A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://dev-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56114/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://dev-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56108/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://dev-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56104/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://dev-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56099/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://test-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56152/

The Wheaton College community is built on a foundation of lifelong connection and mutual support. Inspired by the powerful stories and connections between alumni, writer Christine Koh ’95 has set out to chronicle the unique ways our alumni impact one another’s lives.

Originally featured in the Fall 2025 Wheaton Magazine, this series brings to light how graduates across different generations are shifting trajectories and creating meaningful relationships. Read the first feature about Shiwei Julia Huang ’15 and Sandra Sable Gilpatrick ’95.

Share Your Story
Do you have a story of alumni connection or support? We’d love to hear it. Submit your story here.

The book publishing industry is not for the faint of heart, but Janis Robinson Daly ’84 and Ashley Sweeney ’79 know that the journey of a writer—even in moments of uncertainty or rejection—can be joyful and collaborative.

Robinson Daly and Sweeney’s relationship started with a cold call. Cold, that is, save Wheaton College as the common thread. 

Robinson Daly (photo, left)—who was working on the first draft of her first book—learned through the Wheaton Quarterly class notes that Sweeney, who graduated five years ahead of her, had released her first historical fiction title, Eliza Waite. Robinson Daly sent Sweeney a cold email through Sweeney’s website, asking if she might be willing to impart advice about writing historical fiction. Robinson Daly made that ask trusting in what she knew about the type of person who attended Wheaton.

“My time at Wheaton was all about meeting other women and developing relationships and friendships in a very supportive atmosphere,” said Robinson Daly, a historical fiction author and author marketing consultant who majored in psychology at Wheaton. “That support extended after graduation and I was pretty confident Ashley would respond to my email because we were from that same era of Wheaton’s history.”

Sweeney (photo, right), a historical fiction author who completed a combined major in American literature and history at Wheaton, responded to Robinson Daly’s email immediately. “I responded quickly because of the Wheaton connection,” shared Sweeney. “I adored my time at Wheaton and was so fortunate to have incredible mentors and supporters in Sam Coale, Nancy Norton, and Sharon Howard. There was no way I could ignore that email.”

That small digital moment sparked a relationship that swiftly moved from writing mentorship to marketing support to friendship. Sweeney mentored Robinson Daly through the writing and publishing process, reading each of Robinson Daly’s now three manuscripts and providing critical feedback based on her expertise writing critically acclaimed historical fiction. Robinson Daly then leveraged her professional marketing experience to help Sweeney promote her four novels. The two keep in touch regularly via text.

It also turned out that because the women graduated five years apart they could connect in person at Wheaton’s Commencement & Reunion. While both women have been active alumni volunteers—Robinson Daly has served on the Alumni Recognition Committee, as a class secretary, and as an Admission Office volunteer, and Sweeney wrote class notes and made Annual Fund calls for about 10 years—being on campus together was a reminder of the college’s powerful relational connective tissue.

“I look back on my Wheaton years as some of the best years of my life,” shared Sweeney. Robinson Daly noted that she was a shy wallflower in high school, and that Wheaton gave her the confidence and community to help her grow and thrive. “My classmates have rallied around me, including people I hadn’t talked to in many years. Wheaton has given me so much.”

Both women advise leaning into Wheaton’s unique network to connect and find ways to support one another. Sweeney recommends reading all of the class notes to look for inspiration on how to connect across classes. “We have this one life to live, and for those of us who have received so much, we need to give back at any opportunity,” she noted. 

Robinson Daly acknowledged that it can feel difficult to put yourself out there, but that it’s critical to just go for it. “Don’t reach out assuming the worst,” advised Robinson Daly. “People want to help other people. Anticipate that it will be a positive outcome and know that the person you are reaching out to was probably in the same boat as you are at some point in their lives.”

Sweeney and Robinson Daly are both now established authors and their connection to one another is mutually illuminating and fortifying. Sweeney noted that one of her biggest takeaways from her relationship with Robinson Daly is that when women work together and lift one another up, everyone wins. 

Robinson Daly shared that beyond the tangibles of publishing books, Sweeney’s mentorship helped her believe in herself. “From the get go, she championed my work. She gave me feedback with complete honesty, and her honesty and affirmation that I was on the right path helped me keep doing and dreaming.”

Indeed, one of Sweeney’s core beliefs is that you need to believe in your work and not give up on your dreams. “My first novel [Eliza Waite] received 47 rejections before it was accepted, and it received the Nancy Pearl Book Award. Dreams can become a reality. Some of it has to do with talent, some has to do with sheer opportunity, but some has to do with time. Don’t shortchange your dreams.”

The Wheaton connection doesn’t end at graduation or reunion. Whether you have five minutes to update your info or five hours a month to mentor a student, your involvement strengthens our entire community.

Ways to Engage

No matter how you choose to show up, your engagement makes a meaningful impact on the next generation of Lyons.

Originally published at: https://wheatoncollege.blog/on-campus-announcements/alumni/from-a-cold-call-to-a-cherished-connection/

Behind every documentary are the archival materials that give dynamic stories shape and structure. Filmmaker and associate producer Ellie Levine ‘18 recently wrapped up work on the PBS American Masters documentary, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause that reflects both the depth and range archival research contributes to filmmaking. In conversation with FNMS major Sierra Seetin ‘28, Ellie shared the story of her path into documentary filmmaking. 

Sierra: Can you walk me through your journey from Wheaton to where you are now?

After graduating from Wheaton, I found myself working pretty quickly in post-production roles. A lot of my early work was as a production assistant and assistant editor, which gave me a strong foundation in how documentaries are actually assembled. From there, I found myself drawn more and more to archival work, like researching footage, photos, and historical materials, which ended up becoming a big part of my career.

Over time, I earned more responsibility on projects, including working as an archival researcher and stepping into associate producer roles. Recently, I worked as an associate producer and post-production supervisor on a PBS American Masters documentary about W.E.B. Du Bois, where I was involved in everything from coordinating shoots to managing archival materials, and more technical things like getting document releases and poring through historical footage. 

Panelists after screening of “W.E.B. Du Bois,” L-R: Moderator, Newscaster Hari Sreenivasan;
Director Rita Coburn ; Dr. David Scholar Levering Lewis ; Actor Jeffrey Wright; Exec Producer BK Fulton.


What does your average day look like?

It really depends on the stage of the project. During production, I might be helping coordinate logistics, communicating with crew, or assisting on interviews. In post-production, the work becomes much more organizational and detail-oriented, like tracking archival materials, managing edits, and keeping everything running smoothly.

A huge part of documentary work is organization. You’re dealing with huge amounts of material, and someone needs to keep track of all of it. I’m in charge of making sure everything is accessible and usable for the editor and director.


What does the archival process look like for filmmaking?

Archival research is a mix of detective work and storytelling, you’re searching for materials that not only exist, but that actually help tell the story. It’s not just about finding footage, but understanding how it fits into the narrative. In many documentaries, archival material is the story. It creates the context which informs the emotions that the audience feels, which then allows them to connect to the film. These choices you make can completely shape how the story is perceived.

That overlaps with producing as well. At the associate level, producing is a balance of creative and logistical responsibilities, you are coordinating, communicating, and supporting the director’s vision. You have to stay flexible and constantly solve problems while keeping the heart of the story alive.


What has been one of the biggest challenges in documentary work?

Funding is always a challenge. Many projects take years to complete, and securing funding can be a long and tedious process. You might be working on something for a while before it’s fully financed, so patience and persistence are really important.

How did Wheaton help prepare you for this path?

I developed strong critical thinking skills and good storytelling sensibilities. The coursework helped me understand how to analyze media and think about narrative in a deeper way. That carries over directly into documentary work.

Do you have any advice for students who want to go into documentary film?

Be open to starting anywhere! A lot of people begin as PAs or assistants, and those roles are really valuable. You learn how productions actually function, and you build relationships along the way. Also, stay organized and be someone people can rely on. In documentary work especially, those skills go a long way.

Originally published at: https://wheatoncollege.blog/academics/film-new-media-studies/ellie-levine-18-on-building-a-career-in-documentary-film/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://test-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56143/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://test-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56136/

A view down a row of stacked books in a library, with an individual sitting at a desk at the end of the row.
A smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a royal blue collared sweatshirt stands beside a Wheaton Athletics sign
Lisa Yenush ’90, interim director of Athletics

Originally published at: https://test-wheaton-college-blog.pantheonsite.io/uncategorized/56130/