For most people, fruit flies are just annoying visitors in the kitchen. We don’t usually think about fruit flies learning or fighting over mates, but Michaela Superson ’13, a neuroscience major, and Jeffrey Paer ’15, a biology major, are looking at these complex behaviors in fruit flies to study brain chemistry and memory.

Superson, who has been working on a senior honors thesis project for the past two semesters, is interested in neurotransmitters, chemicals that relay messages between different cells in the brain. Specially, she is working with dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward.

“My senior thesis has provided an excellent introduction to medical research I may conduct in the future,” says Superson, who plans to go to medical school after she graduates from Wheaton. “It has solidified my love of neuroscience and my desire to pursue medicine.”

Paer, who is also interested in a medical career, started out as an assistant for Superson’s thesis project and was soon inspired to start his own research testing memory in fruit flies.

Fruit flies may seem far removed from the ‘people’ that these students want to help, but research on these creatures has broader implications for the workings of the human brain. “Fruit flies are recognized as excellent model organisms for understanding dopamine in general, including its activities in mammals,” explains Professor of Biology Betsey Dyer, advisor to both Superson and Paer. “And flies are, of course, fascinating in their own right.”

Superson’s experimental fruit flies are mutants that produce either too little or too much dopamine. She observes the effects that changes in dopamine can have on courtship behavior, compared to the courtship behavior of ‘normal’ flies. Then, she ‘rescues’ the mutant flies, by adding dopamine or a dopamine inhibitor to restore their dopamine levels to normal.

In the summer before her junior year, Superson studied medicine abroad. The Trustee Scholar traveled to Kunming, China, with Professor Edmund Tong for Wheaton’s “Traditional Chinese Medicine” summer program. She also spent a semester of her junior year at the University of Edinburgh, where she took courses in medical microbiology and the history of medicine.

“Spending those few weeks immersed in the study of Chinese medicinal practices really inspired me to explore the treatment of illnesses from other perspectives,” she says. “It was also really fun to explore medicine in Edinburgh, where so many essential medical developments occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries.”

Paer became interested in working with fruit flies as a freshman in Professor Dyer’s “Genetics” class. “He was so focused and persistent that I would often see him still working in the fly lab long after everyone else had gone to dinner,” Dyer recalls. His work with Superson and a combination of different interests soon inspired him to start his own research.

“Music is my passion,” says Paer, who started playing piano at age four, and since then has played cello, trumpet and several genres of guitar. “My background in music initially inspired me to investigate the effects of music or sound on fruit fly memory.” When he learned that fruit flies can only hear a very limited range of sound—100 to 900 Hertz (a unit of frequency)—he constructed a tiny speaker system with the help of professors John Collins and Jason Goodman, and Physics Department Teaching Assistant Anthony Houser.

Paer had read a published study in which male fruit flies were paired in a small, enclosed ‘fighting arena.’ When paired, one male would assume a dominant role and the other would be subordinate. When paired again 30 minutes later, the flies would assume the same roles, indicating that they had retained a memory of their relationship. But after more than 30 minutes, the roles were often switched, indicating that the flies had forgotten their established dominance relationship. Paer constructed his own tiny, enclosed fighting arena, and plays a sound when pairing up aggressive males, to see if playing the sound later can help flies to recall their status for longer than 30 minutes.

“So far Jeff is getting significant data suggesting that sound indeed is helping the flies to recall their status,” says Dyer. He has found that sound can help fruit flies retain a memory for 40 minutes, and he plans to keep pushing that limit.

Paer’s research provides insight into the learning and behavior in animals, using a creature that could hardly seem more different from us—and yet shares sixty percent of the same genes as humans. He plans to build upon his research for a thesis project in his senior year.

“I love coming up with unique questions based off the literature and pursuing those ideas,” he says.  “The excitement lies in not knowing exactly what will happen.”—Elizabeth Meyer ’14

"Mrs. Davis was an exceptional advocate for international peace and understanding throughout her life," said President Ronald Crutcher. "Her extraordinary generosity has helped people around the world through the arts, education, environmental conservation and global peace initiatives. Wheaton students are among the many thousands of people whose lives have been enriched by her commitment to building a better world."

A resident of Hobe Sound, Fla., Tarrytown, N.Y., and Northeast Harbor, Maine, she skied into her eighties, played tennis into her nineties and kayaked, swam, painted, traveled and played croquet until this year. An inspiration to those around her, recently she was asked by one of her great-grandchildren to name her favorite day, she instantly replied, "tomorrow."

She received a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College, a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. She also held honorary doctorates from Columbia University, Middlebury College and Wheaton.

In 1934, her doctoral dissertation, The Soviets in Geneva, was published and became a best seller in Europe when her controversial prediction that the Soviet Union would join the League of Nations proved both timely and correct. She went on to author numerous articles on foreign affairs in many publications. She also was a frequent lecturer to educational and civic groups in the U.S., India, Russia, China and Switzerland.

Russia and the Soviet Union were her lifelong passion. In 1996, this passion was memorialized when Harvard's Russian Research Center was renamed in honor of her and her late husband, the legendary investor, diplomat and philanthropist Shelby Cullom Davis, former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland.

Kathryn first visited Russia in 1929, traveling through the Caucasus Mountains on horseback. During her lifetime she returned to Russia more than 30 times, developing friendships that included former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who was her dinner partner at her 95th birthday party.

She dedicated herself to philanthropy. In particular, she was devoted to her alma mater, Wellesley College, where she served as a trustee for 18 years and created the Davis Museum and Cultural Center. At Wheaton, she supported scholarships for the United World College and other international students; operating costs for the Center for Global Education; the Davis Fellows endowment for student projects abroad, and the Shelby Cullom Davis Endowed Professorship in Russian Studies. She also contributed to the effort to build the new Mars Center for Science and Technology, which includes the Diana Davis Spencer '60 Cafe, named for her daughter.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Kathryn, at age 94, turned her philanthropic mission to a vision for world peace. For her efforts, she was presented with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service and the EastWest Institute's Peace and Conflict Prevention Award.

For her 100th birthday in 2007, she created the Davis Projects for Peace, which funds 100 student summer projects each year aimed at increasing global understanding. Twelve Wheaton students have won the grant award over the years.

Accepting her honorary degree at Wheaton in 2008, Davis offered some memorable words of wisdom: “My many years have taught me there will always be conflicts. It’s part of human nature. But I will remind you that love, kindness and support are also part of human nature.”

Flying into Paro, Bhutan, you go through a blanket of clouds that slowly dissolves as mountains emerge, cradling the emerald lushness of a valley dotted with colorful buildings. Even before your feet touch the ground, Bhutan takes your breath away. And, once you are there, it starts working on your heart and mind, say students who have participated in Wheaton’s study abroad program in Bhutan.

Devotees seek blessings from the enormous silk appliqué thondrol depicting Guru Rinpoche in his many incarnations, displayed at the conclusion of the masked dance festival (tsechu) held at Nyimalung Monastery in Bumthang, central Bhutan.

“When we first flew over Paro, I was utterly speechless, and almost in tears. It’s undoubtedly the most beautiful place I have ever been,” says James Elliott ’15, one of six students who spent the fall 2012 semester in Bhutan.

Months after the experience, with his feet firmly planted in Norton, Mass., Elliott’s mind is still there. “Seeing the happiness and contentment of Bhutanese citizens, who have a very simple lifestyle in such stark contrast to how most Americans are brought up, really has expanded my worldview and solidified my convictions about how I live my life,” he says.

“One man started a conversation with me while I was waiting on the street, and it ended with him offering me a job, a place in his home and food for the duration of time that I would work for him. Each time someone gave us a ride that was clearly out of their way and refused any compensation, or helped us find a destination across town by personally escorting us there, I thought to myself I would feel so proud to be a part of this culture.”

The psychology major now plans to seek an additional independent major in contemplative studies, saying the Bhutan experience intensified his interest in psychology and sparked a desire for a more holistic approach to his studies. “I want my education to be more than a means to a monetary end. I want it to benefit as many people as possible.”

That kind of lasting impact is one that the program creators and coordinators have aimed for since the program was first launched in 2010. The Bhutan study abroad program is a partnership between Wheaton and Royal Thimphu College (RTC), the first private institution of higher learning there. The official partnership between the two colleges began when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2009, capping off months of talks involving administrators and faculty from both RTC and Wheaton. RTC officials were seeking to create a liberal arts experience similar to Wheaton’s, and Wheaton was seeking to expand international experiences for students here.

Tsewang Nidup explains prayer wheels at one of Bhutan’s oldest temples to Sara Mitsinikos ’15, Benjamin Gagnon ’15, Catherine Perkins ’14, Nicholas Emard ’14 and Tianna Lall ’14.

Wheaton’s connection with Bhutan has existed since 1999, when the nation’s current king, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, was a Wheaton student (from fall 1999 to summer 2001). Over the years, several other Bhutanese students also have attended Wheaton.

Wheaton is the only U.S. college or university that offers a semester-long credit-bearing program in Bhutan. Not only does the program provide the opportunity for Wheaton students to learn in one of the most isolated places in the world, where few foreigners get to visit, but it also allows them to truly live the culture as members of the Bhutanese community.

Because of the program’s uniqueness, last May Wheaton was awarded the 2012 prize in the “Innovative New Program–Study Abroad” category of a competition sponsored by GoAbroad.com, a web-based resource for international study and travel. Hundreds of nominations were submitted for eight contest categories, including awards for study abroad programs as well as international internships and volunteer experiences. Entries were judged by a group of international educators on the basis of quality, originality and creativity.

As of fall 2012, for the first time students from colleges other than Wheaton are eligible to apply for the fall or the recently added spring semester.

Bhutan, the only remaining Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, is often called “the last Shangri-la” because of its dramatic, pristine landscape. A remote, landlocked nation in South Asia, it is not easy to get to. Wheaton students flew from Boston to Chicago to Tokyo to Bangkok to Paro.

Sarah Collins ’13 and Raphael Sweet ’12 interact with Bhutanese children

Bhutan didn’t have roads until the 1960s and was one of the last countries to introduce television when it lifted its ban on television broadcasting and the Internet in 1999. It held its first elections in 2008, transitioning from a monarchy to a constitutional democracy. Now, amid rapid political, economic and social changes, the nation is committed to preserving its unspoiled environment and maintaining its Buddhist cultural tradition, as part of its national policy of Gross National Happiness.

Under the guidance of a Wheaton faculty member, students take four courses during the semester, including “Contemporary Bhutan Society,” “Bhutanese Language and Culture,” one course with RTC students in political science, economics, environmental studies, or sociology, and “Practicum in Bhutan”—a course for which students work at a local service organization or government agency. In addition, students take four trips to different parts of the country and visit many natural and historic sites. The students also live in dorms with Bhutanese students, with whom many have developed lasting friendships.

The Bhutan program perfectly fits into Wheaton’s commitment to helping to create global citizens by providing a culturally infused curriculum, encouraging study abroad, and offering faculty-led trips, says Professor of Psychology Bianca Cody Murphy, the Bhutan program co-coordinator, along with Associate Professor of Anthropology Bruce Owens.  Murphy was the first resident director in 2010; Owens is the current resident director.

“Students learn about another culture by being immersed in it. In addition, we’re also creating a reciprocally beneficial program for our students and faculty, and for RTC students and faculty,” says Murphy.

Tshering Dolkar, the RTC international relations officer responsible for program logistics in Bhutan, agrees, and adds that the program has broad implications.

Wheaton students try on ghos and kiras, Bhutan’s national dress for men and women (respectively) in Thimphu. From left to right: Benjamin Kragen ’14, Alec Jeannotte ’15, Ana Brenes-Coto ’15, Carolyn Decker ’14, Ariel Eaton ’14, Sara Mitsinikos ’15, Catherine Perkins ’14, Tianna Lall ’14 and Benjamin Gagnon ’15.

“It’s not just a partnership between the two institutions, but also between the two nations,” Dolkar says. “There are numerous benefits to the Bhutanese students and the faculty in terms of exposure to not just the American culture but also the American system of education. As the world becomes one big global village, it is very important for each citizen to understand and respect each other…. This program promotes tolerance, patience and respect for each other, despite differing cultural and religious beliefs and backgrounds, which are very important traits in becoming a global citizen. The presence of the Wheaton students on campus gives the Bhutanese students the constant reminder of the world beyond the campus and Bhutan, thereby motivating them to work harder and achieve the skills and experiences they will need to be successful as they enter the job market upon graduation.”

So far, a total of 36 Wheaton students from various majors have been selected for the program. Professors Murphy and Owens are pleased that the Wheaton program is now accepting students from other colleges and universities.

“This is a very intensive study abroad experience. It’s not for everybody,” Owens points out. “We want students who are sensitive and appreciative of cultural differences, and have a capacity and flexibility to adjust to the unexpected. We want students who are really interested in an experience that will probably change their lives.”

As Superstorm Sandy chased tens of thousands of New Yorkers from Lower Manhattan in October, Joseph Lee ’08 played a role in an altogether different human drama less than two miles from surging floodwaters.

At the Midtown offices of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA), where Lee is research project manager, live incubated embryos awaiting uterine implantation suddenly were at risk when much of the island lost power. So were the childbearing hopes of as many as 10 women scheduled for fertility treatments that had to be performed within a 48-hour window. In the end, the power held, even as stress levels spiked.

“There was a lot of confusion and nerves were high. The phones were ringing off the hook,” says Lee, who was unable to return to his Queens home because of the storm. “We tried to answer everyone’s questions, and we were on 24/7 alert to make sure everything was OK.”

There was good reason for vigilance. Sixty blocks south, NYU Fertility Center not only lost power, but its basement flooded and generators failed, forcing frenzied staff to safeguard embryos in liquid nitrogen. No embryos were lost at either center, and RMA of New York was able to provide transportation and lodging to patients with scheduled appointments.

Bowing to the storm was never an option for Lee, a biology major who graduated cum laude from Wheaton. Resiliency and perseverance are traits he’s embodied since growing up in blue-collar Lewiston, Maine, where he lacked a father figure but found fulfillment marveling over the human condition, albeit through a scientific lens. A high school science class viewing of the 1997 film “Gattaca,” which considered the role of genetics on in vitro fertilization technology, particularly stoked his scientific ardor.

“I’ve always been intrigued by how humans work from a cellular basis,” Lee says. “We’re the most complex machines in the world, and trying to understand our mechanics is fascinating to me.”

He landed at RMA of New York in 2011, after spending two years as a research assistant at Boston Children’s Hospital, within Harvard Medical School’s stem cell research program. There he studied cancer biology in zebrafish. In 2007, Lee was a research intern at the Medical College of Georgia, where he worked in the vascular biology department.

Lee opted against enrolling in medical school and instead applied for the fertility center job because he felt he could have a more immediate impact on patients. “I wanted to get involved with what is called translational research, which goes right to the bedside of the patient,” he says. “I had a real hunger for this. We’re seeing how families are created, and it’s exciting to be a part of that. I’m a big family person, and being in a research field like this enhances that.”

Lee was to the point when he applied for the job. At 25, there was nothing to lose.

“I basically said to them, ‘I know I probably have the least amount of experience among applicants, but I’ll work for a low salary. Give me a chance and we’ll see what happens,’” he recalls. “They liked that. It’s a rarity to find someone who can be very vocal and confident within the science field, and be able to connect with people quickly. They gave me a chance and it’s worked out.”

Lee’s approach resonated with Dr. Alan Copperman, the clinic’s CEO and vice chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Lee has turned out to be a “key component in our scientific mission,” he says.

“It’s important that we continue to be inquisitive, that we innovate, that we critically analyze our own data and data from peer-reviewed journals, and that we effectively partner with industry and academia,” Copperman says.

“I like how Joe is not afraid to learn,” he adds. “And he can even sing and dance.” (Lee was hired shortly before the company’s holiday party.)

RMA is one of the nation’s largest in vitro fertilization centers. As part of its research team, Lee is working to develop a technique that will allow doctors to implant not just the best embryo, but a genetically “perfect” embryo, with the strongest odds of being carried to full term. Implanting a single embryo also cuts down on potential health risks to the mother inherent to multiple births.

Researchers around the country are racing to reach the same goal, a hypercompetitive contest punctuated by hope and frustration alike. Reasons for infertility vary, making a magic solution elusive.

In vitro research has exploded in the past five years, as researchers unravel the human genome, Lee says. Researchers are all on the hunt for telltale biomarkers—proteins and genes—that could tip off an embryo’s viability.

“Clinical research is the most exciting and most dreadful thing to be part of, exciting because of the possibility of finding something that can be advantageous to people,” Lee says. “But it’s frustrating when you work on a project for months and months and nothing comes out of it. That’s always a letdown. You have to try not to get distracted by that and go from there.”

Lee brings one particularly important quality to research, says Edmund Tong, emeritus professor of biology at Wheaton: he’s open-minded.

“That’s very important in research,” Tong says. “If you’re stubborn and have a one-track mind, you might expect your results and discard the outcomes. If you accept different outcomes, you might make the best out of accidental discoveries.”

Lee calls Tong a father figure, someone who “would stay late and go over and over a concept until you understood it. He really respected people who showed ambition, and he listened and really cared about his students. He took me under his wing starting my freshman year.” Lee’s favorite classes at the college included anatomy, physiology and alternative medicine, all taught by Tong, who retired last June.

Tong’s first impressions of his budding  protégé were distinct: “I thought he was from California. He looked like a valley boy, and he had this very relaxed, low-key demeanor.” Lee’s fashion sensibilities veer to the preppy, a look he’s cultivated with academic-like zeal.

“It’s New England prep with a twist of modern Englishman,” Lee says. “It’s very much a prep style, but a little more formfitting. The pants are narrow, the ties are narrow.” (Until recently, he maintained a men’s fashion blog at Preplee.com.)

There is a bit of California influence to Lee’s character. He’s surfed since he was 10, learning the sport with his cousin in, of all places, the mild waters of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. He’s since surfed six- to 10-foot waves in locales as varied as Australia’s east coast, and even in Peru (“the best surfing I ever had”), where he took part in a surf “voluntourism” program called WAVES for Development International. The nonprofit effort teams surfers with impoverished Peruvian youths, teaching them the sport while engaging them in community service and educational opportunities.

Lee’s assertiveness was hard to ignore that first year at Wheaton. He wanted to do lab work as a freshman so badly that he wouldn’t heed Tong’s suggestion that he wait a semester for a space to open.

“I said, ‘You know what? I’ll just show up and work alongside people and learn,’” Lee says with a chuckle. “Once you’re there, sometimes they’re stuck with you.”

Says Tong: “I finally decided he is aggressive in getting what he wants in a very subtle, relaxed way.” Tong’s teaching style worked well with Lee’s work habits. “I trust students,” Tong says. “Once they’ve learned the basic concepts and methods, then they’re on their own and can take their own approach.”

Lee’s research focused on angiogenesis in zebrafish—or the development of blood vessels from preexisting blood vessels. Although the research doesn’t have a direct bearing on his current fertility research, Lee credits Tong’s lab with giving him critical research instincts.

“If you don’t have experience going into the scientific world, things can be very confusing and people typically won’t hold your hand,” Lee says. “Wheaton gave me the skills to interact clearly and confidently with other researchers and scientists.

“The college also challenged me to engage with people who maybe don’t have the same mind-set, which is instrumental once you leave Wheaton,” he adds. “You’re not just going to work with people in science. The college geared me to be ambitious, and made me strive to be better. It made me focus on my goals, and it definitely matured me very quickly. When you talk to people who went to large universities, they don’t get it the way we get it.”

Recruited by several New England colleges to play basketball, he opted instead to bank his future on Norton because he liked the Wheaton ethos after visiting the campus, “and I heard the science program was good, so I just went for it.” But there was one problem. The basketball team wasn’t looking for a 5-foot-10-inch shooting guard.

“I talked to the coaches and they said I’d have to walk on,” Lee says. Not only did he make the varsity squad as a freshman, but he found a way to offset his height disadvantage. Lee took his game to the perimeter, proving to be one of the Lyons’ leading three-point throwers during his freshman year.

But academic rigors and his devotion to scientific research pushed basketball to the sidelines. (“I actually did away with talking to former teammates for the most part, and I didn’t go to games. It was a big part of my identity, so it was tough to give it up.”) Lee did, however, keep his shooting form by competing in intramural basketball.

The lab became his new proving ground. Lee and friend Kyle Judkins ’08, also a biology major from Maine, spent long hours in Tong’s lab, working on angiogenesis research. The pair used computer software to map blood flow in zebrafish, an effort that could lead to better care for a number of diseases. Their research was published in the Zebrafish scientific journal.

The relationship was competitive but healthy, says Judkins. The pair met at a new-student gathering at the Kennebunkport, Maine, home of a Wheaton alumna. Lee was dressed with his typical style sensibilities.

“He was wearing two polos, one on top of the other with both of the collars popped up,” Judkins says. “I think one of them was pink and the other was yellow. We made fun of him for four years straight. He dresses so well I actually thought he was an upperclassman when I first met him.”

The classmates roomed together in McIntire Hall their freshman year. They resolved to push the boundaries of academic and athletic growth, working out together and spending hours talking science. Outside the classroom, Lee took part in Wheaton-organized Habitat for Humanity projects in Florida and the Virgin Islands.

“Some people may see Joe as being cocky,” says Judkins, now a second-year student at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va. “He’s just very, very sure of himself and that carries him further than most people would go. He’s not afraid to dip his toe into the cold waters. I think you might see his name pop up in the research world some day, or as a leader in general.”

Lee says it’s impossible to overstate the college’s influence, from small class sizes and a diverse student body, to its emphasis on writing, and non-major-related courses such as art history, which he credits for giving him a broader perspective on the world. “Every course I took at Wheaton formulated who I am now. They were tough, but I’m glad they were tough. Now that I’m out there, I can see the advantage. Wheaton opened up many doors on my view of the world.

“I always had the feeling at Wheaton that there was a great community supporting me and pushing me to be the best person I could be.”

Andrew Faught is a freelance writer who lives in California.

“I liked the small classes. I liked the relationships you could have with your teachers, most of whom I thought were top-notch,” said Rudge, an English major. “It was the only time I had gone to a single-sex school during my student career, and there was a nice comfort level there in speaking out in class.”

The value of the education proved itself after she graduated. “I felt very well prepared when I left college, and I enrolled in a master’s program at NYU.” In fact, she recalls reading articles in graduate school classes that were written by the late Professor of English Curtis Dahl.

Rudge remembers friends and fellow students receiving scholarships to attend Wheaton, but her appreciation for such support grew during the years that she taught high school English.

“I had one very talented student heading off to Smith and she needed a scholarship to go,” Rudge said. “Thankfully, she got it, and she’s gone on to be a very resourceful teacher.”

Those experiences are what inspired Rudge to support scholarships at Wheaton in anticipation of her class’s 50th Reunion. “I did it to honor my Wheaton friends and students who have benefited from scholarships.”

Here are some architectural details of buildings that you should be familiar with.

Email us at quarterly@wheatoncollege.edu and tell us to which building each detail belongs.

If you are the first to get them all right, we will tell all of our readers in the summer issue of the Quarterly that you are a know-it-all who rocks.

Science center: 

$36,118,382 committed to expanding and enhancing science facilities through the Mars Center for Science and Technology.

Goal: $35 million

Student scholarships: 

$37,472,911 committed to increasing scholarship support for Wheaton students and their families.

Goal: $50.6 million

Annual support: 

$29,632,244 contributed to the Wheaton Fund since July 1, 2005. Alumnae/i, parents and friends committed $3,136,003 from July 1, 2012 through Feb. 28, 2013.

Goal: $4.5 million for fiscal year 2013 (ends on June 30, 2013); $34.4 million by June 30, 2014

Student-faculty research: 

$1,383,388 committed to support student-faculty research collaborations through the establishment of endowed funds for that purpose.

Artificial turf field: 

$3,130,215 committed for construction of an artificial turf field and lighting to expand opportunities for intercollegiate, club and intramural sports.

Goal: $3,865,000 by June 30, 2013

She spent the summer working in the office of Alabama Congressman Armistead Selden Jr., a member of her home state’s congressional delegation.

The work itself was typical intern fare—answering constituent mail and a variety of other administrative duties. But Selden also allowed the Wheaton government major to perform research for the House Subcommittee on Latin American Affairs, which he chaired, and a group involved in an area of the world in which Weil was particularly interested.

“I came back to Wheaton in the fall and said, ‘I learned more this summer than in any one course I took,’” Weil said. “Whatever I had been exposed to while doing work as a 20-year-old intern, it opened my eyes to politics, business and government.”

The experience sparked her desire to live and work where the nation’s policy was formed, and it inspired her to provide the means for future students to start their own journey of discovery.

She moved to Washington after graduation, starting her career in the division of foreign affairs of the Congressional Research Office, a service of the Library of Congress.

Today, Weil, who earned an M.B.A. at Georgetown University, is the managing director for the Business Council for International Understanding, an organization that connects senior business executives with heads of state, cabinet ministers and senior government officials. The council also briefs senior officials in the State Department on issues of importance to American businesses working overseas, including issues involving intellectual property protections, price controls and state-sanctioned corruption.

“My summer internship was a stepping stone,” said Weil. “For me, it was a turning point.”

“Wheaton transformed me,” she said. “It wasn’t just the internship. Wheaton certainly gave me an education and the kind of classroom challenge that you don’t get in a large university.”

Her reflections on her college experience, including that internship, led the former Wheaton trustee to establish an endowed fund to support internship stipends for the college’s current and future students.

“I think it’s so important for people to explore their career possibilities,” she said. “Internships expose students to the real world in a way that even good colleges can’t.”

The Virginia A. Weil ’65 Endowed Internship Fund will provide stipends for students interested in careers in international business and diplomacy with emphasis on practical, employment-oriented pursuits.

Weil noted that her family was able to support her during the summer she spent in Washington, D.C. “Not every student can afford to take an unpaid internship and live away from home,” she said. “I hope the students who receive stipends from the fund will have experiences that mean as much to them as mine did to me.” 

“When I was a freshman entering Wheaton in 1989, it was only the second year of coeducation. I had the best of both worlds—the junior and senior classes were still all women, while the freshman and sophomore classes were coed,” said D’Esopo, who majored in sociology and family studies. “I was able to see the history and traditions of the school as an all women’s college and how they changed as the school became fully coed.”

She also says that her education had immediate practical benefits. “My junior- and senior-year internships were critical in helping me to translate what I learned in school to a career after college,” D’Esopo said.

She interned at senior citizen centers and produced a senior thesis on adult day care. Those experiences led to a position as an outreach coordinator for Andover’s Council on Aging and then to a position managing data for a company providing software services to eldercare organizations.

“The college prepared me with not only academic knowledge, but also the importance of practical work experience,” she said.

However, Wheaton would have been out of reach for D’Esopo had she not received student financial aid. “Everyone knows that college is expensive,” she said.  “In my case, making the finances work was complex, but Wheaton worked with my family through a combination of financial aid, summer earnings, part-time work during school, and a named scholarship.”

That experience is what drives D’Esopo and her husband to serve on the college’s President’s Commission and to support a Wheaton Fund Scholarship for current students. “I benefited from another alum’s generosity, and I know that my annual gift makes a difference in helping another student.

“Not only does the student benefit, but it’s my way of showing the college how much I appreciate my education.”

Diana Buckhantz ’72 with a staff member at Heal Africa Hospital in Goma, DRC

Diana Buckhantz ’72 can play many roles and she has: actress, film producer, public relations consultant, advocate for social justice at home and abroad, philanthropist and Broadway producer, to name a few.

She credits her Wheaton education with helping her develop the range to succeed in a variety of careers, and it’s what has inspired her to support student scholarships at the college today.

Growing up in New York City, Buckhantz says that her lifelong love of the theater found expression at Wheaton. “Theater is just a huge love in my life. I was an actress and I spent a lot of my time at Wheaton down in the experimental theater,” she said. “I loved it.”

Her appreciation for college extended beyond the theater, however. “I got a great education,” she said, describing the college’s faculty as excellent. “I can still remember political science professor Jay Goodman, who was one of my great teachers. I had wonderful English professors, too.“

The broad base of knowledge and abilities built up through liberal arts study proved to be a boon, she said, when she put aside her dream of an acting career to make documentary films and then to launch a 25-year career in public relations for nonprofit organizations.

“I had skills. I could write. I knew grammar. I knew how to express myself. That’s really critical,” she said. “When you are in college, you don’t know what interests of yours will become passions in the future. It’s really critical to have a strong basis of skills so that you can adapt.”

Today, Buckhantz devotes much of her energy to supporting causes important to her—combating genocide in Chad, providing support to women in the Congo and homeless youth in Southern California—as the director of the Vladimir and Araxia Buckhantz Foundation. She also has returned to her love of theater as a producer, helping to launch two productions, on and off Broadway, this year.

“I feel very privileged to have these opportunities,” Buckhantz said. That sense of gratitude moved her to support student scholarships at Wheaton through the Wheaton Fund.

“I want other young men and women to have this opportunity,” she said. “To be educated, to be exposed to other ideas and find things that interest you. That experience enriches your world.”

• International relations and  biology major
• Bhutan participant, fall 2010

“I wrote a research paper for a class I took in Bhutan with Professor Bianca Cody Murphy. I was interested in the generation that has experienced the rapid modernization of the country since 1960. So, I interviewed a daughter, mother and grandmother of three different families to compare their similarities and differences in experiences and values.

For the past two years, Professor Murphy and I have continued to work on this project. We received a research grant, which allowed us to travel back to the country in 2012 to conduct more interviews.

In March of 2012, I presented my paper at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research, in Utah, and my paper was recently published. We continue to work on this project and plan to write more papers on the topic.

I am looking forward to combining my interests in international relations and biology in the future in the field of sustainable development, and I believe that Bhutan has served as a great case study to assess the ways in which countries could go about modernizing while maintaining their traditional values and beliefs.

The fact that I am still constantly reading and writing about Bhutan through my work with Professor Murphy was definitely unexpected. I took away a great long-term research experience from my semester there. Beyond that, I learned a lot about myself—that I am capable of adapting to new environments more than I previously thought.”

• Conflict and social change major
• 2012 Watson Fellow
• Bhutan participant, fall 2011

“A Buddhist kingdom that is undergoing a transformation from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, while simultaneously presenting to the world the revolutionary idea of Gross National Happiness in accordance with its Buddhist heritage? Bhutan was like a vast land of unexplored wonders. I had the chance to be one of the few to see how Bhutan is attempting transformations and applying Buddhist philosophies to every sector of its society, including economic development and nation building. What an opportunity!

Perhaps the greatest thing I took from the Bhutan program was confidence. I could not predict what would happen while there, and, at first, that was very frightening. When I initially met the principal of Jigme Losel Primary School to learn about the school’s program, she petrified me when she rose and said, ‘OK, I’ll show you to your students.’

For the next four months, I taught three classes of Bhutanese students—ages 10 to 13 and numbering about 100—for eight to 10 hours a week. Never before had I taught students; in fact, I usually avoided them. But what better way to learn about a school’s program and a society’s culture?

This was happening as I was applying for the Watson Fellowship to travel in Asia and explore how Buddhism is used as a vehicle for peace building and conflict reconciliation. The idea of traveling alone for one year to conduct research was a frightening one, but the conviction in my abilities allowed me to steadfastly pursue the fellowship. If it wasn’t for the Bhutan program, I doubt I would have been as prepared as I was to undertake this journey.

Bhutan was the most incredible, if not most difficult, experience of my life. It taught me more about myself than I could imagine. I knew I could adapt and take on different roles—such as teacher—that I’d never thought myself capable of. Unpredictability no longer scares me.”

• Political science major
• Teach For America, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Bhutan participant, fall 2011

“I wrote my senior thesis on Bhutan’s transition to democracy, and was able to interview members of Parliament and a minister, and to hear the prime minister speak three times. Where else could I have done this, or gained that kind of hands-on research experience?

I had the chance to meet and interview the Minister of Education, and asked him about the relationship between democracy and education. His response put into words the thoughts I had had throughout my Wheaton years, that education and democracy are both meant to allow people to create the best version of themselves.

My interview with the minister directly influenced my decision to apply to Teach For America. I am now in my first year as a high school teacher in Miami.

I am ultimately interested in public policy, and many of my students are recent immigrants from Latin America or the Caribbean. I often think of my experience in Bhutan when I think of my current work in education and my interest in America’s democracy—how do we open the doors of opportunity to more people, and how do we make America work in the 21st century?

I found answers to part of this in the tiny Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan will always be a part of my thinking.”

William McNamara ’13, a political science major, had two internships while in Bhutan in fall 2011. A member of Wheaton’s men’s lacrosse team, he taught the sport at the Jigme Losel Primary School, and worked with children who have physical and mental disabilities at the Draktsho school. “Sharing the game I love with the Bhutanese children was so much fun,” he says. “And getting to know the kids at Draktsho and spending time with them really made me happy. I also got to emcee a Special Olympics event—an experience I will never forget.”

Anna Pevear ’14, a film and new media studies major, interned last fall at Bhutan Center for Media and Democracy, a nonprofit devoted to teaching Bhutanese people about the new democracy and showing them how to debate and express political views using media. She made a movie about one of the forums presented on Gross National Happiness. “I was able to study how the country views the role of media in their new democracy. It was interesting to see what they wanted to use media for and what they actually use media for—mostly social networking.”

Ludivine de Rancourt ’13, an international relations major who studied in fall 2011, taught two sixth grade classes of about 30 students for six to eight hours each week. She and a friend also started a debate club for students to practice their critical-thinking skills after school. “I loved being with the children. The headmaster gave us the opportunity to be creative, which inspired me to do all sorts of activities. We went on field trips, which they had never done before, and tried out new activities like kickball, lacrosse and capture the flag. My internship made me realize that I want to have a career in teaching.”

Atsu Ishizumi ’12, a music major, and Raphael “Raffi” Sweet ’12, a psychology major, hosted a radio show at Kuzoo-FM—one of Bhutan’s major national radio stations. Working as both show hosts and program producers, Ishizumi and Sweet had the opportunity to bring their love of music to the country. Kuzoo-FM’s primary mission is to help young people gain self-confidence. Each week, the two hosts led discussions with listeners and studio guests covering a range of topics—transitions and life changes, alcohol and drug abuse, dating and relationships, the influence of Western music, Gross National Happiness, to name a few. They also created a new jingle for the station ID.

Read their story and view their video:

• Julie Bogen ’14
• Judith Garcia ’13
• Joseph Campbell ’14

“A scholarship means an opportunity to get an education. It means an opportunity to get an internship. This summer I was able to work at a publication, helping out with their PR and press and writing articles for them.

Without the scholarship, it would not have been possible. I know I wouldn’t be able to be here without it. I wouldn’t be able to participate in extracurriculars without it, and I certainly wouldn’t have had access to the internship I had this summer without it.

Wheaton is a dream. This place is unlike any I’ve ever been. I’ve never been a part of such a welcoming, patient, supportive community—the professors, the students. Thank you, it’s really been perfect.”

Julie Bogen from Wheaton College on Vimeo.

“Scholarships have a ripple effect. I’m at Wheaton because I was supported by scholarships and I’m very grateful. My goal has always been to go back to disadvantaged communities like the one I grew up in and help the people there.

I was gone for four months to study in Muscat, Oman. I learned Arabic; I learned to read it, write it and speak it. Now, I’m trilingual. What led me to choose Oman is that it was completely different: a different environment, different religion, different culture. The experience made me a more conscious individual and a more informed individual, and that is very important.”

Judith Garcia from Wheaton College on Vimeo.

“I worked with Professor Jani Benoit on a summer research project. We had a lot of one-on-one time, a lot of lab time to learn research skills. I loved it. At a bigger university, if an undergrad is doing research, he is probably making photocopies and handing them to a graduate student. Here, you really are involved. You’re right in the thick of the material. It’s really an experience like no other.

I definitely needed a lot of financial help to get to college. When Wheaton was able to provide it for me, it was a gift. Without it, I don’t know if I would have made it to college.”

Joseph Campbell from Wheaton College on Vimeo.

During lunch, Darnell McGee ’11 gives a student advice about job interviews

Saturday morning, 9 a.m., 10 degrees.

On a morning like this, most people would want to be huddled under the covers, dreaming about the nice feta-and-spinach omelet they want for breakfast.

Not at Wheaton. Here, on this particular morning in January, the Haas Concourse & Lobby in Watson Fine Arts was packed, wall to wall, with students inhaling bagels, coffee cake, fruit and java. They were eagerly awaiting the opening address for Sophomore Symposium in Weber Theatre. Dozens of alums—some of them had driven from New York—also were on campus ready to share their wisdom and encouragement during a full day of programs designed to help sophomores map out the rest of their journey through Wheaton and into the future.

As Dean Alex Vasquez pointed out at the start of the symposium, sophomore year is a big one because so many important decisions are made, including about which major to take, where to study abroad, and whether to go to graduate school. So each year, Wheaton offers a day of programs in which alums give career advice, share the experiences that led them to success in their particular field, or even just talk a student through how to do well in a job interview, as Sara Nausch ’11, a recruiter for K2 Partnering Solutions, and Darnell McGee ’11, a financial analyst for Iron Mountain, did with one sophomore, who had their undivided attention during lunch in Emerson.

Moving from workshop to workshop with our photographer, Nicki Pardo, it was so inspiring to watch the engagement between students and alums as they had conversations about topics ranging from how to prepare for a career in science to how to manage stress. (And the enthusiasm had nothing to do with the cozy Wheaton fleece promised to all students who stayed for the whole day. OK, maybe a little.)

We share the day in images with you here and online. Also in this issue is a profile of Joseph Lee ’08, a clinical research coordinator at Reproductive Medicine Associates in New York. He was one of the Sophomore Symposium participants who presented the workshop “Science Matters: Biology, Chemistry, and Pre-health Paths,” with Professor Christopher Kalberg. Our cover story takes a look at Wheaton’s award-winning study abroad program in the Himalayan nation of Bhutan—the only such program in the United States.

Read. Enjoy.

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“In my country, it’s considered rude to open a present in front of the person who has given it to you,” he explained, clearly worried that the office staff would be offended.

The moment illustrates, in a small way, the challenges that people can encounter when living or working with individuals from other cultural traditions. Simple customs and behaviors that one person takes for granted may differ from ideas held by those with a different cultural background. And these differences often remain invisible until conflict emerges, leading to misunderstandings large and small.

Many companies and organizations routinely invest in cultural sensitivity training sessions for executives headed to new and unfamiliar countries. In a world made smaller by technology, however, these specialized training sessions can only address a limited number of circumstances. It does nothing for co-workers who may share adjoining offices but grew up on opposite sides of the globe. Or for neighbors with different cultural backgrounds.

The ability to navigate a world of differences will be a vital skill for the 21st century. Wheaton students have an advantage in this regard, thanks to the college’s emphasis on programs that offer a broad and international set of perspectives on the liberal arts.

In the past 15 years, Wheaton has made great strides in putting the entire world within students’ reach. The establishment of the Center for Global Education has sparked tremendous growth in the number of study abroad options available to students. The college offers more than 60 semester and yearlong study abroad programs on six continents, as well as a growing number of short-term, faculty-led offerings, from tropical field biology in Costa Rica and Belize to contemporary African society in South Africa (both offered this winter). More than half of our students participate in one or more of these opportunities.

Creating a truly international liberal arts education goes beyond offering study abroad opportunities, however. The campus itself must be globally focused. At Wheaton, this effort begins with the curriculum, which infuses a diversity of viewpoints into consideration of virtually every discipline—from art history to psychology and beyond. This feature of our Connections curriculum, ”infusion,” replaces the traditional general education plan in which students take “one” course to satisfy a diversity requirement. Instead, the entire world of views is open for consideration whenever relevant across the entire curriculum.

At the same time, our student body has grown more international as well. Just five years ago, more than 97 percent of our students came from the U.S. Today, nearly 8 percent of the Wheaton student body is international. And we intend to increase the number of students from other countries further, to 15 percent of the campus population, over the next five years.

The college’s new emphasis on recruiting international students will be accompanied by a thorough review of programs and teaching methods to be certain that Wheaton is welcoming to students from other cultures and countries. This will encompass the entire college experience, from residential life and dining services to specialized tutoring on writing, as well as a host of other pedagogical issues. In fact, our faculty members have already begun to discuss informally the kinds of adjustments that might be required.

Ultimately, the changes that will allow the college to become more international will also enhance the power and value of a Wheaton education. Students learn so much from each other, and a classroom that offers a world of differing perspectives will provide our students with a distinct advantage in navigating a complex, global society. And our world will be the better for their ability to be international citizens.

Paper cut-out illustration by David Laferriere