Notable Alumni, November 2016

Emma O'Shea '10 is an unlikely candidate for the boxing ring. An art major who captained the polo team, she is featured in a new marketing video for New Balance athletic apparel. The artist and photographer—and amateur boxer—represents athletes "who are defying expectations every day in their pursuit of better." [more]

Juan De Jesus '09 was introduced by journalist Tom Brokaw at last month's Heroes Breakfast sponsored by the Robin Hood Foundation, New York City's largest antipoverty organization. De Jesus shared how connecting with the College Bound Initiative as a young non-English-speaker transformed his life. He's now a special-ed teacher at the Bronx high school he once attended.

Ben Soreff '06—successful producer of WE network's Young, Sexy & Royal and TLC's Labor & Delivery—left that world behind in 2007 to pursue his lifelong avocation, "creating order out of chaos." His company, Home to Home Organizing, helps busy homeowners declutter their lives.

Emily Weiss '06, a senior account executive at NYC insurance brokerage DeWitt Stern, was interviewed in the Oct. 29New York Times about the job market. She explained how her Skidmore art and art history studies led to a job insuring fine art for galleries, private collectors, and artists.

Jennifer Kahn Barlow '99 has a solo exhibition of her food-themed art at the Strathmore Mansion in Rockville, Md., from Nov. 20 to the end of the year. "Always looking for inspiration" from D.C.-area restaurants, she encourages alumni to come prepared to share their top eateries.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy '87 takes on the controversy over genetically modified food in his new documentary, Food Evolution, narrated by noted science educator Neil DeGrasse Tyson. The film premiered at the NYC DOCS film festival last weekend. [more]

In San Diego, Caley O'Neil '84 directs the Montgomery Media Institute, where at-risk high school students operate a TV studio and study filmmaking and multimedia. The nonprofit works with universities and local media professionals to offer training, job shadowing, and mentorship.

Sandra Buhai Barz '67 received an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Manitoba for her lifelong commitment to promoting Inuit art and culture. Founder of the first international newsletter on the subject, she also wrote three books and catalyzed scholarly research on Inuit contributions to world art.