Class Notes – 2010-2019
Mark "Andy" Princehorn '10 was named head lacrosse coach at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, PA, after successful stints at Souderton and Lansdale Catholic high schools. He guided Lansdale Catholic to consecutive District 12 2A championships in 2021 and 2022. (12/22)
Prat Agarwal '11 is the cofounder and COO of New Incentives, a nongovernmental organization to increase demand for childhood vaccinations and cost-effectively save lives. In August, the NGO received its largest grants ever, $35.2 million from GiveWell and Open Philanthropy, enabling the organization to expand its work in northern Nigeria—an area with some of the lowest childhood vaccination rates in the world—reaching more than 3 million infants through 2024 at a cost of approximately $25.60 per additional infant. Working with government clinics and in conjunction with existing programs, New Incentives raises awareness about life-saving vaccines, supports vaccine supply efforts, and provides small cash incentives to caregivers after their infants have received the latest round of vaccinations. As of mid-2022, New Incentives had enrolled more than 730,000 infants in its program, disbursed over 2.5 million cash transfers, and saved thousands of lives. (12/22)
Tyler Cordell '11 was promoted to associate head coach of the Columbia University women's basketball team. She has been with the team for the past six years, serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Those years have turned out to be the winningest six-year stretch in the NCAA Division I history of Columbia women's basketball. (5/23)
Tim Carney '12 and Kate Raulin Carney '12 completed the Great Loop, a system of over 6,000 miles of waterways that loop the eastern U.S. and Canadian waterways. It includes the Atlantic and Gulf, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, and more. In 2020, the couple took a leap of faith, left their jobs, bought a boat (appropriately named "Sweet Day"), and embarked on the journey. They finished in January 2022, traveling 6,202 miles in the 8-month trip. Learn more on lifeonsweetday.com. (12/22)
Travis Wall '12 was named head coach of men's soccer at Kenyon College. A member of OWU's Athletics Hall of Fame, Travis was captain of OWU's 2011 national championship team as well as the 2011 NSCAA National Player of the Year. He was a two-time All-American and was named to the NCAC's 2004- 2013 All-Decade Team. Previously, he was head coach of the men's soccer team at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. (12/23)
Andrew Howard '13 earned a Ph.D. from Ohio University in history, studying British imperialism in India. He taught world history at Ohio University while writing his dissertation on British colonialism in the Himalayan province of Kashmir, "Fixing the 'Happy Valley': British Sentimentality and Their Intervention in Kashmir, 1885-1925." While completing his doctorate, he taught history at Terra State Community College. In the fall, he joined the faculty at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a full-time lecturer of world history, as meanwhile, he adapts his dissertation into publication as a book. (12/23)
Anni Liu '13 visited OWU to read from her recent award-winning book of poetry, Border Vista. Born and raised in Western China, Anni says, "My work explores distance and intimacy in my relationships with my family, with bureaucracy and state-sanctioned violence, racism and whiteness, the land, intimate partner violence, and the 'minor feelings' and major joys of being an alien and finding home." After the reading, she answered questions and signed books. Learn more about her work at anniliuwrites.wordpress.com. (5/23)
Elizabeth Herder '14 earned a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in molecular and cell biology with a concentration in microbiology in May. She started the program in 2016, earning a master's in molecular and cell biology in 2018, then a graduate certificate in college instruction in 2020 during the Ph.D. program. (12/22)
Adrian Pekarcik '14 is an incoming research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, where he is exploring sustainable practices for managing insect pests in midwestern field crops. Adrian credited his OWU honors thesis on the influence of land use on ant communities with Laurie Anderson for his choice to pursue graduate school in entomology. (12/22)
Benjamin Anderson '16 was selected as a "21 under 31" by Southwest Art Magazine, highlighting noteworthy young artists. This national competition is hosted annually by Southwest Art Magazine, devoted to featuring the best work of artists today. Benjamin was a state finalist for California Art Club's Winter Solace competition in 2021, and was juried into their exhibition, Celebrating California, in 2022. Benjamin has his MFA in painting, receiving his BFA in painting and printmaking from OWU. He says, "OWU gave me the opportunity not only to learn artistic schools of thought, but how to discover my personal voice as an artist." He lives in Monterey, CA, and teaches art courses at Hartnell College. He is represented by the Carmel Art Association gallery as a juried artist member. (12/22)
Zahki Davis '16 joined the board of the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation, which focuses on developing affordable and quality housing in Walnut Hills, OH. He currently is an associate at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, focusing on transactional matters, such as mergers and acquisitions, investments, and more. (12/22)
Areena Arora '17 joined Knoxville News Sentinel as a data and investigative reporter. Previously, she was a senior sub editor at Glance, news publishing specialist at Reuters, and reporter at the Idaho Press-Tribune. (5/23)
Battling Cancer on the Front Lines
Barbershops are iconic in American culture. One can get a fresh cut, make friends, enjoy fun conversations, and catch up on the latest sports news. But what if barbershops could also help men receive critical and preventive health care?
Rebecca Manning Miller '17 and the Cleveland African American Prostate Cancer Project (CAAPP) are meeting men where they are—in barbershops— to deliver life-saving information. A Case Western Reserve University program, the CAAPP, is a randomized control study that seeks to leverage barbershops and the existing relationships between barbers and their clients to bring prostate cancer screening and education to Black communities in Greater Cleveland.
As the project director of CAAPP, Rebecca's role includes many responsibilities, including project management and evaluation, facilitating the work of multiple teams, participant recruitment and engagement, data collection and analysis, communications, and more. "My team members have described me as the glue of the team that keeps all the various elements of our study working in harmony," Rebecca says.
"The most fulfilling aspect of my job is helping to provide community members with prostate cancer screening, education, and resource connection while also building an extraordinary skill set in managing our study's various research, clinical, administrative, and community aspects. A typical day is never the same, which is what I love most about this work," she says.
Rebecca's work with CAAPP is bringing vital healthcare into underserved areas.
"Cleveland can seem big at times, but we are a close-knit city, and when collaboration is at the center of institutional partnerships, we can do some damage to health disparities," she says. "We have almost 100 people consented to CAAPP and screened over 50 individuals for prostate cancer. We are working with over 70 barbers across different shops to accomplish this work."
Rebecca notes that her career path has been unconventional, beginning as a chemical and biological safety specialist after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan. Once she started working at Case Western, she earned a master's of public health with a concentration in population health research and a master's of science in nutrition.
"When I saw the role for project director at CAAPP, a colleague of mine encouraged me to apply, and I'm so glad I did," she says. "It's the perfect culmination of my skills and provides an increased opportunity to make a direct impact in my home city of Cleveland."
– Written by Ericka Kurtz (12/23)
Zachary Miller '18 won the 41st Publinx Championship, a men's amateur golf tournament, in August in Wayland, MA. This win qualified him for up to five tournaments, including the 2023 Massachusetts Open. (5/23)
John Bonus '19 joined U.S. Representative Don Davis' staff in Washington, D.C., as scheduler/executive assistant. He served as a financial assistant at the Frost Group, the financial consultant firm of the Don Davis for NC campaign. (5/23)
We Want to Hear From You
Please send us your news using the Class Notes Submission Form. Or email your news to classnotes@owu.edu. Submissions may be edited for space or clarity.
You can also submit your news to:
Attn: Class Notes Editor
OWU Magazine
Ohio Wesleyan University
Mowry Alumni Center
61 S. Sandusky St.
Delaware, OH 43015
Include your name and class year as well as a daytime phone number. Photos are welcome.
The deadline for receiving Class Notes submissions for the Spring 2024 OWU Magazine is February 1, 2024.