Y87

Dante Centouri was many things in college: a physics major, a comedian who played the nose flute, and the drum major for the Yale Precision Marching Band.  Since then, he has been a science educator, helping children around the country learn about science through his sensitive and funny teaching.  Dante is now the Executive Director of the Armstrong Air & Space Museum.  

Of his time at Yale, the YPMG writes:

Dante, the last DM to serve a two-year term, left quite a legacy behind him. His trademark blue wig and paisley pants led the band screaming into Washington, DC, through the infamous West Point affair (just read any reputable publication’s news from fall 1985) and a pants-dropping incident that even made the New York Times. His band movie, “Chariots of Squid”, remains the gold standard by which all others are judged.

Listen in as you hear about Dante's life and hear the fate of the blue wig.

Kevin Berlin is a unique fixture in our class.  In this episode, he tells us about his signature top hat, his work as an artist and his creative response to COVID.

Kevin Berlin is an international artist best known for painting, sculpture, and performance. Berlin currently lives in Southampton, New York and Florence, Italy. Berlin, a Yale University Alumnus, studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Shanghai Daily, The Miami Herald, USA Today, MTV, Tokyo Television, BBC Radio and over 40 television stations. Berlin's works are found in collections including Kim Basinger, Luciano Pavarotti, Bill and Hillary Clinton, President George W. Bush, Quincy Jones, Buzz Aldrin, Barton G., HRH Princesse Antonella de Orleans-Bourbon, and Pieter & Marieke Sanders.

For more about Kevin, visit: https://www.kevinberlin.com/

Also, please enjoy one of Kevin's recent videos:  https://youtu.be/BwhKV80vP4s

Carrie's conversation was not what I had expected.  I had read her work and seen her photography, but I was not prepared for the very personal perspective Carrie shared in how she has traveled her path.  Listen.  You will hear about the Yale of the late 1980s, about sexism and misogyny, and about a resilient classmate who has taken on the ideas and people who have stood in her way.  I was inspired.

Carrie has her own website that highlights here work:  https://www.carriebakerphd.com/.  If you visit, don't skip the photography -- her images are very moving.

Here's a bit about Carrie:

Carrie N. Baker lives, works and writes from Western Massachusetts.

Dr. Baker is the Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman Chair of American Studies and a Professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College and is a contributing editor at Ms. magazine. She is an expert on women's rights law and policy, specializing in sexual harassment, sex trafficking, and reproductive rights and justice.

Dr. Baker has a BA (’87) in philosophy from Yale University, a JD (’94) from Emory University School of Law, and an MA (’94) and a Ph.D. (’01) from Emory University’s Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

At Smith College, Dr. Baker has been chair of the Program for the Study of Women and Gender and was a co-founder and former co-director of the Five College Certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice. Baker is affiliated with the American Studies Program, the archives concentration, and the public policy minor.

She has published three books: The Women's Movement Against Sexual Harassment (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Fighting the US Youth Sex Trade: Gender, Race and Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2018), and co-authored Sexual Harassment Law: History, Cases, and Practice (Carolina Academic Press). Her first book was the winner of the National Women's Studies Association 2008 Sara A. Whaley book prize.

In addition, she writes regularly for Ms. magazine and has a monthly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA). Baker is part of the Scholars Strategy Network, Women’s Media Center SheSource, and is the co-chair of the Ms. Committee of Scholars, which trains scholars to write for the popular media. 

Margo Pave has been a force since college, committed to justice and building the world in which she wants to live.  Part of her journey has included becoming a single mother later in life.  Listen in as Margo talks about the joys of raising children and the world she wants to leave them.  You will leave the episode inspired and maybe a little exhausted.

Classmate Tom McNulty had a winding path to the energy business, but has spent most of his life thinking about our nation's energy supply -- how it is used, where it comes from and what the future holds.  During the conversation, Tom kept talking about the climate change "debate," so I asked him what he meant by that.  I was surprised by his answer.  It was thought provoking and important.  Take a listen.  Bring an open mind.  And, think about how Tom's perspectives might inform our the class discussion about climate change and solutions to it.

Listen to Laura Ekstrand's take on things and you'll hear from a classmate who has built a creative community.  She was co-founder of Dreamcatcher Reparatory Theater (now, Vivid Stage) with Janet Sales in 1994. She has her own podcast, Local with Laura Ekstrand, and an impressive body of work, which you can read about on her website: https://www.lauraekstrand.com/

She has appeared at Dreamcatcher in Be Here Now, The Lucky Ones, What Stays; Sister Play; Rapture, Blister Burn; Motherhood Out Loud, and Shakespeare in Vegas, among many others, and is a member of The Flip Side improv comedy troupe. New Jersey Theatre: Bickford Theatre, Passage Theater, 12 Miles West, The Theater Project, Luna Stage, and the Pushcart Players. New York Theatre: Naked Angels, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and New Georges. Film: Fat Ass Zombies; Split Ends, High Art and I Shot Andy Warhol. Television: Hack, Sex And The City, Law & Order, and The Guiding Light. As a director: Dead and Buried, Every Brilliant Thing, The How and the Why, Things Being What They Are, Next Fall, Distracted, The Pursuit Of Happiness, Melancholy Play, Pride’s Crossing, Full Bloom and many others. Podcast directing: The Weirdness and Young Ben Franklin for Gen Z Media. As a playwright: What Stays (with Jason Szamreta), Whatever Will Be, The Neighborhood (Book and Lyrics; Music by Joe Zawila), Brink of Life (Book; Lyrics by Steve Harper; Music by Oliver Lake) and Astonishment, How to be Old: A Beginner’s Guide, and At Ninety-Three (Adaptations). Laura is a private monologue and public speaking coach and holds a BA from Yale University and an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Laura is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild.

Tamar Gendler is always so engaging and this conversation is no exception.  In this episode, Tamar talks about her work as a professor, as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale, and as a parent to two amazing children, one of whom is transgender.  This conversation will make you think and feel fortunate that we have such a thoughtful and caring classmate.

Doris Iarovici has had such a rich and considered life.  Doris brought her experience as an immigrant to Yale, and has emerged as a thoughtful and compassionate artist and doctor.  Listen in as she shares her experiences and what it is like to have Minnie Driver play her in an adaptation of Doris' life story.

Check out Doris' website: www.dorisiarovici.com.  There, you'll learn about her newest book, Minus One.  

Here is Doris' bio:  Doris Iarovici grew up in New York City after arriving there at age 5 from Romania. She began writing shortly thereafter, and first published poetry and essays in Seventeen Magazine as a teenager. A graduate of Yale College and the Yale University School of Medicine, she has since divided her time between writing and medicine, and has published both fiction and non-fiction.

Her newest book, Minus One, was released in November 2020 and can be ordered below, or through your favorite bookstore.

She has been awarded writing fellowships from the Djerassi Resident Artists' Program in California, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Virginia, Hambidge Center in Georgia, and the North Carolina Arts Council.

In this episode, Jose Egurbide shared how he went from Yale to become a criminal justice reformer in Los Angeles.  Jose's story is both personal and uplifting.  Listen in as he describes how restorative justice has changed lives and communities in Los Angeles.  Truly inspiring.

Had a great conversation with classmate Sidney Hardee, who shared some great stories about his time at Yale.  His mother was a hug influence on Sidney, as were his fraternity brothers.  He also talks about how he has built his own business.  Listen in!

So you know more about Sidney, he is the Managing Partner of Hardee Brothers, LLC and Global Investment Advisor for the Probabilities Fund, LLC. He has a broad base of experience in global investing, derivatives research, quantitative analysis, and portfolio management.

Sidney is a former Trading Manager at the Bank of NT Butterfield in Bermuda where he led their fixed income and derivatives trading initiatives. He began his career as a Market Analyst at Salomon Brothers focused on European Bond Markets. Later he joined Lehman Brothers in both New York and London as a Bond Trader. He was also a Vice President in both Credit Markets Trading and Global Rates Strategy groups at JPMorgan.

A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Sidney is a member of the Alternative Investments committee and the Performance and Risk committee of the CFA Society of New York (CFANY). He is a former member of the United States Investment Performance Committee (USIPC) and current member of Global Promotions committee for the Global Investment Performance (GIPS). He is also a member of the Board of Advisory for the Master of Science Program in Financial Risk Management at the University of Connecticut School of Business. He holds a B.A in Economics and Mathematics from Yale University and holds a M.S in Applied Statistics from Columbia University.