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Brown Alumni Magazine

Class of 2021

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Sep, 2026

Debra Weiss Huddleston writes: “In May, daughter Hailey Huddleston ’15 completed her five-year orthopedic surgery residency at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. She is off to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for a one-year fellowship in hand surgery. Son John Huddleston ’21, a mechanical engineering major, was named to the Forbes 2026 ‘30 Under 30’ list. He is a cofounder of Albacore, which he started last year while at Wharton Business School. The company develops long-range autonomous underwater vehicles to deter maritime invasions, unlock our understanding of the maritime environment, and defend our coasts. They have raised over $6.5 million to date from backers, including Y Combinator, Outlander VC, Liquid 2, and D3.”

Humanities & Culture

For the Love of the Game

Heidi Erwin ’21 is a young star in the world of game design. Does this grant her a life of no work and all play?

Read More: For the Love of the Game

Apr, 2026

Caroline Warren ’21 was appointed to the Pembroke Center Advisory Council for a three-year term. She is currently serving as the assistant director at Georgetown University’s Center for Business and Public Policy and looks forward to supporting the groundbreaking feminist research conducted by Brown scholars. Contact Caroline at [email protected].

Jun, 2025

Aug, 2024

Jun, 2024

Apr, 2024

Jessica Dai writes: “The third issue of Kernel Magazine, an annual print publication about technology and society, is now out! It’s filled with carefully researched yet deeply personal pieces, on topics such as the complications of computer-generated legal evidence, a vision for more holistic climate modeling, and a manifesto for grief as political practice—plus, creative work including fiction, poetry, and visual art. Thirty-six contributors poured their hearts into this project and it was an honor to serve as editor-in-chief. Take a look at kernelmag.io.” 

Apr, 2023

Jan, 2023

Science & Tech

Making Robots Dance

At the intersection of choreography and engineering, a course looks at how robots move—and whether we’re programming them toward good or evil.

Read More: Making Robots Dance

Nov, 2022

Jeffrey M. Bloom writes: “Hats off to Newell Maynard Stultz, professor emeritus of political science at Brown, who continues to demonstrate insight into the machinations of divided societies and who, in early February of 2022, explained to me how since 2015 it’s been clear that NATO’s expansion meant that Vladimir Putin would one day exact brutal revenge. One reunion weekend years ago, Newell generously shared insights with my sons, David Bloom ’21 (applied mathematics, economics, & political science) and Aaron Bloom (environmental management at Cornell ’23), and I’m sorry that he’s not yet met my daughters (Julia, Biology, Cal Poly ’24 and Ciera, almost 7th grade). It was wonderful to see many of you at our 35th reunion and I hope to see even more of you at our 40th (i.e., less than two years from now). Hats off as well to our classmate Rhonda Gans, who kindly called me to see whether I was okay after one of our California earthquakes. Thanks, Rhonda.”

Aug, 2022

Jul, 2022

Jun, 2022

Apr, 2022

Sally Frank writes: “I’m happy to report that my daughter, Zöe Mermelstein ’21, is working as a protection counselor at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, D.C. My husband, Steven Mermelstein, and I were thrilled with Zoë’s experience at Brown, particularly the support she received from professors. We have two other kids in college: Remy is in his fifth year studying architecture at Cornell AAP and Julien is a junior studying political science, econ, and public health at Duke. Our youngest, Leo, is a senior in high school looking into contemporary music/liberal arts programs for college. We moved to the Bay Area just over a year ago and I started a new role heading up philanthropic programs at Agilent. I’m looking for partnership opportunities to promote STEM education in underrepresented groups and mentoring opportunities for our global workforce in STEM and other areas. If you have ideas, please contact me at [email protected].”

Jan, 2022

Sports & Recreation

One Day, Two Ivy Titles

Victory was decisive and extra sweet for women’s soccer and volleyball after returning to play this season.

Read More: One Day, Two Ivy Titles

Nov, 2021

In the news

Janet Leung ’16 earned a Bronze medal in women’s softball with Team Canada in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Other Brown Bears competing included Hanna Barakat ’21 of Team Palestine in track and field; Jagger Stephens ’20 represented Guam in swimming; and Cicely Madden ’18, Alex Miklasevich ’19, and Anders Weiss ’15 competed for Team USA in rowing events.

Oct, 2021

Aug, 2021

Robert Pfeffer writes: “I am still living in New York City while practicing medicine at NYU and on the faculty at the NYU School of Medicine. With the deepest pride imaginable, I want to congratulate my son Matthew Pfeffer ’21 on his graduation from Brown this spring. Way to go Matt! Both of us are ever true.”

Sports & Recreation

No-Touch Football

The Bears are heading into the fall season quite unbruised, after their year of social distancing, virtual practices, and zero play. A look at the game plan.

Read More: No-Touch Football
Education

Bird by Bird

An environmental studies course on birding looks at what separates us from one another and from nature, and what might bring us together.

Read More: Bird by Bird

Jun, 2021

Education

Archiving the African Diaspora

Anani Dzidzienyo’s presence was healing; his scholarship, groundbreaking. You could say the same about the class created in his memory.

Read More: Archiving the African Diaspora
Ever True

Passages

The vaccine, commencement, and the passing of Vartan Gregorian.

Read More: Passages

Apr, 2021

Mar, 2021

Politics & Law

Failure to Pay

Student journalists expose the ongoing, illegal practice of insisting court defendants pay fines they’ll never be able to afford.

Read More: Failure to Pay
Science & Tech

Follow the Money

Students make national news by exposing who’s been funding the movement to deny climate change.

Read More: Follow the Money

Jan, 2021

Seth Jackson writes: “My daughter, Mariel Jackson ’21, is the general manager of the Brown Daily Herald. My son, Derek, is at the Columbia University School of Engineering in New York.

Nov, 2020

Oct, 2020

Sports & Recreation

State of Play

This spring, Brown overhauled its athletics program. Varsity teams went club and vice versa, protests and lawsuits ensued, and some teams were reinstated.

Read More: State of Play

Aug, 2020

Jun, 2020

Science & Tech

Minecraft campus

A digital version of Brown’s College Hill brings the community together during COVID-19

Read More: Minecraft campus

May, 2020

Apr, 2020

Business & Entrepreneurship

Debt Deterrent

A finance expert teaches kids about money before the banks can find them

Read More: Debt Deterrent

Jan, 2020

Nov, 2019

Sep, 2019

May, 2019

Class secretary David Nichols reports the Class of 1952 Endowment Scholarship fund was presented to Reed Jaworski ’20, with a concentration is math, physics, and philosophy, for the fiscal year 2017-2018 and to Natalie Montufar ’21, with a goal to attend medical school and become a neurosurgeon to help people with Alzheimer’s disease, for the fiscal year 2018-2019.

Mar, 2019

Jan, 2019

Sep, 2018

Politics & Law

Tomorrow’s Citizens

Scott Warren ’09 started a nationwide program that teaches students civics via local involvement.

Read More: Tomorrow’s Citizens

May, 2018

Obituaries

Eliza Banchoff Grover ’21, of Towson, Md., originally from Menlo Park, Calif.; Oct. 7, hit by a drunk driver while walking. At the time of her death, she was studying to be a doctor at Goucher College in Towson. While at Brown she was a research assistant at E.P. Bradley Hospital Sleep Laboratory and a member of Sigma Xi. During the summers, she worked as an intern at Grail, Inc. and as a research assistant at the Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center, where she contributed to a published paper on concussion in girls. She returned to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she spent time as a child, with Child Family Health International to study health equity and gain experience in community health centers and hospitals. She loved sports and being part of a team, playing soccer and basketball before settling into volleyball. At Brown she played Division 1 NCAA volleyball as a right-side hitter for the Bears, earning Academic All-Ivy and Academic All-District honors, as well as All-Ivy Honorable Mention twice. An intrepid outdoorswoman, she enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, backpacking, and swimming in mountain lakes. When Covid stripped her of her senior season, she earned her EMT and Wilderness First Aid certifications and worked in a low-income clinic in Providence. She also found her love for running and completed the first of many half-marathons. Upon graduation, she spent a summer leading outdoor trips for Overland Adventures and then moved to Seattle. She joined Rainier Clinical Research Center as a research assistant and then as a clinical research coordinator, helping to implement medical device clinical trials for people with diabetes. This opportunity led to her decision to become a doctor and in May 2023, she began a year of intensive study at Goucher College. She is survived by her parents, two sisters, three grandparents, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Maximilian Y. Lenail ’21, of Palo Alto, Calif.; Jan. 29. He was to graduate from Brown in May 2021 with a concentration in neurobiology, and planned on applying to medical school and becoming a physician. Max had worked in several research labs at Stanford Medicine and for the neuroscience company Inscopix. He participated in many service trips to Central America with the Menlo Church and will be remembered as a peacemaker and for his extraordinary kindness and generosity. He was an exceptional athlete and outdoorsman and had a passion for rock-climbing. He was also a glassblower and chef. He is survived by his parents, grandparents, a brother, two aunts and an uncle.