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Sphinx Senior Society of the University of

FALL 2017 Newsletter

MEMBERS OF THE SPHINX CLASS OF ‘18 AT THE ANNUAL FALL INDUCTION CEREMONY IN THIS ISSUE

The new members of the Sphinx Class of Sphinx Class of 2018 – 1

2018 inducted by Board of Governors BOG Elections – 2 The 7 newly elected members of the Sphinx Class of 1918 were formally inducted into From BOG President – 2 the Society at the annual Fall Induction Ceremony at the Sweeten Alumni Center on October 15 by the Board of Governors. Representing the BOG were Spring Banquet/Alumni Wknd. Brunch - 3-6 Greg Suss, C'75, President, John Fiorillo, W'86,Treasurer and Steve Klitzman, C'66, President-Emeritus. A preview of the upcoming year was given by the Review of 2017- 7 undergraduate Chief, Dhruv Agarwal, SEAS'18, which includes the annual Homecoming Reception and Spring Banquet, as well as social responsibility Farewell to Glen Schuster – 7 projects, a speaker series, joint activity with the Friars, lunch with University President , a weekend road trip to the Penn Club in NYC and several Quo Vadis - Class of 2017 - 8-9 Sphnix intra-Society social events. Alumni News: A survey of the entire class revealed an extraordinary breadth of leadership of campus organizations and affiliations. We are pleased to present the Sphinx Class of 2018: Merrie Frankel, C'76 – 9 Gary Mintz, C'05 – 10 Dhruv Agarwal, SEAS ‘18- Assembly of Farah Otero-Amad, C'18 - Varsity Soccer International Students Sydney Rodriguez, W'18 - African-American Brunch Had 'Round the World - 11 Rogelio Caro , C’18- Penn First Arts Alliance Carter Coudriet, C’18 - Daily Pennsylvanian Claire Schmidt, C'18 - Bloomers Robert Schoenberg , Hon'08 – 11 Jessica Davis , Nu’18- Student Nurses at Penn William "Tre" Solomon, W'18 - Varsity Caitlin Doolittle, C’18 - Reach-A-Peer Hotline Football Yen-Yen Gao, W’18 - Asian-Pacific Student Meghavi Talati, SEAS'18 - Engineering , C'67 - 12 Coalition Students Activities Council Gabriela Goitia, C’18 - City Step Connor Wen, W'18 - Wharton Council Tripp Hornick, C'02 - 12 Edward Jing, C’18, W’18 - Student Activities Council Ross Wilson, C'18 - Varsity Track & Field Jacob Kahn, SEAS’18 - Penn Apps Michelle Xu, C'18 - Undergraduate Assembly Contribute to Sphinx – 13 Nayab Khan, C’18 - Muslim Students Association Malik Patton, W'18 - Club Volleyball Kai Kornegay, C’18 - Tangible Change Maramawit Abera, C'18 - The inspiration Mentor an Undergraudate - 14 Kyle Kuhns, SEAS’18 - Mask & Wig Acapella Blake , C’18 - Intuitons Theater Ramon Garcia Gomez, C'18 - Latinx Coalltion Sphinx Archives – 14 Krisna Maddy, C’18 - United Minorities Council Sarah Cornelius, C'18 - Penn Educ. Society Johanna Matt-Navarro, C’18 - Student Sustainability Sean Collins, C'18 - Lamda Alliance Rachel Huang, C'18 - Varsity Field Hockey Sola Park, C'18 - Class Board, 2018 Sign up for Alumni Class Directory – 14

Help Us Identify Missing Honorary

Member - 14 SPHINX NEWSLETTER – FALL 2017 2

FROM THE BOG PRESIDENT… BOG ELECTIONS 2017 Greg Suss, C'75 Last June, nearly 220 Sphinx alumni voted in the annual Spring Board election. Re-elected As the newly-elected President of the Sphinx Board of Governors, I am pleased to work with our for another three-year term were 17-member board to support the programs of the undergraduate members as well increase alumni Elizabeth “Liz” Katz Miller, W’87, and John engagement. Now in our 117th year as Penn's oldest senior society, the alumni board focuses on a K. Fiorillo, Esq., W’86. myriad of initiatives including: • strengthening alumni outreach • coordinating/funding major events including the Fall Induction, Homecoming Reception, Spring Banquet, and Alumni Weekend/Graduation Brunch • expanding the "Sphinx Links" undergraduate mentoring program • updating the Sphinx Class Directory • fund-raising to support undergraduate programs and establish a captial fund for special campus projects • support and expand undergraduate activities • reinforce the overall image and importance of the Society to the greater University Liz is sole owner of Summit Place Financial community Advisors, Summit, NJ. At Penn, she chaired the The Fall 2017 Newsletter highlights many activities, by undergrads and alumni, and it never ceases Wharton Advisory Board and was a Manager to amaze me how strong Sphinx ties are among the membership, especially when one considers of Penn Student Agencies. that we are only together for one year during our time at Penn. We heartily encourage all alumni who are interested to participate in Sphinx activities at any level. This includes: • entering your profile in the Sphinx Class Alumni Directory (www.sphinxseniorsociety.com/ community) so you can contact members of your Sphinx class or other Society alumni • attend Sphinx events including the upcoming Homecoming Reception following the football game, November 4, 3:30pm, Cafe 58, • signing up to be a 2018 "Sphinx Links" mentor to one of our awesome undergrads (contact Kevin Vaughn ([email protected], or Luis Ernesto DelValle ([email protected], Sphnix Links Coordinators) • contributing to the Sphinx fund - for the past two years, we have been able to gift the John is a partner at the law firm of undergrads $4000 to help underwrite the significant dues costs for the undergraduates, not Unruh, Turner, Burke & Frees, West Chester, affordable by many of the elected members, as well as sponsor the key events listed above PA. At Penn, John was Chairman of • coming to campus to speak to the undergrads who may be interested in your Connaissance, the student-run lecture series. professional activities and pathways since your graduation. We welcome your thoughts and involvement. Please reach out to me with your ideas and interests. Newly elected to the Board for 3-year terms While I participate in a variety of alumni organizations at Penn, my Sphinx engagement is very are Josh Chilcotte, C'15, Urja Mittal, C'14, special, and I heartily encourage you join us! W'14, and Luis Ernesto DelValle, C'13, W'14. They are replacing outgoing board members I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the 2017-18 Board of Governors for Samir Malik, C'08, W'08, GEN'13, WG'13, all of their efforts on behalf of the Sphinx Senior Society: Franklin Shen, SEAS'03 and recently deceased Glen Schuster, W'86 (see story below). Officers: Elizabeth Katz MIller, W'87, Vice President; John K. Fiorillo, W’86, Treasurer; Anita Saggurti, C'12, Secretary; Steve Klitzman, C'66, President-Emeritus; David Scolan, C'17, Chief- Emeritus; Board Members: Eric Apple, C’91, Counsel; Joshua Chilcote, C'15, On-Campus Coordinator; Luis Ernesto DelValle,C'12, W'12, & Kevin Vaughn, C'77, Sphinx Links Mentoring Coordinators; Louis "Tripp" Hornick, C'02, Assistant Treasurer; Urja Mittal, C'14 W'14, Jeremy Pincus, C'14, Alumni Regional Program Coordinators; Kiera Reilly, C’93, Alumni Outreach Coordinator; and ex-officio, Class of 2018 Officers, Dhruv Agarwal, SEAS'18, Chief; Rogelio Caro, C’18 Pharisee; Ross Wilson, C’18, Scribe.

Looking forward to seeing y0u at the Homecoming Reception! Urja Mittal (left), clerking now for a federal judge in Sam Francisco. At Penn, Urja served as Editor-in- Greg Suss, C'75 Chief of the Penn Political Review, Co-Chair of the President, Sphinx Board of Governors Penn Political Review and Scribe of the Sphinx [email protected] Class of 2014. Josh Chilcotte (center) is currently an Assistant Director with Penn Admissions. As an Join us for the annual undergraduate, Josh was Vice President and Speaker of the Undergraduate Assembly. Sphinx/Friars Homecoming Reception Luis Ernesto DelValle (right) is a Hedge Fund Senior Analyst and Junior Portfolio Manager based Saturday, November 4, 2018 in for Balyasny Asset Management. He focuses on North 3:30 -5:30 PM American and European industrials. At Penn, Ernesto was Co-Chair of the Wharton Council and Cafe 58, Irvine Auditorium the first recipient of the Paul Miller Leadership Award in 2012. $10pp, Wine, Beer Soft Drinks, Refreshments SPHINX NEWSLETTER – FALL 2017 3 SPHINX HONORS THE CLASS OF 2017 Abico eum, ille et, conventio obruo duis Sphinx Alumni and Undergraduates Attend 2017 Spring Banquet

Traditions abounded last Spring as the Class of 2017 was honored at two major . Sphinx Senior Society events climaxing their senior year experiences. The first was the annual Spring Banquet held April 28, 2017 at the historic Orpheus Club near Rittenhouse Square in . The second was the annual Alumni Weekend Brunch held on May 13, 2017 in the LGBT Carriage House on the Penn campus.

Nearly 60 undergraduate members and Sphinx alumni bid farewell to the Sphinx Class of 2017, inducted 23 members of the Sphinx Class of 2018, and two new Honorary members, and socialized with Fellow Sphinx Alums! The entertainment was especially notable this year. Kyle Kuhns, SEAS’18, played a sweet tenor saxaphone jazz solo. And Jeremy Cohen, C’17, and Blake London, C’18, performed a scene from Samuel Beckett’s classic absurdist drama, “Waiting for Godot.” Speakers included David Scollan, C’17 and Chief, Sphinx Class of 2017. David praised the “great Sphinx college experience” and urged his clsasmates to maintain their now close ties going forward through at least a yearly email update. 2017 Chief, David Scollan with 2017 Honorary Member Jessica Mertz, Director of Sexual Violence Prevention Steve Klitzman, C’66, stepping down after four years as President of the Sphinx Board of Governors, highlighted both fiscal and operational Society accomplishments over the past four years, including a sounder financial foundation, more alumni involvement, and a vigorous undergraduate “Sphinx Links” mentoring program ; and also speaking at the banquet were our two 2017 Honorary Members, Jessica A. Mertz, Director of Sexual Violence Prevention at Penn since 2009, and Robert Sandler, W’52, active Penn alumnus.

Jessica Mertz said the problem of sexual violence is a “community problem “ at Penn so she’s “very grateful” for the community support she and her office receives from the Penn community, including many members of Sphinx both past and current. Bob Sandler fondly recalled his student days as a Penn Cheerleader and member of the Penn Players. And he amazed his audience by noting that his Penn tuition in 1952 was “$300 a semester!” ( Just tuition at Penn per semester in 2017-2018 will be $23,798, or $47, 416 for the school year, an almost 8000% increase since 1952!) At the Spring Banquet, we also bestowed on a graduating member of the Class of 2017 the annual Paul Miller Leadership Award for outstanding public service and campus leadership. The award is named in memory of the late Paul Miller, C’83, a leading author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a distinguished Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1994-2004, and until his Chief, David Scollan with 2017 Honorary Alumni untimely death in 2010, a law professor at the University of Washington. The winner of Member, Robert Sandler, W52, Varsity Cheerleader the Gavriela "Gavi" Reiger, C'18. Gavi won the award for her outstanding campus and and Penn Players Alum, winner of the Alumni Award of Merit, celebrating his 55th Reunion public service leadership as Chair of the Penn Student Sustainability Association, the umbrella organization for all undergraduater sustainability and environmental programming and advocacy. (left) Greg Suss, C’75, Vice President, left, and Steve Klitzman, right, C’66, President, Sphinx Board of Governors, present 2017 Paul Miller Leadership Award to Gavirela “Gavi” Reiter, C’17. On far left is Ernesto Del Valle, C’12, W’12, the first winner of the Paul Miller leadership Award in 2012 and newest member of the Sphinx Senior Society Board of Governors

(Right) Jessica Mertz and Robert Sandler, W'52, proudly wear their Sphinx hats as the 2017 Honorary Members SPHINX NEWSLETTER – FALL 2017 4

Initial members of the Sphinx Class of 2018 inducted at the Spring Banquet Alumni, Classes of 2017 and 2018 at the Spring Banquet

left: Officers, 2016- 2018: Dhruv Agarwal, SEAS’18, Chief, David Scollan, C’17, 2017 Sphinge Senior Class Award Winners: Krisna Maddy. C’18, Black Alumni Chief, Erina Shan, C’ and W’17, Pharisee, Rogelio Caro, C’18, Pharisee, Kaleb Society Student Leadership Award; Temilola “Temi” Ransome-Kuti, W’17, Althea Germinaro, C’17, Scribe, and Ross Wilson, C’18, Scribe K. Hottel Award (Penn’s highest annual student female award); Tunmise Fawole, Right: 2017 Sphinge Senior Class Award Winners SC’17, David K. Goddard Award; Meredith Kline, C’17, William A. Levi Kite & Key Society Award for Service and Scholarship (Not pictured: Ian Jeong, N’17, Men’s Spade Award; William Wang, C’SEAS’’17, James Brister Society Asian-American Student Leadership Award ; and Megan Tan, C’W’17, Penn Student Agencies Award and James Brister Society Asian-American Student Leadership Award;

Above: Three Sphinx top Editors of at the April 2017 Spring Banquet, (left to right): Steve Klitzman, C’66, DP Editor-in-Chief, 1965-1966, Carter Coudriet, C’18, DP Above: Greg Suss, C’75, new President of the Sphinx Senior Society Board of Governors, President, 2017, and Colin Henderson, presents the “2017 Presidents Service Award” to outgoing Sphinx BOG President, Steve W’17, DP President, 2016. Klitzman, C’66. Text of Award: for his dedication and commitment as President of the Sphinx Senior Society 2013-2017; for establishing the Sphinx Alumni Fund and Right: Sphinx Alumni Robert Sandler, promoting intra-organizational fundraising; for successfully spearheading overall fund W’52, and 2017 Sphinx contributions to significantly reduce undergraduate dues; for establishing Sphinx Honorary Member, with Louis R. Links, the alumni/undergraduate mentoring program, connecting professional Sphinx Pichini, W’67, celebrating his 50th Penn alumni with graduating seniors entering the workforce; for revitalizing the Sphinx Reunion. newsletter to create a major outreach tool to the Sphinx constituency; for strengthening BOG communications through scheduled touch points and sub-committee meetings; for prioritizing alumni involvement and engagement through additional on-campus and regional gatherings; for being a consistent advocate of Sphinx as the oldest and most distinguished senior society at the University of Pennsylvania; for his countless hours of dedication to help ensure a high-quality-experience for the undergraduate organization and the ongoing pride of association with the Sphinx alumni; for galvanizing the Board of Governors into a highly functional unit committed to successfully conducting the business of the Society; for representing the University of Pennsylvania and the Sphinx Senior Society to all constituent organizations both inside and outside around the University, as the model of service above and beyond the demands of his position; and for being a devoted friend and mentor to the entire Sphinx membership. SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 5 SPHINX HONORS THE CLASS OF 2017 Alumni Weekend Brunch Celebrates Graduates and Reunions Members of the graduating Class of 2017, their families and friends, members of the Sphinx Board of Governors, and fellow Sphinx alumni, from several Penn reunion years kicked off Alumni Weekend at our annual free brunch on Saturday, May 13, 2017. We held the brunch just before the Class Parade down Locust Walk to College Hall Green. Sphinx held the brunch as it has for the past several years in the Goodhand Room of the Carriage House and LGBT Center, 3901 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6031.

Despite a very rainy May 13, 2017, we had one of our largest attendances in recent years with over 75 undergrads, families, friends and alumni celebrating their reunions from the seven Sphinx Classes of 2012 (5th reunion), 2007(10th), 2002(15th), 1997(20th), 1992(25 th), 1987(30th), and 1977 (40th).

Among the attendees was Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ 5th) elected to Congress in Nov. 2016 . He was celebrating his 20th Penn Reunion.

The Brunch is also an opportunity for all assembled to pay tribute and farewell to the outgoing undergraduate officers: David Scollan-Chief, Erina Shan-Pharisee, and Kaleb Germinaro-Scribe.

Happy Members of the Sphinx Class of 2017 at the Alumni Weekend Brunch SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 6 2017 Reunion Classes Celebrate at the Annual Alumni Day Brunch

Members of the Sphinx Class of 2007 celebrating their 10th reunion: (top row, Members of the Sphinx Class of 1997 celebrating their 20th Penn Reunion left to right) David Fraga, Mana Nakagawa, Lex Ruby-Howe, Andy Kaplan (left to right): Clayton Virgil, Josh Gottheimer, Scott Friedberg, Neil Sheth, (Class President), Caroline Gammil (Bottom) Catey Mark, Ryan Hayward Chief, Jared Miller, and Gregory Davis.

Members of the Class of 1992 celebrating their 25th Reunion: Top Row L-R) Members of the Sphinx Class of 1987 celebrating their 30th Penn Reunion (left Peter Spiegel, Unknown, Barbara Lewis Goose, Christi Smith Stille, Maureen to rght): Beth Starr, Michael Gordon, Wendy Farber, and Liz Katz, W’87 and Sutton, Marisa Sifontes (Bottom) Richard Smith, Ira Hillman, Unknown Vice President, Sphinx Board of Governors.

Members of the Sphinx Class of 1977 celebrating their 40th Penn Reunion, (left to right) Richard A. Meyer, Rebecca Peikes, and Kevin Vaughan, Chief, ‘77, and Member, Sphinx Board of Governors. SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 7

. Sphinx 2017 Year in Review by David Scollan, 2016-17 Chief Sphinx 2017 kept up with the usual activities of Sphinx in recent times - we had weekly happy hours, semi-regular byo dinners out in Philly, and we successfully brought back the Winter Formal from its long hiatus (current members only dinner out in Philly - a nice excuse to dress up!). We also went on an overnight retreat to the Jersey Shore in December before Winter Finals and a Jersey Shore day trip with some members of 2018 during Spring Finals.

We continued the new tradition of a joint Sphinx-Friars-Mortar Board byo dinner with the classes of 2017 and the newly inducted members of 2018 (in total there were about 150 people there - it was packed!). Five members of 2017 took Europe by storm for Spring Break bringing some SMSL (so much Sphinx love) to Helsinki and Stockholm. Finally, we ran a successful new membership recruitment process: a well attended Smoker held in the 's meeting rooms in the attic of College Hall, coffee chats with current members and applicants for membership, a rather long deliberations process, and a fun initiation! We ended the year with a very well attended Spring Banquet (with the best alumni attendance we've seen of late). We also in a last stitch effort to accomplish our charity goal held a philanthropy volleyball tournament during Finals week. We didn't have great turnout because a good number of underclassmen had already left by then, but we raised about $200 for Philadelphia's Bread & Roses Community Bank which provides grants to local Philly community service and charity organizations. Think of it as local experts funneling money where the community most needs it as opposed to less informed outsiders just blindly donating money! We hope the Class of 2018 will continue the new relationship with Bread & Roses by either building on the volleyball tournament or doing another charity event!

Recommendations: I think BOG's ever stronger presence (financially and advice) is really appreciated and was a major help to me last year as Chief. Trying to run this without alumni to call upon and ask advice would be quite the task. I can't think of any specific recommendations right now but I look forward to sharing any thoughts that might come to mind this coming school year as Chief-Emeritus serving on the BOG! Sphinx Bids Sad Farewell to Glen Schuster, W’86, Member, Board of Governors, 2014-2017

The Sphinx Board of Governors is very sad to announce the death on July 26, 2017 of Glen S. Schuster, W’86, and a creative and effective Sphinx Board member since 2014. Glen, Rye Brook, NY, was 52 and died of brain cancer. Glen created and implemented the Sphinx Class Directory enabling our entire alumni membership of over 1600 to communicate with fellow alumni. See www.sphinxseniorsociety/classdirectory.com Glen also helped revamp our Sphinx web site at www.sphinxseniorsociety.com. The Board will deeply miss Glen’s exciting ideas, energy and sense of humor. In his professional life, Glen was the Founder and Project Director of the U. S. Satellite Laboratory. The Lab’s mission with long term contracts with NASA and is to “improve student achievement through exemplary STEM educator professional development and standards- based curriculum.

Here’s Glen’s full bio from the Laboratory’s web site: Glen Schuster, M.S., U.S. Satellite's Founder / Endeavor's Project Director, leads instructors and practitioners with integrated-STEM programs and professional development. Glen served as Principal Investigator on six (6), federal awards (~$10 million) and he co-Authored Marine Science: The Dynamic Ocean distributed by Pearson. With a background in mathematics, and research and TV meteorology, Glen directs work to transform traditional classrooms into working, integrated-STEM laboratories— These are places where authentic content and pedagogy, data, and NGSS practices thrive in various contexts, places where student achievement increases, and students develop skills to be competitive in tomorrow's workplace. Glen recently served six (6) years on his local school board, four as an officer, including board president. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Sphinx Leadership Society at the University of Pennsylvania. He works closely with Endeavor's STEM Leadership courses and programs and Endeavor's Weather Data Learning Center (WDLC) course.

Glen is survived by his wife Julie Cook Schuster, sons Seth Schuster, Penn Class of 2020, and Justin Schuster, parents Robert & Judith Schuster, Middleton, MA, and sister Randy Dombrowski, Basalt, CO. SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 8

Quo Vadis - Sphinx Class of 2017

Aizhaneya Carter - (C’17) Aizhaneya has started work as a general management consultant with Gartner based out of Washington, DC. Aizhaneya will be keeping the SMSL alive living with her fellow 2017 Sphinx, Ian Jeong, in DC!

Sarah Cho - (C ’17) Sarah has moved home to and is pursuing her passions working on freelance photography and videography projects! Don’t be surprised one day when she wins an Oscar for her creative endeavors.

Jeremy Cohen - (C ’17) Jeremy’s post-grad plans are a work in progess! But, for now, he’s enjoying some downtime and a self-described “journey of self-discovery” at home in Massachusetts. If Penn were smart they’d set this man up with a tenured professorship as Jerco is one of the most brilliant minds we’ve encountered!

Tunmise Fawole - (C ’17) Tunmise is continuing with her studies for her Master in Public Health at Penn Med, expected graduation May 2018. She will continue to only wear her signature color, black, flawlessly.

Irtiqa Fazili - (C ’17) After a series of medical schools tried to curry her favor, Irtiqa will be heading home to Memphis, TN, having accepted a place in the University of Tennessee College of Medicine’s incoming class! One day Dr. Irtiqa will bring health, healing, cures, and contagious joy to patients. She will continue to be the best dressed member Sphinx has ever had.

Kendall Finlay - (C ’17) Kendall is moving to Austin, TX, in a few weeks to start work at…Facebook! Kendall will be working in the Austin office’s legal affairs department. When Kendall makes it big we hope he remembers us!

Kaleb Germinaro, Scribe - (C ’17) Having sub-matriculated last year, Kaleb will be continuing his studies in the Graduate School of Education to earn his Masters. He is a new dad of a rambunctious Aussie-mix pup named Lennon “Lennie” Germinaro (see: @thepuplennon on instagram for adorable dog pics) who you can find living with Kaleb and his fellow 2017 Sphinges Gavi Reiter and Kellen Wartnow in South Philly!

Jeremy Golant - (C ’17) Jeremy will be working as a consultant with Medalia technology consultancy in , CA. We expect he will continue to be the tallest person in any room he enters.

Colin Henderson - (W ’17) Colin will be moving to New York City and starting work with IBM as an consultant.

Anny Hu - (C ’17, W ’17) Anny will be moving to New York City to start work as a business analyst with McKinsey. We are saddened that her workplace responsibilities will limit her instagramable food-related outings to only the weekends.

Ian Jeong - (N ’17) Ian passed his board exams and is, officially, a Registered Nurse! Ian will be working as a nurse at Georgetown MedStar Hospital in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he and his fellow 2017 Sphinx, Aizhaneya Carter, just landed a beautiful apartment in Washington’s Columbia Heights!

Megan Kelly - (C ’17) Megan is working in New York City with Charles Rover Associates as an analyst in their Life Sciences practice. Megan and her fellow 2017 Sphinx, Ashley Montgomery, will be rooming together in Manhattan - look out NYC!

Meredith Kline - (C ’17) Meredith is saying goodbye to the relaxed vibes and sunshine of Southern California for the bustle of New York City. She will be starting her research fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center!

Max Levy - (C ’17) Much like Shrek, Max is back in the “swamp” he feels most comfortable in - Washington, D.C. - working as a digital campaigns associate with Blueprint Interactive. He has enjoyed a few boozy brunches with none other than his fellow 2017 Sphinges based in Washington this summer, Gavi Reiter and Megan Yan

Ashley Montgomery - (W ’17) Ashley has moved to New York City and started work at Barclays bank. We assume she will run to and from work without breaking a sweat. She is living with none other than her fellow 2017 Sphinx, Megan Kelly! . SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 9

Carol Quezada Olivo (C ’17) - Carol’s post-grad plans are a work in progress! She’s on the hunt for a job that will be oh so lucky to have her!

Praveen Rajaguru - (C ’17) Praveen will be staying in Philadelphia to continue with the Master in Public Health program at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. He sub matriculated into the program last year!

Gavi Reiter - (C ’17) Gavi will be returning to Philadelphia come the fall to continue the Master in Non-Profit Leadership program she sub- matriculated into last year. She will continue the fight to save Mother Earth from our terrible polluting species.

David Scollan, Chief - (C ’17) David will pursuing his Master of Science in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. In keeping with tradition, he will serve on the Board of Governors as Chief-Emeritus of Sphinx. He has begrudgingly handed off the reins of power to his successor, Dhruv Agarwal, Chief’18.

Erina Shan, Pharisee - (E ’17, W ’17) Erina has said ‘auf wiedersehen’ to home in Vienna, Austria, and has started work at PJT Partners as a mergers and acquisitions analyst in New York City! Outside of work you can find her at the nearest biergarten.

Lauren Silberberg - (E ’17) Lauren has returned home to America following her month-long tour de force camping across New Zealand. She will be starting her new job with Deloitte as a technology consultant in New York City!

Abbie Starker - (C’ 17) Abbie has decamped her beloved Philly for Baltimore to work as a legal assistant at the Women’s Law Center of Maryland! We expect she will show all the women who she comes in contact with the kind of care and acceptance she has shown to all of us. We also expect she will continue to bake her revered banana bread.

Sam Summer - (C ’17) Sam will be moving to Cleveland, OH, to work as a UI/UX designer at and education tech startup! In his free time, we expect Sam to be off enjoying the natural beauty of America’s Great Lakes!

Temi Ransome-Kuti - (W ’17) Temi is counting her jet-setting ways and is heading off to Thailand come the fall to spend the year teaching English with the Greenheart Travel program. She has deferred her offer with Bain - , until her return.

Pallavi Wakharkar - (C ’17) Pallavi has traded in the mellow of the Bay Area for her new job as a strategy analyst with Accenture in New York City! We hope she finds time to keep up her word-smithing ways outside of work.

Clare Whitney - (N ’17) Clare will be continuing with her studies in Philadelphia in pursuit of her PhD in Nursing at Penn’s Fagin School of Nursing! Will she one day be the Dean of Nursing at Penn? We wouldn’t bet against it!

Will Wang - (C ’17, E ’17) Will will be staying in Philadelphia this fall to finish up some pesky requirements of the Life, Sciences, and Management (LSM) Program! He will continue to give great hugs.

Kellen Wartnow - (C ’17) Kellen will be returning to Philadelphia to continue the Master in Public Administration program in Penn’s Fels Institute of Government. He sub-matriculated into the program last year. Kellen will be living with his fellow 2017 Sphinges, Gavi Reiter and Kaleb Germinaro!

Pranav Vishnu, Webmaster - (E ’17) Pranav has decided to pursue a career in interpretive dance! Just kidding - he’s putting his vast computer science skills to good use as a product manager at Dropbox in San Francisco, CA!

Megan Yan - (C ’17, W ’17) Megan will be pursuing her J.D. at Yale Law School in New Haven, CT. She will continue to brainstorm creative ways to bring about the dissolution of the white-male-heteronormative patriarchy! She probably will rule the world some day. ALUMNI NEWS Merrie S. Frankel, C’76, Former President, Sphinx Board of Governors, Opens REIT Consultancy

Merrie S. Frankel, Sphinx Class of 1975, President of the Sphinx BOG, 2009-2013, and Emeritus Board Member, 2013-2015, announced in Feb. 2017 the formation of Minerva Realty Consultants, LLC. The new consultancy offers credit rating and capital structure analysis to Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) and real estate companies.

Merrie brings to her new venture almost 40 years of investment banking, tax and legal experience, including 18 years as an REIT Analysts and later Vice President and Senior Credit Officer at a leading rating service, Moody’s Investors Service.

In her spare time, Merrie is also active in the Urban Land Institute, New York Women Executives in Real Estate, as an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate at Columbia University and , and as a Director of the a Member of the Board of Martha Graham Dance Company.

See also an interview of Merrie by Allen Kenney in REIT Magazine, May/June 2017 issue at https://www.reit.com/ news/reit-magazine/may-june -2017/former-moodys analyst

Merrie can be reached at Minerva Realty Consultants at 646-868-6232, [email protected] SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 10

ALUMNI NEWS Dr. Gary S. Mintz Travels the World as Chief Medical Officer for the Cardiovascular Research Foundation; Visits Louis Kahn’s Last Architecture Project, the Parliament Building in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dr. Gary S. Mintz, C’70, reports that he “continue[s] to be very active.” He notes that:

For those undergraduates contemplating a career in medicine, there are many options other than patient care. I continue to work for the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (www.crf.org) where I am Chief Medical Officer. It is a unique organization - equivalent to a medical school department, but one that it free standing with its own charter, board of directors, officers, finances, etc. We have three divisions with 170+ employees - Skirball Center for Innovation, Clinical Trials Center, and Center for Education. From the standpoint of academic productivity, we publish one peer-reviewed article (on average) every working day, have 15 international research fellows, and organize one educational event almost every week - from small workshops to >10,000 person events.

My work travel schedule continues to be daunting. In 2017: January (Beijing and Taipei), February (Dahka - see the next paragraph), March (Beijing, Harbin, and Rotterdam), April (Seoul), June (Seoul, St Petersburg, Newcastle, Riga), July (Dalian, Shanghai, Tokyo), August (Barcelona, Hangzhou), October (Kobe), and November-December (Harbin, Nanjing, Tel Aviv, Krakow). My visits to Dhaka and Riga are new experiences; the others I have visited many times.

I agreed to go to Dhaka, Bangladesh specifically to see the Louis Kahn-designed parliament building. It is worth Googling the professional photographs to see how it is sited in the middle of a man-made lake. I am attaching a composite of a few of the photographs that I took - plus the one of me (in the middle) accompanied by two colleagues. When Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan (and called East Pakistan), the Pakistani government commissioned Louis Kahn to design a government building for Dhaka, then the capitol of East Pakistan. After Bangladesh achieved independence, this became its National Parliament House - Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Louis Kahn was a Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. This was his last project and was completed after his death.

IMHO, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban was his masterpiece - perhaps rivaled only by the Kimball Museum of Art in Ft Worth, TX. The exterior photographs that are available on-line are stunningly accurate. However, the on-line interior photographs do not do justice to its (and his) genius (and I do not use the term lightly). As great as it looks in pictures, it is even more impressive in person. One of my colleagues said that it was as if she went back in time and saw a building from the future. Ancient and modern at the same time. The country is rightly proud of their National Parliament House, everyone knows its history, and there is an exhibit dedicated to Louis Kahn in the entry. The country, itself, was fascinating and worth the visit, but in many ways is similar to India. But Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in-and-of-itself was worth the trip.

The Parliament Building in Dahka, Bangladesh, the last project of famous Penn Architect Louis Kahn he designed in the 1970s before his death in 1974. SPHINX NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2017 11

ALUMNI NEWS “Sphinx Brunch ‘Had Round the World!’” in Five US Cities, and Tokyo Sphinges and young Sphinx alumni gathered this summer for this year's “Sphinx Brunch ‘Had Round The World!' ” This is a tradition started last summer by the Class of 2016 and brought back by popular demand. Some good food and good company (and good mimosas) were enjoyed by Sphinges in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Tokyo, Japan.

Here are some pictures from all the Summer 2017 Sphinx gatherings:

Chicago: Left to right; Jeremy Pincus, C’14, Pharisee; Adrienne Edwards, C’13, Chief; Nick Volpe, C’14

The following 35 Sphinx alumni attended these Summer 2017 Brunches “Had Round the World:”

Dhruv Agarwal, SEAS’18, Rogelio Caro, C’18, Joshua Chilcote, C’15, Sarah Cho, C’17, Frank Colleluori, C’14, Jason Fernandes, C’15, Mia Garuccio, C’14, Kaleb Germinaro, C’17, Jeremy Golant, C’17, Brad Herbert, W’16, Peter Jeffrey, C’16, Jacob Kahn, SEAS, W’18, Connie Kang, W’16, Jin Kim, C’16, The montage locations are as follows: Top left- New York City; Middle left- Joyce Kim, C’16, Alexandre Kleis, W’16, Max Levy, Washington, DC; Bottom left- Phila; Bottom right- San Francisco; Top right- Tokyo. C’17, Harrison Lieberfarb, C’13, Blake London, C’18, Krisna Maddy, C’18, Eliana Machefsky, C’14, Robert A. Schoenberg, C’68, and Honorary Member, 2008, to Retire in Johanna Matt-Navarro, C’18, Jane Meyer, C’16, Fall 2017 After 35 Years as Director, Penn LGBT Center Farah Otero-Amada, C’18, Carol Quezada Olivo, C’17, Isa Oliveres, C’14, Cathryn Peirce, C’16, Gavi Bob Schoenberg began his work in support of Penn’s Reiter, C’17, David Scollan, C’17, Erina Shan, C’W’17, lesbian and gay student community in 1982 while Rishi Simha, W’15, Jennifer Sun, C’14, Pranav working on his PhD dissertation in Penn’s then Vishnu, SEAS’17, Pallavi Wakharkar, C’17, Megan School of Social Work. In 1989, he became the full- Yan, C’W’17 time Director of the LGBT Center, now one of the oldest such college centers in America. The Center moved into its current Carriage House in 2002.

Bob was honored on October 14 at the Center’s 35th anniversary celebration. In retirement, Bob plans to spend more time at his home in the Poconos and keep his involvement in various “community activities.”

The Sphinx Board wishes Bob well and thanks him for his excellent service and significant contribution Penn's LGBT Center Robert A Schoenberg, PhD both to the strong LGBT community at Penn and to the larger Penn community as well. SPHINX NEWSLETTER – FALL 2017 12

ALUMNI NEWS Marc Turtletaub, C’67, Hollywood , Receives Stanley Kramer Award for “Loving" Film

Marc Turtletaub, C’67, earlier this year received the 2017 Stanley Kramer Award awarded each year since 2002 by the Producers Guild of America. Marc received the award named for his 2016 co-production of “Loving.” The film tells the true story of an inter- racial, married couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, whose conviction in Virginia for “miscegenation” was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1967. See Loving v. Virginia, 388 U. S. 1 (1967) (laws prohibiting inter-racial marriage are unconstitutional).

Named for legendary and producer, Stanley Kramer (“The Defiant Ones,” “On the Beach,” “Inherit the Wind”, and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,”), the Stanley Kramer Award honors each year a production, producer, or other individuals whose film achievement illuminates and raises public awareness of important social issues.

Marc Turtletaub has been a producer for 14 years through two production companies. In 2004, he co-founded with and has served as a producer on all of the company’s films. These include the Academy Award-winning "," directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Turtletaub’s other credits with Big Beach include the documentary "Lucky," directed by Jeffrey Blitz, Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut, "," Sam Mendes’ "Away We Go," Christine Jeffs’ "," John Crowley’s "Is Anybody There," Ramin Bahrani’s "Chop Shop," and Liev Schrieber’s "Everything is Illuminated." Big Beach’s most recent releases are Jesse Peretz’s "," Collin Trevorrow’s "," Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ "The Kings of Summer," and Jeff Nichols’ "Loving." Prior to founding Big Beach, Turtletaub created Deep River Productions in 2000 with David Friendly. He also served from 1989-1999 as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Money Store.

Louis "Tripp" Hornick III, C'02 To Receive 2017 Young Alumni Award of Merit Sphinx Board of Governors Member, "Tripp" Hornick, C'02, will be presented the 2017 Young Alumni Award of Merit at the Annual Homecoming Alumni Gala on November 3, 2017.

Tripp, an officer with the Graduate Club, Executive Vice President and Reunion Chair of the Class of 2002 and a member of the Alumni Class Leadership Council, is being recognized for his devotion and service to Penn since his graduation in 2002.

A third generation Quaker, Tripp can often be found at 310 Quince Street, the off-campus home of the Mask and Wig Club, administering to the business needs of the organization while helping to carrying out the traditions of the nation's oldest male collegiate comedy troupe. He recently chaired one of the most successful reunions in the Class of 2002's history, both in terms of engagement and fund-raising, while simultaneously performing his engagement functions as a committee head with the ACLC, advising other classes on reunion best practices. His efforts on behalf of the BOG of Sphinx helped to reinstate its status as a 5o1(c)(3) non-profit, elevating its ability to raise funds on behalf of the undergraduate organization.

When not tending to his family business and consulting other organizations, Tripp is "living the dream" as a commercial theatre producer and looks forward to mounting his next production in London's West End. His greatest production, however, is his ongoing devotion to Penn, and the Sphinx Senior Society is proud to hail all of his work as a model of alumni engagement. SPHINX FALL NEWSLETTER 2017 13

SPHINX CONTINUES TO RAISE FUNDS TO SUPPORT UNDERGRADS,THEIR PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS ON THE PENN CAMPUS

The Sphinx Board of Governors (BOG) is very pleased to announce that Sphinx alumni helped us strengthen our support of the undergraduate Sphinx membership and the entire Society by donating over $6000 in the Spring 2017 Sphinx Alumni Fund Campaign.

They responded well to the following “pitch” to which we encourage any of you who’ve yet to contribute to do so as well:

Why: To build a stronger connection between Sphinx alumni and undergraduate members, it’s important to strengthen the current community and a future leadership legacy that extends beyond the Senior year at Penn.

What: Our specific campaign goals are two: first, to reduce the amount of Sphinx dues for the next Sphinx Class, and second, to add to the Sphinx Alumni Endowment Fund we’ve created to support current and future Society programs, projects and activities.

Current undergraduate dues are $250 per the 30- member class. These dues support programming, events, and get-togethers of the current Sphinx class.

The Ask: We seek to raise funds to build our Sphinx Alumni Endowment Fund and to offset undergraduate dues by $4000 annually (which we have been able to do in 2016 and 2017). These funds will reduce the dues of each undergraduate to $100 per member.

We intend to use further endowment contributions to keep future undergraduate dues to an affordable level, or even eliminate such dues, as well as to support ongoing activities of the Society such as the Fall and Spring undergraduate smokers and inductions, the Fall Sphinx-Friars Homecoming Reception, the Spring Banquet, the Alumni Weekend Brunch, the “Sphinx Links” mentoring program, the Fall, Spring and Summer Newsletters, our Sphinx alumni Class Directory and our ever improving web site, www.sphinxseniorsociety.com. We are also looking to raise funds to have a special site on campus named for the Society.

How: Be part of this important initiative by: * Donating via our website at: http://www.sphinxseniorsociety.com/donate/ * Mailing your check made out to the Sphinx Senior Society to John K. Fiorillo, Esq. W'86, Treasurer, 1634 Wildlife Drive, Chester Springs, PA 19425

The Bonus: - Donate $1000 or more- receive an attractive Sphinx hooded sweat shirt with the Sphinx logo, a Sphinx pin and hat. · Donate $500-$999- receive a Sphinx pin and hat; - Donate $250-$499- receive a Sphinx pin; - Donate $100-$249- receive a Sphinx hat.

Whatever you donate, the Sphinx BOG thanks you for your support as will the Sphinx Class of 2018 and future Sphinx classes.

The Sphinx Senior Society is a 501(c)(3) Corporation. All donations are fully tax deductible. SPHINX NEWSLETTER - FALL 2017 14 MENTOR A SPHINX UNDERGRADUATE The Sphinx Society Board of Governors created “Sphinx Links” in 2010 as a new mentoring project to offer the career and life advice of experienced Sphinx alumni to current Sphinx seniors. Since 2010 we've made mentoring matches for nearly 70 Sphinx undergraduates with alumni mentors in dozens of professional fields. These have ranged from the arts, business, entertainment, finance, journalism, law, media and medicine, to biotechnology, global development, and public health.

For the Sphinx Class of 2017, the Sphinx Links mentoring program matched 15 undergraduate mentees with 15 alumni mentors. Mentors and mentees are connecting over job searches, sharing networks and career counseling.

Urja Mittal, C’14, W’14, Yale Law School, JD’17, was an undergraduate mentee in 2014. She says of her mentor, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, C'97: “His thoughts on careers in law were really insightful, and I'm looking forward to talking to him again in the future to learn more about his diverse background and experiences. It's wonderful how Sphinx makes the Penn connection more meaningful and interesting.”

Sam Pasternak, C'13, a former writer on NBC's Meredith Viera Show, said the media and entertainment mentoring he received via the Sphinx Links mentoring program was "invaluable" and taught him the importance of networking with and learning from younger alumni in the media industry as well as more experienced alumni.

Sam further noted that "as you're about to take your first step into a post-grad world, it's nice to be able to talk to those who have been there before. The conversations I had as part of Sphinx Links were always reaffirming and encouraging. Sphinx is filled with ambitious, passionate people who thrive when surrounded by like-minded individuals, and Sphinx Links is a natural extension of what can be accomplished in that undergraduate experience. What I'm saying is that Sphinx Links is a good idea, it's helpful in practice, and it's got a catchy name. What more could you want?" We are always looking for dedicated Sphinx alumni to serve as mentors for our Sphinx undergraduates. If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please send your name, location of work, professional field, and a brief career description and/or resume to: Kevin Vaughn ([email protected]) or Ernesto Del Valle ([email protected]), Sphinx Board Members and Sphinx Links Coordinators.

If you’re a member of the Sphinx Class of 2018, please also feel free to email Kevin or Ernesto to indicate your interest in having a mentor. Please include: 1. Your resume 2. Your preferred locale(s), e.g., New York, Phila., San Francisco, etc. after graduation 3. Your career interest(s). Contribute to a New Sphinx Historical Archives Page Please check out our Sphinx Archives page. Click: http://www.sphinxseniorsociety.com/archives/ You’ll find interesting items like two lengthy news stories in the New York Times reporting on Sphinx’s election of its first two African-American student members in 1952 and its first female members in 1971. You’ll also find picture and items on recent Sphinx Penn reunion classes , the video from our 100th anniversary dinner in 1999, and other Sphinx memorabilia.

To contribute your own Sphinx archival material, please send it to our Sphinx gmail account at [email protected] .

Sign Up for Online Sph inx Class Help Us Identify Missing Alumni Directory Honorary Sphinx Members

Please log onto Sphinx’s latest website Sphinx members - we need your help. We feature: our Class Directory. are trying to complete our list of honorary http://www.sphinxseniorsociety.com/community Sphinx members.

Join your 223 to date fellow Sphinx alumni and On our website we have good records for the create your own user name, password and very early days of Sphinx, a few listings in the profile. Then, start contacting your Sphinx 1930s, and then the list picks up again in 1997. classmates or other Sphinx alumni in the Class We also have a list of people who were made Directory. Rekindle old Sphinx connections honorary members but not the year that they and kindle new ones -- it's a great resource! were inducted. If you have any recollection of the honorary Sphinx from your or other missing classes on the list class, or old photos that might help solve the mystery, please let us know at: [email protected]

Thanks for your help.