Let’s Reach 30% Giving for the Class of 2013!

Young Alumni Challenge:  If our class reaches 30% participation, two gifts of $2,500 (for a total of $5,000) will be made in honor of our class. Let’s move the Tommymometer to the top!

Without alumni support, IWU simply wouldn’t be the same.  Time is running out to make a difference this fiscal year.  Help to keep IWU moving forward and show your Titan Pride by making a gift before this Friday, July 31!

Janna Strain ’13

Eden FallI am a 2013 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and am pleased to say that my life since then has been a whirlwind of exciting experiences.  In the two years since leaving Bloomington, I have spent time employed at three different nonprofits (Camp Courageous of Iowa, the Human Rights Campaign, and most recently Year Up Bay Area), lived in three different regions of the United States (Iowa, Maryland/DC, and California), and performed spoken word and music at slams and cabarets.  IWU was one of the best times of my life, but I’m thrilled to say it wasn’t the best time of my life.  My phenomenal college experience set me up to live a thrilling and fulfilling life after graduation, and it only gets better.

A childhood dream of mine is about to be realized, something that would not have happened without IWU.  On July 15th, my debut fiction novella, Edenfall, was released by Ceti Publishing, a house begun by another IWU alum, Chris Francis ’13.  In addition to IWU being the place that brought us together, this work of fiction itself is indebted to IWU.  The initial drafts of the story were written for an upper level fiction class I took with Brandi Reissenweber in the spring semester just before I graduated.  The class was themed around “Write What You Don’t Know” and Edenfall was my final project.  After receiving my final grade, she encouraged me to push the work further than just the classroom.  Now, I have a publication date.

If you would like to read the first chapter (it’s a novella, so the first chapter is only 2 pages), it is available for preview and to order at http://www.cetipublishing.com/edenfall.

J. Y. Strain

Joseph Lim ’13

Joseph Lim 13Joseph Lim ’13 has seized the opportunity to conduct research in Dublin, putting on hold his studies at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in West Indies in order to work with investigators to address a significant threat to Ireland’s dairy sector and its economy – postpartum uterine infection in cows.

Here is a link to the full article.

Lauren Rock ’13

lauren-rock 2013Lauren Rock ’13 is now Assistant Director of Leadership Giving at United Way of Dane County. She had received a 2009 Rotary Youth Community Service Award from the Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin.

Here is a link to the full article.

Lauren Podgorski ’13

A paper co-authored by three then-undergraduates was accepted for publication in the Canadian Journal of Zoology.Titled “Eggshell porosity covaries with egg size among female House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) but is unrelated to incubation onset and egg-laying order within clutches,” its authors include Abbey White ’14, Alex Lang ’14, Lauren Podgorski ’13, Associate Professor of Biology Will Jaeckle and George C. and Ella Beach Lewis Endowed Chair of Biology Given Harper.

Allie Torres ’13

Allie Torres ’13 is a teacher, artist, actor, writer, and activist for Body Positivity and Eating Disorder education. After graduating from IWU’s BFA Acting Department in 2013, she has become a Community Educator and Resource Person for ANAD (The Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders). Her organization, SKIN DEEP focuses on healing and destigmatizing EDs through art and an organizational partner with the National Eating Disorder Association. She is also the author of “Glass Box Girl,” a company member at Halcyon Theatre, and hosts free support groups for those in recovery

What is the Tommymomter Reading Today?

Check out the latest status on the Tommymometer to see where we stand on IWU donors by clicking here.

By making your gift before July 31, you will not only add to the Tommymometer for alumni donors, but you will help to keep current Illinois Wesleyan students enrolled and our alma mater strong. The percentage of alumni donors is important to IWU because outside organizations view it as a metric to measure alumni satisfaction. It affects Illinois Wesleyan’s rankings, bond rating, and ability to earn grants.

Thank you for doing your part to fill the Tommymometer before July 31 and keep Illinois Wesleyan moving forward!

If you have already made a gift this year, thank you!

tommy