As she was measured for her graduation cap by a Herff Jones representative, theatre arts major Kristin Solodar ’17 expressed conflicting emotions about her upcoming Commencement. “I’m excited for the new opportunities [graduation will bring], but I’m not excited to live more than five minutes away from my friends,” she said. “I’m trying to make the most of my remaining time with them.”
Art major Nancy Qu ’17 flameworks glass at a Carlisle CC torch as she learns how to manipulate a clear rod of glass to create sculpture. The School of Art now has a designated flameworking area — complete with a new ventilation system and lighting as well as a flameworking kiln used to heat and cool the students’ works of art in glass. The new area is a “really exciting and great place to work,” said Adjunct Assistant Professor Carmen Lozar, who teaches the course “3-Dimensional Glass.”
Both the Men’s and Women’s swim teams defeated Millikin University and North Central College in double-dual action. Seniors Andrew Younger, Ryan O’Toole, Meg Stanley, Baylee Hoecker, and Savannah Feher all placed first during the meet. Read the full article here.
Cindy Basilio ’17, Regina Blaskie ’17, Emily Brown ’17, Madalyn Browning-Perry ’17, Molly Johnson ’17, Nubari Kanee ’17, Preslav Mantchev ’17, and Kyle Serafico ’17 will head to Washington, D.C. over spring break as participants in the University’s Career Immersion Excursion. Read the full article about the Career Immersion Excursion here.
Seniors Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore and Sean Garvey earn top 2016 IWU Football Honors. 
Garvey was elected for the third straight season as the defensive “Most Valuable Player”. Shoemaker-Gilmore was chosen as the offensive MVP for the 2016 Illinois Wesleyan Football team. Read the full story here.
Shoemaker-Gilmore was also named to the second team of the D3football.com 2016 all-North Region squad. Read the full story here.
Nana Ingram ’17 (left) uses an IR spectrophotometer to determine the identity of an organic molecule in Wendell and Loretta Hess Professor of Chemistry Ram Mohan’s “Organic Chemistry” Lab. The American Chemical Society’s Committee on Environmental Improvement announced this month that it is honoring Mohan for his efforts to incorporate green chemistry principles and sustainability into chemistry education. He’ll formally receive the award next year at the 253rd ACS National Meeting & Exposition, where he will give an invited talk on his work in green chemistry education.
(Photo by Makenna Merritt ’17)
Musical numbers in the Illinois Wesleyan Opera Theatre production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (“The Marriage of Figaro”) featured the Illinois Wesleyan Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble similar in size and make-up to the orchestra for which Mozart composed. “Before this revolutionary work, orchestras often tagged along with singers. Here, text and music merge into an organic whole,” Nancy Steele Brokaw ’71 wrote in the production’s program notes. Performers included (from left): Kelsey Maka ’18 as Countess Almaviva, Celia Williams ’17 (Susanna), John McHugh ’17 (Figaro), and Sara Caligiuri ’18 (Marcellina).
(Photo by Crystal Muro ’19)
Approximately 70 people attended African Culture Night, where attendees dined together and were entertained by several groups. Nursing major Nubari Kanee ’17 of St. Louis performs a dance entitled “Skelewu,” a Nigerian dance made popular by the contemporary artist Davido. The annual event is sponsored by the African Students Association, a registered student organization that works to inspire campus-wide appreciation for the traditions, religions, customs, food, dance and music of various African countries.
(Photo by Phone Vilailuck ’18)