commencement will undoubtedly serve as a symbol for the change from Reliford’s Amherst career; West plans to get him a graduation cap, allowing him to officially graduate alongside her.

A Double Major For West, the decision to double major in political science and art history came naturally as she explored her academic interests. Through the guidance of professors and a few lucky class picks she eventually found an academic context for her interests in legacy and history. She began with studio art, which led her to art history, which finally led her to political science.

“A lot of times the things I’m studying seem exactly the same. I take artifacts from the past, and talk about what they mean now, in whatever the specific context is. I feel like I’m always doing that same type of thinking,” West said.

Her inquisitive nature in class demonstrates her appreciation for the past and her desire to inspire change.

“It is always fun to teach a student like Savannah who loves to read and is passionate about ideas,” Political Science Professor Kristin Bumiller said. “Savannah stands out for her deep commitment to the politics of

Photo courtesy of Savannah West ‘15

Graduating with a double major in political science and art history, West will travel to South Africa next January with the start of her Fulbright English Teaching Assistanship.

Photo courtesy of Savannah West ‘15

Whether with her family in Chicago or with one of her many communities at Amherst, West has always been a role model. poverty and race and her willingness to explore creative approaches to intractable social problems.”

Additionally, West has served as a dedicated research assistant for Art History and Black Studies Professor Rowland Abiodun — West was even published in his book — and Black Studies Professor John Drabinski.

Her poise in striving to inspire positive change for minorities hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Savannah is incredibly sharp, sensitive, insightful, kind, interesting, has great taste, and has smart politics – something that came out over the past year with the Black Lives Matter events,” Drabinski said. “My one real regret over the past few years is that none of us successfully recruited her to be a black studies major.”

Influencing Campus Life West’s passion for leadership and inspiring change has influenced all aspects of campus life. Her characteristic ardor has led to her unwavering commitment to a variety of groups such as, Judiciary Council, the Black Student Union executive board, the DASAC dance group, the Senior Gift Committee and her role as an Engagement Fellow working in alumni relations. And as you might have guessed, all these organizations stress the importance of giving back to the community.

Savannah was granted one of four open spots on DASAC her first year at Amherst. In gracing the DASAC stage, West was able to work towards her major goal of bettering the Amherst community. West joined the DASAC team as a way of honoring arts on campus, and she noted that arts on this campus can be heavily underappreciated. DASAC proved to be a good growth experience for West as well.

“It was my first family and it built my confidence,” she said.

West’s efforts as an Engagement Fellow and chair of the Senior Gift Committee are another direct parallel to her values: She connects alumni new and old to the current Amherst community, and encourages all to give back in order to allow others the same Amherst experience she has had.

Despite the rigors of her busy

schedule, each commitment gets West’s full attention. This holds true as well for the meaningful relationships in West’s life — she maintains unfaltering kindness and sincerity with all whom she knows.

“Savannah is responsible, loyal and dependable, as can be seen through her ability to do all that she does and still maintain enough sanity to be the fun-loving friend she is,” her friend Katherine Ponds ’15 said.

A Legacy of Her Own As evidenced by the poise and “smart politics,” as Drabinski put it, exercised in her political science and black studies courses, as well as in her role as a research assistant, West hopes to build her legacy through public service.

“I would love to be Illinois attorney general — the civil rights division,” West said. “Long term, I hope to become a judge. That’s the goal.”

She added, “I think that there are different ways to better a people and by means, my gifts and my talents — I’ll do it though the bureaucracy of the American government. For black people, there must be a black person who is representing you in your government. Things don’t get done unless there is.”

West’s post-Amherst legacy will begin next January, with the start of her Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, after she studies for and takes the LSAT. The Fulbright application process was grueling, and required the support of the friends West cherishes so well, but now she is simply “glad” to have gone through the process.

West will be heading to South Africa to teach and to explore the subjects that she stumbled upon through her natural curiosity: history, politics, art.

West said she is excited to learn more about the legacy of South Africa’s civil rights struggles.

“It’s what I wrote about for my Fulbright app, it’s what my parents have taught me since day one,” West explained. “Even with things on campus all my things that I’ve chosen to do and every decision that I’ve made, for my extracurriculars and for myself, its just has to agree with my own constitution but also at the same time it has to be helping someone else.”

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 7

Senior Profile | Melih Levi

Literature Lover Looks Beyond the Ivory Tower Melih Levi found a home in the English department, but his passion for literature is by no means confined to the classroom.

— Sophie Murguia ’17 Midway through my interview with Melih Levi, he stopped the conversation to read me a quotation by Elizabeth Bruss. Levi recently received the English department’s prestigious Bruss Prize, an award established in memory of a beloved Amherst English professor. Since receiving the prize, Levi has delved hungrily into Bruss’ writings, and he can’t help but share.

“She’s endlessly fascinating,” Levi said of Bruss. “She wrote this book called ‘Beautiful Theories’ which I think you would really like.”

Melih Levi is the best sort of person to ask for a book recommendation.

The consummate English major, he is always updating his Facebook status with quotations from famous poets or telling you about the authors he thinks you would like. For him, literature is an intensely communal experience.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, then, that when I asked him to meet me at one of his favorite places on campus, he chose Johnson Chapel. It was a swelteringly hot day near the end of reading period, and Levi was finishing up the last paper of his college career.

Although the heat and the stress of finals had proved almost incapacitating to the rest of us mortals, Levi seemed perfectly at ease as he sat cross-legged in the grass outside JChap, looking like he’d come straight out of a college admissions brochure.

He said he likes the building especially because of its connection to Amherst’s rich literary history.

“It just feels like I can imagine other people’s experiences at Amherst,” he said. “After I read Wordsworth, I can look back at the building and think about all those other people in the past who might have felt excited about reading Wordsworth. I think it has just become a site of imagination and reflection and a site for connecting with past generations of Amherst English

students.”

As his days at Amherst draw to a close, it’s clear that Levi still relishes his ties to the college’s community of poets, writers and scholars. He told me that since coming to study at Amherst, he’s discovered that many of his favorite writers have connections to the Amherst area — among them James Merrill, James Baldwin, Agha Shahid Ali and, of course, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson.

The Beauty of Poetry Levi didn’t always know he wanted to be an English major, though.

When he arrived at Amherst from his hometown of Istanbul, Turkey, he was convinced that he would be studying neuroscience.

“When I was back home in Turkey, I always wanted to study Turkish Ottoman literature,” he said. “I am totally in love with Ottoman poetry. But it’s sometimes hard to get people to respect the humanities back home.”

Levi rekindled his love of literature after taking a first-year seminar called Big Books with former English professor Andrew Parker.

“That freshman seminar changed everything for me,” he said. “It made me realize that I really need to stick to literature. I think neuroscience was more of a cop-out.”

I first met Levi in an English classroom, in a course on Victorian novels.

It was the spring of his junior year, and he’d just returned from a semester abroad studying Victorian literature at Oxford. Despite this prestigious opportunity, he found that he preferred Amherst’s English department to Oxford’s.

Levi is a meticulous close reader, and he disliked the Oxford tutorials that asked him to read two or three hefty novels per week.

“I want to spend time with the novels, to see what the political stakes of

reading are,” he said. “I want to disturb the novels. I want the novels to disturb me. We don’t have enough time to do that at Oxford.”

In the classroom, Levi is a precise and brilliant thinker, one who bubbles over with enthusiasm for the writers he’s discussing. His words tumble out in breathless paragraphs; it seems like his mouth can hardly keep up with his very sophisticated mind.

And his attention to the text is so close that it’s almost intimidating. Levi’s first-year roommate, Eric Grein ’15, said that even at the beginning of his college career, it was not unusual for Levi to spend several hours on a 20page reading, annotating with three different pens.

One of the joys of taking a class with Levi is that he manages to simultaneously play the roles of both student and teacher — a keen listener who is extraordinarily generous with his knowledge.

This semester I got to see a different side of Levi in the classroom, when he was the teaching assistant for my Reading the Novel class, taught by Professor Judith Frank.

“Students loved him,” Frank said.

“They said that he was not only great at helping them with their papers, but that he was incredibly kind as well.

He became a sort of partner to me in teaching the class.”

Given his passion for discussing literary theory and his somewhat professorial demeanor, you might think that Levi is destined for a career in academia. But the striking thing about Levi is that his love of literature cannot be contained within the classroom.

“One of the biggest concerns I have when I am studying literature at Amherst College is that we become too theoretical, or we become too caught up in our thinking about literature, and we forget the importance of literature in daily conversations,” he said.

When I asked him to name some of his greatest accomplishments at Amherst, he told me about the success he’s had getting his friends excited about poetry.

“Making my roommate Eric Grein fall in love with Wallace Stevens — that’s, I think, a big accomplishment,” he said.

Levi’s friend Ryan Willey, a network and telecommunications technician at Amherst, said that Levi introduced him to Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.”

The two met at a college event in 2013, and Willey said they bonded over their “love for words.”

“He woke me up to the beauty of poetry,” Willey said.

The Politics of Translation

Photo courtesy of Eugene Lee ‘16

Levi poses with his first-year roommate, Eric Grein. The two share a love of poetry and have stayed close over the past four years.

8 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

During his first year at Amherst, Levi’s love of literature led him to undertake a project that would be ambitious for any scholar, let alone a first-year college student. He and History Professor Monica Ringer began co-translating the Turkish novel

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Levi and Professor Monica Ringer translated the Turkish novel “Felâtun Bey and Râkım Efendi,” which is soon to be published.

“Felâtun Bey and Râkım Efendi,” a project they completed this year. Theirs is the first English translation of this 1875 novel by Ahmet Mithad Efendi, and it will be published by Syracuse University Press.

Levi has been fascinated by issues of translation for much of his time at Amherst. He served as the student coordinator for this year’s Copeland Colloquium, which focuses on translation. It’s a particularly fitting project for someone who grew up straddling multiple continents and multiple cultures.

“I grew up in a Jewish house, and that was an interesting experience, because it’s a very small community in Turkey,” he said. “I was lucky to be able to experience different religions in that way. So I would celebrate Passover, I would celebrate Shabbat, but at the same time I celebrated Ramadan with my friends.”

He also had an unusual experience living in Istanbul, which connects the continents of Europe and Asia.

“I live on the European side, and my school was on the Asian side, so I would change continents every day, he said. “That I think is an experience a lot of Istanbul natives have, that we exist in the middle of things, that we can’t make up our minds.”

In his translation of “Felâtun Bey and Râkım Efendi,” Levi said he found himself addressing this issue of being “in the middle of things.”

“The novel is an interesting form because it entered our discourse at a time when we were trying to situate ourselves between Turkish and European,” he said. He told me that his translation was written at a time that many people see as characterized between a desire to emulate European society and a struggle to maintain a sense of Turkish identity.

As Levi’s thinking became, in his words, “more political,” throughout his college career, his understanding of the translation project changed too.

“If we assume that there are only two ways we can go, we ignore a lot of minority politics,” he said. “In Turkey if you’re trying to create a nation, you can’t really focus on that single choice between European and Turkish. There are a lot of communities in Turkey — the Kurdish community, the Armenian community, the Jewish community, that

are also struggling with language problems and also trying to enter the society in different ways.”

As he continued the translation project, he said he became more conscious that “translation is also about choice.”

“That idea of choice also made me anxious about advertising this novel to people as being about the choice we had to make, because I think there are so many other choices we had to make, but we didn’t really pay much attention to them,” he said.

The Real World A week after our interview, Levi came up to me as I was working in Amherst Coffee. It was the Sunday night of senior week, and many of his classmate had flocked to Myrtle Beach and Cape Cod, enjoying one last week of debauchery before getting on with their adult lives. Not Levi, though. He had spent the evening bent over a table in the dimly lit coffee shop, intensely engaged in conversation.

I asked him if he was planning on going anywhere for senior week.

“No,” he said, smiling. “I couldn’t leave.”

It’s the kind of answer I would expect from Levi, who describes coming to Amherst as “the best decision of my life.” He told me that although he’s ready to go, “I’ll be crying when I leave Amherst.” Throughout senior week, I’ve seen him around campus — taking long walks, lingering over a good conversation in Val. Soon, though, he’ll have to leave, as he graduates and gets ready to move to Dublin, where he’ll be an associate at LinkedIn’s Business Leadership Program. It might seem like a surprising move for this lover of literature, but it’s clear from talking to Levi that he couldn’t be more enthusiastic to step out into the “real world.”

“I am not so much disturbed about choosing a corporate track for some time and trying to also pursue creative projects,” he said. “I think I can only benefit from it at this point.”

“I think there’s a reason why people call it the real world,” he added. “We are not only caught up in the world of ideas; we are not trying to pursue some kind of knowledge, but we’re also seeing the implications of that knowledge.”

Senior Profile | Ethan Corey

A Journalist Who Isn’t Afraid to Ruffle Feathers A controversial student journalist, Ethan Corey takes pride in challenging authority, even when it means making enemies along the way.

— Dan Ahn ’17 “Ethan Corey” is one of those unmistakable, larger-than-life names at Amherst. It is placed right at the top of fiery opinion articles and murmured among friends whenever something unsavory might be afoot on campus. Ethan Corey is a unique figure in the community because mentioning his name alone can terrify the entire college administration. He is one of the most prized contributors to journalism at Amherst, a gadfly the size of a dragon.

Keeping Them Honest During his time at Amherst, Corey has made a name for himself in student publications, publishing provocative articles on a range of campus issues.

“Whether it be AAS, the problem of sexual assault or the college’s problematic response to its exposure as an issue, the role of athletics, or the ongoing attempts to ‘manage’ student life … Ethan has elevated discussion at this school like no other student I have observed in my 30 years here,” Professor Thomas Dumm of the political science department said.

Corey’s attributes his passion for journalism to both his personality and his beliefs.

“I guess I like pissing people off,” he said. “I like finding things that people aren’t talking about, or are already talking about, but in a way that misses the key issue, and identifying what that is and bringing it to people’s attention.”

Before Amherst, Corey lived for most of his life on a farm outside of

Baltimore, where his family raises animals, including llamas, which he actively dislikes.

From a young age, Corey displayed the defiant attitude and incisive thinking that would later come to characterize his journalism.

“I’ve always sort of been preoccupied with this idea of ‘fairness’ from a pretty young age. I’m not sure if fairness is the right term, but frustration with arbitrary stupidity would be another way of putting it,” he said.

One of his early confrontations with authority took place during middle school. The administration put in place a ban on chewing gum because students were sticking gum under their desks.

Corey wrote a long letter to the principal pointing out that the reason his classmates were sticking gum under the table was precisely because of the ban, since they could not openly spit their gum in the trash.

“So I told them, ‘This is stupid, unfair and infantilizing,’” he said.

“It didn’t work, but it felt good.”

In high school, Corey was involved in speech and debate, and used the opportunity to get himself into intellectual confrontations with his peers. This zeal for argumentation began to show itself in full force when he arrived at Amherst.

work partially owes its origin to a lucky coincidence.

“For whatever reason, I put my name on the email list for The Student, and unlike the 12 other clubs I put my name on the list for, I actually showed up to the introductory meeting, and there were cookies, and people seemed cool, so I thought, ‘I’ll stick around,’” he said.

Corey joined The Student at a particularly controversial time on campus. He was a member of The Student’s news staff in fall 2012, when an article by former student Angie Epifano pushed the issue of sexual assault to the front of the college’s consciousness.

While researching an article about sexual assault, Corey attended a large student protest in front of Converse during a meeting of the board of trustees.

“It was raining, and I was just wearing a sweater, and it got totally soaked and I kinda got hypothermia,” he said. “But it was cool, because there were several hundred people there, and I was just going around to random people asking them ‘Why are you here,’ and I was able to get an understanding of an issue that I honestly didn’t know anything about. That’s what really got me into digging more deeply into things.”

Burning Questions

Corey eventually became The Student’s managing news editor, working in that position until the end of his sophomore year. He eventually left The Student and be-

During his first year of college, Corey joined The Amherst Student as a staff writer. As it turns out, his formidable body of journalistic

Digging for Answers

Photo courtesy of Ethan Corey ‘15

Corey has written about sexual assault, college alcohol policy and the ban on fraternities, among other controversial subjects. gan writing for AC Voice, which was then still relatively new.

Corey said that the logistical burdens of having an editorial position at The Student were preventing him from writing the articles that he wanted. Since then, he has published AC Voice articles about sexual assault, college alcohol policy and the ban on fraternities, among many other subjects.

The summer after his sophomore year, Corey wrote an article about the e-CHUG survey, which asks students about alcohol use and awareness. After finding that some questions on the survey linked alcohol use and sexual assault in a way that implied that alcohol alone was the decisive cause of sexual assault, he decided to interview the dean of students and the dean of student conduct.

“I was really using the situation as a way of getting them to say things that they would later regret, and they did,” he said.

After the interview and the article’s publication, Corey said he began to notice “terseness” in his interactions with the administrators, who explicitly requested in their emails that he send them the interview questions ahead of time.

“It’s definitely uncomfortable for me to go anywhere near the Office of Student Affairs, because I know that several people there are not necessarily friends with me,” he said.

Off the Court

Photo courtesy of Ethan Corey ‘15

Corey may write about many serious issues on campus, but he maintains a goofball energy when off the job.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that this skilled journalist is an impressive presence in the classroom as well.

“Like a musician with perfect pitch, Ethan has an uncanny ability to hear the false notes in my discourse, and to call me on them in no uncertain terms,” Adam Sitze, an assistant professor of law, juris-

prudence, and social thought said .

“The result is that I have to choose my words all the more carefully, which in turn, I like to think, makes me a better teacher. Ethan’s very presence in class thus ups the quality of class in general.”

Corey said his most intellectually fulfilling course at Amherst was called Black Marxism, a class taught by former professor of black studies Jose Castro-Alvez. The course was a weekly two-hour seminar, but would often go far overtime, once even spanning from 2:30 to 8 p.m.

“It wasn’t a class about plowing through the syllabus, doing the material, weekly response papers. It was much more organic. I thought, ‘This is what I came to Amherst for,’” he said.

One of the class sessions, in which they projected an image of the controversial T-shirt made by an underground fraternity in 2012 and analyzed its subtexts, was one of the events that convinced Corey to so doggedly pursue the complexities that his work has exposed.

According to his friends, despite his stature in the Amherst community, Corey never takes himself too seriously.

“Out of the public eye, Ethan is just a goofball,” Gina Faldetta ’16 said. “He is really, really, smart, though. The thing is, he’s never made me feel bad for not knowing something.”

Another surprising quality of Corey’s is the underlying optimism in his journalism. One of his firm beliefs is that although there may be serious issues that cause pain and confusion in the community, the fact that people created these issues means that people can correct them.

“There’s a quote from Antonio Gramsci. I like translating it as, ‘I’m a pessimist of the mind, but an optimist of the soul,’” he said.

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 9

Senior Profile | Bryce Monroe

A Performer Leaves the Field For the Stage As a versatile member of the Zumbyes and a successful playwright, Bryce Monroe has always had a commanding presence on the stage.

— Elaine Jeon ’17 I’ve stared at a blank word document for the past five days, stumped by how to frame Bryce Monroe’s life with a limited number of words while still doing justice to such an exceptional person. Whether he’s roaming the football stadium, singing with the Zumbyes or writing and acting in his own thesis play, Monroe always performs at a high standard. To me, his life sounds somewhat like that of Troy Bolton from “High School Musical,” — although Monroe would probably laugh at me for flattering him and dismiss the compliment with a simple, “I’ve been blessed.” Regardless of what he thinks, here is a fan trying to paint a picture of a true star.

Athlete by Day, Zumbye

by Night Before coming to college, Monroe was sports-driven, playing football, basketball and baseball year-round.

Naturally, he factored his athletic career into his college decision and chose Amherst to continue playing football.

“Bryce experienced a lot of success early,” his father, Mark Monroe said.

“He was selected to numerous all-city football and baseball teams, earned many AAU basketball championships and won the Super Series World Series in baseball in the seventh grade.

He continued to compete athletically in high school, where he was a member of the state championship baseball team, captained the basketball and football teams and was named to the all-county and all-conference football teams as a senior.”

Monroe’s passion didn’t stop at sports, however. Upon his arrival at Amherst, he immediately began to search for opportunities to showcase his other talents. His father said Monroe was also a natural performer, always enraptured by music videos or television shows as a child, and that “he would repeat scenes for us, dress up in character and perform a favorite scene or song, every line perfectly delivered in tone, tempo and feeling.”

During the summer before he came to Amherst, he met Jake Samuels ’13, who encouraged him to audition for the Zumbyes. Monroe had never been a serious performer but had always been singing, having taken piano and vocal lessons as a kid.

On a whim, he auditioned just for the Zumbyes, not knowing what other a cappella groups even existed on campus, and he was accepted.

After spending four years in the group, Monroe said of the other members, “Those guys are my brothers. [The Zumbyes have] been the most consistent part of my four years at Amherst. We’ve grown together, learned together, got on each other’s nerves together, fought together, got over those fights together and loved together.”

Monroe recognized that balancing football and a cappella wouldn’t be a piece of cake. Football required mul-

tiple practices and lifts every day, while the Zumbyes required the demanding commitment of regular rehearsals and gigs.

“We had issues with scheduling all the time, and I had to miss some gigs for games,” Monroe said. “Because of my football practices, we would even have rehearsals at midnight. Managing those two things was really difficult, but that was my way of getting assimilated into freshman year.”

Soon enough, Monroe found himself balancing the life of a varsity athlete on one hand and the life of a performer on the other. Eventually, after two and a half years of playing football at Amherst, Monroe made the difficult decision to leave the team.

“I miss the guys and I miss playing, of course, but I never defined myself as an athlete — it was what I loved doing,” he said. “But I saw that I was also many other things. [Leaving the team] opened up everything I’ve done since then.”

Changing Direction By all means, Monroe didn’t arrive at Amherst expecting to just play football and sing all the time. He was also a student, and he was very aware of that. In fact, he came to Amherst already convinced that he was going to be a French and law, jurisprudence and social thought double major. He jam-packed his first-year schedule with taxing LJST courses.

By his sophomore year, Monroe realized he no longer wanted to pursue those majors and instead turned to psychology, since he had always been “interested in how people think and behave.” The changes in his life did not stop there.

During the spring semester of his sophomore year, Monroe became intrigued by acting and auditioned for a senior’s thesis play. He said he enjoyed playing the role of a messenger for a non-government organization that is involved in the business of assassination.

“After acting in the play, I got bit by the bug and auditioned for a musical Will Savino ’14 wrote, called ‘Dead Serious,’” Monroe said. Inspired by this newfound passion, declared a theater and dance major during his junior year.

“With the Zumbyes, we all know that Bryce is an amazing performer, and it’s so impressive how versatile he can be,” his best friend and fellow Zumbye Stuart McKenzie ’16 said. “I feel like Bryce spends just as much time singing as he does speaking. There’s a running joke with the Zumbyes that you can never let him near a mic stand [because] otherwise he just goes off in his own world for a while.”

The Lower Frequencies Part of the reason Monroe decided to become a theater and dance major was to write a play for his senior thesis. By then, he had

10 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

realized his true belonging to the stage as a performer and was determined to write and act in his own senior thesis as his final milestone at Amherst.

His thesis was originally going to be an extension of a play he had previously written for a class.

“It was a western-inspired play with this crazy middle-aged man, with an interesting background, and two escape convicts. They travel through the desert and encounter this character through a chance meeting,” Monroe said. He left his adviser meeting in the spring of his junior year, boldly declaring this idea as his senior thesis.

And then he started watching the news in the next coming months.

Monroe began to closely follow the Trayvon Martin case and the events in Ferguson, which prompted him to change his mind about his thesis. He said he simply couldn’t ignore the current state of the black experience in America.

“There is a certain story that needs to be told about the black experience in America, and I, as a theater major, artist and black male, had the opportunity to tell this story, or at least a story, about experiencing America as a black man in the black community,” he said.

Monroe abandoned his previous plan and decided to combine his own experience with Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel “Invisible Man” to write his thesis play. Titled “The Lower Frequencies,” Monroe’s play is a narrative about the inconsistency between the black experience and the American Dream, and the socioeconomic injustices that suppress the black community in the United States.

Monroe’s show was wildly successful. “I was mindful of the audience reaction to what they were witnessing,” Monroe’s mother, Pamela, recounted. “I listened to the silence in the auditorium that the intensity of Bryce’s performance commanded. I heard the laughter, the crying, the shocking gasps and I saw the tears and the look of awe on the faces of the people. And for me, it was a transformative experience. It was so clear. We no longer saw our son, standing on stage taking his final bow — we saw the actor, writer, performer he was meant to be.”

What Next?

Monroe is interested in pursuing an acting career. He had his first taste of media spotlight during his sophomore year, when he was on New England Sports Network’s College Face Off. Following his debut on television, Monroe had another opportunity to be under the media spotlight when he auditioned for “Be a

Photo courtesy of Bryce Monroe ’15

Monroe’s thesis play, “Lower Frequencies,” touches on the injustices associated with being black in America.

Voice VIP,” a branch of the hit national singing contest “The Voice” on NBC. The competition was for D.C. locals, and out of thousands of submissions, Monroe was selected as one of 25 semi-finalists.

Of the 25 videos posted online, his submission received a sweeping number of votes and Monroe was invited to perform in front of a panel of local judges at the NBC studio in D.C. Monroe confessed that a memorable part of this experience was when the Voice crew came to his house to film a “behind the scenes” segment. “They put make up on me and I would be like ‘Mom, I’m pretty — I look so good’ and my mom said ‘No’ and made me take it off immediately,” Monroe said, bursting into laughter.

He performed a week later and didn’t end up winning, but he still looks back at this experience fondly, as he always wanted to be on television as a kid. While he still wants to pursue this dream, Monroe believes that he needs to go to stage first.

“If you want to be good at your craft, you don’t want to be just famous,” Monroe said. “Your grassroots are in the theater. When you perform live in front of people, there’s an energy you get from being in front of people, and there’s a certain caliber of performer you need to be to do that. And you get to be humble and prepare yourself.”

Professor of Theater and Dance Wendy Woodson recalled being impressed by Monroe’s stage presence the first time she saw him perform. “ I was struck by his passionate, palpable enthusiasm for performance — he stood out in all the best ways. Bryce belongs on the

stage,” she said.

The first item on Monroe’s agenda is to move forward with his thesis performance. His goal is to make the show more portable for tour, and the theater and dance department has responded by having the college invite Monroe back in the fall to perform again in the Powerhouse and film the play.

Monroe has also developed a close friendship with an assistant professor at Central Connecticut State University, who ended up attending his show. In the weeks following the show, Monroe, as he calls it, “serendipitously” ran into the same professor again at a segment called “Black in the Valley” on Bill Newman’s radio show.

Monroe was invited to discuss his play, and while he was waiting for his segment, a stranger approached him and exclaimed, “You are Bryce Monroe!” From this unexpected meeting developed another opportunity to perform his play at CCSU. Knowing early on his senior year that he wanted to dedicate a large part of his life to his show, Monroe applied to an Amherst College fellowship called the Edward Poole Lay fellowship, which is awarded to “people of unique and unusual ability and voice in music,” as Monroe puts it. He won the fellowship, which will fund the development of his thesis into a professional production.

“Things fell into place,” Monroe said in awe. “It’s not the experience I foresaw for myself before I came here, but it’s the one that I am absolutely appreciative of. I’m frightened for what is to come because it’s the unknown, but I’m excited about the opportunities that I have.”

Senior Profile | Donna Leet

All-NESCAC Scientist Excels in Every Field Donna Leet shines in everything from softball to biology, all while retaining her quirky personality and incredible sense of humility.

— Lauren Tuiskula ’17 A biology and French double major, a Goldwater Scholar, a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a member of the Amherst softball team — these are just a few of the ways to identify the multitalented Donna Leet. I have been fortunate enough to have called her my teammate for the past two years, but never once did I hear Leet brag about these many accomplishments.

Her humble, approachable manner combined with her quirky personality and incredible work ethic makes her an integral part of the Amherst community. While the always-modest Leet would likely be reluctant to tell her story, I’m excited to tell it for her here.

A Coincidental Path to Amherst Leet hails from Seattle, where she attended Lakeside School, a private high school in the city. She was aware of the elite NESCAC schools throughout her college search and recognized that she wanted to use the transition to college as a chance to branch out.

“I knew I was ready to be somewhere different,” Leet said. “I knew I wanted to go to a small school. I learn well in small classes and really wanted to get to know my professors.”

During her visit to Amherst, Leet serendipitously met the biology professor who would later become her thesis adviser, Caroline Goute. Goute happened to be working with a Lakeside alum at the time.

“I saw this girl doing undergraduate research, which is something I wanted in my college experience,” Leet said. “I got a really good vibe on my visit,” Leet said.

What a Find Although she grew up playing softball, starting off in a tee ball league at

the age of five, Leet was not recruited to Amherst in the traditional way.

“I stuck with a lot of sports when I was little, until it was no longer really reasonable to play that many sports,” she said with a laugh. A well-rounded athlete, she competed in both club soccer and softball before eventually deciding to focus on just the latter. She knew that she wanted to play softball at the higher level but didn’t make it her first priority in choosing a college, deciding only to submit an athletic supplement along with her Amherst application.

Luckily, the softball coach at the time, Whitney Mollica Goldstein, gave Leet a call letting her know the team still needed players. It would be a find that helped to contribute to an astounding 97 wins over the course of Leet’s four years, including an appearance in the NCAA championship tournament when she was a first-year.

“I love it because it’s a team sport but also has individual aspects,” Leet said. “It’s incredibly mentally challenging, probably one of the most mentally challenging sports.

It’s trained me to deal with failure in that way.”

It seems as though Leet has handled all of the challenges well though, accumulating numerous athletic honors throughout her career. She is a four-time All-NESCAC recipient and three-time NFCA All Region honoree. Additionally, she boasts a .401 career batting average, leaving her near the top of Amherst’s all-time record books.

Current head softball coach Jessica Johnson spoke to Leet’s capabilities both on and off the diamond.

“Donna is the quintessential Am-

herst student-athlete, in application of her academic, athletic and leadership prowess,” Johnson said. “She took just about everything on that she could possibly take on here at Amherst and was nothing less than first-rate in all endeavors.”

Leet becomes sentimental when speaking about her softball career.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without having it in my life,” she said. “I’m going to miss it so much.”

Wiggling Her Way to a Bio Thesis Upon arriving at Amherst, Leet knew that she wanted to major in the sciences, entering Amherst on the pre-med track. After taking Biology 191, she decided to become a biology major.

Leet decided to write a senior honors thesis in biology after spending two summers researching at Amherst and finding that she had not gotten as far as she would have liked in her various projects.

“Three months of summer is just not enough time to really finish a project or go into depth,” she said.

“The idea of a thesis was exciting because I would have that time to go in depth and spend time with a topic that was interesting to me. I was excited to be able to say that I had done something novel.”

Working in Goute’s lab, Leet focused on a microscopic worm called C. elegans and the various ways that the worm’s cells communicate with each other.

Goute, her thesis adviser, praised Leet’s enthusiasm.

“Donna has an incredible ‘cando’ attitude,” Goute said. “Donna is like an enzyme that lowers an ac-

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Leet has had an impressive softball career: She is a four-time All-NESCAC recipient and three-time NFCA All-Region honoree with a .401 career batting average.

Photos courtesy of Donna Leet ‘15

The Seattle native wrote a senior thesis in biology, building off of years of summer research. tivation barrier; she never seems to hesitate or cower at the thought of a new challenge or the thought of repeating a tedious experiment.”

Goute was also quick to praise Leet’s work ethic.

“I think Donna must have Hermione Granger’s time turner,” she added. “That’s the only way I can imagine that she accomplished everything she did this year, and still remain so cheerful!”

Leet said the thesis process “was definitely a struggle” but still recommends it to those interested.

“I think it was worth it,” she said.

“I would recommend doing it if you find something you’re interested in and you have the passion. I found it incredibly rewarding.”

A Major Found Abroad While studying biology, Leet also took courses in the French department, hoping to improve in the language that she had started studying in high school.

“I was keeping French up because I felt like such a beginner and I wanted to see how much I could learn,” she said.

After a semester abroad in Paris during the fall of her junior year, Leet realized she was almost finished with the French major and took the opportunity to pursue another passion and declare the major.

She describes her time abroad as one of her best decisions at Amherst.

“It was a semester completely different from any other semester I’d had at Amherst,” she said. “I’m proud that I did go abroad, because I was scared to do it and even apply.

I got comfortable with where I was here, so I’m glad I pushed myself and had that wonderful experience.”

Professor Paul Rockwell, chair of the French department, said he has been impressed by Leet ever since her first year at Amherst.

“It took me a while to find out

how talented she was, because when she was a first-year, it took her about three weeks to say something in class,” he said. “This generally quiet student, however, impressed all of her professors by writing truly outstanding papers. Too bad she likes the idea of medicine so much! If she ever changes her mind, there will be a place for her in the world of French studies.”

So What’s Next?

Leet said her passion for medicine has been confirmed after volunteering at Cooley Dickinson hospital throughout her senior year. She’ll continue on in the field and is in the process of applying to medical schools. In the meantime, she will spend the summer working at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary at Mt. Sinai.

“I’ll be working to streamline processes at the hospital, specifically ambulatory care,” she said. “It will include all aspects of ambulatory care. From checking in to post ops to discharge, I’ll be working towards improving each step in that process and making each step valuable for the patient.”

With that experience, she’ll be an even more well-rounded candidate for medical school.

“I think it will prepare me well for med school as I’ll have a more complete understanding of the health care system in general,” she said. “I haven’t really done any work like this previously, it will be nice to work in the public health sphere.”

Wherever her pursuits take her, Leet plans to take some of what she’s learned at Amherst with her.

“I think I really found my voice here,” she said. “I was always shy and hesitant to speak up in classes but I realized the importance of it here. I’ve gotten more comfortable expressing myself. It will take more work but I’m excited to continue to grow.”

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 11

Senior Profile | Dvij Bajpai

A Curious Engineer Who Wears Many Hats Dvij Bajpai has left a significant mark on the Amherst community, not only through his passion for learning but also through his remarkable warmth and compassion.

— Isa Goldberg ’17 When Dvij Bajpai first introduced himself to me, he told me to pronounce his first name like, “Dvij, as in, in-DIVID-ual.” The word could not be more fitting. One would be hard-pressed to find a renaissance scholar as eclectic as Dvij Bajpai.

While at Amherst, Bajpai has distinguished himself in fields as diverse as mathematics, physics, music, literature, engineering and art.

Growing up Bajpai Growing up in Mumbai, India, Bajpai looked up to his older brother, Shail. Both Bajpai and his brother participated in an International Baccalaureate program in India. Shail attended Vassar College and participated in the Dartmouth dual degree engineering program. Bajpai later followed his brother in enrolling in the Dartmouth program, and spent his junior year studying engineering at Dartmouth. After graduating from Amherst, he will spend another year studying engineering at Dartmouth.

Shail “encouraged me to go to a liberal arts college and study math — he was also a math major,” Bajpai said. “And now I’m going to do electrical engineering as well. He’s a trailblazer for me. I have the benefit of his hindsight, which is really invaluable.”

Bajpai also looks up to his parents as mentors.

“My mom is an artist, and my dad is an airline pilot,” he said. “He’s a very free thinker, very different from the dads in a similar position, which is something I didn’t appreciate enough growing up. He has a love for music and literature and traveling and learning about different cultures.”

He has fond memories of learning about music with his father. “Every time we were going to have dinner, my dad would put on music. That’s how we knew dinner was happening,” he said. “He loved Fleetwood Mac and Haydn’s London Symphonies.”

Bajpai recalls being about four or five when his father gave him a recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Eroica, conducted by Herbert

von Karajan. The recording is his most treasured possession.

“My parents ran away from home to get married, because my mom is Catholic and my dad is Hindu. One day my dad told his mom, ‘I’m going to go sleep at my friend’s house,’ and he packed his bags, left and got married. So there was a tension growing up in my family, and I wasn’t able to see my grandparents that much, but I remember them, and they were extremely conservative. My dad broke free from that,” Bajpai said.

Bajpai’s mother brings her creative passion into whatever she does, from her artwork to her cooking. Bajpai said that growing up around that kind of influence made him more creative, daring and unconventional.

Unbounded Curiosity There is no aspect of knowledge that has not fallen under the floodlights of Bajpai’s probing curiosity.

Although he plans to receive an engineering degree from Dartmouth next year, he has made sure not to close himself off from the humanities.

Bajpai has spent past summers designing an efficient fuel-production system in Tanzania, publishing a mathematical research paper with a team of fellow Amherst students and designing a high resolution temperature control device, for which he received the Amherst’s Howard Hughes fellowship.

“He’s passionate about and interested in a wide variety of subjects,” said his friend Nicole Chi ’15. “He’s a math major, but he’s also really passionate about music. He was also very interested in his English classes last semester ... most of the things he does, he becomes very passionate about.”

Bajpai regrets not taking more literature courses, and he said at times he wishes he had double majored in math and English. He also has a passion for philosophy and is particularly interested in the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein.

This summer, he plans to read James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” along with

Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey” in order to better understand Joyce’s references. Enamored with disruptors and innovators, he likes the fact that Joyce was different from his peers and pursued a different path. He admires creators who have not only the courage to create, but also the courage to depart from the norm. It is clear that Bajpai will be a lifelong reader.

When I spoke with Bajpai, he had just completed the final revisions on his math thesis. He wrote about a specific type of computational conundrum known as a “hat problem.”

The problem involves a prison guard who brings in two prisoners tasked with guessing the color of the hat on each of their heads without communicating. Solving the problems, Bajpai said, can be used in improving computer science algorithms. He finds that debugging programs is much like trying to find the flaws in equations, in which there are constantly smaller riddles to solve. It’s that sleuthing process that he enjoys.

Bajpai’s interests also include social advocacy, and he strongly identifies as a feminist.

“That’s something that I feel really passionately about — trying to understand oppression towards not only women, but [also] non-straight men,” said. He is interested “not only in gay rights, feminism and equality — but also in trying to understand the whole spectrum of sexualities and identities, and trying to understand different ways in which people are oppressed on that basis. I am trying to fix that not only in my own life, but, say, in my mom’s life when I visit Mumbai.”

Bajpai’s friends have nothing but glowing things to say about his intellectual curiosity.

“I feel like many people know him to be very dynamic, deeply introspective, able to appreciate the world, and outrageously creative,” Jiwoon Choi ’16 said. Choi also praised Bajpai’s ability to focus on small details.

“We’d be walking on the bike path, and he’d be able to marvel at small things, like a pink flower on the

Photo courtesy of Dvij Bajpai ‘15

The son of an artist and an airline pilot, Bajpaj grew up in Mumbai, India and followed closely in the footsteps of his older brother Shail.

12 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Photo courtesy of Dvij Bajpai ‘15

Bajpaj’s career at Amherst was defined by a limitless curiosity, leading him to explore everything from engineering to literature. side of the path, or a purple bush, or a cherry blossom tree, always able to stop and admire things like that. He’s able to enrich his life in those ways,” Choi said.

“He loves math take-homes,” David Beron ’15 added. “When he has math take-homes, he just disappears for whole weeks. He’s just walking around, taking midnight walks, trying to figure it out. That’s very him.”

Bajpai’s long walks on the bike path — whether with his friends or his math tests — reveal his excitement for learn and share experiences. Bajpai is able to find joy not only in academic subjects, but also in the world and the people around him.

The Dvij Effect It was a balmy Tuesday afternoon as Dvij and I were walking towards Memorial Hill. I tried asking Bajpai a question or two, but my attempts were futile. Every few moments, faces would light up a few feet in front of us as they exclaimed, “Dvij! How are you?!” followed by a warm embrace.

Bajpai’s friend Khushy Aggarwal ’16 was able to describe this phenomenon.

“There is a characteristic Dvij hug,” she said. “If you see him around, he’ll look at you, he’ll be really excited to see you, and he’ll come up to you with his hands wide open.

He’s really genuine that way.”

Chi added, “Dvij treats you like a friend until you become one. I think that’s how he makes friends so easily. He’s one of the few people that I know that genuinely likes people.”

Bajpai has served many social roles on campus, from senate representative to teaching assistant. But his most meaningful rolve have been as a mentor and older brother figure.

Aggarwal said Bajpai helped ease her transition to Amherst. Aggarwal and Bajpai went to the same high school in Mumbai. The two had only overlapped by a year, and Aggarwal had never spoken to him before. Aggarwal remembered contacting him to look through her application essays for Amherst.

“He gave me really good feedback,” she said. “Later, during my freshman year, Dvij was a really big influence, because he was a like a link

to back home, but also a year older, so I would always jokingly call him my big brother. I remember once, we were talking for a really long time on the bike trails, walking, and it was really late at night. And Dvij was like, ‘Yeah, there are snakes and bears around, and I’ll protect you from them.’ And that’s such a Dvij thing to say. Then I remember he told me that everyone has something interesting about them, but it’s up to you to find that. And I thought that was really cool.”

Beron has similar memories of Bajpai, who was one of the first people he got to know at Amherst.

“I think of the fact of meeting Dvij suddenly, and being able to go on a walk for a very long time with him, and opening up completely and sharing where he comes from and what he likes — even though inrospection is part of who he is, he’s also extremely sociable in that kind of way,” Beron said.

Dartmouth and Beyond After graduating with a B.A. in mathematics from Amherst this May, Bajpai will go on to finish his engineering degree at Dartmouth. At some point in his career, he hopes to return to his native Mumbai to work on sustainable development. “I’m interested in engineering and sustainable development, but before I decide how I want to contribute to those fields, I still have decades of learning to do,” Bajpai said. “For now, I plan on going to grad school [and] keeping my eye out for mentors.”

What’s unique about Bajpai is the fact that his interests are so multidisciplinary. He is fascinated by everything. But most importantly, he has a big heart.

“The most meaningful thing is how much his gregariousness inspires me,” said his friend Kyle Ferendo ’17E. “I’m an introvert, and it was really nice to meet somebody when I had so many anxieties about meeting people, who was so friendly and makes friends so easily. These two aspects of his personality, how outgoing he is and how he can find so much joy in so many different things, are what strike me as the most exceptional aspects of him that inspire me.”

Senior Profile | Ricky Altieri

A Language Enthusiast Finds the Right Words Altieri’s love of language permeates all aspects of his life, whether he is editing The Indicator, performing at Gad’s or simply listening to a friend.

— Johnathan Appel ’16 When I first saw Ricky Altieri’s Facebook status on the morning of April 22, announcing that he would be making a toast that in the back room of Valentine Dining Hall that evening, I thought he was kidding. By complete coincidence, I happened to be sitting upstairs when all conversation stopped and everyone turned their attention to Altieri as he took off a puffy coat to reveal a suit and tie. With his trademark wit, he made a moving toast about how much the staff at Valentine have made this campus feel like a home to him.

Depending on whom you ask, Altieri is the former Marsh Coffee House emcee, the guy who got into Mr. Gad’s House of Improv on his fourth try or that person who speaks way too many languages. It’s hard to live on this campus without having had some kind of impression of or connection with him.

Altieri clearly has an impressive resume: He was just awarded a Watson Fellowship and completed an honors thesis in philosophy. Yet beyond all of these accomplishments, it is almost impossible to think of anyone who has the uncanny ability to connect as widely and as deeply as Altieri does.

said. “But as I left, I loved to read, loved to write and loved to think hard even about tiny things that probably don’t matter.”

Altieri’s love of learning and attention to small details is clear after just anhour of talking to him. In fact, he’s quite the grammar nerd.

“I love the grammar of ideas,” he said. “The way ideas can fit together in different patterns and construction, but with a sense of structure to it, to convey a theme and get a point across.”

Photo For the first semester of his gapcourtesy year, of Eugene he enrolled in a language programLeeat‘16X a university in Beijing. After studying Chinese during the day, he engaged in a “conversation exchange” with local friends in which they would spend an hour speaking each language. He and Kristoff also taught English, enjoying both sides of the language learning experience.

In January, they went on a trip to a rural area near Tibet. Altieri and Kristoff spent the rest of their year in the city of Dalian, taking classes at the local The Gap Year school.

It was also at Regis that Altieri first beUltimately, Altieri said that the year, Photo courtesy of Eugene Lee ‘16 came enamored with foreign languages. though often lonely and difficult, shaped After failing a placement test to get into him into a more independent person.

French II, he decided to try something “I was 18 years old and negotiating Altieri will study comedy in various regions of the world next entirely new: Chinese. He became fas- heating bills in a foreign language,” he year as part of his Watson fellowship. cinated with the different ideas he could said. “I learned how to take care of him. He seems like an all right guy,” said getting his back waxed. express with a new language, which he myself even if when I got here, I wasn’t his friend Long You ’17.

And, although few of his peers knew describes as a “from zero” way of learn- as prepared to engage with people as I After performing for Voices of the this during his time at Amherst, Altieri ing about the world. would have liked to be.”

Class and telling jokes as Marsh Coffee played a tremendous role making the While in China for a high school Haus emcee his sophomore year, Alt- campus laugh as the co-founder and program, Altieri experienced first hand Finding His Place ieri realized how much humor meant editor-in-chief of the Amherst Muck how people can connect over the absurWill Savino ’14, who works in the to him. He decided to give Mr. Gad’s Rake. Among his anonymous articles dity of language.

Admissions Office, joked to me that House of Improv a serious try for a sec- were “12 Things Thesis Writers Are “In Chinese, the phrases ‘immedi- Altieri should win “Most Improved Per- ond time, after an unsuccessful audition Tired of Hearing,” and “Professor Poe ately’ and ‘on a horse’ sound very sim- son” at Amherst. After his gap year, Alt- in his first year. He didn’t get in.

Fined $125 for Dominating Text of ilar,” he said. “Something wasn’t sitting ieri was surprised to find just how much He tried for a third time that spring Stop Sign” (though he regrets that he’s The All-Boys School well in my stomach. I didn’t want to be he had to adjust at college. after receiving a huge amount of feed- never actually talked to Poe).

After finishing eighth grade at his rude so I said to my host family ‘I have During his first year, he pledged the back from Savino, a member of the Yet, so much of Altieri’s impact local Scarsdale public school, Altieri to run to the bathroom, but I will return underground Delta Kappa Epsilon fra- group. Gad’s decided not to take any- at Amherst has been more subtle, in went to what his parents euphemisti- on a horse.’ My host brother, who has ternity. Excited to be a part of a group one that semester. his daily interactions and one-on-one cally called “a fun new place,” the Jesuit a wicked sense of humor, said, ‘No, with so many upperclassmen, he soon Altieri was devastated but resolved conversations with friends. Savino deCatholic all-boys school Regis, on the there’s no need to return on a horse.’ found he admired these men despite to try out a fourth time his junior fall. scribed him as a “deeply introspective Upper East Side of Manhattan.

I, however, insisted. Then I went to a their fraternal affiliation rather than be- This time, he was finally accepted. and sympathetic friend.” Though it’s It was a transition in many ways. decidedly horseless bathroom and we cause of it.

“To put myself out there and be easy to list his discrete accomplishments, For one thing, he said the all-male cli- shared a laugh when I got back.”

That summer, he told me he had vulnerable has just become a mindset,” his simple ability to make others feel mate was jarring for him. It was also After accepting a place at Amherst the time “to take a step back and think he said. welcome will be sorely missed throughan intense place where students “liter- for the fall of 2010, Altieri got a mes- about the person I was and the person I out the Amherst community. ally competed over who can have the sage from his childhood friend, Greg wanted to be at Amherst.” He decided Words, Words, Words most depressing work/life balance,” he Kristoff, asking to talk about a gap year. he wanted to invest time in other comAltieri’s passion for language also All The World’s A Stage joked. At the same time though, he was Altieri figured he’d humor Kristoff, but munities and left the fraternity. continued into his college career. His Altieri will spend next year traveling inspired by the academically rigorous over the course of about six hours he “Altieri had few problems forming first year, he decided to give Spanish a the world on the Watson Fellowship, environment. was convinced. new meaningful connections and com- shot and found he had a knack for the studying his passions for comedy and “I’m not sure if I had that love of “It was one of those watershed mo- munities at the college. People seemed language. In fact, because Spanish was foreign culture. He plans on going to learning going into high school,” he ments,” he said. to be drawn to him after first meeting so similar to the Italian he had heard in Chinese, Spanish and English speaking his childhood, he skipped several levels. countries and immersing himself in “It was fascinating to me to learn each country’s comedic culture. that Altieri spoke so many languages,” “The culture of comedy is tied to You said. “Chinese, French, Spanish. regions, countries and languages,” he Also English, really well.” said. “Yet, all our art forms get deeper Though few people know it, Altieri from the aesthetic intermingling with is a prolific poet who often performed other cultures.” his work at Marsh Coffee Haus.

Altieri’s Watson project aims to help His love for the minutiae within merge comedic traditions and create complex ideas gave him a natural in- more cross-cultural understanding. clination towards philosophy, leading “If people are laughing with each him to declare the major his sophomore other, they generally aren’t killing each year. other,” Altieri said, quoting Alan Alda.

Even in the classroom, Altieri’s abiliUltimately, Altieri doesn’t know ty to connect with others shines through. what lies in store for him moving for“He has the amazing personality to ward. He said he may want to study take everyone he is talking to serious- philosophy more, because he enjoys ly,” said Philosophy Professor Nishiten “thinking hard about the little things.”

Shah. “To get the best of what everyone He also may want to get a law degree is saying out of them.” and use his language skills and cultural In fact, one of Shah’s students told understanding to tackle international him that his favorite part of class was issues. whenever “Ricky opens his mouth.”

Altieri’s options for the future cerHis love of words also led him to be- tainly seem unlimited. come editor-in-chief of The Indicator.

“I can see Ricky doing many things.

Photo courtesy of the Offfice of Communications During his tenure at the magazine, he I can see him as a colleague, a politician, As a testament to Altieri’s comedic performance and public speaking skills, the class of 2015 voted wrote some truly touching and hilarious running a business. He’s so amazingly him to be one of the student speakers at the Senior Assembly earlier this May. articles, including one on his experience talented,” Shah said.

13 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Senior Profile | Caroline Katba

Standing on Her Own, Usually in High Heels Political science major Caroline Katba conducts herself with an air of grace and confidence while battling injustice on and off campus.

— Julia Pretsfelder ’18 Caroline Katba’s distinctive style had caught my eye in passing the many times I had seen her smoking a cigarette and holding intent conversations on the sunlit benches in front of Frost.

In her black leather pumps, perfectly tailored dresses and red lipstick, Katba has a commanding, glamorous presence. She is a little intimidating in the way that she seems older than she really is, a cosmopolitan quality that makes perfect sense taking into account the independence with which she has carried herself throughout her life.

As many first-year students can tell you, coming into contact with a student who is a fixture on campus is a bit like seeing a movie star in real life. But my first interaction with Katba was not exactly what I had expected from the chic woman I had initially mistaken for a professor.

I met her in the dorm room of a mutual friend, where she looked much less intimidating under the soft fluorescent lighting. She cradled my friend in her lap as if she were his gentle older sister and asked us very genuinely what we were interested in studying and how our first year was going.

Katba’s tenderness in that moment was indicative of how she seeks to share her kindness and spirit: From asking you how your day is going to fighting for institutional improvements at the college to serving as a true citizen of the world.

She strikes a rare balance between being an outspoken, natural leader while also remaining patient, supportive and down-to-earth.

Navigating Amherst Katba came to Amherst through a scholarship from the Hope Fund, an organization that creates higher education opportunities for Palestinian students at American colleges

and universities. Katba sees Amherst’s diversity as one of its best qualities, though she believes you must seek this diversity out; it won’t come to you.

An excellent conversationalist, Katba often attracts an eclectic crowd of listeners, not only telling good stories but also patiently listening to stumbling questions and taking the time to articulate what she wants to say on controversial topics like race and gender.

“People here are very serious,” she noted as I asked her to reflect on her many conversations here at Amherst.

Upon her arrival, Katba says she missed her family, her food and her culture.

“I missed the solidarity,” she told me during our conversation.

“Everyone is involved in resistance in their own way.”

She was taken aback by the apathy on campus, but this apathy only worked to further stoke her political consciousness. More than simply educating Katba on critical thinking in the classroom, Amherst offered her a political environment in which to exercise this critical thinking. She said she has learned that in order to institute change and action, you need resources, people and ideas.

During her sophomore year, Katba found a channel of resistance on campus working with students like Dana Bolger ’14E, who helped initiate the drive for awareness of sexism and sexual violence at Amherst. Katba became a vocal member of students advocating for a greater institutional commitment to sexual respect. Her shrewd eye for unraveling intersectional threads of injustice was already clear in a 2012 article about sexual respect in The Amherst Student. In her piece, she noted, “There’s a perception in the Five College Consortium that

Amherst College is as snobbish as a school can get, when that’s just not true. It’s our job as students to hold ourselves accountable to everything we say. When we hear people make elitist comments we need to stop those people and educate them on what they’re saying, even if they don’t like what we have to say.”

Katba cites the creation of new Title IX policy as a result of these efforts as one of the most significant changes that occurred during her time here.

A Woman of the World As a political science major who has also extensively studied German, Katba’s academic interests are diverse, though she claimed, “I’m not an academic. I do most of my work outside of the classroom.”

Fittingly, some of her favorite classes here, such as Traumatic Events, Reading Politics and Apartheid, relate to her personal experiences and knowledge as a leftist who has lived in a region full of violence. She understands the effects of oppression and privilege both inside and outside of Amherst and seeks to apply what she has learned in the wider world.

Katba has the insightful ability to think comparatively about the identities she has observed to be entwined with their environments.

For example, spending time living in a variety of places — Palestine, America, Berlin, China, India — has helped her gain a multifaceted, well-rounded perspective on gender issues. She said that where she grew up, women were encouraged to be strong and empowered, contrary to Western stereotypes about Islam.

“It’s not about the headscarf,” she said. “In a time of constant crisis, gender identity becomes more fluid. Women have to assume the responsibilities of men.”

She was wary of oversimplify-

Photo courtesy of Carolina Katba ‘15

Katba’s experience living around the world has given her a well-rounded perspective on gender issues. ing the experience of womanhood in each distinct place, but she noted that in each place she has lived there is still a general trend of “inherent domesticity … a woman is always someone’s daughter, someone’s wife, someone’s sister, someone’s burden.” Even in the U.S., Katba said, where a woman technically has the most legal rights, she is ultimately expected to care for the home and her children.

Although Amherst has responded in some ways to recent student activism, Katba remains unsatisfied.

“There has been cosmetic surgery but at the core it’s the same,” she said. For example, she believes the Day of Dialogue lacked structure, abstracting instances of racism and treating widespread, stubborn issues on campus as if they could be resolved in one day.

She fears that addressing these deep underlying issues, as if it were a PR issue, and then ignoring them is a product of what she characterizes as “the corporatization of culture.” She said that Amherst’s bureaucracy distances the administration from the students and gets in the way of widespread cultural change.

Although she’s never afraid to boldly speak her mind, Katba’s critiques are always thoughtful and well considered. Whether we discussed Germany’s relationship with Judaism and Israel or the structure of the administration at the College, she carefully evaluated the positive and negative qualities in a given environment rather than outright condemning it for its problems.

Reflecting on Four Years

Photo courtesy of Carolina Katba ‘15

“She leads through her actions, not just her words, and refuses to be silent in the face of injustice,” said Brian Zayatz ‘18. “But she’s also one of the most loving people I know.”

14 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

“Take the time to reflect,” Katba said when I asked her what her main piece of advice would be for students still in college. When she reflects on her own time at Amherst, she said that she feels like fellow students have received the correct impression of her and is satisfied that she has established herself on campus by speaking out.

“People think I’m aggressive, and they’re right. I am,” she told me.

Katba’s friends speak admiringly of her impact on campus.

“Caroline has inspired me to always try to be a better person,” Brian Zayatz ’18 said. “She leads through her actions, not just her words, and refuses to be silent in the face of injustice, no matter how big or small. Some folks around campus only see her fierce side, but she’s also one of the most loving people I know. She’s a personal hero of mine.”

Although her name is peppered across the archives of The Amherst Student, signed and unified with others on petitions advocating for justice in Palestine, sexual respect or greater efforts to eliminate racism on campus, she said she has not thought too much about her legacy at Amherst. She wants to dedicate her life to a cause rather than her name by working in advocacy for Palestine after graduation.

Unsurprisingly, her deep friendships and relationships with professors, students and staff color her relationships most of all.

“I don’t mean this in a condescending way, but I will miss being surrounded by such a high concentration of talented people,” she said. She’s especially proud to belong to the class of 2015: “We really fought as a class,” she told me.

Her care for others extends to the individual level; when I repeatedly apologized for going on tangents during our interview, she told me not to worry because she is used to listening to people as a Resident Counselor.

“Stop apologizing,” she said “That’s something else I’ve learned to do. When you want to say ‘sorry,’ pinch yourself or squeeze your toes.

It’s easy for me to do because I wear closed-toed heels.”

My first, surface impressions of Katba as a mythic figure changed during our conversations, bringing out her kindness and warmth. Even so, she still seemed like a figure larger than life as she pulled out a handrolled cigarette from a soft black, studded leather case from France and said, “People say I am a strong woman, but I’m just a woman. I am my own woman.”

Senior Profile | Chris Tamasi

A Big Brother to Some, A Role Model to All Chris Tamasi did not let his successful football career completely define his identity at Amherst, creating a charity and working closely with Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

— Eli Mansbach ‘18 Within the Amherst community, Chris Tamasi has become something of a household name. Although his role as captain of the football team is more than enough to make him stand out, Tamasi’s genuine and caring personality has left an even larger impression on the Amherst community than his athletic endeavors.

Tamasi’s friendly, outgoing nature has brought him success in everything from theater to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, touching the lives of many individuals on campus.

Coming to Amherst Tamasi grew up in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb south of Boston. He attended a Catholic all-boys school, where he participated in a myriad of sports, including football, baseball and track and field. Tamasi has been playing football since he was six years old.

Tamasi said that when he started looking at colleges and embarked on the recruiting process for football, he became interested in Amherst both because of its location and because he had friends attending UMass. It was luck more than anything, however, that would bring him here.

“I think we were driving to Colgate or Cornell, and my dad was like, ‘Hey, let’s stop at Amherst on the way,’” Tamasi said. “I stopped here and ended up taking an overnight. I loved it. I loved the people, the people I met on the [football] team, the people who I met while hanging around campus, and I could really see myself fitting in here.”

Although football has been an integral part of Tamasi’s life, he said that coming to Amherst was an academic choice as well.

“As an academic institution, I knew I was going to receive one of the best educations,” Tamasi said.

“That was foremost what I was interested in and the open curriculum was intriguing to me as well.”

Tamasi ended up being accepted

early decision to Amherst.

Balancing Academics and Athletics Academics and football have always played central roles in Tamasi’s life, but juggling the two commitments at Amherst was initially a tough challenge.

Tamasi recounted that when he first arrived at Amherst, he felt that he wasn’t academically up to par with the rest of his peers.

“I went to class and felt a sense of intellectual inferiority to my peers,” Tamasi said. “Every time someone raised their hand and spoke with eloquent ease, my hand slowly went down and I wasn’t as comfortable.”

Tamasi’s initial academic frustration also stemmed from the classes he was taking.

“I was under the impression I had to major in economics in order to be a businessman and wear a tie someday,” Tamasi said. “I quickly realized that was not the case, and I finally found my passion studying English.”

Tamasi’s schedule during football season comprised of class, practice and homework with meals squeezed in between, but he found that the strict schedule actually improved his academic performance.

“I often found that I did better academically when I was in season because my schedule was so regimented,” Tamasi said.

Despite the initial fear of maintaining a healthy balance between sports and education, Tamasi was able to successfully manage his time, and this past fall his GPA qualified him to be on the NESCAC All-Academic team.

Poetry and his Book Deciding to pursue the subject that was both his strength in high school and his long-time love, Tamasi declared the English major. He said his greatest passions in English are reading and writing poetry. His love

of language and poetry began with his experience playing piano as a child.

“I always dabbled on the piano and I wrote songs, and I think that was the beginning of when I started to explore rhyme and meter and it always came naturally for me,” Tamasi said.

Tamasi’s favorite poet is Shel Silverstein, particularly when he is “feeling childish,” but he also enjoys reading Philip Larkin, James Merrill and Robert Lowell.

Last summer, Tamasi stayed in the valley as a Mellon student research fellow and worked with the Nelson Brothers juvenilia collection. The Nelson Brothers are known for having created more than 50 illustrated children’s books.

“They had a little library,” Tamasi said. “It was periodicals, newsletters, stories, mostly dealing with themes that were relevant to their times.”

Tamasi and his co-workers created an online exhibit for this collection, and Tamasi wrote much of the content about the collection and the imaginary world the brothers created.

That research combined with his love for English and poetry to culminate in his senior project. Tamasi decided to create a manuscript for a children’s book in poetic verse titled “Offline.”

“Offline” recounts the story of a young child named Kyle (named after Tamasi’s “little brother” in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program) who grows up in a 21st-century apartment complex with few opportunities to play outside. As a result, Kyle relies on video games and electronics to entertain him. When Kyle and his mother move to a residential neighborhood, however, his neighbor, Brendan, asks him, “Do you want to come outside and play?” Although Kyle is reluctant at first, he eventually joins Brendan outside and by exploring his backyard and playing games, Kyle is able to unleash his imagination.

Photo courtesy of Chris Tamasi ’15

In addition to qualifying for the NESCAC all-academic team, Tamasi enjoyed an undefeated season in football both his first year and his senior year at Amherst.

Photo courtesy of Chris Tamasi ’15

For his senior project, Tamasi created a manuscript for a children’s book in poetic verse titled “Offline.”

“The book’s message is for younger generations to restore balance between imaginative and technological forms of entertainment in a society that is so heavily influenced by the devices we’re surrounded by,” Tamasi said.

Tamasi worked closely with Writer-In-Residence Daniel Hall, who said that his time with Tamasi has been, “a great pleasure, especially since we share an obsession with revision and fine-tuning.”

“My first strong impression of him came during office hours, when I realized just how much energy he was willing to devote to the problem at hand, how determined he was to get things right,” Hall said. “That impression has since been confirmed, many times over.”

Tamasi is currently looking to explore the children’s literature market and hopes that his manuscript will be published and illustrated soon.

How He Left His Mark Tamasi’s involvement with all aspects of campus life has granted him the opportunity to interact with seemingly everyone on campus. He has been involved in a wide range of activities since his first year at Amherst. He has been a tour guide for Admissions, worked as the athletic liaison for two years and acted as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Another of Tamasi’s cherished memories at Amherst was acting in a play called “Probably,” written by Owen Davis ’14. The play was about sexual violence and respect.

Theater “is an art form that is so flexible,” Tamasi said. “It’s a way of expressing one’s self in a controlled environment ... I think it’s so cool to step onto a stage and take on a new character that’s different than who you are.”

Tamasi has also started his own charity. Last year, he created a program called ’CAC Giving Back. The charity collects leftover, non-perishable foods from sporting events and donates them to the Amherst survival center.

“They started bringing 20, 30, 50 pounds of food to my dorm room in Waldorf and I would run it over to the

survival center myself,” Tamasi said.

“Once the program legitimized, more teams got involved. During the fall we were reaching 100 or 200 pounds consistently during peak competition each week.”

Of course, Tamasi’s largest commitment during his Amherst career has been football. Tamasi is an outside linebacker and one of the captains for the team this year. Over his four years at Amherst, the team’s record has been 29-3, with undefeated seasons his first and senior year.

“Football, I think, is a game that teaches a lot about life in general.”

Tamasi said. “It’s a team-oriented sport and you can’t possibly succeed by being one star player.”

Tamasi has also had a large impact on the program. Luke Bussard, the team’s defensive coordinator and linebacker, has closely worked with Tamasi over the past four years.

“Chris, in his four years, as a person, as a student and as an athlete, has done so much for this school, our program as a whole and me,” Bussard said. “He has made our team, this community a better place with all the things he has done and is leaving this place in a much better place than he found it.”

Perhaps the most important part of Tamasi’s legacy at Amherst will be the connections he has established with so many people on campus.

“Chris is incredibly genuine, and I think that is why he has been able to have such an impact on so many people in the Amherst community,” Tamasi’s friend Jacob Shuman ‘15 said. “Just through daily conversations, people trust him and want to get to know him better, which I would attribute to the way he carries himself and pursues the things he is interested in.”

Perhaps Tamasi’s impact on Amherst can be summed up best by Daniel Hall.

“We love students who defy expectations, who play against type, and Chris exemplifies these qualities,” Hall said. “He leaves the football field littered with the bodies of his enemies, then goes off to meet with his ‘little brother’ or to write another stanza or two of his children’s story in verse.

What’s not to like about this guy?”

May 22, 2015 | The Amherst Student | 15

Senior Profile | Maria Darrow

Breaking Down Barriers to Create Public Art Maria Darrow will be remembered at Amherst both for her magnetic personality and for her commitment to creating thought-provoking public art.

— JinJin Xu ’17 It was a Thursday night, and the room in the Octagon was softly lit with strings of Christmas lights. The long wooden tables, pieced together during the day, were spread at various angles around the room, covered with tablecloths and plates of cheese.

A spotlight shone from the second floor balcony into the corner of the room.

When I walked in, students were clustered around various tables, engaged in conversation. Surprised by the transformation of the room in which I usually have an 8 a.m. lecture, I stood by the door with two other first-years, unsure of where to go.

We had heard whispers of a “House of Poems,” a monthly event where Amherst students come to recite their favorite poetry. “Bring a poem,” the email read, “and spread the word.”

A girl with curly blond hair and a big silver goblet in hand approached us, smiling, “Welcome! I’m Maria,” she said. She proceeded to introduce us to others at a table, and upon making sure everyone had a drink, she stepped into the spotlight, and recited Sierra Demulder’s poem “Vaginazilla.”

“A response poem to your poem about how buying tampons for your daughter is terrifying, but you do it because you love her,” she began.

Her eyes were closed, and her hands moved in expressive circles. Upon stumbling on a line, she laughed. Her embarrassment was genuine, and her laughter, warm, so we laughed along with her.

An Awareness of Space Most people who know Maria Darrow talk about her presence, but inevitably struggle to find the right words to express it.

Jeffrey Feldman ’15 described “being struck by her presence” when he met her in North Dormitory their first year at Amherst.

“I distinctively remember looking into the common room and seeing everyone surrounding her. She seemed very present, partly because

of her wild hair,” he joked.

Whether through her musical and artistic collaborations — and there are many, both intentional and improvisational: bands, open-mics, films, songs, jams, duets — or just through her everyday interactions with people around her, Darrow has a way of bringing people together, perhaps unintentionally.

Darrow’s sister, Cassie, a first-year at Yale, often visited her, and the two performed duets at Marsh Coffee Haus.

“She’s got a way of being aware of space and the way people take up space,” Cassie Darrow said.

Indeed, while her energy and smile naturally draw others to her, Darrow is most interested in those around her. She listens, instead of speaking, and even during this interview, I found myself answering almost as many questions as I was asking. “What do you think?” she would ask, turning my own questions back on me. “Why?” Her receptiveness to others is most clearly expressed in her artwork.

As a practice of art major, Darrow’s thesis aims to create public art at the college. By painting large murals of female Amherst students onto the walls of four social dorms, Darrow challenges our notions of, and complicity in, the Amherst social scene — reorienting everyone who shares the space.

Feldman recalled a resident of a social dorm asking her, “What does it mean?”

“What do you think it means?”

Darrow replied. The student was reluctant to respond. They went back and forth, questioning one another, until he was finally moved to speak his own opinion.

“She’s less interested in talking about her own work, but would rather listen to people and see them react to it, even if their opinions are tangential to her own thinking,” Feldman said.

Her commitment to creating public art — she even painted live during

her thesis exhibition — embodies not only her desire to include everyone in her artistic process, but also her intrinsic understanding of space.

She inspires us to realize that we, too, share this space with one another.

Taking the Journey When I asked her to share some of her accomplishments at Amherst with me, Darrow instead began to recount her most memorable experiences here, starting from meeting her FOOT trip leader during orientation. She recalled the many unexpected conversations she has had at Amherst, her time playing Frisbee, and her decision to leave the a capella group the Bluestockings so that she could “actually hang out” with friends.

Rather than focusing on her successes, Darrow emphasized her passion for “failing” sculpture. She said Sculpture I was the “hardest class” she took because she has “never been asked to think in this way before.”

“I felt like I was failing all the time,” she admitted.

Her solution? “So I decided to take Sculpture II, and I still felt like I was failing, but was constantly trying to come up with solutions to problems,” she said. “It always feels nearly impossible.”

Darrow is clearly more focused on the process of making art than the final product. On stage, she improvises lyrics and guitar melodies. In her art, she incorporates her process of creation so that the process itself becomes art.

“Her spirit of openness and exploration allows her not to catch the prize, but take the journey,” Feldman said.

Demanding Permission Darrow described being frustrated with the way that Amherst is “resistant to diversity of thinking, and different forms of expression.”

“We are so obsessed with cleanliness and homogeneity,” she said. “We are great critical thinkers, and can

Photos courtesy of Maria Darrow ’15

“She’s got a way of being aware of space and the way people take up space,” said Darrow’s sister, Cassie. write great academic papers on our social scene, tearing it apart, but we are not good at creating things and inciting change.”

Darrow decided to paint on the walls of the socials despite the fact that she hadn’t received official permission from the college. As a part of her thesis exhibition, she posted a wall of printed email correspondences, photos and articles, documenting the administrative hurdles she has experienced trying to display her art.

At first, Darrow tried to gain administrative approval. Even though she knew the official route would be long, frustrating and strenuous, she thought it would be valuable to establish a way for other students to create public art in the future. She said she wanted to “force them to come up with a solution so it would be a possibility for others,” and document the process.

The process proved to be impossible. And so, “I just went ahead and did it,” she said. With this act, she said she hoped to push against not only the actions of Amherst’s administration, but also a culture of complicity and complacency within the student body.

When Darrow told me that her murals would be taken down in the next few days, I expressed my anger, pointing out that there is considerable support for her art amongst faculty and students.

“I don’t necessarily want people to defend my art,” she replied. “You know, there are so many important things happening in the world.”

Breaking Barriers

Photos courtesy of Maria Darrow ’15

Darrow’s senior thesis in studio art included an exhibit in the Powerhouse and a collection of murals painted in the social dormitories.

16 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

It is difficult to pin down Maria Darrow with a label of any sort. She has a knack of finding and opening up communities, and traveling amongst them, while maintaining her own sense of identity.

On campus, she is a part of the Ultimate Frisbee team, but describes herself as preferring to belong on the periphery. She moved off campus her senior year in order to live with friends.

She has embedded herself in the local Amherst community in many ways. She spent her sophomore summer working at Simple Gifts Farm.

By making a documentary about The Harp, an Irish pub in town, she got to know Amherst’s music scene.

Darrow resists being defined by any single organization or identity, allowing a rare openness. Feldman referred to this openness as her constantly maintaining an “understanding of herself outside of the various communities.”

Darrow mentioned that she came to realize just how “precious” the Amherst communities were to her after coming back from studying abroad in Paris.

“What a strange gift it is to have all these nerdy people who just really appreciate thinking, and each other,” she said.

She thinks, however, that there are not enough intimate spaces on campus to help us realize this sense of community. She spoke of the need to have more spaces similar to the House of Poems, spaces that are both inclusive and safe.

“People should have spaces not only for events,” she said. “We want as many people as possible to come to the House of Poems, but they have to seek it out and be willing to respect vulnerability, and be vulnerable enough to travel there.”

Into the Void As we came to the end of our conversation, I realized that I had been so inspired by Darrow’s engagement in the present moment that I had forgotten to ask about her plans for the future.

“In the summer, I am going home to Portland, Maine,” she said. “My sister and I are planning a series of community workshops at our library, working with kids. We want to involve people in the community to share their skills. The workshops will have an underlying feminist theme.”

She said that it would be nice to be home for a while, recalling that some high school students she worked with on a mural through a grant from the Mead Art Museum had told her, “Portland misses you.”

“Well, what about after the summer?” I asked.

Without a pause, she replied, “To enter the void. I want to explore.

That’s the plan.”

Senior Greetings

Congratulations to you Sarah!

We love you and look forward to watching you shine.

Remember the Lord in all you do and he will give you success. Proverbs 3:6 Love, Mom, Dad, Jack, Brandy and Dash

Uncle Bill: “Always willing to step outside of your comfort zone in order to achieve your goal.”

Uncle Richard & Aunt Aileen: “Congratulations Nicholas on such a monumental achievement. We wish you the very best that life has to offer in the next chapter of your life.

‘The ultimate measure of a person is not where he or she stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he or she stands at times of challenge and controversy.’

Again, we are so proud of you.”

Greg, Congratulations!! We are so so proud of you! We can’t wait to see how you paint “your” world!

We love you, Mom, Dad, Jaci, Josh, Rebekah, Grandma Helene, Grandpa Arnie and Grandma Alice

Uncle Donald & Aunt Jane: “To the best nephew.

Congratulations and best wishes!

Mom & Dad: Wishing you long life & happiness.

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 17

Senior Greetings

in the blink of an eye ...

The Proud Family of Nazir D. Khan

Forever No. 72, Forever a Lord Jeff!

Congratulations Jonathan Woodrow!

The Woodrow Family Mom, Dad, Isabelle, Henry, Juliette and Audrey 18 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Senior Greetings

MAXIE: YOU ARE THE SUN, THE MOON & THE STARS IN HEAVEN TO US. WORDS DO NOT DO JUSTICE DESCRIBING HOW PROUD WE ARE OF YOU. AND AS GRAMPY ALWAYS SAID, “I EXPECTED IT!” AS FOR YOUR FUTURE, WE CAN ONLY WISH YOU THE VERY BEST LIFE HAS TO OFFER! LOVE, MOM, WARREN & GRAMMY

(OLIVER TOO)

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 19

Senior Greetings

CONGRATULATIONS STEPHANIE!

Awesome!

Hooray!

Woohoo!

WE LOVE YOU! Way to go!

20 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Your Family

You did it!

Senior Greetings

EMILY ALBERT

We are so proud of all that you have accomplished and so excited to see you accept your Diploma from Amherst, a place so close to our hearts. You leave with an incredible education, life long friends and a career ahead of you that we know you will excel at.

We are always behind you cheering you on!!!

Love, Mom, Dad, Stuart and Elliot

21 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

A Year in News AUGUST Following the board of trustees’ ban on fraternities last May, a group of students and administrators began discussing alternatives to the fraternity system. The group began brainstorming ways to create inclusive social groups on campus.

The college hired Alex Vasquez as the new dean of students. Prior to coming to Amherst, Vasquez worked at Wheaton College for 13 years. Vasquez began working with Chief Student Affairs officers Suzanne Coffey in the newly reorganized Office of Student Affairs.

SEPTEMBER The Powerhouse opened its doors for the first time to the student body with an open house event with food and music, followed by a wings night the next day. The renovation for the Powerhouse began in December 2013, and a committee of senators and at-large student members has been discussing how to use the Powerhouse as a student-run space since spring of 2014.

←

The Powerhouse opened its doors to the campus community on Friday, Sept. 5. More than 300 people came to the open house event to enjoy hors-d’oeuvres and to admire the renovated facility.

Photo courtesy of Olivia Tarantino ‘15

←

Students, faculty and staff staged a walk out on Dec. 1 as a response to the Ferguson National Call to Action. Close to 500 people came to show their support for this national movement.

OCTOBER The Green Amherst Project organized a student walkout at a talk given by Patrick Moore, an ex-Greenpeace member and climate skeptic. Moore argued that the current trends of climate change are not dangerous and that they are part of a natural pattern instead of being caused by humans.

A newly formed student group organized the Black Lives Matter awareness week, following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson in August 2014. The week consisted of panels, discussions and flyers around campus that read phrases like “Don’t Shoot” and “Hands Up.” NOVEMBER The Green Amherst Project held a week of action in order to convince the college’s board of trustees to divest from the coal industry. The week consisted of a series of events that included a discussion of climate change deniers, a panel of students who shared their personal experiences with climate change and delivery of a letter that formally asked the board to divest.

DECEMBER Students, faculty and staff congregated in front of Frost Library on Dec. 1 to participate in the Ferguson National Call to Action. About 500 people observed a moment of silence together and marched around the main quadrangle with their hands up.

Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought Martha Umphrey was ap-

Photo courtesy of Olivia Tarantino ‘15

pointed the first director of Amherst’s Humanities Center. The center is still under construction on the second floor of Frost Library and will serve as a space for research and collaboration in the humanities. The center is scheduled to open next fall.

JANUARY New furniture appeared in Valentine Dining Hall over interterm. The changes were intended to encourage social interactions in smaller groups. The new furniture received mixed feedback: While some students praised the changes, others expressed concern about overcrowding due to the reduced number of seats in the dining hall.

The college held its first Day of Dialogue on Race and Racism. The events of the day included an academic panel on topics such as racial identity and political activism and an “envisioning” session, during which the attendees were asked to imagine a safer and more progressive Amherst.

FEBRUARY Robert Frost Library won the 2015 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award from the American Library Association.

The award committee recognized Frost’s focus on teaching undergraduates research skills, collaboration between faculty and library staff and innovative publishing methods.

A new student club, Hooked on Aquaponics, received funding from the President’s Office to build a self-sustaining, soil-free greenhouse next to Valentine Dining Hall. Aquaponics combines the farming of aquatic animals and hydroponics, which grows plants without soil. Once constructed, the system will repurpose fish waste into plant food.

During the week of Feb. 23, Provost Peter Uvin hosted a series of conversation called Amherst Reflects, a follow-up event to the Day of Dialogue held in January. The event was open to all students, faculty and staff and was intended to continue the conversations that took place in small group dialogues at the Day of Dialogue.

Don Faulstick was appointed as the college’s new director of athletics. He had served as interim director since February 2014, when Suzanne Coffey vacated the position. One of his stated goals as director is to concentrate administrative effort toward breaking down the social divide between athlete and non-athlete students.

MARCH In a letter to the campus community, the board of trustees announced that it had

CONGRATULATIONS INDUCTEES

ΦΒΚ

The following students of the class of 2015 have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa for their show of academic excellence, based on their cumulative grade point average. Asterisks indicate nomination at the end of junior year.

Richard Altieri Daniel Ang Diorgenes Bellini Abigail Bliss Rebecca Boorstein Kari-Elle Brown Mary Byrne Oliver Dee Claire Drolen Alexander Durkee Kyra Ellis-Moore Zhengyuan Fan

22 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Johannes Ferstad Nicholas Fowler Andrei Gheorghe Matthew GoodSmith Karl Greenblatt Hongye Guo * Brendon Hardin Eli Harris James Hildebrand Louis Hunt William Kamin Edward Kim

Gregory Knowlton Heather Lee Donna Leet Melih Levi Owen Marschall Laura Merchant Christine Miranda Elizabeth Mutter Darius Onul * Alexander Ordoobadi Sophia Padelford Madelin Parsley

Hyun-Sun Roh Kyra Schapiro * Andrew Scheiner Karen Smith Eric Smyth Kathryn Sundheim * Stephanie Ternullo Leah Thompson Eileen Troconis * Jimmy Yu Xiaoling Yu

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The college’s outing club organized a spring break trip to Utah’s Zion National Park. Eight out of 50 applicants were selected to attend the trip, which was led by four experienced members of the club.

→

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited the college on April 28 to discuss United States’ role in foreign affairs and his time serving the Bush and Obama administrations.

Photo courtesy of Brian Beaty ’17

unanimously decided not to divest from the coal industry. The announcement was part of a statement on sustainability and investment policy, which formally recognized the dangers of climate change and affirmed the trustees’ commitment to environmentally sustainable policies.

The Amherst College Outing Club organized a spring break trip for the first time since 2005. The trip took place at Utah’s Zion National Park, and included non-Outing Club members in order to bring together students from across campus. 12 students attended the spring break trip, four being Outing Club members and leaders of this trip.

APRIL The Office of Admission accepted 13.7 percent of applicants to the class of 2019. The college received 8,566 total applications this year and accepted 170 applications during the early decision round and

1,006 applicants through regular decision.

Class of 2019 was Amherst’s largest applicant pool as this year’s number of applications rose by one percent from the previous year.

David Hamilton was appointed Amherst’s new chief information officer.

Hamilton previously served as the college’s director of web services, interim co-director of information technology and interim chief information officer. Hamilton plans to improve the customer service of information technology at Amherst by expanding cloud computing and relying more on user data for improving their services.

The Chainsmokers and T-Pain headlined the Spring Concert on April 25.

The Chainsmokers are a New York-based DJ, producer and songwriter duo, with members Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. Among the group’s most well known hits are “#Selfie” and “Kanye.” T-Pain is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer who was featured on more than 50 singles that

Photo courtesy of Kiana Herold ‘17

topped charts.

The Social Project Work Group released a formal proposal for the implementation of social clubs. The proposal outlines the purpose of social clubs, the process for creating and joining them and requirements of clubs. The group intended to create a campus-wide survey on social clubs by the end of the semester, but the vote ended up being postponed until fall.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke with Professor of History and American Studies Frank Couvares in Johnson Chapel at an event open to the public. The talk centered on Gates’ experience working for the Bush and Obama administrations, as well as his opinion on the United States’ role in foreign affairs.

MAY Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey and Dean of Students Alex

Vasquez held the first open forum on neighborhoods. A part of the recent strategic plan, the neighborhood initiative intends to divide the dormitories into six residential areas (with the exception of the first-year dorms) in an attempt to foster community among students in those groups. Some concerns about the concept raised at the event include the lack of pre-existing architecture to support the neighborhoods and the inability for students to choose living arrangements.

The Office of Sustainability held a meeting introducing the Climate Action Plan Task Force, headed by Director of Environmental Sustainability Laura Draucker. The task force, which consists of students, faculty and staff, aims to create a comprehensive plan for sustainability at the college involving on-the-ground initiatives to reduce emissions in a way that is financially viable.

— Elaine Jeon ’17 and Dan Ahn ’17

Crimes (and Criminals) of the Year May 23, 2014 11:49 p.m., Valentine Quad Officers on a patrol observed two men tipping over tables and chairs set up in Fayerweather quad. After being identified, they returned the tables and chairs to their original positions.

Jul. 16, 2014 6:37 p.m., Orchard St. Amherst College officers and officers from the town responded to a report of a male and female fighting in a car.

It was discovered they were practicing self defense training.

Jul. 27, 2014 11:29 a.m., Tennis Courts An officer encountered a woman, who had no association with the college, picking up tennis balls from the courts.

She was identified and directed off campus.

Aug. 29, 2014 12:18 a.m., Stone Dormitory A student was found discharging a fire extinguisher for no reason. He was fined $100.

Aug. 30, 2014 12:28 a.m., Social Quad Officers encountered a student about to wrap a tree with toilet paper. The activity was stopped.

Aug. 31, 2014 2:18 a.m., Social Quad

While outside of Crossett, an officer observed an intoxicated student swinging a golf club toward a parked car. The club was confiscated and the student was sent on his way.

Sept. 2, 2014 1:29 p.m., Grosvenor House An employee reported an unfamiliar man in the building on the second floor.

The man was identified as having an interview with Food Services and was in the wrong building.

Sept. 24, 2014 1:47 a.m., Crossett Dormitory An officer encountered an intoxicated visitor attempting to gain access to Crossett. He was transported to the Lord Jeffery Inn, where he was staying.

Sept. 26, 2014 6:44 a.m., Mead Art Museum An officer responded to a report of loud males and females in the first floor women’s room in Porter. It was discovered students were working on a theater class film.

Sept. 28, 2014 2:47 a.m., Merrill House Apartments An officer observed an Athletic Department golf car being operated erratically on East Drive. When the people on it saw the officer they abandoned the cart and fled.

Oct. 4, 2015

11:48 pm, Stone Dormitory An officer discovered an unauthorized party with 180 cans of beer available.

Two students were observed kicking a table around, and their activity was stopped.

people in the common room. An unauthorized party with alcohol was taking place. Three beer pong tables were present and a funnel designed to drink alcohol at an accelerated rate. The gathering was shut down, and the alcohol was confiscated.

Oct. 19, 2014 2:38 a.m., Crossett Dormitory A delivery driver reported the theft of a pizza valued at $35.31.

Dec. 6, 2014 7:04 p.m., Charles Drew House A third-floor resident reported an unknown male came to his room and stood in the doorway. He asked him what he wanted and he continued to stand there without speaking. The male left when the resident began to call the police. The officers checked the building but the man was not found.

Oct. 25, 2014 8:25 p.m. Pond Dormitory While in the area of the social dorms, an officer came upon an intoxicated male at Pond trying to use his swipe card at a door not equipped for electronic access.

After evaluating him, he was permitted to leave with a sober friend.

Nov. 9, 2014 12:18 p.m., Mead Drive A visitor reported his car was missing.

After checking the campus, officers learned that a friend had moved the car.

Nov. 22, 2014 9:29 p.m., The Octagon A caller reported two men were throwing rocks at the Octagon. The men, who are students, were identified and denied throwing rocks at the building.

Dec. 5, 2014 11:59 p.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory Officers responded to a noise complaint and found approximately 100

Jan. 31, 2015 1:34 a.m., Pond Loading Dock A visitor reported that while her car was parked in the Pond pit, someone threw a chunk of ice onto her car from a nearby balcony. The ice caused a dent.

Feb, 6, 2015 12:42 a.m., Appleton Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of a loud group of people in the first floor hallway. About eight students were found eating pizza and were advised of the noise complaint.

Feb 22, 2015 2:16 a.m., Barrett Hill Drive A delivery person reported people throwing ice from the elevated walkway at Pond Dormitory. No activity was

found when the area was checked.

Feb. 27, 2015 12:16 a.m., Valentine Dining Hall An officer encountered several students on the act of relocating an ice sculpture from the south side of Valentine Hall. It was returned.

May 1, 2015 1:12 a.m., South Dormitory While passing by South Dormitory, an officer was notified by residents that someone turned all the furniture upside down in the common room.

April 2, 2015 10:40 p.m., Stone Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of loud music and people screaming in a third floor suite. Upon approaching the building, an officer observed a can of beer thrown from a third-floor suite where the noise was. After speaking with the resident, the disturbance was quelled.

April 25, 2015 9:41 p.m., LeFrak Gym A fire alarm was activated at the end of the concert due to fog from a fog machine.

May 1, 2015 1:14 a.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory A caller reported someone made a mess in the first floor men’s room. Bottles of shampoo and shaving cream were emptied in the room. The custodial department was notified.

May 22, 2015 | The Amherst Student | 23

Senior Profile | Kyra Ellis-Moore

A Passionate Advocate for Gender Equality Kyra Ellis-Moore is best known for the strong relationships she has formed with people across campus as a dancer, AAS senator and student of law, gender and sexuality.

— Raymond Meijer ’17 If you found yourself in Frost Cafe the morning I sat down to interview Kyra Ellis-Moore, you would have observed a seemingly constant stream of people giving her a quick wave and a smile as they walked by. You would have seen how engaged she was in our conversation, how much she listened and thought about each question I posed for her. You might have been amazed, as I was, that she was somehow able to listen intently and speak from the heart during our one-on-one conversation, while simultaneously showing the same attentiveness to everyone passing by.

Ellis-Moore is known on campus as a dancer, an AAS senator and a passionate student of law, gender and sexuality. But perhaps the most extraordinary thing about her is the way she’s managed to form so many strong relationships with people from all over campus.

“She is the most wonderful friend to me and so many others,” Christina Won ’15 said, summing up Ellis-Moore’s personality. “She is always ready to share in the joys and the sadness, and she’s a great listener.”

The Path from Albuquerque to Amherst Although she was born in Berkeley, California, Ellis-Moore lived for a brief time abroad in Guinea and then moved to Washington, D.C. — all before she was speaking in full sentences. She later moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which she describes as her true hometown.

“I’ve felt like I’ve had the opportunity to grow up and live in a lot of different environments,” she said. “I’ve been able to find myself in a lot of different situations, which is an important part of growing up.”

Her time in Albuquerque proved to be a critical influence on her life.

Ellis-Moore said that her decision to come to Amherst was shaped by her time at a bilingual public school in Albuquerque’s poorly funded public school system. She said that while looking at colleges, she sought “a community that valued diversity and expanding

access to educational opportunities for people.”

Once at Amherst, Ellis-Moore worked for the Admissions Office as a tour guide and diversity intern. She spoke with excitement about being able to make a difference by recruiting diverse students and supporting prospective students through the admissions process. She takes pride in hearing from current Amherst students: “Oh, you were the one who emailed me!” or “You were my tour guide!”

Combining Interests in Gender, Sexuality and Law Ellis-Moore is a double major in law, jurisprudence and social thought and sexuality, women’s and gender studies. Although many Amherst students double major, the extent to which Ellis-Moore has managed to connect her two majors through course work and extracurricular activities is incredible.

She describes the inspiration behind the decision to major in these two areas as a combination of her mother’s work as a law professor specializing in refugee and human rights law and her first experiences in the LJST department.

She was quick to credit the influence of LJST professor Martha Umphrey.

“She’s encouraged my interests in feminist legal theory, gender and sexuality in the law and privacy law,” she said.

In the wake of Amherst’s recent controversies over sexual assault, Ellis-Moore and a group of students from the class of 2014 put together a special topics course on feminist jurisprudence with Umphrey.

“It was a special seminar to sit with these students and talk through how to think about issues, and particularly with Kyra, who’s such a passionate advocate of gender equality and feminist issues, to watch her work through some of the very difficult issues on campus so thoughtfully and in that setting,” Umphrey said.

Ellis-Moore talks about her interests in legal theory and gender equality in such a passionate and well thought out manner that it’s easy to be inspired by the work she’s done. “I don’t necessarily

think law is the necessary nor best lens all the time, but I’m more interested in the intersection between law and changing cultural practices,” she said.

Unsurprisingly, Ellis-Moore’s thesis work also focuses on the intersection between sexuality and gender issues and the law. She said she focused on “potentiality and weakness of law” as it related to abortion in the United States. Her thesis, although it was officially in the LJST department, combined elements from both her majors by examining how the legalization of abortion has af-fected cultural and social status. Specifically, she argued that new legislation has seemed to have the effect of shaming women out of fully taking advantage of their constitutional rights.

“She wed her political commitments with her scholarly commitments,” Umphrey said of Ellis-Moore’s thesis.

“She was able to write sympathetically about people with whom she disagrees and about people with whom she does agree but understands are imperfect.”

Studies in South Africa When Ellis-Moore was in elementary school, she accompanied her mother on a research trip to Tanzania for six months. Though the significance of the trip didn’t hit her at the time, her travels ended up planting a seed of interest that culminated in a decision to study abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa during her junior year.

The University of Cape Town is well known for its gender studies program. Ellis-Moore was able to do research on sexual reproductive rights with the African Gender Institute, take a class in gender development and queer theory, and, in her words, “just be a fly on the wall” as she observed the conversation around sexual violence in South Africa.

Perhaps the most important part of the crossover between her domestic and foreign studies came from examining issues of sexual violence in different contexts. In addition to her time in South Africa, Ellis-Moore also did research with SWAGS Professor Kruga Shandilya on the 2012 gang rape

Photo courtesy of Claire Jia ’15

Ellis-Moore is a double major in law, jurisprudence and social thought and sexuality, women’s and gender studies. in New Delhi. After taking Umphrey’s class and studying abroad she said she began to realize, “there’s been rhetoric amongst Americans how bad things are ‘over there’ and how people are treated elsewhere, without being introspective about how bad things are here.”

Ellis-Moore is wary of pinning the blame for sexual violence on a specific group. She maintains that the problems are cultural and implicate everyone in the society in which they occur; as a result, she stressed how important it was for her to educate herself on historical issues of sexual violence and ways in which to address these problems close to home and abroad.

Just Dance A summary of Ellis-Moore’s Amherst career wouldn’t be complete without detailing her experiences with Amherst Dance. She lights up when talking about her time with the dance group she joined in her first year at Amherst and has continued with ever since.

Although she danced intensively throughout her youth, Amherst dance became a way for Ellis-Moore to do an activity purely because she loves it and it doesn’t stress her out.

“I’ve taken very little responsibility in Amherst Dance, and it’s been one of the few things I’ve done where I haven’t aspired to pursue any leadership,” she said. “It’s not something you necessarily have to be a leader of or be the best at, but just something you do for yourself.”

It’s also provided another space for her to meet some of her closest friends, including Kate Sundheim ’15, whom she met her first year at Amherst Dance.

“Kyra is a sweetheart; she’s hard not to love,” Sundheim said. “Her personality is contagious; she reaches out to everyone and genuinely cares about everyone she meets and everyone she knows.”

Feeling Grateful

Photo courtesy of Morgan Brown ‘15

“It’s not something you necessarily have to be a leader of or be the best at, but just something you do for yourself,” Ellis-Moore said of her experience with Amherst Dance.

24 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

As she reaches the closing months of her Amherst career, Ellis-Moore says the main thing she’s feeling is gratitude.

“I’m grateful for the incredible advising and guidance with my thesis, but also I’m grateful for the relationships,” she said. “I feel connected to this place, and I feel rooted here by having friends among the faculty, staff and communi-

ty.”

She said she feels ready to go, but talks excitedly about how she’ll never forget the transformative relationships she’s fostered here and the ways she’ll engage with Amherst and the town community for years to come. She said that if she had one piece of advice for incoming first-years, it would be to make friends within the larger Amherst community. She told me how easy it is to get wrapped up in campus life without realizing that there’s a larger world out there.

More than just relationships between herself and other people, Ellis-Moore has fundamentally influenced the way organizations, departments, and other groups connect on campus through her research and activities. SWAGS Professor Amrita Basu credits her with “forging closer ties between the Women and Gender Center and the SWAGS department” with “her passion for social justice and her thoughtful and curious demeanor.”

Through her work as a Peer Advocate of Sexual Respect and as a class senator on the Mental Health and Wellness committee, she’s been an intermediary between different groups focused on educa-tion and preventive measures against issues of mental and physical health and sexual respect. Her dedicated and passionate presence has made collaborative relationships possible between a wide range of campus groups.

“Relationships” might have been the word she used most often in our conversation. She’s managed to connect different departments and organizations and form friendships with an impressive number of students and staff members.

Leykia Brill, a former Amherst administrator who got to know Ellis-Moore through her time working in Admissions and Student Activities, perhaps best described the impact Ellis-Moore will leave here.

“Her power rests in her ability to see the human spirit, to care and nurture for the pieces of us we so often neglect,” Brill said. “She is so sincere, so warm, so loving, and so true that it is hard to be anything than your best self when she is near. She makes things better. She makes people better. I am blessed to know her.”

Senior Profile | Daniel Ang

One-Man Orchestra Composes His Own Path Daniel Ang effortlessly balanced a triple major and two theses, all culminating in one outstanding Amherst College career.

— Jingwen Zhang ’18 A triple major with a formidable mind, Daniel Ang is a true poster child for the liberal arts. While majoring in math, music and physics, Ang has composed award-winning musical works, including a thesis, and conducted groundbreaking research in the lab. To Ang, the liberal arts education has made these milestones possible. He was able to meaningfully explore many disciplines, all while connecting and collaborating with professors and peers in an “irreplaceable” way.

Two Passions Born in Vancouver, Canada, Ang was always surrounded by many musical, scientific and spiritual influences from throughout the world.

His mother is an engineer as well as a musician, and she encouraged his interest both in the quantitative fields and in music from a young age. His father’s job as a pastor encouraged Ang to think about the spiritual side of his interests.

During these years, not only did Ang begin to discover his academic interests, but he also became increasingly immersed in the music world, mostly due to his mother’s influence and insistence. At age nine, he began learning the cello — an instrument that would transform his life. At school in Singapore, he played with one of the best string orchestras in the nation, and he was exposed to a diverse array of new musical experiences.

In school, Ang excelled in both science-related courses and humanities subjects like philosophy. However, due to what he described his parents’ “naive view of humanities,” he opted to focus on physics, influenced by his love for quantum mechanics, Linus Pauling’s books and string theory.

Ultimately, Ang wanted to be at a place where he could delve deeply into both music and physics. After

stumbling upon a list of top liberal arts colleges, Ang found what he was searching for in Amherst.

Finding His Rhythm In his very first semester at Amherst, Ang discovered the musical opportunities available to him, playing in the Amherst Symphony Orchestra and developing what would become a long-lasting relationship with orchestra director Mark Swanson.

Swanson describes Ang as “extraordinary in his passion for music.”

“He has been a gifted leader of the orchestra as principal cellist during his four years here,” he said.

In the fall of Ang’s first year, Swanson offered Ang an opportunity to play in a string quartet.

“They needed a cellist for a quartet,” Ang recalled . “We called ourselves the Buckley Boys.”

This group was Ang’s first encounter with chamber music, and he remained in it for the rest of his Amherst career. This year, he was the only senior among three firstyear students in the group, so he effectively stepped into the leadership role.

“Daniel puts his passion for music on display every single time he picks up his cello,” the Buckley Boys’ second violinist Elliot Kuan ’18 said.

“He has truly found a way to speak through his playing and composing.”

Ang also seized opportunities to branch out and explore different musical styles, participating in several different musical groups on campus. After attending a jazz concert, Ang became excited by the style of music he had not encountered before and decied to take a mater class in jazz. He began to play jazz during his junior and senior years, even joining a combo to explore and experience improvisation. The

improvisational process inherent in jazz has subsequently influenced his own composition efforts.

“I would play in church [bands] where I would improvise instead of playing from the sheet music, so I had a bit of experience with improvisation,” Ang said. “I think a lot of what I do compositionally is influenced by what I did in jazz. The willingness to improvise and go beyond the written note, that impulse transfers itself.”

Ang’s long-standing interest in composing led him to many successes and discoveries. In 2013, he submitted a piano composition he wrote over the summer for a competition, and that piece gave him the opportunity to go to Vienna the following year.

In the winter of 2014, Ang decided to pursue a music composition thesis. Over the summer, using his Schupf Scholarship — a research fund given to a select few students at the beginning of their time at Amherst — Ang attended two music composition camps in preparation for his thesis.

“I purposefully planned the stuff I did at the camps so that I would learn what I wanted to incorporate in my thesis. That explains why my thesis is a seven-movement, very diverse, behemoth body of work,” Ang explained. “I composed this thesis which ended up being, 55 minutes long, 16 instruments. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect. I had a lot to learn and things I’d do differently, but at least I’ve satisfied my desire to compose a big work. That’s what I wanted to do — I wanted to end with a big bang.”

Ang credits much of his success in creating his composition thesis piece to the support he received.

“An amazing thing was that Mark Swanson offered to conduct my composition thesis for free. It was the first time he’d conducted any student thesis in his 15 years

Photo courtesy of Daniel Ang ’15

Ang’s passion for music extended beyond his membership with the Amherst Symphony Orchestra: He performed with The Buckley Boys, a four-man string quartet, throughout his four years.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Ang ’15

Ang, who hails from Vancouver, credits his parents for helping encourage his interests in science and music. here. Having Mark allowed me to focus on the composition process,” he said.

Swanson described Ang’s work as a joy to conduct and was impressed by Ang’s “prodigious talent and capacity to compose rigorous, exciting and emotionally moving new music.”

Ang believes composing his senior thesis has led to this tremendous growth in understanding and writing music. Indeed, this growth has not gone unnoticed by his mentors.

“Just last Saturday, Mark gave me the opportunity to compose my own concerto for the senior concerto concert,” Ang said. “That’s my first ever orchestral work.”

Spinning in the Lab While music took Ang down a long journey of discovery and creation, he also counts physics as integral part of his college years. As with music, the relationships he developed, especially with his adviser and lab supervisor, Professor Larry Hunter, made physics at Amherst enjoyable and meaningful for Ang. Ang began doing physics research on spin-spin interactions with Hunter following his first introductory physics course. They continued the relationship over the summe and Ang co-authored two papers published in prestigious scientific journals.

Ang has achieved what Hunter called “a level of early success unprecedented in my 32 years of supervising student research at Amherst.”

Hunter also recommended Ang for the Schupf Scholarship, which generated the funds to support Ang’s various research endeavors, both in physics and in music.

“Though Daniel came to our lab with little previous research experience, he quickly learned what he needed to know to contribute to our program,” Hunter said. “Whenever I would suggest an aspect of the work that he might undertake, he repeatedly surprised me with how quickly he came back having completed the task at hand.”

Ang eventually did his physics thesis in Hunter’s lab as well,

working on subjects similar to those he’d worked on in that first summer. His thesis focused on building and investigating comagnetometers that would allow him to investigate bounds on spin-spin interactions.

“His results are promising,” Hunter said, “and we intend to continue to develop this new system next year.”

In addition to music and physics, Ang majored in math because he was driven to understand and carry out mathematical proofs. Understanding these mystical and mysterious proofs, Ang said, was “worth the major.”

In order to triple major and take classes outside of his majors that sparked his interest, Ang has taken five classes every semester since his first-year spring.

“I don’t regret it at all,” Ang said.

“To be a Renaissance man, you have to know a lot about more than one subject. That’s an important part of how I see the liberal arts education here.”

End of A “Double Life” Ang says that he’s had a “crazy” four years, a statement evidenced by his extraordinary accomplishments in music and physics. At Amherst, he found what he had been searching for since his youth: the opportunity to be both a musician and a physicist, mastering both subjects and compromising on neither. He has led what he calls a “double life” in these two fields: attending academic classes in the morning and music master classes in the afternoon, or conducting research by day and composing by night.

This fall, Ang will be attending the physics graduate program at Harvard. He will work with the same lab in which he conducted summer research two years ago.

Ang said that this lab is especially meaningful to him, because its head also mentored Professors David Hall and David Hanneke, two members of the Amherst physics department Ang looks up to.

“I’ll be working with the mentor of my mentors,” Ang said. “I’ll be following in their footsteps, in a way.”

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 25

Senior Profile | Zalia Rojas

Building Bridges Through Math and Spanish Rojas plans to dedicate herself to helping other students succeed in mathematics and has been selected as the college’s first ever Math Fellow.

— Evan Paul ’18 When I first met Zalia Rojas, I was attending my first practice for Amherst College’s Gospel Choir, Resurrect. Though she sang brilliantly in the alto section, what really made her stand out were the witty comments she made during our down time. As the semester progressed, it became clear to me that Rojas was more than just funny jokes. She is a generous figure that everyone could count on. Although we weren’t able to form a deeper relationship before Rojas’ time at Amherst was over, she has positively influenced my life in notable ways. Of all of the small things I’ve learned from simply observing Rojas in social settings, one thing has remained true: Zalia Rojas is one of the kindest people you will ever meet.

Culture Shock Born to immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic, Rojas had a childhood that was centered on those that shared her heritage.

Growing up in Lawrence, Massachusetts in a neighborhood nicknamed “The Complex,” Rojas was surrounded by children just like her — they had immigrant parents who spoke primarily Spanish in the home, and they had hair that was just as curly as hers.

It wasn’t until she began attending high school at The Pingree School, a private school in South Hamilton, Massachusettes, that she became fully exposed to people with experiences distinct from her own.

About one hour away from her home in Lawrence, she learned at Pingree that the way she was raised wasn’t congruent with the upbringings of everyone in the world. Many

people dismissed “The Complex” as a dangerous place, but to Rojas and her two brothers (one older and one younger), it was and still is their home.

Initially, Pingree was a big culture shock for Rojas. She went from attending a charter school, where most of the students in the classroom were Dominican, to attending a private school, where most of the students were white and wealthy.

“Never before had people been impressed and intrigued by how curly my hair was,” Rojas said.

However, despite the initial culture shock, Rojas was and still is grateful that she decided to attend the school. Rojas’ time at Pingree was defined by her close relationships with her teachers. In fact, she is still in contact with some of these teachers today.

“A lot of Amherst alums are involved as well, as either teachers or parents of children that attend both schools,” Rojas said.

Rojas credits strong Amherst alumni community at Pingree as one of the main reasons she came to Amherst.

“They brought me to all of the college visits, they paid for my applications,” Rojas said. “They showed me that Amherst was definitely an option I had for college. They were the best.”

A Passion for Math When Rojas first arrived on Amherst’s campus, she had no intention of majoring in math.

Hearing that today is shocking for everyone who knows the math and Spanish double major.

“I knew I would take at least one

math class, just because I enjoyed it in high school and was good at it,” Rojas said. In her first year at Amherst, Rojas met Professor Danielle Benedetto, who taught her intermediate calculus. Although Rojas was hesitant to take more than a few math classes, Benedetto knew better.

“I knew immediately that she was math major material,” Benedetto said. “She was incredibly bright, sharp and kind. She explored problem-solving in such a thoughtful way. I encouraged her to take more math classes, as well as consider the math major.”

After she took a few more math courses, the decision to major in math was easy for Rojas.

“When I took discrete mathematics with Professor [Robert] Benedetto, math started to mean something to me,” Rojas said. “I was actually learning to write and fully understand proofs which was amazing to me.” Soon after, Rojas was chosen to be a teaching assistant in calculus, helping to support younger math students.

In order to further her mathematical skill, Rojas applied to be a part of a summer math program in Hawaii. “Just being able to get there is still one of my biggest accomplishments,” Rojas said. “The research we did was difficult, but I think actually getting there was the hardest part. That program changed my life in so many ways. I even met one of my best friends while I was there.”

However, Rojas’ time here at Amherst has not only been a time of discovery but also a time of reflection. For instance, something that always seems to come up again

Photo courtesy of Zalia Rojas ‘15

Next year Rojas will be working in the Quantitative Center to help students in upper level math courses under Amherst’s first even Math Fellow position.

26 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Photo courtesy of Zalia Rojas ‘15

Rojas grew up in a neighborhood nicknamed “The Complex” while attending a school in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. and again for Rojas is the question, “why us?” It was always curious for her that only her immediate family has come to America, while the rest of her family has generally stayed in the Dominican Republic.

“I still don’t really know why it was just us, but I have tried to make the most of it,” Rojas said.

Lending A Hand When I asked Rojas why she decided to double major in both math and Spanish, her answer was almost immediate.

“I’ve spoken Spanish my entire life — it’s what we speak at home,” she said. “When I got to Amherst, I wanted to make sure that I was able to preserve my Dominican heritage in some way, and majoring in Spanish has done that for me. I’ve recently been thinking about how I can somehow connect my majors and do something that involves both of them. I’ve noticed that most students who only speak Spanish aren’t taking upper-level math courses, because they’re not translated well. I want to use my math skills and my ability to speak Spanish to help students who are struggling because of the language barrier.”

Rojas’ altruistic nature has not been lost on her closest friends.

“Not only am I consistently floored by her commitment to academics, but also by her commitment to making everyone around her a better person,” Destinee Mentor-Richards ’15 said about Rojas.

“I can honestly say my Amherst experience and my experience as a math major would not have been complete without Zalia’s support and presence in my life these past few years.”

“She genuinely cares for her friends and people around her, and that’s what inspires me the most about her,” Rojas’s friend Nifasha Rusibamayila ’15 said. “I am very grateful and hopeful knowing that

when I graduate from Amherst, I will still have her as a friend who I can always count on.”

Her friends note that Rojas’sunwavering commitment extends to all aspects of her social and academic life.

“Zalia is one of the smartest people I know, but more than that, she dedicates herself completely to everything that she does,” Nicole Felix ’15 said. “If she can’t devote herself fully to something, she doesn’t do it. Nothing can distract her from her goals, and she does everything with great humility. She has a quiet strength, and leads by example. Her academic accomplishments are outstanding, but it’s her humility, her soft-spoken wisdom, her willingness to listen to all of our crazy problems and her desire to simply love people that make her stand out.”

“She’s selfless and always willing to help,” her friend Sheba Brown ‘15 said. “Whatever you need she will try to give because that is simply who she is.”

What’s Next?

When asked if she would change anything about her past four years here, Rojas said, “I wish I had explored the area around Amherst more.” Other than that, Rojas is content with what she has done so far at Amherst, and she has every right to be.

In fact, this past semester, Rojas was awarded the college’s first ever Math Fellow position. Rojas will work in the Quantitative Center, helping students in upper-level mathematics courses. Not only is Rojas thrilled to be able to help, but everyone who knows her is thrilled that she will be around for another year. After her fellowship is over, Rojas hopes to start pursuing her dream to help the disadvantaged immigrant students who love math just as much as she does, but aren’t able to fulfill their dreams.

Senior Profile | Peter Crane

Senator Always Looking to Make a Difference From helping to create the Title IX Committee to leading an exceptional AAS career, Peter Crane is leaving Amherst a better place.

— Sunna Juhn ’18 Do you remember when Macklemore performed at Amherst for the spring concert a few years ago?

You can thank Peter Crane for that.

Or have you ever taken an AAS shuttle to Boston, Bradley Airport, or New York before breaks?

You can thank Crane for that as well. Were you glad to hear about the creation of the Title IX Policy Committee, too? Yet again, this in part is thanks to Peter Crane.

Changes like these are just a few examples of how Crane has contributed to making Amherst a better place. An active member of the campus community, he has used the responsibility bestowed upon him in his various extracurriculars to encourage reform, discussion and unity among students.

Crane’s accomplishments vary in terms of whom they affect and what they concern, but his overarching motivation lies in his hope of leaving a truly positive impact on this community.

at Amherst.

“It ended up being that during my first semester here, my freshman seminar was with a history professor, [so] I was inducted really early on into that type of thinking,” he said. “I found myself each semester willing to take a few more [classes], out of interest, for fun, and eventually I realized that that’s where I was naturally drifting anyways.”

Crane said juggling two different fields proved to have its difficulties, but it also helped him pinpoint what exactly he wanted to get from his classroom experience. “[I liked being] able to have that mix of writing, reading and thinking but also a little bit of quantitative analysis and working with models, and both of those things in a way that avoided Scantron tests, memorization and things like that,” he said. “It definitely drove what I did want going forward, and thus what I didn’t want.”

Coming to Amherst

Exploring a New Field

Originally from Irvine, California, Crane graduated from University High School, a large public high school with 2,500 students.

Attending a large school helped him hone in on what he wanted from his college experience, both in terms of classroom size and campus feel.

“I wanted to really take advantage of a small school experience rather than keep taking lectures,” he said. “I could have taken lectures at bigger places.”

When he came to Amherst he “knew that [he] wanted to be econ and something non-quantitative.”

An economics and history double major, Crane discovered an interest in history during his first year

For his senior thesis, Crane chose to specialize in history. The inspiration came from two classes he took his junior year as well as the three professors who taught them; all of these influences were “a big spark” for him.

“My junior year, I had two professors who co-taught a class called secularism, and another professor who had, that very semester, taught a class on South Asian history,” he said. “I got really interested in that whole subcontinent … Luckily, [these events] happened within the same semester and proved to be a foundation for my thesis later on.”

Crane’s thesis concerns the Pakistani debates on secularism, with a special focus on the Objectives

Resolution of 1949. Unlike many other thesis writers, he neither knew very much about the topic he wanted to research nor had extensive experience in the general department of South Asian studies. Given these limitations, Crane’s thesis advisor, Professor Dwaipayan Sen of both the History and the Asian Languages and Civilizations departments, was impressed by the way he tackled his challenges.

“I was very impressed that he came to me having only taken one course in South Asian history,” Sen said, Sen taught Crane in his History 301 and Intro to Modern South Asia classes during Crane’s junior year. “What was so remarkable was that this was something that Peter himself, coming into the project, was largely unfamiliar with, yet … [he was] able to analyze a fairly significant amount of unfamiliar material and … articulate a meaningful thesis.”

Sen also remarked on the uniqueness and complexity of Crane’s central focus.

“He was basically asking how and why the Objectives Resolution came about in the way that it did,” Sen said. “I think that was, in a sense, what struck me the most about the project, because it is a question that hasn’t really been asked.” Sen said he put Crane in contact with “one of the foremost Pakistani historians in the States,” and even she agreed that he was asking “a really weighty question.”

The fact that Crane devoted much of his time researching a specific topic, about which not much has been written before, speaks of his general attitude towards a liberal arts education.

“All the learning I’ve been do-

Always retaining his genuine, approachable demeanor, Crane serves as a role model and friend to many on campus.

Photo courtesy of Peter Crane ’15

An active member of the AAS, Peter Crane focused specifically on addressing sexual misconduct policy and assault at Amherst. ing at Amherst I have really explicitly tried to keep non-vocational,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep it as something that will better the way I think about the world, rather than something about which I’ll think ‘I want to use this for my job, going forward.’”

Now that he has completed his Amherst education, Crane will be heading to Los Angeles to join J.P. Morgan as a real estate acquisition analyst.

Serving the Community While at Amherst, Crane participated in and occupied a wide range of activities and positions.

Despite their diversity, all were motivated by his drive to make a genuine impact on the community.

Crane was one of the most prominent advocates pushing for the creation of Amherst’s Title IX Policy Committee.

“I’ve been really passionate about sexual misconduct policy and assault at this school,” Crane said. “The Title IX Policy Committee, which got started this semester, is … the first time students have had serious, direct policy-making power. Before, we had been in the form of advocates: We had never been in the committee meetings looking at details … It’s just really cool to be able to think, ‘OK, this is finally getting done, and now I’m a part of these conversations.’”

Crane has also been involved in the Association of Amherst Students for the past four years at Amherst. Like his interest in shaping sexual assault policy, his role in senate stems from his interest in issues of social justice. Accordingly, he places an importance on being able to see results at the end of the day. “[At] a MUN conference … you talk about an issue, and then you leave when it’s over. Maybe you learned something, but did you have a real impact on the world?”

he said. “Here, I can talk to people and see how things impact people, and have some influence on that.”

On a Personal Level Because Crane puts such an emphasis on impacting others, it is no surprise that his ability to do so himself extends beyond the institutional level and into the realm of personal interactions.

“Peter has made a tremendous impact through his interpersonal relationships with other students,” said his friend Lola Fadulu ’17.

“In my case, I had a difficult time adjusting to Amherst, but having Peter there listen to me vent and to show me the ropes as an upperclassman was a truly invaluable gift.”

Sam Keaser ’17E, who serves with Crane on AAS, concurred, pointing out the ways in which Crane has left a legacy on both the institutional and local levels.

“I think a lot of people have been and will continue to be impacted by him ... I think a lot of reforms are due in some extent to Peter,” Keaser said.

Keaser praised Crane’s “friendliness, the way he carries himself and the intensity with which he cares about his friends, their lives, how they’re feeling, how they’re doing.”

“He’s been a role model to me in that way for sure,” Keaser added.

As for Crane, the connections he has made at Amherst have impacted him in their own way.

“I’ll miss a space where everyone is so interconnected,” he said.

“Even though, for example, I’m on student government, I’ve never felt particularly political … [interactions were] always one on one, and always about people’s stories and keeping things genuine. At the end of the day, that’s something I really hope I will be able to keep: just having genuine connections with such a wide group of people.”

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 27

Senior Profile | Megan Robertson

Rising Above the Odds, On and Off the Court A phenomenal basketball player with a passion for statistics, Megan Robertson will be remembered as someone who gives 100 percent to any challenge.

— Kiana Herold ’17 Megan Robertson is the epitome of an involved student athlete, quietly excelling at everything. From leading a championship basketball team to triple majoring in mathematics, statistics and history, Robertson does it all.

A Growing Dream While growing up in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, Robertson had a dream — to make it big in major league baseball as the first female Red Sox player. She played baseball until fifth grade, when she said her parents made her stop playing sports with boys. She then transitioned to softball, but didn’t stop there. Robertson tried nearly all of the sports one could name: not only baseball and softball, but also volleyball, soccer, track and lacrosse. She finally honed her focus on basketball.

“I liked the sports where you just run around a lot,” Robertson said.

As it turns out, you run around a heck of a lot on the basketball court.

Robertson has fond memories of playing out on the driveway, shooting hoops with her older brother and kids from around her neighborhood. She said that around first or second grade she began playing organized basketball.

She fell in love with the game from the start.

“I was always tall, so I’m sure that helped,” she said.

Her dream changed from playing for the Red Sox to playing basketball professionally. “There came that crushing realization around eighth or ninth grade that I wasn’t going to the NBA.” The NBA, mind you, not the WNBA. Robertson would not be intimidated by playing with guys.

From these early days as a blooming basketball star, the game became a bigger and bigger presence in Robertson’s life. After attending the local public elementary and middle schools, Robertson spent her high school years at Phillips Andover. It was here that hoops became even

more integrated into Robertson’s life, and she played four years on the varsity team.

Though the sport took up a ton of time (sometimes Robertson had four games each weekend in high school, especially junior year when recruiting skyrockets) her love for the game continued. Throughout the year she was always excited to go to events and play, even if it meant losing an entire weekend.

“I always wanted to play in college; my dream changed freshman year of high school,” Robertson said. “Originally I thought, I’m going to play for UConn or Tennessee, but that kind of changed.”

It was this dream of playing college basketball that led her to Amherst.

Finding Her Place Robertson said that she had never heard of Amherst growing up, despite living in the area. The college had only come to her attention through high school basketball.

One of her coaches recommended she take a look at Amherst, aware Robertson was interested in a smaller liberal arts experience where she would not have to choose between high caliber play and academics.

Robertson wasn’t sure what subject she wanted to pursue yet, but she did know she was interested in the same things that she appreciated in high school: accessible professors with office hours and a sense of community.

In Robertson’s words, “when I came on campus it kind of felt right.”

She never looked back.

From someone who admitted that she had no idea what she wanted academically or socially at first, Robertson certainly made some vast strides. She was always interested in history and had what she characterized as a “love/hate” relationship with math before entering college.

However, after taking introductory math classes at Amherst, her mind

was made up to major in both history and mathematics. She had also always been drawn to statistics, viewing it as her focus within the math major, until the statistics major was created last year. The declaration ensured Robertson would be not only a triple major, but also one of the first statistics majors to graduate from Amherst.

She describes the statistics major as something that just “fell into place,” as she had already taken classes that now count for the major before the major even existed. Robertson’s interest in statistics originally stemmed from her passion for sports, but as soon as she started to take classes in the field her interest continued to expand. She finds statistics to be applicable everywhere, as nearly every industry uses them in some way.

“I like to be handed a bunch of data and find whatever story is in them,” Robertson said.

She found parallels between history and statistics, as numbers could be interpreted different ways, just as quotations from political figures can mean different things in different settings. Robertson finds that her background in history helps her explain the meaning of statistics, giving her an advantage in the written aspects of the traditionally quantitative major.

Her interest in statistics exceeded the bounds of the classroom, as she became both one of Amherst’s first Statistics Fellows and a statistics analyst for the athletic department and statistics department.

“I have been positively impressed with her work ethic and engaging personality,” said Statistics Professor Nicholas Horton. “Megan is a mature, hard-working and organized student who has balanced her academic, athletic and work responsibilities throughout her time at Amherst.”

And of course, she continued to do what she loves in college — play basketball. However, her college

Photo courtesy of Megan Robertson ’15

After deciding to pass on larger basketball programs, Robertson arrived at Amherst and never looked back. basketball experience did not turn out to be what she had dreamed in high school. Leading up to her junior year, Robertson was set to break almost every record Amherst held and was a pre-season All American.

“Megan had an outstanding impact on our basketball program,” head women’s basketball coach G.P. Gromacki said. “She was the alltime leader in block shots and without a serious injury during her junior year could have easily been the all-time program leader for points and rebounds as well.”

Her hopes for the year all came crashing down during the first regular season game against Tufts. After an awkward landing, Robertson tore her ACL, MCL, meniscus, as well as chipped a bone. Though crutching around the hilly campus through the winter months on painkillers was anything but fun, Robertson said the experience was humbling. It made her much more appreciative of the different roles her teammates played, as well as the simple things —being able to walk, much less being able to play basketball. After a long rehab, Robertson tenaciously came back for her senior season, though she needed a brace and was still at risk for injury.

“As soon as I got the green light I was like I can’t let it be something that nags at the back of my mind because then I would have regretted it,” she said.

In typical fashion, Robertson gave it 100 percent, holding nothing back. And of course, now that her senior season is over, she doesn’t plan to stop just there.

“I’m planning on trying to tear up the intramural league in grad school,” Robertson boasted.

Capturing a Moment

Photos courtesy of Megan Robertson ’15

After suffering from multiple serious injuries, Robertson tenaciously worked towards recovery and returned for a stellar last season on the basketball team.

28 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Last year Robertson began work with the community outreach program 3D. Robertson currently coheads 3D, which takes place every Sunday night with five to seven adults with different developmental disabilities who gather to play sports and board games.

Robertson said she sees 3D as a great way to connect with local community members, and step outside the isolating “Amherst bubble” mentality.

Her extracurricular passion has been photography. Her interest began in high school when she began to work on the yearbook. Her passion for photography took off when she was hired as a student photographer her first year at Amherst. Robertson found the job to be ideal, as she covered sports games she likely would have attended anyway. Some of her favorite memories of photography involved her taking sports pictures of friends in action — some of which remain her friends’ favorite pictures of themselves.

“I just have to take pictures of things that are already there and have to present them in a more interesting way than their typical way,” Robertson said. “Being an athlete I could understand in terms of sports pictures that the best ones aren’t always the winning shot.

There’s a lot of emotion you can capture too, in terms of reactions, so I like to get those other moments as well, because they can be just as meaningful. ”

Moving Forward While Robertson is not the type to get sentimental, in her reflection on Amherst, she said she would treasure the simple moments most — sitting out on a nice day with friends while pretending to do homework on the lawn. It turns out there is some truth behind the cliche that it’s the people here that matter most.

While her relationship with friends, teammates and professors will be treasured, Robertson looks forward to starting her two-year masters program in statistical science at Duke this August. She hopes to have a career as a statistical consultant, where she can pursue her love of discovering the story behind the numbers. While unsure of exactly what her future will hold, one thing is certain: Her impact on Amherst will not be soon forgotten.

Senior Greetings

Julian M. Roberson

CONGRATULATIONS to Jake and the amazing Class of 2015. We wish you lifetimes of happiness and success.

Jonathan, Rachel and Sarah Albert

KOBI YOU DID IT! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU. LET THE SKY BE THE LIMIT! “THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY OF THEIR DREAMS”(ELEANOR ROOSEVELT). WE KNOW YOU DO!!!!!

Another chapter in your life has closed, and another is about to begin. Something to be proud of. Continue to do great things and meet your full potential. ~ Mom & Dad

Congratulations Kristy!

We are so proud of you!

Love, Mom, Dad and Kyle

HEY HAVE FUN IN NEW YORK. CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL DONE! Dad, Mom, Christin, and Big Brothers

Riggs, congratulations and love!

Mom, Dad and Reggie

The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015 | 29

Senior Greetings

Valerie L. Rodriguez

Congratulations!!

Love, Mom “You’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting, So ... get on your way!”

- Dr. Seuss Our dear Uju, Congratulations on your tremendous achievement. Your hard work, dedication and passion for excellence is shining through. You will do amazing things. The best is yet to come!

Your passion and care for the welfare of others in need is a testament to your character and moral compass. You are a wonderful daughter and a blessing to us and all those who know you. God’s speed and guidance as you embark on your next journey.

With love and affection.

Mommy and Daddy

Congratulations to

Nazir Khan & David Walchak

Love, The Amherst Student Staff

Daniel Parel, The snow drifts gone Gone to meadows every one The children’s laughter.

Love, Us

Congratulations Noraida!

We are so proud of you!

We love you!

- From all of us

CONGRATULATIONS GABRIELA ULLOA! WE HAVE ALWAYS CHEERED FOR YOU! LOVE, THE ULLOAORSZULAK FAMILY

30 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

Senior Greetings

Destinee Chelsea Mentor-Richards

It’s time to make the impossible possible, to dream dreams our ancestors never imagined To change this world for the better.

You Can Do Anything!

We are all so very proud of you and your accomplishments.

Congratulations, Destinee Chelsea!

With Extra Special Love, From Mom, Granny, Godparents, Family & Friends 31 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

The Year in Sports

Photo courtesy of Bob Blanchard

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Photo courtesy of Janna Joassainte ’17

Photo courtesy of Mark Box

FALL SEASON Men’s Cross Country The men’s cross country team Photo courtesy of Olivia Tarantino ‘15 highenjoyed a successful season, lighted by a fourth-place finish in the NESCAC championship and a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III regionals. The team also made its first appearance at the NCAA Division III championships since 2009, placing ninth overall at the national meet.

Standouts from the year include Dan Crowley ’16, Mohamed Hussein ’18 and Greg Turissini ’15, who all earned second team All-NESCAC honors.

Hussein capped off his stellar first-year campaign, placing 23rd overall at the national meet in a field of 280 runners. He finished just seconds before Turissini, who placed 36th overall.

Romey Sklar ’15 also performed well on the national stage, placing 74th in the field, while Raymond Meijer ’17 enjoyed another strong year finishing in a time of 25:28.7 at the meet.

The team will graduate four seniors, including Turissini and Sklar, and will look to ride the successes of Hussein and other underPhoto courtesy of Olivia classmen next fall. Tarantino ‘15 Women’s Cross Country Placing 11th at the NCAA Division III championships, the women’s cross country team ran to an impressive 2015 campaign. The team took third at the NESCAC championship meet and fourth overall at the NCAA Division III regionals.

Savanna Gornisiewicz ’17 continued to shine and was named first team All-NESCAC. She placed 23rd overall at the national meet.

Lexi Sinclair ’16 also continued to contribute for the Jeffs and was named to the All-NESCAC second team.

First-year Nicky Roberts had a breakout year, finishing 41st at the Division III championships and posting a 14th-place finish at NCAA regionals.

In addition to its impressive year

of running, the team was recognized for its achievements in the classroom, earning U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honors for its 3.31 average team GPA. Women’s Golf The women’s golf team competed in numerous tournaments throughout its fall season, and highlighted by earning third place at the Middlebury College Invitational.

Jamie Gracie ’17 continued to dazzle after a standout campaign in her first year, leading the Jeffs in each tournament. At the Middlebury invite, she placed fourth overall in a field of 57 golfers.

First-year Zoe Wong consistently placed second amongst competing Jeffs, highlighting her breakout season with a 10th-place finish in her college debut at the NYU Invitational and an eighth-place finish at the Mount Holyoke Invitational.

Men’s Golf The men’s golf team competed throughout the region during their fall 2014 campaign. Despite faltering in their early tournaments, the team ended the season with a 13th-place finish at the ECAC championships.

Various Jeffs had impressive performances for Amherst throughout the season, including consistent play from Dan Langa ’18, James Line ’16 and senior captain Jarvis Sill.

Sill led the team at the ECAC Division III New England Championships, tying for 14th overall at the tournament.

Field Hockey Starting the season ranked 10th nationally, the Amherst field hockey team posted a 12-4 record this year. The team’s run featured an impressive 10-game winning streak in the middle of the season. They advanced to the NESCAC quarterfinals before narrowly falling to Tufts by a 1-0 score.

Crucial wins on the year includ-

32 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

ed a regular season victory over rival Tufts, another close contest which Amherst won 2-1.

Three players earned All-NESCAC honors for the Jeffs. Madeline Tank ’15 was named to the first team, while Annie Turnbull ’16 and Emily Horwitz ’17 earned second team laurels.

The threesome was also honored with All-Region recognition in addition to Elizabeth Turnbull ’18 and Annika Nygren ’16 who were named to the second team.

Horwitz established herself in net this season, starting as goalie in the majority of the Jeffs’ contests.

She posted a .888 save percentage and a 10-2 record that included five shutouts.

The team graduates five seniors, but will maintain a core group of skilled players and looks to rebound in the 2015 season.

Football The Amherst football team wowed in its second season on newly renovated Pratt Field, going undefeated en route to the NESCAC title, its fifth in program history.

While the majority of the Jeffs’ wins were decisive, one close contest against Wesleyan back on Saturday, Oct. 18 proved to be one of the team’s most important victories. The game went into overtime before Amherst ultimately prevailed by a score of 33-30. The win came thanks to a clutch performance from senior kick Phillip Nwosu making the game-tying and game-winning field goals.

Nwosu earned various accolades on the year, including being honored with All-New England Team as well as First Team All-NESCAC laurels.

Chris Tamasi ’15 joined Nwosu on the All-New England team an honor received in addition to his various NESCAC recognitions.

The team capped its undefeated season by downing rival Williams on homecoming day. Senior quarterback Max Lippe threw two touch-

down passes in the game to lead the Jeffs and finish his season with a NESCAC title.

The team also received the 2014 ECAC Team of Distinction Award for its impressive run.

Men’s Soccer Winning numerous closely contested matches at the end of its season, the men’s soccer team advanced all the way to the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament. The team posted a 14-1-6 overall record.

The team saw the majority of its games decided by two goals or less, consistently battling down to the wire.

Highlights from the season include a 4-1 victory over Williams.

The win avenged a 2013 loss to the Ephs that eliminated Amherst from the NCAA tournament.

Three Jeffs earned All-NESCAC recognition for their performances. Nico Pascual-Leone ’16 found his way onto the first team, while Gabriel Wirz ’15 and Thomas Bull ’16 earned second team honors.

Pascual-Leone led the team in goals, assists and points and was named NESCAC player of the week on Sept. 22.

Six seniors see their careers come to a close, but the Jeffs will return to action in the fall looking to make it back to the later rounds of the NCAA tournament.

Women’s Soccer The women’s soccer team posted a 12-5-1 record along with a 7-3 conference record this year.

The team earned a bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, downing New York University in the first round before falling in penalty kicks to Nazareth after a double overtime contest.

Maya Jackson-Gibson ’15 earned First Team All-NESCAC honors for her stalwart defensive play. Mel Stier ’15 and Holly Burwick ’16 were selected to the All-Conference second team.

Goalkeeper Burwick had another dominant season in net, posting a .882 saves percentage and seven shutouts on the year.

Hannah Guzzi ’18 also had an impressive first-year campaign, making a name for herself by leading the Jeffs with 10 goals on the season.

Rachael Abernethy ’16 followed up a breakout sophomore year with an impressive junior campaign. She scored seven goals and added two assists, contributing 16 points this season.

With the graduation of seven seniors, the Jeffs look to take advantage of this young leadership in the quest for another successful season in the fall.

Volleyball The Amherst volleyball team continues to improve, posting a 21-7 record during its 2014 run. The team advanced to the NESCAC semi-finals after defeating Connecticut College in the first round of action.

The team went on a tear in October, winning seven consecutive matches, a streak highlighted by four NESCAC victories.

Maggie Danner ’17 picked up where she left off last year, contributing a team-high 307 kills this season and earning her second consecutive First Team All-NESCAC selection.

Katie Warshaw ’16 was nominated to the second team, amassing a team best 505 digs, a number that also placed her at second in the league. She also averaged a conference best 5.43 digs per set.

Marialexa Natsis ’18 wasted no time in her first year of college volleyball, being named NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Year. She led Amherst with 50 total blocks.

With just one senior graduating, the Jeffs return many experienced players and hope to make another postseason run in the fall.

— Lauren Tuiskula ’17

placed 11th in the 3,000-meter run.

The Jeffs also competed in the distance medley, with the team featuring Sklar, David Ingraham ’18, Brent Harrison ’16 and Turissini. The unit finished in third place at the national meet.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

WINTER SEASON Men’s Basketball Coming off an appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four, the Jeffs once again made the NCAA tournament this season, but this time fell in the second round of competition.

There were many bright spots throughout the year as the Jeffs began the season by hosting and winning the Ken Wright ’52 Invitational, scoring 282 points over the course of three games.

The Jeffs also defeated Williams in a home contest on Jan. 21, a key overtime win that forced the rivals to split the season series.

Connor Green ’16 scored a season-high 30 points, helping contribute to his team-high average of 16 points per game.

The junior continued his stellar Amherst career, earning various honors, including a NESCAC player of the week title, ECAC Division III New England player of the week honor, a vote to the third team All-Northeast Region and a NABC Division III All-Northeast second team nomination.

First-year Johnny McCarthy performed well in his first season for the purple and white and was named the ECAC Division III New England Rookie of the Year as he led the team in steals and was second in points per game, rebounds, assists and blocks.

Next year Amherst will look to replicate the success of their 2013-14 run, returning 14 of their 15 players heading into next season.

Women’s Basketball Losing just four games this season, the women’s basketball team advanced deep into the NCAA tournament and enjoyed another widely successful season.

Their year kicked off with a 14-game win streak that featured decisive victories over NESCAC foes Hamilton and Williams.

Captain Megan Robertson ’15 bookended her Amherst career with a stellar season, reaching numerous milestones. She became Amherst’s all time leading shot blocker, as she recorded her 175th career block against Arcadia University. The following day she scored her 1000th career point against Farmingdale State. Later in the season she notched her 200th career block, leaving her as the only player in Amherst history to score 1,000 points, grab 700 rebounds and block 200 shots.

Robertson earned second team All-NESCAC honors, along with teammate Ali Doswell ’17, who led the team with 12.3 points per game on average.

Other key contributors for the Jeffs included Marley Giddins ’16, who followed up her breakout sophomore campaign by

posting an average of 8.9 points per game.

Sophomores Hannah Peterson and Meredith Doswell were also two of Amherst’s most consistent players, contributing 7.5 points per game and 7.4 points per game respectively.

Meredith Doswell started every single game for the Jeffs.

As Coach G.P. Gromacki loses Robertson and Taylor Smith ’15, the team will rely on these experienced, younger players moving forward.

Women’s Ice Hockey Starting the season on a five-game win streak, the women’s ice hockey team made an appearance in the NESCAC semifinals and posted a 17-5-4 record.

One thrilling win came over Colby in NESCAC quarterfinal action. Senior captain Tori Salmon scored the game-wining goal in overtime to give the Jeffs the 2-1 victory.

Salmon was named to the All-NESCAC first team for her third consecutive time. She led the team with 34 points on the season, consisting of 16 goals and 18 assists. She also received All-New England honors, as one of the only six NESCAC student-athletes to be named to the New England Women’s Hockey All-Star team.

Other All-NESCAC honorees were Erin Martin ’16 (her second straight honor), as well Lynndy Smith ’17 and Caitlin Ryan ’17.

Martin was a fixture on offense, scoring six goals and adding 22 assists. Smith and Ryan were both integral to the team’s defense but also packed a punch on offense, adding five goals each.

Brenna Sullivan ’18 had a strong showing in her first year in purple and white. She played in 23 of 26 games for the Jeffs, scoring 11 goals, good for third on the team and adding six assists.

Men’s Indoor Track and Field The men’s indoor track and field team found its way back to the NCAA Division III championships for the 12th time in program history, placing 32nd overall in the field of 66. The team earned a first-place finish at the ECAC championships among 56 competitors.

A first-place finish from Kevin Connors ’17 in the 1,500-meter race highlighted the win in the ECAC championships. Romey Sklar ’15 finished second in the 1,000-meter race.

Competitors at the NCAA Division III championships included Mohamed Hussein ’18, who finished 13th overall in the 5,000meter run.

Greg Turissini ’15 was the other runner who qualified for an individual event. He

Women’s Indoor Track and Field After opening their season with a misstep at the Little Three championships, the women’s indoor track and field team quickly picked up the pace, taking second at the Springfield Invitational, third at the Tufts Stampede and fifth at Division III New Englands. The team sent five representatives to the NCAA Division III Championships and finished in 29th.

The competing Jeffs included Lizzy Briskin ’15, Lexi Sinclair ’16 and sophomores Karen Blake, Savanna Gornisiewicz and Kiana Herold.

Herold’s stellar year was capped off with a 1.69-meter mark in the high jump at the NCAA Division III championships, placing her at third on the national stage.

Blake ran well in the 60-meter dash, improving from her No. 14 seeding to take 12th in the race.

Men’s Squash Although they finished the 2014-15 season with a losing record, men’s squash did have numerous strong performances throughout the year.

Noah Browne ’16 played out of the No. 1 spot for the entirety of the season and continued to dominate for the Jeffs. He earned All-NESCAC recognition, his third consecutive all-conference honor, and also represented Amherst at the CSA Individual Championships.

Other bright spots included the play of first-year Cameron Bahadori. Bahadori found himself on the No. 3 court for much of the season. He picked up two wins at the Division III individual tournament.

The team will see six seniors graduate and will need to rebuild heading into the 2015-16 season.

Ben Grimes ’15, Matthew Heise ’16, Elijah Spiro ’18, Michael Rochford ’14, Connor Haley ’17 and Asher Lichtig ’16.

Lichtig earned a seventh-place in the 3-meter dive at the NCAA Division III championships. He was also the lone Jeff to compete at NCAA Diving Regionals. He placed fifth overall in the 3-meter dive among 20 other divers. Lichtig also placed fourth in the 1-meter dive, scoring 501.35 points.

Amherst’s 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Hampton, Dreisbach, Anderson and Sholtis took 11th on the national stage.

Women’s Swimming and Diving The women’s swimming and diving team opened its season with three consecutive wins and continued on to place fourth at the NESCAC championships and sixth at the NCAA finals.

Emily Hyde ’16 took third place in the 200-yard breaststroke at the national meet, following up her first-place finish and meet courtesy of Kiana Herold ‘17 record in the racePhoto at the NESCAC championships.

The 400-yard freestyle relay team, featuring Ashleigh Stoddart ’15, Stephanie Ternullo ’15, Sarah Conklin ’16 and Hyde, took eighth at the NCAA finals.

Stoddart also competed in the 100-yard freestyle, earning an NCAA ‘B’ cut time. Also earning a‘B’ cut time was Conklin, who took second place in the 200-yard butterfly.

Six Jeffs were named to the All-NESCAC team. The group consisted of Conklin, Hyde, Stoddart, Ternullo for individual performances as well as their time in the 400-yard medley.

First-year Stephanie Moriarty was also recognized, as she placed third in 200-yard backstroke. Charlotte Chudy ’16 competed in the 800-yard freestyle relay with Hyde, Stoddart and Ternullo to earn her third all-conference honor.

Coach Nick Nichols will lose four seniors after graduation but will return many elite performers for the 2015-16 season.

— Lauren Tuiskula ’17

Women’s Squash The women’s squash team saw a significant improvement in its record this year, dropping only six matches all season. The Jeffs defended their title in the Walker Cup (C Division) defeating Bowdoin in the finals of the WCSA National Team Championships. They finished the season ranked 17th in the nation.

First-year Kimberly Krayacich established a name for herself, playing on the No. 1 court all season and picking up key NESCAC wins over Middlebury, Hamilton and Colby.

Fellow first-year Haley McAtee also had a breakout year, bouncing between the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. She was named the player of the 2015 women’s national team championship for her outstanding play at the Walker Cup. The team graduates just two seniors and will rely on its younger talent as it hopes to improve again in the coming year.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Men’s Swimming and Diving Men’s swimming and diving raced to a second-place finish at the NESCAC championships and tied for 13th at the NCAA Finals.

Connor Sholtis ’15 ended his Amherst career with a dominant showing. He set a program record in the 50-yard freestyle at the NESCAC championships, taking first place in the race. Additionally, the senior captain took eighth in the 100-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division III championships.

The team placed an impressive 11 Jeffs to the All-NESCAC team. Sam Spurrell ’18 was named rookie of the meet, placing third in the 200-yard butterfly and also helping the 400-yard medley team place second.

Other Jeffs who earned All-Conference recognition included Sholtis, Jeff Anderson ’16, Tyler Hampton ’15, Alex Dreisbach ’17,

Photo courtesy of Mark Box

May 22, 2015 | The Amherst Student | 33

SPRING SEASON Baseball Amherst baseball enjoyed another winning season, posting a 27-15 record and returning to the Division III NCAA regionals for their third straight season. The team narrowly missed a NESCAC title, falling to Wesleyan in the extra-inning championship game thriller.

Mike Odenwaelder ’16 was named the NESCAC player of the year for the second straight season. He led the league in hits and total bases, posting a .373 batting average.

He also blasted seven homers in additional to stealing 15 bases.

Other conference recognition came for Yanni Thanopoulous ’17, who was named to the first team, and Andrew Vandini ’16, a second team selection. Thanopoulous posted a .362 batting average and led the league in RBI. Vandini finished with a .305 batting average and his 46 RBI was good for second best in the league.

First-year Harry Roberson quickly earned a starting role, becoming the team’s consistent shortstop and hitting for a .358 batting average.

Defensively, junior starter Riley Streit led the pitching staff. Streit finished with a 2.40 ERA and 45 strikeouts.

Men’s Golf The men’s golf team opened up its spring season with a fifth-place finish at the Westport Hampton Inn Spring Invitational and continued to play well throughout the season, taking second at the Little Three championships.

Jarvis Sill ’15 built off his successes in the fall, placing fifth at the Hampton Inn Invite.

Amherst concluded their season at the Little Three championships with a strong showing from a trio of first-years. Sam Procter, Dan Langa and Mateo Wiesner all earned points against Wesleyan to help the Jeffs to a 9-3 win over the Cardinals. Procter was the only Jeff to take a point from rival Williams.

With three seniors graduating, the team will need to use this momentum from the younger golfers and carry it into the fall season.

Women’s Golf After a successful fall campaign, the women’s golf team started its spring season with two sixth-place finishes, one coming at the Vassar Invitational and the other at the Amherst-hosted Jack Leaman Invitational.

Jamie Gracie ’17 continued her winning ways, placing sixth at the Vassar Invitational, third at the Jack Leaman invite and tying for fifth overall at the Williams College Spring Invitational. Gracie was also selected to compete at the NCAA Division III champion-

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

ships. She was the only individual selected from the NESCAC and finished tied for 25th overall at the tournament in a field of 110 golfers.

First-year Zoe Wong was also one of the Jeffs’ main contributors, consistently placing in the top five for Amherst. Her best performance of the spring came at the Vassar Invitational. She scored an 84 on both days, a two-day total that made her Amherst’s second best finisher at the tournament.

With the conclusion of the spring season, coach Michelle Morgan will retire after 25 seasons with Amherst. Morgan was inducted into the Western Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame back in October.

The team also graduates two senior captains and will rely on a new crop of leadership come fall.

Men’s Lacrosse The men’s lacrosse team advanced all the way to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, losing just three contests all season.

They started their season on an eight-game win streak and enjoyed another victorious eight-game stretch in the middle part of their season.

Quinn Moroney ’16 was named NESCAC player of the year, leading Amherst with 113 total points consisting of 30 goals and 83 assists.

Other NESCAC honors came for head coach Jon Thompson, as he was named Co-Coach of the Year.

Moroney was also named to the All-NESCAC first team, joined by teammates Dylan Park ’16, Ryan Cassidy ’16 and Cody Tranbarger ’17. Second team recognition went to Matt Virgilio ’15, Rob Butko ’16 and Matt Killian ’17.

Six Jeffs were also recognized with USILA All-American honors. Moroney and Cassidy were placed on the first team, while Park, Kane Haffey ’16, Butko and Tranbarger all garnered honorable mention titles.

After playing in just seven games in his first year, Tranbarger became the Jeffs’ main goalie in 2015, starting in every game for the team. He posted a 62.1 save percentage, making 315 saves total.

Women’s Lacrosse Starting the season ranked at fifth in Division III, the women’s lacrosse team faltered in numerous NESCAC games to fall short of expectations and post a record just above .500 at 9-7.

The season was highlighted by a 17-11 win over rival Williams and a thrilling 9-8 overtime victory over Colby.

Rachel Passarelli ’16 had a standout year, earning All-NESCAC first team honors in

34 | The Amherst Student | May 22, 2015

addition to being named an IWLCA first team All-American. She led Amherst in both goals and points, with 42 and 55, respectively.

Meghan Mills ’15 and Hanna Krueger ’17 were named to the all-conference second team, with each earning her first NESCAC accolade. Mills scored 30 goals for the Jeffs while also adding 20 groundballs and 45 draw controls. Krueger contributed stellar defensive play with 25 ground balls and a team-best 19 caused turnovers.

After an early elimination from the NESCAC tournament, the Jeffs will return many of their core players and chase a longer run next season.

Men’s Outdoor Track and Field After a dominant indoor season, men’s track and field transitioned wonderfully to the spring, placing second at the Amherst Invitational to start the season.

They stumbled with an eighth-place finish at the NESCAC championships before rallying and racing to 16th of 29 at the NCAA Division III Northeast meet and tying for 13th of 53 at the ECAC Championships.

Six Jeffs were named to the All-NESCAC team. Kevin Connors ’17, Nick Codola ’15, Romey Sklar ’15 and Brent Harrison ’16 earned honors as members of the 4x800-meter relay team. Mohamed Hussein ’18 grabbed second place in the 10,000-meter run to continue his fantastic first year. Finally, Dan Crowley earned third place in the 5,000meter run to round out the Jeffs’ all-conference honorees.

Hussein moves on to compete at the NCAA outdoor championships, which will conclude on May 23. He set a program record for first-years and also won the event at the NEICAAA New England championships with his qualifying time of 30:34.89.

Women’s Outdoor Track and Field The women’s track and field team started its spring season with a second-place

showing at the Amherst Invitational. They continued on to place eighth of 31 at the NCAA Division III Northeast meet and place 19th of 56 at the ECAC Championships.

Karen Blake ’17, Kiana Herold ’17, Lizzy Briskin ’15, Lexi Sinclair ’16 and Becki Goalia ’18 were named to the All-NESCAC team for their individual performances. The 4x100-meter team consisting of Gabby Bishop ’18, Herold, Taylor Summers ’16 and Blake also received conference accolades.

Blake and Herold also qualified to compete at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, and the last day of competition will be May 23.

Blake will race in the 200-meter dash as

Photo courtesy of Megan Robertson ’15

well as the 100-meter dash. She took second in the 200-meter at the ECAC Championships while finishing fourth in the 100-meter dash at the meet.

Herold is set to compete in the high jump. She took fourth in the event at the New England Division III Outdoor championships.

Softball Under the new leadership of coach Jessica Johnson, the softball team went 16-12, narrowly missing the NESCAC tournament.

The team did capture the Little Three championship title, winning its series over both Williams and Wesleyan.

Seniors Kelsey Ayers and Donna Leet were named to the All-NESCAC second team. Ayers finished 10th in the league with a .398 batting average in addition to a .417 on base percentage. Leet was also named to the NFCA All-New England third team.

She finished with a .394 average to accompany six homers and 24 RBI. In the circle, Jackie Buechler ’17 followed up a dominant first year with another successful season. She posted a 2.21 ERA striking out 86 batters in just 85.1 innings pitched.

First-year Ally Kido broke onto the scene, playing and starting in various different positions for the Jeffs. She posted a .309 batting average, blasting three homers and adding 18 RBI. Graduating five seniors, the team will bring in six newcomers and look to find more success in 2016.

Men’s Tennis The men’s tennis team fell shy of defending its national championship title, losing an exciting 5-4 match to Chicago in the NCAA Division III Championships.

The team went on a 10-match win streak in the middle of the season that started with a 7-2 win over Colby on March 29. The Jeffs dropped just six matches all year.

Andrew Yaraghi ’16 was named the NESCAC player of the year. He began the year at No. 3 singles but quickly moved up to the No. 1 position.

He is also one of the six singles player from the NESCAC selected to participate at the NCAA individual championships, which will conclude on May 23 in Mason, Ohio.

Yaraghi also earned a nomination to the All-NESCAC first team along with his teammates Michael Solimano ’16 and Aaron Revzin ’16.

The perennial contender Jeffs lose just three seniors and will hunt for another national title come 2016.

— Lauren Tuiskula ’17

Senior Greetings

CONGRATULATIONS PETEALSHARIF ALSHARIF CONGRATULATIONS PETE

CONGRATULATIONS PETE ALSHARIF

Congratulations to our Fulbright Scholar Savannah West!

The key to your success has been hard work, determination and dedication. It The key to your success has been hard work, determination and dedication. It seems like seems like just yesterday when we watched you walk confidently into Kindergarten.

The next thingyou we knew, you were about to begininto the successful just yesterday when we watched walk confidently Kindergarten.

The next thing The has key to your success has been hard work, determination journey Amherst College.

Through the years, as your parents, we have The key to your at success been hard work, determination and Itand dedication. It experienced ato profound sense ofjust pride in all that you have we knew, you were about begin the successful journey atdedication.

Amherst College. seems like yesterday when weaccomplished. watched you walk confidently into Through seems like just yesterday when we watched you walk confidently into willnext givething you even more ofyou an opportunity to to begin the successful Congratulations Peter!!

Med School Kindergarten.

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We stand beside you always. journey at Amherst College. Through the years, as your parents, we in have Love Through Mom, Dad,the Zach and Joe journey at Amherst College. years, as your have experienced aPeter!! profound sense ofSchool pride parents, in allwill thatwe you have accomplished. have accomplished.

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Congratulations

With Love, Mom & Dad

Brendan Hsu & Marie Lambert

Love,

The Amherst Student Staff

Lars, Look back proudly at all you have accomplished and boldly step forward as you continue on life’s journey. Dream big, take risks, fight for what is right and love with all your heart. “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.” –Vince Lombardi To wherever life brings you, we will always be there with you. We love you and are so proud of you!

Congratulations, Mom, Frank, Nicole, and Theresa

May 22, 2014 | The Amherst Student | 35

TEAMS OF THE YEAR MEN’S HOCKEY: NESCAC CHAMPS

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Men’s ice hockey played to a 225-2 record in a thrilling season that earned them a NESCAC championship and brought them to the NCAA tournament semifinals.

The Jeffs went on an impressive run down the stretch, winning eight straight games before falling to Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the semifinal contest. The streak included a win over rival Williams that avenged a loss earlier in the season, in addition to a thrilling 1-0 win over the Ephs later in the season, coming in the NESCAC tournament final.

Senior Andrew Fenwick scored the lone goal in the game and was named NESCAC player of the week for lifting his team to the title.

Five other Jeffs earned end of year All-NESCAC honors, including head coach Jack Arena ’83, who

was named NESCAC Coach of the Year. David White ’18 earned the NESCAC Rookie of the Year title as well as a first team all-conference selection thanks to his 31 points on 18 goals and 13 assists in his first season.

Jake Turrin ’15 joined White on the first team, while Mike Rowbotham ’15 and Aaron Deutsch ’15 were both recognized as second team All-NESCAC. A story from the season that cannot be forgotten is the work of goalie Danny Vitale ’15. Vitale played in just 3:19 minutes of game action prior to this year. He was called upon to fill a void resulting from injury and took the challenge head on, posting a .939 save percentage, 15-4-2 record and a mere 1.88 goals against average in his senior season.

WOMEN’S TENNIS IS THIRD IN THE NATION The women’s tennis team looked to repeat its NCAA championship finals appearance from last year, but fell just short, losing to Williams in the semi-finals. The team had a stellar run, going 165.

Sue Ghosh ’16 was joined by first-year Vickie Ip in a doubles team that posted a 19-7 record this season. The pair was recognized with AllNESCAC first team honors and will compete in the doubles tournament at the NCAA Championships.

The duo was also recognized with individual honors, with Ip named to the All-NESCAC going 16-8 in singles play. Ghosh landed on the second team for the second straight year posting a 17-6 record playing out of the No. 2 singles position.

The team battled in a narrowly decided NCAA Division III Regional contest to earn a 5-4 win over Johns Hopkins. Ip and Ghosh picked up wins in No. 1 doubles while Safi Aly ’15 and Sarah Monteaugudo ’16 were victorious on the No. 3 court.

Jacqueline Calla ’17 and Monteaugdo earned

singles win on the No. 3 and No. 4 courts while Claire Carpenter ’17 secured the final win for the Jeffs in a victory that sent them to their seventh consecutive NCAA tournament quartfinal apperance.

The Jeffs defeated MIT 5-1 in the quarterfinal match before falling to Williams in semi-final action.

Playing in the consolation match, the team grabbed third place at the national tournament, defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by a 5-1 score.

Aly and Monteaugudo earned an 8-3 victory in doubles play on the No. 3 court while Jacqueline Calla ’17 and Maddy Sung ’16 picked up a closely contested 9-7 victorry on the No. 2 doubles court.

The strong play carried over to singles action as Monteagudo, Calla and Ghosh all rounded out the wins for the Jeffs.

With only one senior graduating from the team and two experienced captains returning, the team is set to chase a national championship in the new season.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

MVPs: Best of the Senior Jeffs GABRIEL WIRZ

Gabriel Wirz

Gabriel Wirz’s defense helped lead the men’s soccer team to 10 shutouts and a 14-1-6 overall during the fall 2014 season.

Wirz earned nominations to the Academic All-District team, the All-NESCAC second team, the Capital One Academic All-America third team, the NCAA Division III AllNew England Region second team and the D3soccer.com All-America third team.

Wirtz finishes his career after helping Amherst to a 65-4-13 record over the course of his four years.

MADELINE TANK

Madeline Tank

A two-sport athlete, Madeline Tank dominated both on the field and on the ice throughout her final year in purple and white. In the fall, she led the field hockey team with 13 goals. She also finished the season fourth in the league in game-winning goals and sixth in points scored.

The forward was named to the All-NESCAC first team, her second consecutive All-Conference selection. Additionally, she was named to the Longstreth/NFHCA Division III All-Region first team as well as the All-America third team. On the ice, Tank contributed five goals and five assists in her senior season.

CONNOR SHOLTIS

Connor Sholtis

Connor Sholtis capped off his Amherst career with a stellar senior campaign, competing at the NCAA Division III championships and being crowned the NCAA champion in the 200-yard freestyle and placing eighth in the 100-yard freestyle. He also competed with three freestyle medley teams, the 200-yard, 400-yard and 800-yard, taking 16th, 11th and 15th respectively with his teammates.

Sholtis led Amherst in NESCAC competition earning seven allconference honors while also claiming four out of five of Amherst’s first place finishes at the meet.

— Lauren Tuiskula ’17