FALL 2016: CITYterm’s Impact I Teaching for Experience Symposium I Donor Report I Alumni Making a Difference
STAFF AND FACULTY CITYterm Erica Chapman, F’99 Co-Director Jason Hult F’00 Co-Director ••• Isabelle Bedard French Faculty David Dunbar Co-Founder & Urban Core Teacher Jennifer Hughes Spanish Faculty Erik Johnke Associate Director of Studies Ravi Katkar Associate Director of Admission Mitchell Krieger Math Faculty Alyse Ruiz, F’03 Dean of Residential Life Eva Seligman Urban Core Faculty Leigh Yakubowski Program Coordinator
The Masters School Laura Danforth Head of School
Table of Contents Letter from Erica Chapman, Co-Director....................................... 1 Teaching for Experience Symposium............................................ 2 20th Anniversary............................................................................ 4 Alumni Profiles.............................................................................. 6 Annual Donor Report................................................................... 12 The Portraits Project.................................................................... 14 Class Notes................................................................................. 16
CITYterm at The Masters School 49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522 Phone: 914.479.6502 Fax: 914.693.6905 General inquires: info@cityterm.org www.cityterm.org
Dear Friends, If I had to pick a word to describe the past year at CITYterm it would be connection. Throughout the year, we connected and reconnected hundreds of alumni as we celebrated our 20th year as a school. We also connected more than 70 teachers from across the country during the Teaching for Experience Workshop and the Teaching for Experience Symposium. Even our more routine projects, like creating a new website, seemed to be about connecting people to what we are doing at CITYterm. One of the highlights of my year was our 20th Anniversary Celebration in Brooklyn last June. It was quite a remarkable and humbling feeling to see two hundred familiar faces at 26 Bridge, our venue for the 20th Anniversary Celebration. We had a terrific group of former faculty, alumni from the first several classes and a large showing of recent students. Throughout the night, I just kept thinking how incredible it is that CITYterm started as just an idea and in 20 years has grown into a vibrant school with so many devoted community members. My own connection to CITYterm, the place, the people and the philosophy of learning, has felt like an essential component of my life since I attended 17 years. From my time as a student (F’99) to my first foray on faculty (2004 – 2006), from coming back summer after summer to help David build the Teaching for Experience Workshop (2006 – present) to being the Director for the past five years, CITYterm has been a touchpoint. I’ve nurtured my connection to CITYterm because being part of this wonderful, messy experiment has been rewarding and challenging. I’ve grown more at CITYterm than anywhere else I’ve been.
Letter from Erica Chapman, Director
At the end of each semester, I tell tearful students that CITYterm goes on as long as you want it to. It doesn’t end on Closing Day. It’s not just an ephemeral moment with a specific group of people; rather it’s a worldview, a set of skills you transfer from experience to experience. CITYterm, as David would say, is about the ability to self-transform again and again. He would also say that transitions are times of maximum creativity. I’m taking that advice to heart as I transition into an exciting opportunity at The Masters School, starting at the end of this school year. This year, in addition to leading CITYterm with Jason Hult as Co-Director, I am serving as the Interim Dean of Faculty for The Masters School. Starting this July, I will transition out of my role as Co-Director and will become the permanent Dean of Faculty at The Masters School. In my new role, I’ll work with the whole school to support teachers in creating deep learning experiences for students. It’s a chance to try out all I have learned at CITYterm and to stretch myself. I’m grateful that I get to take this next step so close to “home” and plan to remain involved in CITYterm in small and large ways. All my best,
Erica Chapman, F’99 Director, CITYterm at The Masters School
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Teaching for Experience During June and July 2016, CITYterm and The Masters School hosted two professional learning opportunities for educators. The Teaching for Experience Workshop and Symposium brought dozens of teachers from around the country and the world to campus to learn more about the principles and practices associated with deep, experience-based learning.
TEACHING FOR EXPERIENCE WORKSHOP JUNE 26 – JULY 1, 2016 The Workshop is a week-long intensive that intentionally brings together teachers from different disciplines with a range of experience. This past summer, we gathered 17 teachers from 9 schools. Over the course of the week the group participated in seminars focused on teaching theory, engaged in collaborative projects aimed at mirroring a CITYterm student’s experience, and met with Ken Bain, author of What the Best College Teachers Do.
What did participants say? My week at TFE highlighted the power of true collaboration and afforded me time and space to reflect on my own practice with like-minded professionals. While I left with concrete ideas to use in class, the inspiration to implement experiences that allow students to reflect meaningfully about how they learn and engage with the world around them was the most invaluable lesson. — Dr. Andrew Jones, History/Humanities Teacher, Hawken School The TFE Workshop offers a rare deep, intentional, immersive dive into the whys and hows of powerful (experiential) learning. That’s refreshingly different from most workshops’ focus on merely generic “schooling.” So often in schools, teachers do things “to and for” our students. The TFE Workshop, by contrast, features learning strategies, tools, and techniques that our students can do “by and with” themselves. — Mike Pardee, Associate Director, Lab Atlanta at The Lovett School TFE Workshop Participants, June 2016
TFE gave me the language, insight, and tools that I needed to demystify the learning process for my students and help them develop the metacognition they need to become authors of their own education. —Pete Nordlund, Dean of Faculty, Chadwick School
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TEACHING FOR EXPERIENCE SYMPOSIUM JULY 12 - 15, 2016 The second Teaching for Experience Symposium included 55 teachers and administrators interested in exchanging ideas and building a network of teachers interested in creating transformative learning in their classrooms and in effecting institutional change in their schools. The Symposium featured an opening dialogue with Dr. Mariko Silver, President of Bennington College, who spoke about the role of institutional design and student agency in creating deep learning.
Workshops at the Symposium Here’s a sample of some of the 17 workshops offered at the Symposium: Understanding PFOA: How Bennington College is Using Experiential Learning to Confront Local Water Contamination David Bond, Bennington College, Bennington, VT Bringing Design Thinking Mindsets into Your Classroom Laura Pickel, Stanford d.school, Stanford, CA Design as Assessment: A New Kind of Final Exam Nathan Stogdill & Cotter Donnell, Polytechnic School, Pasadena, CA We’ve Experienced Math... so what? Jim Wysocki, Catlin Gabel School, Portland, OR Feeding the Elephant in the Room: Using Racial Anxiety to Further Inclusion Efforts Josina Reaves, Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn, NY For more information visit www.cityterm.org/TFE
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“What a joy to connect with students and teachers from my eight years of CITYterm and those from my own term! It was deeply rewarding to hear about the triumphs, misadventures, and questions that we are all working through. I was reminded how CITYterm is quite small in the way it fosters intimate connections and really big in how it exists in the hearts and memories of our alums, myself included.” — Jason Hult, F00, Co-Director
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0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 20 20 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 20 20 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 20 2 2 0 2 0 0 20 20 2 20 2 0 2 0 20 20 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 20 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 20 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 20 2 0 2 0 2 20 0 20 “I loved seeing so many semester cohorts converge in one place! I loved seeing connections between terms and reminded me of the wonderful CITYterm alumni community.”
— Mitch Krieger Math Faculty
“Favorite part – standing on the Brooklyn Bridge, doing a collective count-off and hearing many people, across semesters, yelling out their CITYnumber. What a cool connective moment and what a perfect place to do it!” — Alyse Ruiz, F’03, Dean of Residential Life
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Ben Naimark-Rowse CITYterm, Spring 1998 Boston Latin School, 1999 University of Chicago, 2003 Princeton University, MPA, 2012 The Fletcher School, Tufts University, PhD, 2018 (expected)
I remember learning about CITYterm from my friend Eben Ellertson (S’97). He’d just gotten back from CITYterm and had nothing but amazing things to say. Having visited NYC often while growing up in Boston the question for me wasn’t how could I spend a semester away from my high school. It was how could I not spend a semester living away from home to dive headfirst into everything NYC?! I fell in love with New York City during CITYterm – its diversity, its intensity, its incessantly beating heart. But ironically I had this bizarre idea that I’d be better off going to college in Chicago….where I’d be able to study and not be distracted by all things New York. Immediately after graduating I moved to Brooklyn and lived there for the next seven years. New York City can be a lonely place if you don’t have friends there and if you don’t know how to take advantage of all that the city has to offer. But CITYterm gave me both. For three years while living in NYC I co-directed Darfurian Voices, the first public opinion survey of refugees from Darfur on issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation. That entailed getting to know the refugee communities in Ditmas Park and Flatbush, Brooklyn and Jersey City, NJ as well as conducting 2,152 interviews with refugees living along the Chad/Sudan border. During CITYterm I also came to understand the value of experiential learning. Whether it was running around the Lower East Side on Shabbat for our Neighborhood Study project – and missing our train back to Dobbs – getting a walking tour of Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, or reading Drown and then discussing it with its author, Junot Diaz, the maxim I learned at CITYterm remains with me – experience is not what happens to you, it’s what you do with what happens to you. I’ve brought that commitment to experiential and immersive learning to my doctoral research and teaching on nonviolent resistance. During the fall of 2014 I co-taught a Tufts University undergraduate course titled, From Gandhi to the Arab Spring: The Theory and Practice of Nonviolent Resistance. One of the homework assignments was to participate in or interview someone who had participated in a nonviolent political action. This summer of 2015 I’m embarking on my first field research missions in the U.K. and South Africa as part of a project titled Dear Friend: Correspondence Across Enemy Lines. Dear Friend seeks to document and analyze private correspondence between the leaders of nonviolent resistance movements and leaders of their target regimes. I hope that this project will shed light on the importance of strategic communication in mitigating violence and in advancing nonviolent resistance. I also hope that this project will help promote understanding of the value of nonviolent resistance around the world. To that end, here’s a recent blog post that I wrote titled, The Founding Myth of the United States of America. It highlights how nonviolent resistance is critical to the story of our independence, or at least it should be.
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Anna Harris CITYterm, Fall 2003 Hamden Hall Country Day School, 2005 University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, 2009 KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Masters, 2015
CITYterm was one of the best experiences of my adolescent life. It took me out of the monotony and stress of my prep school life and threw me into real-world learning. Whether going to a voodoo seance, walking over the Brooklyn bridge or learning about the history of the NYPL, CITYterm was a constant adventure. When the semester ended and I was thrown back into AP courses, SAT prep and college applications, the stress and monotony returned as well. It wasn’t until years later, when I moved abroad, that I realized the impact that CITYterm had on who I’d become. I was an explorer, constantly learning and seeking out information from the world around me, senses on high alert. After graduating from UPenn, I followed the pack and moved to NYC. I got a stable job, decent apartment and quickly developed a standard routine. But the city that I had been exposed to as a teenager was gone, replaced with high bills, long lines, and short deadlines. What looked glamorous from the outside was anything but. “Where would I go” was often on my mind and finally answered when my Swedish boyfriend (now, soon-tobe husband) suggested moving back to his hometown of Stockholm. What did I have to lose? Now the answer seems clear - nothing. My life now feels like an extended CITYterm semester. It’s a constant adventure. In the last year, I’ve travelled to over 10 countries, started and finished a Master’s program, started working at Spotify and built a home for myself and fiance in a foreign land. From the UAE to Portugal, travel has exposed me to many new cultures. But living abroad has taught me about myself. I’ve put myself out there and gotten a whole lot back. CITYterm taught me to keep an open mind towards new people and experiences, to constantly observe and question the world around me, and to never stop moving. I have no doubt that what lies ahead will involve loads of travel and new experiences and I cannot wait! If anyone is ever in Stockholm, look me up - we can explore together :)
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Venus Tsang CITYterm, Spring 2006 Loomis Chaffee School, 2007 New York University, 2011
To this day, I remain so proud of 16-year-old me for enrolling at CITYterm and recognizing the rare, special opportunity it was. My experience there, that crazed couple of months, has shaped not only who I am, but also many of the decisions I continue to make in adulthood. People come in and out of your life, but I’ll never forget that cast of characters from Spring 2006. 10 years later, I still remember hurtling down the hill to catch the train; trudging slowly back up it after a long day on my feet. From that first, intimate ‘Things I Carried’ evening, to waiting in an endless line for Grimaldi’s, to chatting with Adrian Nicole Leblanc and Lee Stringer (as a writer, these especially stayed with me). As I get older I increasingly champion the interdisciplinary approach, bridging theory and practice, as the best way to learn. After CITYterm I knew I wanted to stay in New York, so I enrolled at NYU where I pursued dual degrees in journalism and French. I studied abroad in Paris and Beijing, wrote for the school paper and interned at Conde Nast. I lived in the East Village and walked to Washington Square Park every day, and by the time I graduated I felt like I could really call myself a New Yorker. I moved back to Hong Kong, where my family is from, to work for LUXE City Guides, a Hong Kong- and Melbourne-based boutique travel publisher. Though my role has evolved over the years, the one thing that remains constant is travel – despite coming from an international background, CITYterm taught me thoughtful ways to discover a place and learn its history, and I’ve applied this to my professional life as well. Last year I went to Brazil to research and write brand new city guides to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and really sought to see it from a local’s, rather than tourist’s, perspective. I found myself at the top of a pacified favela with a Brazilian photographer, where I saw some of the most incredible panoramas over Ipanema Beach – and it was blissfully crowd-free! As for the future, I know I’ll make it back to New York soon. And in the more distant future, I hope to be able to teach at a program like CITYterm. Experiential learning has proven to be some of the most impactful memories in my life to date, and I hope to pass that on to more smart 16-year-olds.
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Emma (Bruggeman) Iocono CITYterm, Fall 2005 Blake High School, 2007 Connecticut College, 2011 Mills College, Mam 2014
Immediately after CITYterm, I headed back to my high school in Minnesota. The friends and experiences I had in New York were irreplaceable, but what stands out most about my transition back to my school was that I started with a new sense of self and confidence. I realized the girls who I had been friends with weren’t real friends and I found people who had similar interests and are now lifelong friends. The value of learning to surround myself with people who respected and valued me for who I was is something I’ve carried with me since. CITYterm was one big adventure. I like to think I’ve continued that into my adult life - sometimes I’m not so sure - but I think back to that courageous 16 year old who left home for the first time and remember that I can still be that person. Recently that has been tested. In the last year, my husband and I have made the decision to move to his home of Costa Rica. His parents recently decided to retire, leaving us to run their family business. This brought up hard questions and difficult conversations, but in the end we decided that it was right for us, our families, and the business. Where we live in Costa Rica is the opposite in many ways from New York City or from the St. Paul/Minneapolis area that I grew up in. We live in a small rural beach town, where tourism is the center of the economy. We run a hotel and restaurant business that relies on this tourism. We’re both adjusting to the new lifestyle and learning as we go. I’ve had to learn a new language, new business, and new way of life. I feel well equipped for most adventures that come my way. CITYterm taught me to always look for the excitement in new discoveries. I’ve been taking each new opportunity here as a learning experience and credit CITYterm for the courage to continue this adventure! If anyone would like to pay us a visit, you can find us here www.ylangylangbeachresort.com
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Sonya Hammons CITYterm, Fall 1999 Tamalpais High School, 2000 University of California, Berkeley, 2004 London School of Economics, MSc, 2010
Through CITYterm, metaphors helped me interpret everything from literature to media messages to subway rides. My favorite was the idea of “urban fabric,” and my fascination with it persisted after I left CITYterm. Every experience became a new fabric to understand, with components and connections to identify and also to appreciate as a whole. So it was no surprise that I went on to study geography while working at a textile arts studio. Geography captured my attention as a way of thinking about the world - the physical, cultural and economic threads that create patterns and idiosyncrasies to make a place what it is and connect it to other places. Creating textiles let me play with the “urban fabric” metaphors in a contemplative way, complementing the technical analysis and mapping of university courses with a reflective, personal process. I made maps dyed with materials from the places the maps represented, wove found objects into maps made of zoning documents, and generally reveled in the idea of myriad lives experiencing a place in different ways. For now I’m moving on to a new metaphor: the pendulum swing. As I write this I’m packing my bags to swing back to the US after working in over thirty countries. As for the physical side of this metaphor, I am learning flying trapeze. Through trapeze I’m finding balance, learning that letting go is as important as hanging on, and developing trading grit for elation as a source of strength. It’s also helping me undo the effects of way too much time hunched over a computer or squeezed into an airplane seat!
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Helson Taveras CITYterm, Fall 2012 Milton Academy, 2014 Columbia College, 2018
Our CITYterm group had to speak to a particular store owner before getting on the 12:20 train or else we wouldn’t have been prepared for our outing that day. Yet we weren’t sure if she would respond to an email in time. That presented a serious problem for our team, and for a moment we were stumped about our next move. And then Lily stepped in and suggested, “Why don’t you guys just give them a call?” Of course. We’re children of the Internet age after all. Someone found her number online and immediately called her. I thought it was hilariously ironic that not only did we fail to think of calling the owner, once we did call she was very receptive and helpful! Now, whenever I’m faced with a seemingly difficult problem, I think back to that moment and ask, “Is there a blindingly simple solution to this that I fail to see?” The next thing I ask is, “Is there someone out there who wants to help me solve this problem?” Often people are willing to help more than we would expect. I knew I wanted to be in New York City after leaving CITYterm, so I resolved to applying to Columbia University, and fortunately I was accepted. In the summer of 2015, a friend approached me with an idea: a mealsharing app for college students. That idea quickly evolved into sketches, mockups, a prototype, and in September a finished app called Swipes. Working on the app has been a team effort, an area that CITYterm keenly focuses on. Developing team culture, creating effective processes, and making sure that everyone is contributing has been a priority for us as we continue to generate ideas. It helps that Israel Moorer (Fall ‘14) has played an integral role in the team since the beginning and he reminds me to think to my CITYterm days for inspiration. We’ve turned to our peers to solve the problem of food insecurity at Columbia. We allow students to both give and request meal “swipes” to other students who can’t afford to purchase them—essentially we’re crowdsourcing food. Swipes’ has just entered its second semester and we’re exploring different ways to involve more students. Although our journey has been relatively short, we’ve been very fortunate to receive support both from other students across the country and also unexpected media attention. We’re very excited to continue building our team and generating ideas using CITYterm techniques. And as always, make sure to pick up the phone when we need help.
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2015–2016 Annual Report of Donors The philanthropic support that CITYterm receives from alumni, parents, faculty, and friends of the program is instrumental to our success. As a small non-profit organization, your support is vital to the continued sustainability and growth of CITYterm, enabling us to share the transformative experience of a semester at CITYterm with students from across the country and around the world for many years to come. Your gifts are a celebration of CITYterm and the impact we have had on the lives of our students and alumni. Support from loyal friends like you is a testament to the power of our educational model and helps us to ensure the future of CITYterm for years to come. In particular, we want to call special attention to donors who have supported CITYterm for several consecutive years. Your continued generosity is evidence of the power of the CITYterm experience and the lasting impact of this transformative learning experience, even years later. We would also like to celebrate the fact that we exceeded our $90,000 goal for the 2015-2016 year, raising a total of $92,621. The remarkable generosity of our community sustains us as we enter our third decade as a school.
WAYS TO GIVE THIS YEAR… Give online: www.cityterm.org/giving Call: Dial 914.479.6449 to make a gift over the phone Mail: Return your check, made payable to CITYterm at The Masters School, using the enclosed envelope Gifts of Stock: Call 914.479.6449
2015-2016 CITYTERM ANNUAL FUND CONTRIBUTORS Your generosity totaled $92,621, providing invaluable financial support that allows us to achieve our mission through increased financial aid, program support, and professional development. KEY: 3-year consecutive donor* 5-year consecutive donor** 10-year consecutive donor*** 2015-2016 Faculty & Administration Class Agent Alumni Council EMPIRE STATE BUILDING ($10,000 +) Anonymous Marivi and Darius Nevin PF’08** CHRYSLER BUILDING ($5,000 +) Kelly Eichenholz F’12 HEARST TOWER ($2,500 - $4,999) Anonymous Marie and Guy Arcuri PS’16 Aimée Derbes F’98 Derbes Family Foundation Nancy Fox and Jon Edwards PF’13* Susan and Steve Glusker PF’15 WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL ($1,000 - $2,499) Anonymous (3) Susannah and David Bailin PS’12** Steven Bercu PS’14* Gregory Boulos PF’13 James Patrick Collins F’97** The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Paula Chu and Laura Danforth Laura and Kevin Dickey PS’13 Helen & William Mazer Foundation* Amy and Howard Klion PF’08** Klion Springwater Coven Family Foundation, Inc.** Lisa and Peter Kraus PS’16
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Babette and Peter Loring PS’97, PS’00*** Susan and Christopher Masto PS’16 Carolyn Orr Mattoon*** The Robert and Carolyn Mattoon Fund*** Morgan Stanley Robin L. Nakao PF’15 Christine Grim Neikirk PF’13 Christopher Neikirk F’13* Norfolk Southern Foundation Debra and Albert O’Neal PF’15 Katy and Robert Pattillo PF’06 Pilzer Family Foundation** Anita and Neal Pilzer PS’07* Amy and Robert Rae PF’15 Diane M. Allen and John P. Remmert PF’10** Valerie and Michael Russell PS’16 Susan and Steven Sigal PS’01, PF’05 Lynn Pilzer Sobel and Eric J. Sobel PF’97, PS’04*** Carolyn Hunt and William Wilkinson PF’11** FLATIRON BUILDING ($500 - $999) Paula and William Bathke PS’05, PF’15** Laurie M. Beach PS’97* Laura Cabot Carrigan and Christopher Carrigan PS’16 Steven Kaell and Erica Chapman F’99*** Joan and John Chiodo Cecilia Avila and Paul Desan PS’16 David S. Dunbar PF’99, PS’02** Carol and Howard Fine PF’10** Maureen Fonseca** Sidney Hawkins Gargiulo F’97 Suzanne Giuffrida Lexi and Ben Hoffman PS’13 Hilary and Robert Hoopes PS’15 Kathleen and Herbert Janick PS’16 Lisa and George Katz PS’11* Norbert and Roger Longman PS’05***
Family Mayer Foundation Inc. Shira Milikowsky F’97 Laura Kittle and Jeremy Moser PF’04** Marlissa Briggett and Peter Necheles PS’13* Ann and Tony Ryan PF’11 The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore Hong Xu and Jingfei Yang PF’12 WOOLWORTH BUILDING ($100 - $499) Anonymous (2) Linda Bradley-Adams and Ronald Adams PS’05 American Academy of Dermatology Bank of America Bridget and John Barnes PF’11** Matthew Bateman F’99 Drake Bathke S’05** Anna Bennett F’14 Oliver W. Bivins S’08 Scott R. Blaha PF’15 Boeing* The Boston Foundation** Daniel Boyle F’99 Corey Briskin S’05*** Betsy Biemann and Sean Callahan PF’15 Adrienne Campbell-Holt S’97** Zoe Winkler Carter F’99** Lynn Cavo Diana Kennedy and Jack Chernick PS’14* Pamela J. Clarke Abbie Cohen F’09 Donari Copperidge F’96** Karina Dearwood Mary Doi* Douglas M. Dunbar F’99** Walker M. Dunbar S’02** Eben Ellertson S’97 Andrew Freedman S’97*
Mary Elliott and Mark Friedman PF’12 GE Foundation Betty Miller and David Gootnick PS’13* Catherine Adams Gravley and Adam Gravley PS’08 Heidi Berke and Jeffrey Halperin PF’14 Karry and Jonathon Hatch PF’15 Kristin Hendriksen F’04 Camilla Hermann F’06 William Heron F’99 Candace Reffe and Edward Hogan PS’12 Mary and Timothy Hult PF’00** Jean Marie and Doug Jamieson PF’10** Victoria Jamieson F’10 Acadia Klain S’00** Lynne Riley and Paul Kroner PS’15 Andrew A. Kryzak S’00 Patricia Lamb PS’16 Alison Guss and Richard Lewit PF’15 Virginia and Mark Ling PS’11* Simon Lowenthal F’96 Barbara Gold and Keith Lurie PS’11 Rachel Luyben Clare Martin and Terrence Lyons PS’14, PF’15* Susan and Eric Marandett PS’15 Jennifer Morrison and Richard Marks PS’07** Barbara and Richard Melvoin PF’97* Ann Mitchell PF’99, PS’02** James B. Moses PF’15 Irene and Peter Muturi PF’11 Lauren Levin-Epstein Odell S’97 Anne and Paul Parker PF’10 Laura Pickel Lake C. Polan S’97 Diane Pink and Roy Pottle PF’07* Amanda Quinby Ripley Quinby Randy Casden Repka PS’16
Stephanie and Phil Ritter PF’11* Deborah Saul PF’14 Susan and Glenn Shea PF’12* Karen Barbour and David Sheff PF’12* Marion Cunningham and James Sherley PS’11 Zack Sigal S’05** David Simons S’01** Zoe E. Sirchuk F’15 Cynthia Stern Kathleen Ghiorsi and Stephen Tatter PF’08 Phililppa L. Taulli PS’16 Frances and Robin Thompson PF’14 Sarah Pennie Thompson F’01 Antoinette Tomai PF’99** Barbara and Peter van Allen PS’12** Robin Frederick Whitten PF’01* Whitney Wortman Cynthia Yang F’96* Yu Hong Jiang and Ren Yong Zheng PF’15 CARNEGIE HALL (($50 - $99) Larisa and Jeffrey Alpaugh PF’14 Matthew Arcuri S’16 Isabelle Bedard Jesse Brown F’04* Sarah Canberg Spencer Cappiello S’13 Gabriela Castillo S’11** Sharon Nechis Castillo PS’11** Zachary C. Cole F’15 Charlotte Cowles F’01 Micah Dornfeld F’08** Frances Eisinger F’13 Piper Evans S’98 Peter Fielding Adam B. Glusker F’15 Ruth Grobe Mindy Hastie PS’07** Meredith Hessel S’15 Emma Hoffman S’13 Jason Hult F’00** David Jacoby S’97** Beth George and Timothy Kane Stephen J. Kessler PF’97* Nanci and John Kryzak PS’00** Elizabeth Littenberg-Tobias S’03
Faculty, Friends & Foundations 23%
Madeline R. Blaha F’15 Laura Y. Rappaport PF’15
Mitchell Krieger Barbara Laco S’12* Jálynn C. Larry Alison Leung F’08 Noah Levine F’14 Natalia Lindsey F’14 Elissa Lowenthal F’11 Genevieve Malkin F’08 Elise Marlin F’14 Vanessa Marlin PF’14 Christopher McCarrell F’08 Patrick McGettigan Koreen McQuilton PS’04 Cynthia M. Moore PF’15 Ryan T. Morra F’99 Georgia J. Moses F’15 Will Ortel S’06 Grace Lee-Park and Eric Park PF’14 Samuel J. Puiia F’15 Alyse Ruiz F’03 Mary M. Ryan Gwenhwyfar J. Sadie F’15 Jennifer M. Schutten Eva Seligman Maria Quiroga and Alvin Shiggs PS’01** Jack Smith F’04 Anna D. Sobel F’97 Peyton E. Steurer S’13* Allison Wade PS’14* Olivia K. Watts F’15 Christina Wohler PF’05**
Christina Ludovici F’08** Leigh Turner McFarlane S’98 Lindsay R. Megrue S’98 Ethlyn O’Garro PF’14 Joy N. Ojeh PS’13 Charlotte E. O’Neal F’15 Mia Feldman Parker F’96 Laura Y. Rappaport PF’15 SAP Software Solutions Julie Sayre Kelly J. Schryver F’05 Rebecca Melvoin Sherburne F’97 Jocelyn Siegel PF’15 Jessica Singer F’08 Darlene Bojrab-Taylor and Alan Taylor PS’98, PS’01* Susan and Bill Townsley PF’13, PF’14 Debbie and Garry Vernon Darren Wood* Nathan Wright* Leigh Yakubowski CITY HALL ($1 - $49) Anonymous Gerda Audry-Wright PF’15 Annabel Barnes F’11 Barbara Bathke F’15 Ben Berke-Halperin F’14 Zoe Bulger S’10 Courtney A. Camps** Rachel Cantor S’15 Carson Cistulli F’96 Haley Jo Cutrone S’14 Liz Der Elizabeth C. Doi* Judith Donald* Alanna Duncan F’08 Isabel Floyd S’15 Google Haley (Coghill) Harger S’06 Scott R. Hogan F’15 Thomas Howe S’15 Farida and Chris Hughes PF’15 Emma Bruggeman Iacono F’05** Siobhan Masterson and Erik Johnke** Alexandra Kaplan S’06 Marney Kline F’12
Erica Chapman F’99 Sarah Canberg Amy and Robert Rae PF’15 Daniel Fielding and Charlotte Cowles F’01 Lynn Cavo Karina Dearwood Peter Fielding Suzanne Giuffrida Ruth Grobe Rachel Luyben Amanda Quinby Julie Sayre Cynthia Stern Debbie and Garry Vernon Whitney Wortman David S. Dunbar PF’99, PS’02 William Heron F’99 Antoinette Tomai PF’99 Callie Sigal Mattson F’01 Susan and Steven Sigal PS’05, PF’01 Ryann McQuilton S’04 Koreen McQuilton PS’04 Zack Sigal S’05 Susan and Steven Sigal PS’05, PF’01 Davison Thompson F’14 Frances and Robin Thompson PF’14
HONORARY GIFTS The following donors chose to honor a member of our CITYterm community with their gifts.
Veronica Yang F’12 Hong Xu and Jingfei Yang PF’12
Kathleen Adams S’05 Linda Bradley-Adams and Ronald Adams PS’05
MEMORIAL GIFTS The following donors chose to remember a deceased member of our community with their gifts to CITYterm.
Annabel Barnes F’11 Bridget and John Barnes PF’11
My Grandmother Marney Kline F’12 Esther Wanjiku Kinyanjui 1930-2011 Irene and Peter Muturi PF’11
Parents 40%
$5,005
Top 5 Alumni Classes by Number of Donors
Top 5 Alumni Classes by Amount Donated $3,325
DONORS
10
7
7
6
6
$1,370
$1,250 $850
Students 37%
F’15 F’99 F’08 F’97 S’97
F’12 F’97 F’99 F’98 S’97 C I T Y TERM B RIDG ES 20 16 • 13
The Portraits Project
CITYterm Fall 2016
PURPOSE: • To interact with and learn the stories of New Yorkers • To develop interview, dialogue, inquiry, and listening skills • To design an effective narrative structure SKILLS: • Cultivating the capacity for availability • Craft questions that encourage exploration • Working collaboratively THE ASSIGNMENT: In a group of three, you will interview New Yorkers in Astoria to create visual and verbal portraits Your group’s final product should follow these guidelines: • Capture two compelling subjects in photographic portraits • Write verbal portraits of the subjects to accompany these photographs • Make some connection between your subjects (as Harvey Wang does in his book) • Mount each photograph on foam core board with its accompanying verbal portrait Here’s the schedule: Friday, September 9th
Orient yourself to the book (Harvey Wang’s New York). Think about which portraits you find compelling and why.
Saturday, September 10th CITYblock: Availability CITYtrip: Trip to Astoria. Create dialogue and take photographs. September 11th to 18th Monday, September 19th Tuesday, September 20th
Work in your group to create your Portraits Authorship class: Practice crafting excellent questions Portraits Project Exhibition! We will observe each group’s portraits together and with Harvey in the city. We will have an authorship seminar with Harvey.
Fall 2016 students meet with Harvey Wang at the Neighborhood Preservation Society
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The Portraits Project Fall 2016 Student Work
JOHN Emily Fuller, Chloe Garton, and Jack Pollock “There is nothing to know about me,” he said. John Sakellaridis is a restaurant owner. For the past 30 years, John has been working for the family business. His niche in New York City is at 325 W 42nd St in Manhattan at the now popular and high-end Greek taverna, Dafni’s. After getting up at 7:00 to catch the N train from Astoria to Times Square, he does not get to return home to his family until around midnight. This particular Saturday he took the morning off. “The economy was terrible in Greece. My uncle lived here in the city, so this was my way out.” Since 1984, John has been working alongside his uncle and building a relationship with New York that his family now calls home. John says that working around his Greek culture makes him feel connected with his ethnicity and makes it easier to be in a different place than where he spent the first 26 years of his life. Although he prefers Queens, his two kids and wife like the noise and hustle of Manhattan. “I love the city though.”
VINNY Sophie Bennett, Meika McCready, and Latisha Wade Hidden behind a pair of elegantly dressed women, we found Vinny smoking a cigarette with a camera around his neck. After convincing him that we would be quick with our conversation, he agreed and flicked away his cigarette. He was on his break while filming the event currently going on through the doors behind him. We noticed his tattoos and learned that he got his first one at fourteen. That one being his mother’s initials. He told us that all of his tattoos were meaningful, about his family and his home. On his right forearm was a shout out to Queens, where he was born and raised, and an image of a photographer, representing his passion. When we asked him about his parents, he told us that before his mom died, she was completely supportive of him and his work. He wished that she were here to see his progress. Ever since Vinny watched the Matrix at five years old, he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker. When our short time was over with him and we asked for any last words, he told us to look out for him and his business.
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Class Notes
Please send your updates to your Class Agent or email Leigh Yakubowski (leigh.yakubowski@cityterm.org). Fall 1996: Class Agent is Sarah Sears Bright (Tate) Vandervoet writes: Greetings from Tucson! Husband Tim and I have been traveling a lot (Tanzania, Malawi, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, California, Mexico) with our 1 year old daughter Clara. I enjoy the challenge and diversity of Emergency Nursing working at our regional trauma center. Tim is finishing his PhD in Entomology this year and we are excited about moving on to a new place sometime in the next year. Katy (Hill) Harmon writes: I’m living in Chattanooga, TN with my husband and 2 daughters (Ellison, 4 and Hazel, 8 months). We just bought a new house and try to play outside as much as possible. My older kid wants to take a trip to the city to visit the Statue of Liberty! Abigail Sugahara writes: I was diagnosed with Lyme disease last summer and it’s finally getting a bit better. Between that and chasing down my 2-year-old daughter, I don’t have a whole lot of energy. But I’ve started working for a friend’s company called OvaWoman. We consult about women’s health issues, and I get to blog for the site too. It’s been lots of fun. I’m still figure skating and will probably compete again this Fall. Public performance is pretty terrifying for me, but each time it gets a tiny bit better. Yay for lifelong learning! Come see me in Minnesota if you’re ever out here! Kate Halsey writes: Recently moved to sunny Phoenix, Arizona where I am a social worker at a private day school. I bought my first home in a funky, historic district and am enjoying the gifts and challenges of home ownership. Brutally hot summer days feel very different and distant from “mountain day” in our Fall semester in the idyllic upstate New York mountains! Hope all are well. Spring 1997: Class Agent is Lauren Odell
Had a Baby? Email Leigh Yakubowski (leigh.yakubowski@cityterm.org) and we’ll send you a CITYterm onesie! Left: Josephine Klain, daughter of Acadia Klain (S’00) Right: Nathan Radzins, son of Cara (Seabury) Radzins (S’03) 16 • CI T YT ER M BR I DG E S 2 01 6
Camielle Green writes: Hi all! For the past few years I have been a practicing corporate transactional attorney. I am currently with K&L Gates, where my practice areas are private equity and venture capital, securities, and M&A. I relocated to Miami just over a year ago where I am loving every season except summer! Life is good. If you are ever in South Florida, please reach out! Adrienne Campbell-Holt writes: Loved seeing Sarah McGuire, Eben Ellertson, Lindsey Megrue, Carson Cistulli and our teacher Liz at Reunion! Spent the summer working on plays in VT and Portland, Oregon, in the Fall I’m directing a world premiere in NYC called Empathitrax for Colt Coeur and then serving as the Associate Director for Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. See you at the theater! Molly Montgomery writes: I’m living in Portland with my husband and 2 year-old daughter Rosemary. I spend several nights a week at Maine Medical Center as an RN in the Cardiothoracic ICU, and am slowly chipping away at an MSN degree (Family Nurse Practitioner). We moved back to Maine in 2013 after 12 years in NYC and are loving it here! Fall 1997: Class Agent is Patrick Collins Claire Kessler-Bradner writes: I had another fulfilling visit back to CITYterm for the second iteration of the Teach for Experience Symposium this summer. It is always inspiring to channel the CITYterm way of thinking into my teaching practice. I am staying at Marin Country Day School next year, where I will be shifting to teach 3rd and 4th graders. I’ll be taking a break mid-year to welcome my second child, a baby boy. Spring 1998: Class Agent is Piper Evans Fall 1998: Class Agent is Katiana Anglade Aimée Derbes writes: I recently finished my doctorate in Acupuncture and Chinese Med-
icine! Having a great time serving my fellow New Yorkers by providing a calm space for them to relax and heal in Union Square and Gowanus. Spring 1999: Class Agent is Nikki Williams Adriana Fracchia Leigh writes: For the past handful of years I’ve been working in client services and project management for design agencies. Recently married in April, my husband and I are both lifetime lovers of NYC, with strong family ties in California. I’ll soon be starting a new adventure at a design/tech/health startup in Bay Area. To this day I still think of my time at CITYterm, and know it shaped my personal and career path. Fall 1999: Class Agent is Zoe Winkler Carter Erica Chapman is in her fifth year back at CITYterm. This year she’s serving as the Co-Director, with Jason Hult, F’00, and the Interim Dean of Faculty at The Masters School. She and Steve are expecting their second child in November. Ryan Morra continues to enjoy his life in Burlington, Vermont, where he facilitates professional learning for educators on Education for Sustainability at Shelburne Farms. Spring 2000: Class Agent is Acadia Klain Acadia Klain writes: My husband and I just welcomed a perfect baby girl into our lives in March (Pi-Day!) and being a parent is fantastic. I just returned to work as an architect from maternity leave and the work/life balance struggle is real! Emily Whiston writes: I don’t think I’ve updated in ages... Baby #1 (Hunter) born April 2012, phinally phinished PhD from UC Berkeley in microbiology in 2013, baby #2 (Charlotte/Charlie) born 2014, we’re all currently living in the Portland, Maine area!
Fall 2000: needs a Class Agent. If you’re interested in helping out please contact Leigh Yakubowski (leigh.yakubowski@ CITYterm.org). Lainee Flanigan writes: This year has been a busy one for the Gold Miners at AngloGold Ashanti. I have been to Brazil, Australia, and I am headed to South Africa next month. I went to the Kentucky Derby this year for fun and my husband and I had a blast! My best friend is getting married in September and she asked me to be her Matron of Honor. The word “matron” makes me feel old. It all good here in Denver; sending my love to all the CITYterm folks. Cat Hunter writes: I live in San Francisco and have started my own PR firm, Hunter Publicity, providing PR, consulting, marketing and event planning for Bay Area bars and restaurants. Spring 2001: Class Agent is David Simons Takiyah Gray writes: I loved being able to meet new and old friends at reunion this summer! In September, I’m transferring to LinkedIn’s Sao Paulo, Brazil office as a Customer Success Manager working with Latin American clients. Fall 2001: Class Agent is Charlotte Cowles Lee Cerre got married in May, sailed the gulf of Naples and is now celebrating his 4 year anniversary leading the design team at Everlane—a fashion company based in San Francisco. He’s never forgotten Fall 2001 at CITYterm. A most unique and emotional semester during an extraordinary time. Stevie Weinstein-Foner writes: In the last year I have been touring North America and Europe as a musician with Jolie Holland. I am currently living in Los Angeles, when I’m not on the road. Benjamin Evar writes: Long time since CITYterm Fall 2001 :) The lessons learnt then impacted how I would read and write in college; they fostered an enduring love for urban studies and New York City in particular; they laid the groundwork for my later interdisciplinary PhD research focused on representations of uncertainty and risk in climate change related literature; and CITYterm continues to serve as a major reference point when I conceptualize ideas for businesses that I am a part of. Thanks to David and the rest of the team for the surprisingly long-lasting and enduring source of inspiration. Spring 2002: Class Agents are Caroline Gambell and Nick Levy Frances Denny writes: Hi CITYterm! I published my first monograph this Spring, Let Virtue Be Your Guide (Radius Books) and am the grateful recipient of a NYFA Fellowship in Photography. Hope all is well!
Fall 2002: needs a Class Agent. If you’re interested in helping out please contact Leigh Yakubowski (leigh.yakubowski@ CITYterm.org). Nikki Meo writes: I received an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas last year and now work in marketing at 3M. I never thought I would put down roots in Texas but I recently purchased a home in Austin. Life is good! Spring 2003: needs a Class Agent. If you’re interested in helping out please contact Leigh Yakubowski (leigh. yakubowski@CITYterm.org). Mary Morgan Taylor writes: I’ve been in Philly for the past five years, pursuing a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. I’ll spend several months in Paris next year doing a research project with a collaborator there. Liza Littenberg-Tobias writes: I am living in Boston with my husband and 18 month old daughter Stella who brings me such joy. I recently started a new job as the Director of College Access for Middle School at Excel Academy where I work on ensuring all our students have the chance to experience college, learn about their opportunities, and build the skills they will need to be successful. Jared Mondschein writes: I’m working at Bloomberg BNA in the DC area and am about to have my second child any day now. My daughter, Matilda, will turn two in January. Cara (Seabury) Radzins writes: My husband and I welcomed a son, Nathan David Radzins, on July 28, 2016!
Fall 2003: Class Agent is Zanny Alter Eliza Coleman graduated from Columbia Business School in May 2015 and is now working at Bain & Co. in the NYC office doing consulting. She’s happy to be back in New York after 5 years on the West Coast! Spring 2004: Class Agents are Emeric Harney and Claire Eustis Fall 2004: Class Agent is Erin Greene Abby Byrne writes: Starting my fourth and final year of med school in New Orleans, still sitting squarely in the DKDK zone with each new patient. Getting ready to hit the interview trail to find a new home for internal medicine residency - looking forward to exploring new cities and people. Pauline Zaldonis writes: I’m working as a Research Analyst at the UMass Donahue Institute on a program that does population estimates research. I also just finished my first season with Pioneer Valley Roller Derby! Spring 2005: Class Agent is Corey Briskin Daniel Johnston writes: Professionally, I am a Director of market research where I study advertising. Personally, I moved to Seattle, WA in May 2015. I am loving getting to know a new city and part of the country. I particularly enjoy all of the camping and hiking. Cassie Pruyn is working to find her first poetry manuscript a home, and is also conducting research and writing a narrative history book on one of New Orleans’ iconic waterways.
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Molly Johnsen lives in Brooklyn and is teaching 6th and 8th grade English at Horace Mann in the Bronx. She just returned from a gorgeous road trip from Oregon to Alaska. A highly recommended adventure! Kathleen Adams has had a busy year. She is proud to announce that in July, Angel of Harlem, the bar/restaurant she is a partner in celebrated their 1-year anniversary! On March 26th, Corey Briskin married Nicholas Maggipinto at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. In addition to his sister Allie Briskin, other fellow CITYtermers Hannah Longman, Sara Chimene-Weiss and David Krebs were in attendance (Molly Johnsen was sorely missed!). Fall 2005: Class Agent is Natalia Torres Kelly Potter writes: I was super bummed not to be able to celebrate with CITYterm this summer! However, I’ve traveled to New York more this past year than I ever have aside from my stay at CITYterm. I’ve been featured on history channel’s Forged in Fire, a competition bladesmithing show we filmed in Brooklyn. Other than that, I live bladesmith and metalsmith full time in Dallas, TX. Sophie Glidden-Lyon writes: I moved to New York in 2014 to get my Masters in Archives from NYU. Two years later, I’ve graduated, am working for NYU and enjoying/surviving the city! Spring 2006: Class Agents are Lily Schorr, Haley Harger, and Jake Loewenthal Jake Loewenthal writes: I’m in Maine doing Shakespeare all summer. What is life? Fall 2006: Class Agent is Tenisha Williams Kelly Dishner writes: I recently moved from Boston to Portland, Maine, and I am loving being back in my home state! I work as the Account Manager for a Boston-based IT outsourcing company. Spring 2007: Class Agent is Hannah Allen Since graduation, Hannah Allen has been teaching 8th grade and music in Sofia, Bulgaria. In addition to teaching, she co-founded the BEST Foundation, Bulgaria’s first English speech and debate organization. She is headed to Vanderbilt in the Fall to complete a Masters in Public Policy at the Peabody School of Education. Carrie Cohen writes: I currently live in Los Angeles where I own The Pudding Truck, the first food truck to specialize in gourmet pudding and toppings! It has been a crazy ride since launching in early 2014, and I know that I would never have had the guts to open my own (very specialized and quirky) business without having been encouraged to explore the DKDK zone while at CITYterm!
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Marvin Jablonsky writes: I now live on both coasts work for unscripted docudramas (“reality television”). I’m now a consulting line producer for some popular franchises on Bravo and Oxygen. Fall 2007: Class Agent is Katherine Tapper Spring 2008: Class Agent is Ezra Plancon Alice Kamens writes: I work as a Program Manager at Cities of Service, a nonprofit started by Michael Bloomberg in New York City that supports mayors across the country in leveraging volunteers to address pressing city challenges. Fall 2008: Class Agent is Alanna Duncan Spring 2009: Class Agent is Allie Briskin Cassie Rommel is living out in the Bay Area where she is working as a Software Engineer for a Home Automation Start Up. The company began in January and hopes to release a smart lighting system by August. She is excited to work with great people and experience a new city! Allie Briskin is currently a Senior Media Planner at 360i, where she works to strategize and implement media plans for the NBC Universal and Fossil accounts. She spent the summer traveling within the US, as well as to Iceland and Columbia and also studying for her GMAT. Allie is planning to attend business school within the next year, so stay tuned for the next issue. Jordan Naftalis is currently in the throes of attempting to convince a fancy law firm to hire her. She spent her summer frolicking around Aspen after having somehow emerged from the black hole that is 1L. She loves Virginia Law and will be seriously offended if any CITYtermers visit the Charlottesville area without contacting her. In the last year, Chase Ward spent two months traveling to 12 different countries throughout Europe. He is currently a wedding planner in Atlanta, finishing up his second season with a boutique firm, planning 40 weddings total. Chase will be moving to D.C. and plans to transition into the corporate world of events. He is excited to make his way back up north to be closer to his family and friends. Fall 2009: Class Agent is Lindsay Szper Ben Halpern writes: Since his ignominious departure from CITYterm, Ben has somehow managed to secure a diploma from the NYU Gallatin School and then more recently a position as a DKDK Zone Specialist at the consulting firm Berkeley Research Group. Spring 2010: Class Agent is Rachel Moss Jennifer Ngo writes: I graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University last year
as an Economics major. I am currently an Associate Planner at Ralph Lauren Corp and am living in Astoria, Queens. Kendall Warson writes: I am currently interning at Marc Jacobs and Mara Hoffman, living in Soho and finishing up my senior semester at Parsons next Fall! Rachel Bernstein is working at United Talent Agency in New York. Zoe Bulger writes: I just finished up an AmeriCorps Fellowship in social entrepreneurship in Boston and in the Fall I will be starting at the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consulting firm “working to build a better world by strengthening the ability of mission-driven organizations and philanthropists to achieve breakthrough results in addressing society’s most important challenges and opportunities.” Fall 2010: Class Agent is Gracie Hall Kate Timko writes: This May I graduated from Eckerd College with a BA in Human Development. Now, I’m excited to start as a teacher with AmeriCorps City Year in Detroit. Quéla Jules writes: I graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2015, I earned my Masters in Early Childhood education by completing the Teach Next Year program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I am currently a Kindergarten teacher in Boston. Leo Schuchert writes: I am the Coordinator of The Port Richmond Partnership Leadership Academy at Wagner College in Staten Island. This program is a highly competitive college readiness academy for high school students from Port Richmond (a neighborhood in Staten Island). All thirty-six students in the program are considered at risk to not continue their education past the high school. The academy is designed to deepen participants’ academic abilities, develop community capacity-building skills, and empower students to attend and complete college. During the three years committed to the program, students live on the Wagner College campus, take college courses, participate in internships, and learn from New York City as well as cities. The invaluable lessons of exploring the unknown, experiential education, and student empowerment that I learned at CITYterm are what I teach to my staff and students in the Leadership Academy. Thank you! Jonathan Pine writes: After I graduated from Quinnipiac University in December 2015 with a degree in Political Science; I worked for 6 months as a campaign fellow for the Hillary Clinton Campaign. I worked the Primaries and New Hampshire, the Maine Caucus, and the Wisconsin Primary. I had a David Dunbar moment during the Wisconsin Primary as I was asked to be a Van driver for Hillary’s motorcade for an event in Green Bay, Wisconsin. My 6 months as a fellow really encapsulated what I learned at CITYterm, I had to learn
to adapt to new surroundings, cultures, and lifestyles. The ease at which I was able to adapt to the ever changing political landscape, actively problem solve, and critically think can be attributed to my time at CITYterm. In June, I was hired by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin as an Organizer for the city of Madison.
geology department on decarbonation of certain rocks, which can be applied in the future to better understand how geologic processes contribute to climate change. I’ve also been spending countless hours wandering and wondering through Los Angeles and comparing its sprawling demeanor to that of New York City.
Spring 2011: Class Agent is Damion Miller Chelsea Fine graduated from the University of Chicago in June with a degree in Public Policy. In her spare time at school, she enjoyed editing for UChicago’s undergraduate political review, tutoring immigrants for their citizenship exams, and exploring Chicago with friends. She is taking some time off before starting her new job at Google and is looking forward to traveling the world.
Frances Eisinger writes: I just finished my first year at Mount Holyoke College and will be studying abroad in Seville, Spain this Fall. I am very excited to wander and wonder in a new city!
Agnes Lee just moved to New York and working as an analyst for Silverback Development - a real estate development firm! Fall 2011: Class Agent is Elissa Lowenthal Spring 2012: Class Agent is Hyacinth Parker Kate Harwood writes: I had a great time at the 20th anniversary weekend this June; it was great to see some classmates I hadn’t seen since my semester at CITYterm. I’m looking forward to my senior year at Tufts. Fall 2012: Class Agent is Claudia Mihm Spring 2013: Class Agents are Abigail McLean and Sara Eismont Abigail McLean writes: The first semester of 2016 I studied abroad! I spent 3 months in London and traveled to France, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, and Italy. This summer I have been in Washington D.C., interning in the House of Representatives.
Spring 2014: Class Agents are Elisabeth Zak and Gabby Rothschild Mike Rodway writes: This summer I interned at The Weinstein Company in Beverly Hills. I go back to school at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in August. Gabby Rothschild writes: I’m entering my second year at the University of Pennsylvania as an urban studies major. This summer I did research for a political science professor, and had an amazing time at the 20th reunion! Calla Rosenfeld writes: I spent the summer interning with an environmental publishing company that has recently been focusing on urban resilience and sustainability. I’m excited to continue exploring the overlaps between urban and environmental studies at Middlebury College next year. Elisabeth Zak writes: This year I plan to continue my educational sampling of the United States in which I’ve spent no more than one year in any given institution. From my semester at CITYterm, to my senior year at Chadwick, to my first year at NYU, to my upcoming first year at Vanderbilt (but
now with high hopes and expectations of a three-year consecutive stay at Vanderbilt). Anchor down! Fall 2014: Class Agent is Maddie Bowen Stephanie Rountree writes: What an eventful senior year it’s been! After volunteering on Bernie Sanders’ national campaign, I was featured in Time Magazine’s cover story on Sanders this past September, and had the pleasure of helping host an official campaign brainstorm in Baltimore this January. Since leaving the campaign, I’ve accepted a position with Brand New Congress, a nonpartisan organization run by former Bernie staffers that aims to elect more accountable congressional candidates into office in 2018, as their Events Coordinator. I’m incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to help keep the revolution alive! After graduating from Dulaney High School this June, I will be taking my talents to NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Inspired by my work with Bernie and BNC, I’ll be studying how information communication technologies can strengthen the efforts of human rights/social justice and political movements. I’m excited to apply my CITYterm experiences to this new chapter, as well as to continue wondering and wandering in the greatest city in the world. Madeleine Eisler writes: I’m so excited to be starting school at NYU Tisch this month! I’ll be studying acting with fellow alum Jack Petersen, S’15!! After graduating from Marin Academy, I’ve been teaching theater camp to kindergarten-second grade kids at Marin Theater Company and assisting at The Broadway Artists Alliance of New York City. I’m looking forward to seeing more of CITYterm in the upcoming years!
Nora Daly writes: Hi CITYterm! I’m living in Brooklyn this summer and sweating so much! I’ve been interning for a documentary filmmaker and selling pies at Waitress the Musical. This year I completed Improv 201 at UCB and co-founded Sarah Lawrence College’s first ever all female/nonbinary comedy troupe. In the Fall I’ll be studying at the National Theater Institute. Sara Eismont writes: I’ve been living in Detroit, Michigan this summer, working at Freedom House, an organization that provides comprehensive legal and social services to individuals seeking asylum in the US due to persecution in their home country. Additionally, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking & writing about gendered social dynamics in elite educational institutions and just ran a 5k inflatable obstacle course race! Fall 2013: Class Agent is Margaret Edwards Cal Neikirk writes: Spent the summer doing research with Pomona College for the
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Israel Moorer writes: This past Fall, I assisted in the development of a mobile app, Swipes, at Columbia University that aims to tackle food insecurity on campus. I will begin my freshman year at Parsons School of Design/The New School at the end of August. I am double majoring in Journalism & Design (one major) and Economics (second major). I also work part-time at Caitlin Robin and Associates, a law firm near Wall Street. Anna Bennett writes: After graduating from Santa Fe Preparatory School, I will be headed to NYU in the Fall as a part of the class of 2020. I will be pre-law in the College of Arts and Sciences, and I can’t wait to continue to wander and wonder through the city. Charlotte Pollard writes: Since graduation in June, I have been preparing for my gap year! In the Fall I am traveling to Malawi and Tanzania where I will be doing HIV/AIDS work and volunteering in an orphanage. In the Spring, I am keeping my options open, but will likely be in Haiti and London (and maybe making a trip to Thailand to see Hannah Pouler F’14!). Danielle Pohlen writes: I recently graduated from The Blake School in Minneapolis. This summer I’m working at a Jewish summer camp in Wisconsin for 8 weeks. In a few days I will be traveling to France, where I will begin my college studies at the American University of Paris before starting at USC in the Spring. Spring 2015: Class Agents are Rachel Cantor and Meredith Hessel Rachel Cantor graduated from North Shore Country Day School in June and has been soaking up the summer sun! Rachel and Meredith Hessel (S’15) traveled to England, France, Switzerland and Italy for 3 weeks and wandered and wondered. After returning from Europe, she went to Lollapalooza with some CITYterm friends. She is now prepping for her freshmen year at Northwestern University and is excited to see what lies ahead! Miles Williams is making music, meeting new people, and relocating to Virginia. Meredith Hessel writes: I’m headed to The George Washington University in Washington, DC, for journalism at the School of Media and Public Affairs. I wrote reviews on best BBQ joints in Dallas that were submitted to the Interscholastic League Press Conference and won in our school division and then all school divisions were judged with the tops, resulting in a “Tops in Texas” award for the BBQ. Jack Petersen writes: In August I’ll be returning to NYC to study theatre at NYU’s Tisch Atlantic Studio. In the meantime, I’ve been working at a soul food restaurant in West Oakland and fly fishing in Montana.
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Isabel Floyd writes: The past year has been quite a whirlwind for me! Since this time last summer, I’ve finished my college process, settling on Haverford, graduated high school, performed in four plays, spent 2.5 weeks studying the city of Chicago, and attended CITYterm’s wonderful 20th anniversary celebration! Currently I’m finishing out a summer in our nation’s capital, where I’ve been living with my sister since June. Carter Howe has been relaxing and reflecting on his adolescence before he starts at Grinnell College later this summer. He has spent most of his time following the presidential election, doing some urban exploring of the Boston area, volunteering for a local campaign, and hanging out on the Cape with his friends and family. Fall 2015: Class Agent is Georgia Moses Scott Hogan writes: I’ve had a lot of fun (and a little bit of terror) transitioning back to “regular school” and seeing how I can apply everything I learned at CITYterm to more orthodox learning experience at home. Stanley Zheng writes: I recently spent 6 weeks at a program called MITES at MIT where the theme for the summer was “empowered by perspective.” I not only had the chance to explore my passion for science, but I also had the opportunity to meet students from around the country who are as passionate about science, technology, engineering, and math as they are about listening to each other’s stories. Raffaele Moore writes: Since returning to Albuquerque from CITYterm, I have been slowly trudging through the college process. I have also joined a committee at my school, Albuquerque Academy, that is in charge of identifying guest speakers for the coming year that can speak to the theme of diversity. My goal has been to bring some
young, divergent thinking to this group primarily made up of faculty members. Zoe Sirchuk just completed an architecture and urban planning program at UC Berkeley and hopes to further her interest in the field when she goes to college. She is also excited to be an assistant coach for her school’s JV volleyball team this season. Spring 2016: Class Agent is Emma Taulli Matthew Flow Arcuri writes: CITYterm changed my perspective on what my place in the world could be. There, I was stressed, risk-taking and loved. Luckily as most summers go, I had the amazing opportunity to release one of those attributes: stress. I shoved all my stress into the corner of my bedroom and left the state. In fact, I have barely seen North Carolina this summer. I went to NYC, then the Galapagos, then Florida, then Nevada. Everywhere I went I found myself thrown into social situations much like CITYterm. I am wayyyy more confident than the last time you last saw me. I think the reduced stress that comes with summer and the risk taking that CITYterm (mostly David) encouraged has led me to carry myself in a new way. I find myself going my own way. I am making little decisions that go against the norm every day, and I love it. I’m doing my own thing and I’m doing it well. Gen Brusie writes: In the short two months since I left CITYterm, I have found myself completely unexpectedly volunteering in Cambodia for an entire month. I’d like to think that my inherent compulsiveness combined with my learned appreciation of availability to help me board that thirty-hour plane ride to the opposite end of the planet. Cheers to the ultimate wandering and wondering.
David and students in the courtyard
Hannah Carrigan writes: I have spent most of the summer in my hometown, in remote areas of Colorado, and at Sarah Lawrence college in Bronxville, NY. I think I can safely say that all of my experiences in each of these places have been heightened by my experience at CITYterm. I have found myself to be much more available to the world and engaged in what I am doing, and I have certainly been “wondering” much more often and much more deeply. I have yet to meet anyone who is nearly as amazing as my fellow CITYtermers, but that has only made my reunions with those who I have been able to reconnect with all the richer. Gus Lamb writes: So far, my summer has been filled with a good amount of enjoyable, bed-bug free fun. I’ve been spending lots of quality time with my family, while working at a camp where I’ve been involved in various activities, such as the helping direct
the musical and founding the ukulele club, which is defeating the odds and ruthlessly taking over the camp using only two members. I’ve also gotten to see a few CITYterm friends, which has been really great. Jack Kraus writes: It only took about a month for me to go back to New York after graduating from CITYterm. I’ve been here for a few weeks and I keep walking past spots we explored and thinking back on my semester. I miss it. I am trying to be in the city with that same sense of wonder that we had at CITYterm, but it is a bit harder without a bunch of other curious people around you. Life is good and CITYterm rules! Caden Wiese writes: I miss everyone that attended S’16. Nothing has that same excitement that New York has to offer, and hopefully I can go back soon. College is
knocking at the door, and CITYterm helped me prepare for the daunting task of entering higher education. Senior year is about to begin, and I KNOW it won’t get me near as excited of waking up every day and going to school like being a part of S’16 did. But life goes on! Susy Liu writes: I’ve been interning at a neuroscience lab at Mass General hospital and helping out with a studies on mindfulness and meditation. Currently I’m at a 2 week music camp/festival in Cremona, Italy and will be back in Boston soon to start college apps! Lizzy Maguire just finished biking from Charleston, South Carolina to Santa Monica, California before heading into senior year! Anna Desan has mastered the art of talking about herself in the third person.
C I T Y TERM B RIDG ES 20 16 • 21
Live the questions Our mission is to encourage students to engage fully in learning and thinking for
CITYterm at The Masters School 49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522
themselves, about themselves and about who and what is beyond themselves. Our goal is for students to leave CITYterm with the intellectual tools they need to understand and express the complexity of New York City and the emotional and social tools to participate constructively in their community.
CITYterm at The Masters School 914.479.6502 | info@cityterm.org
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www.cityterm.org
UPCOMING EVENTS for CITYterm Alumni
Join CITYterm this year!
11.18.16 Fall 2016 Neighborhood Study Presentations & Alumni Reception 11.19.16 Fall 2016 Neighborhood Study Walking Tours 2.15.17 Applications Due for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 4.28.17 Spring 2017 Neighborhood Study Presentations & Alumni Reception 4.29.17 Spring 2017 Neighborhood Study Walking Tours
UPCOMING EVENTS for Educators Teaching for Experience Workshop, June 18 – June 23, 2017 A week-long intensive in experience-based, deep learning with David Dunbar and Erica Chapman (maximum of 16 participants). Find out more at www.cityterm.org/TFE!