Also In This Edition

A Shot of Hope: Patricia Koskei ’21 is vaccinated during Kenyon’s immunization clinic at the Lowry Center in April. (Photo by Brooke LaValley)

Book Shelf

Explore new releases from members of the Kenyon community.

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Hot Takes

Bedroom Pop

With live performances almost impossible during the past academic year, it’s been a tough time for Kenyon’s typically thriving band scene. But even if the Horn Gallery is shuttered, quarantines and quiet periods have done wonders for the burgeoning “bedroom pop” genre of music that lives primarily on the internet.

Case in point: Check out @ohio.martinez on Instagram, the one-woman band alter ego of Dani Martinez ’21, and look for links to her lo-fi, DIY show burn of a debut album, “Sentences and Figurines,” on Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.

@latenightkenyon

An account was created solely to post pictures
of menus on Instagram so students can know
if it’s worth trudging to Peirce at 10 p.m. for
jalapeno poppers. Oh, and there’s an avatar
of Borat wearing a mankini for some reason.
That’s it. That’s the concept.

Middle Path Catwalk

A year of social distancing and face coverings has made stand-out fashion even more important on campus. How else to make an impression from a safe distance with half your face behind a mask? On Instagram, @kenyonfashion is “dedicated to capturing the various styles of Kenyon,” showing off the bright, creative, fun and fearless sartorial choices of Gambier.

Class Notes

Recent Class Notes
’01

Daniel J. Connolly updates, “My wife and I had our first child in early 2022. Being a father has often been difficult, but fun. As I get older — in my mid-40s now — I appreciate more and more the liberal arts education I received at Kenyon, particularly the critical thinking skills that I apply every day in my job as a journalist. …
I became a reporter after I worked at the Collegian and loved it. After working for many years at the Commercial Appeal (Memphis), most recently as an investigative reporter, I recently switched companies. Now with Law360, a national legal news service, I’m working on an investigative reporting project related to bankruptcy courts, of all things. I’m still in touch with several Kenyon people, including Jeffrey S. Reed and Maria Cerny ’04.”

’04

Mara D. Bernstein reports that after 15 years as a student and employee of Indiana University, she joined Breakthrough Collaborative in 2022. “Breakthrough Collaborative works toward equity in edu-cation through joyful summer and school-year programs,” she explains. “Not only do Breakthrough affiliates around the country prepare young people for college success, they also prepare young people to enter the teaching profession.” Mara connected with John B. Hiester ’02, the executive director of Breakthrough Silicon Valley, and many other alumni who are experts in education around the country. Mara and Jada Bee — “the most amazing wife ever” — are turning their Bloomington, Indiana, home into an urban farm.

’10

Forest D. “Juney” Shober, a teacher of high school physics and chemistry for the last six years, now teaches science at University High, “a brand-new synthesis of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga resources and the local public school system’s approachability,” he explains. “This opportunity has accelerated my career, and I am only slightly displaced from my family, allowing me to see them periodically. Truly a balanced equation.”

Past Editions