Dr. Erick Henderson ’12 had the opportunity to work with fellow Titan Dr. Lindsay Sicks ’06 at the American Optometric Association annual meeting in St. Louis, MO.

Both work with contact lens industry partners to teach practitioners across the country about specialty contact lens designs. They spent the day teaching optometrists and optometry students about scleral contact lens fitting.

Lindsay ’06 and Erick ’12 working an exhibit hall booth for Valley Contax.

Hanni (Sha) Simonelli ’12 (seated, right) and Johnny Simonelli ’12 (seated, left) were married April 7, 2018 in Chicago, with many classmates attending, including (standing from left): Kevin Johnson ’12, Michael Chau ’12, Cory Sloan ’12, Scott Wenzel ’12, Kate Nishimura ’11, Bert Blodgett ’13, Daniella Shin ’12, Beth Grinter ’12, Samantha Hogan ’12, Brittany (Goldman) Rose ’12, Jenna Jameson ’12, Renee Schade ’12, Kristen (Gattuso) Wenzel ’12 and Stuart Seale ’08

Thank-A-Giver Day (TAG Day) is on Monday, February 11. This day provides the IWU campus community with the opportunity to thank the donors who support Illinois Wesleyan. IWU celebrates each year in mid-February because it marks the symbolic point during the academic year – about 70% of the way through – when tuition dollars run out and support from alumni and friends, our endowment, and external grants kicks in for the remainder of the year.

Thank you to all donors who help make the IWU experience possible!

Jordan (Diehl) Mann ’12 shared with us her experience volunteering with Step Up Women’s Network.

“This is my second year volunteering as a mentor for the high school women in under-served communities in Chicago, but it was my first time attending their “College Connection Conference” as I typically work with their after-school programs.  It was a really neat event! 
It was a day-long conference where we were paired with a high school woman, attending sessions focused on getting the young women excited about secondary education, and addressing potential concerns they may have.   As a mentor, our role was to share our experiences in undergrad and let the women know they have professional women who care about their development.”

Erick Henderson ’12 was recently featured in an IWU news article, alongside fellow Titan alum Munib Said Mafazy ’02. An excerpt of the article is below.

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — An Illinois Wesleyan University student, faculty member and two alumni spent a week in July at the Lamu Center of Preventative Health (LCPH) in Kenya, where they provided free eye exams, screenings and glasses to over 300 patients in need.

The clinic was founded in 2007 by Professor of Anthropology Rebecca Gearhart Mafazy and her husband, Munib Said Mafazy ’02, a native of Lamu who serves as executive director. The clinic provides free, high-quality healthcare six days a week to the impoverished community, and Illinois Wesleyan has a long history of aiding LCPH through fundraisers and service trips.

“IWU has been a great supporter of the work we are doing at LCPH since the beginning,” said Gearhart Mafazy. “The people of Lamu have benefited tremendously from the free screening and counseling services the clinic provides.”

This summer’s service trip included Annie Crumbaugh ’19 (LeRoy, Illinois), Erick Henderson ’12 and his wife Erin, and Munib and Rebecca Mafazy.

Erin Henderson conducts an eye exam while serving at the Lamu Center of Preventative Health. Continue reading…