A Passion for Science - Columbia College - Columbia University

CLASS NOTES Columbia CollEgE Today
is undeniably in the midst of a
pivotal moment, so it’s incredible, if
sometimes troubling, to witness its
evolution.
And last but not least, amanda
weidman and shana bush are
having fun.
10
Julia feldberg
4 E. 8th St., Apt. 4F
New York, NY 10003
juliafeldberg@gmail.com
Hello everyone! There are a lot of
great updates to report.
After spending summer 2010 in
Rio de Janeiro, innokenty “Kenny”
pyetranker began his studies
at Harvard Law, where he is
involved with the Harvard National
Security Journal and the Jewish Law
Students Association. Most importantly,
Kenny is a member of the
Columbia Alumni Representative
Committee and encourages fellow
alums to do the same. He will
spend this summer in Washington,
D.C., as a summer associate at
Public International Law & Policy
Group, a global pro bono law firm
that provides legal assistance to
states and governments involved
in conflicts.
Michael bossetta is enrolled in
a master’s program for European
studies at Lund University in Sweden.
He will work this summer
at the U.S. embassy in Stockholm
within the Bureau of European and
Eurasian Affairs.
Maria alzuru writes, “After
completing a 15-week unpaid
internship (aren’t they all?) at
The Carter Center in Atlanta last
semester, I was offered a temporary
full-time position as assistant
project coordinator (APC) for the
Americas Program. Things I’ve
learned: 1. Getting paid makes
working 40 hours a week immensely
easier. 2. Interns get to do
research and analysis, APCs are
all administrative and logistical
tasks. 3. I officially want to go back
to school. At least now I know for
sure, right? Also, having a couple
of CU people around is priceless.”
lien hoang joined the Sacramento
bureau of the Associated
Press in February as a reporter
covering California legislation. She
writes, “I’m excited to work with
journalists and lawmakers in and
around the state capitol, addressing
policies and politics with reverberations
around the country. So far, my
reporting has appeared in outlets
such as Bloomberg and the San
Francisco Chronicle. This also means
I spend much more time exploring
the downtown. Yes, you can have a
lot of fun in Sacramento.”
natalie gossett, on spring break
from Villanova Law, visited Emily
wilson in Marseilles, France. She
plans to visit campus to see the
Shakespeare Troupe’s spring show.
Natalie will be working in something
law-related in Philadelphia
this summer.
Ebele ifedigbo writes, “¡Saludos
desde Ecuador! I am here working
with a nonprofit organization that
focuses on rural development and
environmental education. I have
been here about 1½ months as I
write this, working with youth
groups, learning Spanish, making
new personal connections and
enjoying the fact that I do not have
to endure the winter this year,
among other things. I plan to stay
six months in total.”
And finally, I will leave you with
another one of chris Yim’s adventures:
“There comes a day when
every boy must become a man. On
January 13, 2011, that day occurred
in my life when I was held up at
the corner of West 168th and Amsterdam
Avenue. A man and young
lady tackled me from behind. I
was in the area visiting an ailing
friend who needed me to deliver
soup to him. These hooligans who
tackled me had no idea what they
were up against. Up until I was 18,
I took Tae Kwon Do and earned
a third-degree black belt. I kicked
the man and woman in the face
and knocked them out. I quickly
ran down the street and as they got
up to chase me, I found my slingshot
in my back pocket, which I
always carry when that far north in
Manhattan, and hit them with two
stones I found on the street. I misfired
the first five times, but when
they got within point blank range,
I might have taken an eye out.
Though it was a traumatic experience,
I want the Class of 2010 and
the Columbia College community
to know that I am a survivor, and I
survived. Thanks Mom and Dad for
putting me through Tae Kwon Do,
even though I hated it! That’s what
Asian parents are for.”
11
colin sullivan
c/o CCT
Columbia Alumni Center
622 W. 113th St., MC 4530
New York, NY 10025
casullivan@gmail.com
Hello, Class of 2011! I will be your
class correspondent when we
leave the comfort and familiarity
of Columbia’s gates to venture out
into the real world. I hope you all
have enjoyed life in the College as
much as I have, and in the months
ahead, I hope you write to me with
updates of your inevitably exciting
lives. Congratulations to everyone
upon graduation, have an amazing
summer and shoot me a message
when you can!
MAY/JUNE 2011
78
letters
(Continued from page 2)
critical and financial resources, justify
such work?
For decades, Columbia has
failed to act on a simple yet elegant
solution to the Morningside
space crunch: Follow through, to
the extent possible, on McKim,
Mead & White’s master plan. Five
McKim buildings, originally conceived
for the campus, could still
be erected. They would be placed
opposite Hartley, Wallach, Furnald,
Lewisohn and Mathematics,
completing those quadrangles
and helping fulfill the University’s
original architectural vision.
It is too late to undo the architectural
damage already wrought.
But a return to first principles
could mitigate at least some of the
harm. In the meantime, I shudder
to contemplate what is being
planned for Manhattanville.
Thomas J. Vinciguerra ’85, ’86J,
’90 GSAS
Ga r d e N CitY, N.Y.
Good Company
Not to take anything away from
Claire Shipman ’86, ’94 SIPA and
Alexandra Wallace Creed ’88, but
I believe CCT was incorrect when
it stated that they are the first and
second women, respectively, to
speak at Class Day (“Around the
Quads,” March/April). I recall
that Marian Wright Edelman,
founder and president of the Chil-
alumni Corner
(Continued from page 80)
Had the free clinic not existed
and his daughter not insisted that
he come, would the cause of his
death been his heart disease or the
failures of our health system?
It was not the spectrum of illness
I witnessed that was different.
It was the severity of illness. It was
not just diabetes; it was uncontrolled
diabetes with diabetic complications.
It was not just hypertension; it was
blood pressures of 190 over 120.
There were five patients sent
by EMT ambulance directly to the
emergency room who may well
not have seen the next day were
it not for this clinic. At the end of
the day, I had spoken to several
hundred people and heard their
stories of living in the wealthiest
country in the world without
health insurance.
I was overwhelmed. Every patient’s
story ended with the haunting
refrain of the chorus of a Greek
tragedy: “no insurance, no cash, no
doctor, no medication.”
Before leaving, I was asked if I
dren’s Defense Fund, addressed
the illustrious Class of 1993. Perhaps
the distinction you intended
to draw is that Ms. Edelman did
not attend the College. Still, that’s
awfully good company to be in.
Alan M. Freeman ’93
Po t o m a C, md.
Editor’s note: Creed should have been
identified as the second alumna, not the
second woman, to speak at Class Day.
hakoah
I enjoyed reading Franklin Foer
’96’s “Columbia Forum” excerpt
on Hakoah (March/April). A postscript:
Having played soccer for the
Swiss Football Club in the Big Ten
Division of the German American
League in the early 1950s (while
incidentally also playing baseball
and basketball at Columbia), I can
attest to the “non-mediocre” status
of the East Coast Hakoah team
at that time. They played against
teams in the Big Ten Division and
held their own. This was some of
the best soccer in the United States
at that time and included the German
Hungarians, who one year
won the National Challenge Cup
(which included all professional
and amateur clubs in the U.S.) as
well as the National Amateur Cup.
Andy Biache ’54
al e x a N d r i a, Va.
would be at the next clinic in
Kansas City that was scheduled
in five weeks. Without hesitating,
I said yes and that I would travel
to any clinic organized by the
NAFC. I have been to Kansas City,
Hartford, Atlanta, Washington,
D.C., and New Orleans. My seventh
and most recent clinic was in
Charlotte, N.C.
I have no professional affiliation
with NAFC. My commitment to it
is personal. I pay for my travel and
take time from my private practice
to do this.
I thank my years at Columbia
for fostering my social awareness
as well as my preparation in the
basic sciences and American history
for my career in medicine that
has continued to bring challenges
and satisfaction.
Dr. ralph freidin ’65 has practiced
internal medicine and primary care in
Lexington, Mass., for the past 30 years.
He blogs about health reform at theunseenpatient.blogspot.com.