AUP Magazine - Fall 2024

FALL 2024

The Future of AUP

Student Housing over the Years

Technology and Human Rights

4 Letter from President Stephens 6 The Year in Review

AUP HIGHLIGHTS On Campus 11 An LGBTQ+ History of AUP 12 Music in the Making: Professor Treilhou 13 Beetles to Help Fight Climate Change

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14 A Firsthand Look at Human Rights and Data Science 15 Investing in the Experience of First-year Students 16 AUP Unveils New Graduate Studies Website

Alumni 19 The Results are in! The Alumni Attitude Study 20 Alums Dish on Careers in the Food Industry 22 Micky (den Tuinder) Lawler '80: a Leader on and off the Court 23 How I Came to AUP: Advice that Changed a Life 24 Isis Ossebi '12 Fights for Racial Equity in NYC 26 Alumnae Make Waves in Fashion

FEATURES 29 The Future of AUP 40 Student Housing over the Years 52 Technology and Human Rights 64 Class Notes

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40 11 29

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Dear AUP Community Members,

and faculty about their work, experience and leadership in a wide range of professional and

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It has been such a delight to get to know the

creative activities. This connection is important

thriving community that is AUP. I have been so

for all of us on campus as it renews the way

grateful for the time spent with our distinguished

we understand the world and its emerging

faculty and exceptional staff in a range of settings—

challenges and how lifelong learning and

in their departments and programs, in our meetings,

personal and professional growth empower

strategic planning sessions and at new community-

each individual. Whether it’s a single class or

wide events. All of these have reinforced just how

a professional module, serving on an advisory

very talented and committed they are and how

board, or participating in an event, alumni enrich

broad, deep and transformative the distinctive

the learning experience at AUP in so many ways

global education offered here truly is.

described in this issue.

Our students readily testify to that. I have

And faculty continue to develop new programs

been so fortunate to spend time with current

that reflect AUP’s values and address global

students, and the range of their lived experience

conversations and research interests. The

and interests, their intellectual curiosity and

recent award of a UNESCO Chair for Artificial

aspirations and their own deep commitment to

Intelligence and Human Rights to Professors

being involved and engaged leaders here, in their

Claudia Roda and Susan Perry recognizes their

communities and globally, has deeply impressed

commitment to human rights and dignity,

and inspired me. No wonder, then, when I meet

contemporary global challenges, developing

alumni that I see this extraordinary liberal arts

disciplines and their intersection with emerging

education in action across the world.

technologies.

It is always particularly special when alumni

This emphasis on academic excellence and

return to Paris to speak with current students

reputation, on supporting individual pathways

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kilian Ordelheide WRITER & COPY EDITOR Amanda Murphy PROOFREADER Carrie Chappell

and success and on enhancing the shared experience and community is at the heart of

IMAGERY Krystal Kenney Rita Martinos Alfonso Sjogreen

our next Strategic Plan. Developed through a year-long collaborative process, the Plan sets out commitments to further bolster AUP’s

DESIGN Leland International

reputation for excellence, to leverage the value of our existing partnerships, to shape new ones for mutual benefit and to strengthen

Questions or comments? communications@aup.edu

our community, whether through increased opportunities for international networking and professional development or more spaces and time for connection and collaboration on campus. A formal Alumni Association is also on the horizon to facilitate new opportunities for alumni to connect and engage with each other, as well as with the University.

Inside the magazine, you will find highlighted just a few of the ways our community is advancing and excelling. I am so very pleased and energized to be a part of this extraordinary University, and we are all so grateful for your continued interest, trust and support of AUP. Sincerely, Sonya Stephens

Sonya Stephens President of The American University of Paris

Year Review The

in

The 2023–24 academic year was a year of recognition, development and coming together as a thriving community. Here’s a snapshot of life on campus over the last 12 months.

AUP Research Center

FALL SEMESTER 2023

Receives EU Horizon Grant September 2023

New VP for Development and Alumni Relations

The Center for Critical Democracy

September 2023

Studies, spearheaded by Professor Stephen Sawyer, received a grant

Courtney Stombock came to us

from the European Research

from Atlanta, Georgia, where she

Council to collaborate on a project

served as the Associate Dean

for the study and prevention of

of Advancement and Alumni

radicalization.

Engagement at Emory University School of Law.

Career Week at AUP September 2023 The Center for Academic, Career, and Experiential Advising (ACE Center) hosted Career Week featuring international employers and alumni and culminating in a Career Fair for current students.

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Faculty Emeriti Board Created October 2023 AUP announced the creation of a new Emeriti Board dedicated to representing the interests of all retired AUP colleagues, both former faculty and staff.

Cabaret and Collaboration: A Josephine Baker Symposium

Veterans Day: AUP

October 2023

Broadens Its Support November 2023

Professor of Comparative Literature and English

Thanks to our collaboration

Biswasmit Dwibedy and

with the Department of

Jeannine Cook (Summer '22)

Veterans Affairs (VA), AUP

held a symposium to honor

works to welcome and

the life of Josephine Baker at

empower veterans and their

the Omid & Gisel Kordestani

family members through

Rooftop Conference Center.

education.

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Exploring Blackness Abroad February 2024

SPRING SEMESTER 2024 In honor of Black History Month, writer, mixed media graphic designer, photographer and AUP alumna Aalyiah Heath (G’18) exhibited “An Ode to Blackness...

Everywhere” at AUP’s Fine Arts Gallery.

A Day with AUP’s Writer TEDxAUP Returns

January 2024

March 2024

AUP creative writing students sat down with Tinashe Mushakavanhu to discuss literature, the Zimbabwean diaspora and artmaking under the radar of authoritarianism.

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Photo: Aris Theotokatos

in Residence

The topic “Resilience Redefined: Thriving in Times of Change” got the attention of thinkers across our community and beyond, including a number of alumni.

AUP Community Drives Change in the Fashion World March 2024 Faculty, staff and students from AUP’s MA in Global

Deborah Roberts Awarded

Communications and the London

Honorary Degree

College of Fashion hosted

May 2024

the Symposium on Fashion Communication for Socio-

World-renowned reporter at

Ecological Transformation.

ABC News Deborah Roberts received an honorary degree and spoke to the graduating class at Commencement 2024.

Alumni Weekend 2024 April 2024 Former students met on campus to celebrate their time at the University and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of our founding class of 1964.

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AUP HIGHLIGHTS Campus

Each year, the Paris Pride parade goes from Montparnasse to Bastille and the celebration continues in the Marais

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An LGBTQ+ History of AUP Out of discussions in Professor Geoff Gilbert’s Queer Theory and Literature class, a question arose: How is LGBTQ+ history kept, archived and transmitted, if it is all? And how could it be properly kept?

While considering the importance of taking into

students and older alumni,” says Gilbert, who also

account the complexity of the categories used in

notes that Black and Abroad and other student

the past and today, as well as across geographical

groups on campus are doing similar work to build

borders, the group decided to take a closer look

histories that have simply not existed.

at Paris and in particular AUP. Therein began the project Gilbert and students have undertaken to

If you would like to contribute to the LGBTQ+

collect testimonies from AUP alumni about their

History of AUP, please reach out to

experience in Paris.

alumni@aup.edu

“As for other minority groups, things don’t get passed down through families or institutions; they don’t get stored or recorded in the same ways; they’re seen as private questions,” says Gilbert

“

who is particularly interested in looking into what

As for other minority groups, things

has happened at AUP, an American institution in

don’t get passed down through

Paris with radically international students.

families or institutions; they don’t get

The project, which will continue throughout the

stored or recorded in the same ways;

2024-25 academic year, seeks to map individual

they’re seen as private questions.

experiences through testimony, revisiting places, groups and support offered from the 1960s to the present. “I’m really loving what’s happening so far in the conversations between current

Highlights

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Music in the Making: Professor Treilhou When AUP Fine Arts Professor Stéphane Treilhou wants to understand something, he makes it. The many artistic disciplines he works in—painting, printmaking, jewelry making and music—afford him a wealth of knowledge and skills with which to do so. The AUP community recently saw many of Treilhou’s abilities converge in one of his greatest passions: building musical instruments. In February 2024, Treilhou unveiled a clavichord, a stringed keyboard instrument and precursor to the piano, which he built just by looking at a painting from the wall of a chapel.

As one of the few makers worldwide of the clavichord, Treilhou’s enthusiasm for the instrument began in his early years as a working professional in Paris. His flat was too small to house a piano, and while the clavichord presented itself as a practical alternative, it cost “around €15,000,” he explains. The instrument unveiled at the AUP event was modeled after an extraordinary mural in the commune of Saint-Bonnet-le Château depicting the oldest rendition of a clavichord.

Medieval art historian Dr. Yuko Katsutani studied these images and asked Treilhou to recreate the clavichord as part of a project to bring the instruments to life.

Read the full story

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Beetles to Help Fight Climate Change As the impact of climate change reshapes the natural world, AUP students undertook research that might help better understand its repercussions. In Spring 2024, an ambitious experiment began at the Joy and Edward Frieman Environmental Science Center where four graduating seniors investigated the reproductive outcomes of seed beetles to understand how extreme heat waves affect wildlife biological systems.

“There is something special about diving into scientific inquiry and experiencing firsthand the complex interplay between climate change and biodiversity,” says environmental studies major Sarah Glavan ’24, who participated in this experiment as her Senior Project. The extensive process ran from January to June under the supervision of the center’s director, Elena Berg. The students, alongside technician Sophie Bricout, monitored beetles through a continuous cycle of incubation, hatching, mating, and egg-laying. New beetles hatched every three weeks, requiring meticulous daily tracking of reproductive output.

“Each data point is precious,” said Berg, emphasizing the dedication required to perform this repetitive, detail-oriented work.

Discover Prof. Berg’s Podcast on Water

“The most challenging aspect is self-discipline,” agreed environmental studies major Maya Golub '24.

Highlights

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A Firsthand Look at Human Rights and Data Science AUP’s graduate students are often seeking professional and personal transformation when joining AUP—whether they enroll straight out of an undergraduate degree or after several years of work experience. To fully explore the career paths available in often competitive fields, and to discover the ways in which multiple fields intersect, AUP offers the Data Industry Practicum, which brings professionals working in relevant fields to students enrolled in the MSc in Human Rights and Data Science. This 6-credit series offered every spring semester features intensive workshops led by experts, including AUP alumni, who are analyzing in practical ways the computational, legal, economic and ethical aspects of data use. They come to the practicum from sectors as varied as finance, product design and diplomacy.

In addition to meeting and discussing with professionals from companies such as IBM and Qwant, students complete assessed projects grounded in industry-relevant contexts. “The practicum builds on the theories covered in class,” explains Claudia Roda, director of the program. “It is vitally important that students be exposed to professional figures who understand data science, as well as the legal and ethical implications of its use.”

Learn from the CTO of Qwant and a Senior IBM Engineer

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Investing in the Experience of First-Year Students Studying in Paris is not for the faint of heart. The fast-paced lifestyle and academics, along with learning a new language, can make incoming students feel adrift—as many AUP alumni can attest—but a new program aims to provide newcomers with a sense of community and support. The First Year Success (FYS) initiative, launched in Fall 2023, helps students build a great foundation and begin crafting their own journey.

This means more opportunities to meet peers and build friendships; workshops to facilitate navigating AUP culture, Paris and organizing one’s life; as well as a first-year trip.

“I have lived many different lives in many different places, yet Paris was the hardest to adjust to,” said Terrell Stahl '24, a student advisor in the FYS initiative. Kevin Fore, Dean of Student Development, has long supported first-years and truly believes in the program’s focus on facultystaff mentorship, which now involves eighteen student advisors and eighteen faculty-staff mentors, including President Sonya Stephens.

“This program is really important. We want to complement the rigor of their academic courses by providing the tools to understand where they are living and working,” said Stephens. The program will continue in its second year in Fall 2024.

Read the full story

Highlights

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AUP Unveils New Graduate Studies Website Graduate study at AUP presents a unique opportunity for recent undergraduates to deepen their knowledge and expand their perspectives through a distinctive educational approach.

Additionally, it serves as an ideal platform for established professionals looking to pivot their careers or gain the international experience needed to embark on a global career path.

Regardless of one’s motivation, AUP is committed to providing a transformative academic experience that equips graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in diverse and dynamic work environments worldwide.

GRAD In 2024, AUP unveiled its new website dedicated to the University’s six master’s programs.

This comprehensive online platform showcases the MA in Diplomacy and International Law,

MA in Global Communications, MSc in Human Rights and Data Science, MA in International Affairs, MSc in International Management and MSc in Strategic Brand Management. In Fall 2025, the University will launch a new MFA in Creative Writing.

The website is meticulously designed to provide detailed information about each program, paint a vibrant picture of graduate studies through over 100 individual stories and tell the transformative story of graduate programs at AUP. Prospective students can explore updated curricula, delve into opportunities for field studies and internships and read profiles of successful graduates.

DUATE Visit the new website today to discover how AUP’s graduate programs can open a world of possibilities for you or someone you know.

Explore the website

AUP HIGHLIGHTS Alumni 18

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View the results of the study

The Results Are in! The Alumni Attitude Study This year AUP conducted a survey campaign of

“They felt we did a great job of preparing

alumni to better understand their experience

them for their lives beyond the University in

at the University and beyond. The wide-scale

terms of skills, cultural understanding, etc.,”

Alumni Attitude Study has been used to survey

explained Stombock. The survey also revealed

more than 1 million alumni at 320 institutions

a desire among alumni to get involved. As a

over the last 20 years. “The benefit of using an

result, Alumni Relations is working to offer

organization like that,” says VP for Development

more engagement opportunities and host more

and Alumni Relations, Courtney Stombock,

international events at a much larger scale.

“is that the data can be benchmarked against other institutions.” Over 450 alumni responded

For alumni looking to get involved or reconnect,

to the survey. Their responses coming in from

the first stop is global.aup.edu. They may also

across the world indicated that their overall

reach out to the Alumni Relations Team directly

experience as students was excellent.

at alumni@aup.edu.

Four most important abilities that AUP instilled in alumni to prepare them for their careers:

of alumni rated their decision to attend AUP as good or great

of alumni are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their career progression so far

1 Cultural fluency 2 Cross-cultural communication 3 Adaptability 4 Critical thinking Highlights 19

Lacy Audry '13 and Charles Duque '93 in discussion at the AUP Alumni in Food Roundtable

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Alums Dish on Careers in the Food Industry The Celeste Schenck Atrium sizzled with

the French Dairy Interbranch Organization

excitement during the AUP Alumni in Food

(CNIEL); Lacy Audry has started businesses in

Roundtable in February. In a discussion

the Philippines and France before creating a

moderated by Professor Christy Shields, four

branding and communications agency for small

AUP alumni—Lacy Audry ’13, Charles Duque ’93,

food companies; Samantha Gilliams is a project

Samantha Gilliams ’18 and Daniel Rose ’00—with

manager at the Paris-based culinary production

careers in the food industry shared perspectives

studio Balbosté where she crafts immersive

on all things culinary, from first jobs washing

dining experiences and oversees operations;

mushrooms to innovation in coffee production.

and Daniel Rose is a culinary entrepreneur who

They emphasized, among other things, the

founded La Bourse et La Vie in Paris and the

importance of French language skills in a trade

Michelin star-bearing Le Coucou in New York.

where France looms large. “It’s essential to

Together, these alumni portrayed a dynamic,

making connections with people in Paris who

intersectional field that yields constant routes

are international,” advised Gilliams.

to discovery.

Having studied business at AUP and superlative

For future students passionate about food,

French skills, Charles Duque went on to work

look out for AUP’s new minor in Food Studies,

as Managing Director for the Americas of

which will be launching this fall!

Explore Their Stories

Lacy Audry ’13

Charles Duque ’93

Daniel Rose ’00

Samantha Gilliams ’18

Prof. Christy Shields

Highlights

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Micky (den Tuinder) Lawler: A Leader on and off the Court As standing President of the Women’s Tennis Association since 2015, Micky (den Tuinder) Lawler ’80 is a model of female leadership.

Through her modest disposition and innate ability to foster connections, she has been an inspiration to many across the community of international sports.

In childhood, she was already exposed to many different countries and cultures and considered herself a global citizen by nature. However, she cites the AUP experience, and the university’s “empathic approach to collaborating with different cultures in different languages,” as having cemented her appreciation of diversity.

“When you surround yourself with globality, which you do at AUP, you also get a very healthy dose of perspective because you get a better understanding of how big the world is.”

After 27 years at Octagon, a global sports agency, Lawler became President of the WTA Board. Before realizing that she would one day work side by side with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, Lawler looked up to these two figures. “They were up there for me,” Lawler says, “but I also looked very much next to me.”

Discover her full story

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How I Came to AUP: Advice that Changed a Life While Ohio native Tom Kennedy ’90 was solo hitch-hiking around Europe, he visited his mother’s cousin in Alsace. She saw in Tom a curious spirit and suggested he interview at AUP (then ACP), which he did! She was the first person to offer “an alternative way of looking at one’s life,” Kennedy explains.

“Growing up gay in rural Ohio in the 1980s at the core of the AIDS crisis was not easy […] if you were different,” he says, so by the time he was 17 and looking at colleges, he knew he needed a change. After high school graduation, Tom left again, stopping by London before enrolling at AUP in the spring of 1987. “I took the advice of this relative who seemed to be living a life she had chosen for herself,” he explains. In Paris, Tom would soon discover the wonders of city life, major in Art History and begin living, as he says, “outside of normal prescribed life.” After AUP, the adventures didn’t stop. Tom then toured with the Big Apple Circus, hiked the Appalachian Trail and went on to have a successful career in real estate. He has also become an AUP planned giving donor.

“A Greek artist known as Takis once told me to take advantage of every single opportunity that presents itself. I do that to this day, and I’ve had an amazing life,” Tom reflects.

Learn more about Planned Giving at AUP

Highlights

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Learn more about CORE

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Isis Ossebi '12, Director of Communications at the NYC Commission on Racial Equity

Isis Ossebi Fights for Racial Equity in NYC For Congo-born, Paris-raised Isis Ossebi ’12, working at the United Nations was a dream: “Coming from the Congo, where I had experienced civil war and other political turmoil, I felt a drive toward being part of the change.” In just over a decade since graduating from AUP, Ossebi has realized that dream, in two ways: first as a consultant with the Office of the Ambassador at the UN and now as the Director of Communications at the NYC Commission on Racial Equity (CORE), whose mission is to “advance racial equity in government operations and to increase community voice in government decision making,” with a focus on tracking the city’s Racial Equity Plans.

Ossebi is all too familiar with the reverberations of institutionalized racism. Growing up in Paris, she found herself denied pathways to higher education, internships and jobs. Yet experiencing early setbacks only solidified her resolve to be a changemaker who influences governments for the better. In this inaugural position within the newly established commission, Ossebi plays a vital role in giving visibility to those who have been historically excluded and fostering racial equity and social justice throughout New York City.

Highlights

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Alumnae Make Waves in Fashion Many students come to Paris and AUP because of their interest in fashion. They come away having gained exposure to major actors, brands and events such as Fashion Week, but AUP’s education also offers the opportunity to consider the ways the industry can affect everyday life and incites students to make sure their impact is a positive one. Our graduates who have gone on to lead fulfilling and impressive careers—Charla Carter ’82, Liana Engel ’06 and Geneviève Hartmann Colom ’13, to mention but a few—personify this in what they have achieved.

These alumnae have demonstrated a commitment to making fashion more accessible and more equitable for all women. After 30 years in the industry, Charla Carter explains that fashion is not just high fashion and should not satisfy only a certain type of woman or criteria for beauty. Today, as a stylist appearing on ABC Talk TV’s Incredible Transformation and “senior influencer,” her focus is on the average woman.

Geneviève Hartmann, Product Lead at Stitch

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Fix, says her work has been about leveraging the industry as a vehicle to address the climate crisis and minimize the effects of fashion on the environment. As for Liana Engel, Global Director of Talent and Entertainment at Cartier, the focus is on how fashion can be diversified to take into account gender and ethnicity.

For all three women, the fashion industry must adapt to its wearers and not the other way around, a stance also emphasized in AUP’s MA in Global Communications fashion track curriculum.

Connect with them on LinkedIn Charla Carter ’82

Genevieve Hartmann Colom ’13

Liana Engel ’06

Highlights

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Liana Engel

Charla Crter

Genevieve Hartmann Colom

The

Futureof Sonya Stephens became AUP’s 13th president in September 2022. At the helm of a team steering a new five-year strategic plan—recently approved by the Board of Trustees—she sat down with us to talk about the direction it charters and how the University will evolve.

As a lifelong Francophile who holds a PhD in French from Cambridge University and an MA in French studies from the Université de Montréal, and has worked extensively in higher education in the United States and the UK, Sonya Stephens has a deep appreciation for and understanding of the benefits of global education. She has spent her whole career thinking about literature and culture and the ways in which cultures, perspectives and forms intersect. Through each of her experiences, she has treated her various leadership roles as if she were embracing a new culture, learning the contours of a new landscape, all of which she has done with humility.

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A collective mozaic created by faculty and staff during the first-ever AUP Retreat

Fe ature s

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In the two years she has spent getting to know AUP students, faculty, staff and alumni, Stephens says she has been inspired by the imagination and creativity within the institution, by its deep commitment to student success, and by the contributions alumni are making to communities and professions worldwide. This commitment to student success and global engagement is one she deeply shares, and the next strategic plan for AUP speaks to that commitment and to the idea that AUP be a place where all can flourish as they pursue their academic, professional and personal goals on campus and worldwide.

This plan sits within a fifteen-year framework that envisions the long-term vibrancy and stature of the University—it is a step on the path to a slightly larger, better-known, highly regarded and more prosperous AUP. It builds upon strong foundations, Stephens explains; drawing on past success and a shared sense of the character and purpose of the University, the Plan foregrounds the distinctive mission of AUP, rooting itself in its location in Paris, emphasizing the transdisciplinary, transnational and hybrid approach to learning, and supporting the bold and independent thinkers it assembles.

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Over 150 faculty and staff joined the first-ever AUP Retreat in May to discuss strategic priorities

Fe ature s

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In the spirit of connected and collaborative

and add more opportunities for professional

community, this plan was co-created and

development for faculty and staff.

emerged from multiple forms of engagement—a series of “future crafting” sessions, retreats and

As an international learning organization

informal meetings—with faculty, staff, students,

that constantly questions the status quo, it

alumni and trustees alike. “It has been immensely

is only natural that AUP remain dedicated

rewarding,” says Sonya Stephens, “to be engaged

to continuous renewal and intellectual and

with the entire community as we have worked

professional growth. The Strategic Plan

on a plan for our shared future. I am incredibly

therefore describes ways in which the University

grateful to all those who have participated, in

will continue its critical relationship to the

one way or another, to imagine this future and to

world—through improvements to its signature

renew our shared commitment to excellence in

educational experience, connection to its

international education.”

location in the 7th arrondissement and the diverse city of Paris, and its partnerships.

A Beacon Across Borders

The Plan envisions continued investments

While the landscape of higher education has

challenges and are responsive and adaptive to

become increasingly complex, and the value of

a changing social and technological landscape.

a liberal arts education is too often challenged,

This includes investing in signature experiences,

AUP has enjoyed increased interest and last year

such as study trips through the Cultural Program,

enrolled more students than ever before. Even

intensive pre-professional modules, internships,

with this year’s headwinds, caused notably by

and career support so that the student

changes to the financial aid application process

experience is both structured and individualized.

(FAFSA), the University will likely see the second-

The Plan therein creates more opportunities for

largest class in its history. The Plan envisions

students to pursue a self-designed academic

carefully managed, sustainable growth in student

experience, enhanced by other shared

numbers but is more focused on the “growth

experiences that build both academic and social

mindset” that characterizes AUP. This implies

community and connection while preparing

programmatic initiatives that will encourage

them for post-graduation success.

in distinctive transdisciplinary programs that address far-reaching and contemporary global

and deepen independent thinking, increase community engagement and the programs and spaces that enable it, improve pre-professional experiences and career support for students,

Fe ature s

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Scaffolding the Student Experience

and the École the Guerre practicum just a few hundred meters from campus.

Whether incoming students already know who

“The magic of AUP is the nature of the

they want to be or are seeking an opportunity

education—transdisciplinary, transnational and

to define themselves, Stephens recognizes the

transformative, offering experiences inside the

powerful potential for personal and professional

classroom and out that complement each other.

growth that the University offers. “Through

The magic of AUP is its capacity to produce

specific sets of support structures, we aim to

independent thinkers ready to test boundaries

shape the experience to amplify aspirations, help

and equipped to navigate many countries, cultures

students map their individual pathways to achieve

and languages,” says Stephens. This implies, for

their goals and become the best version of

the Plan, reiterating the University’s commitment

themselves,” comments Stephens. The Strategic

to the individual experience and making sure that

Plan aims to better support students' specific

each student finds their unique path.

needs at each step of AUP’s global educational experience, the University providing the

While this experience is not without difficulty—

scaffolding for them to navigate the opportunities,

because enrolling at AUP means challenging

and to give more visibility to the excellent things

preconceived ideas through discussion and

that our students and alumni are accomplishing.

debate, and for most, living in a new country and

This includes continuing development of the First

learning a new language—the institution is also

Year Success Program, identifying opportunities

there to guide students, or as the Plan presents

for all students to participate in study trips,

it, “scaffold” the student experience. This means

increasing career advising and improving student

providing the right support structures and

support, with a focus on internships and careers.

encouragement at the right moments in order for

Beyond graduation, students should expect

students to craft their own trajectories and orient

a strong alumni community that nurtures

themselves within the curriculum and programs

lifelong connections, enhances the institution's

offered. As students gain intellectual maturity

reputation, and provides valuable support

and grow personally, the community they build

through mentorship, networking, and financial

is then enhanced and extends even more as

contributions. Later this year, AUP will launch an

they travel on study trips, complete internships,

alumni association to foster more vibrant and

conduct research and participate, even at the

engaged alumni network.

undergraduate level, in pre-professional intensive

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modules and practica, such as the signature

Stephens also sees this opportunity for self-

Sustainable Development Practicum in India

actualization as connected to the career

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development of alumni, and, of course, that of

Faculty are committed to innovation and

faculty and staff, who are engaged in world-

growth at AUP, constantly reimagining the

class research and creative work. “The more

curriculum and orienting it to meet the needs

opportunities for transformation and self-

of our students. “One of the things that makes

actualization we offer, the better prepared

AUP so unique,” explains Stephens, “is the way

our students will be to succeed at AUP and

our faculty and curriculum speak to global

when they step out into the careers of their

issues, divisions and conflicts and the way they

dreams,” says Stephens. The main underlying

engage with the diverse student body and its

idea of the Plan is that the freedom of the AUP

global outlook.” She highlights, in particular, the

experience allows for each individual—whether

quality of faculty scholarship and the breadth

a student or professional—and, therefore, for

of interests it represents, inflecting the teaching

the community as a whole, to flourish.

at AUP in very visible ways. Involving students in faculty scholarship has also been a particular

As both faculty and students explore the most

strength of the curriculum.

difficult questions facing us today and build connections—to the curriculum, to each other

Stephens emphasizes here the need to

and to the places they go—solutions and new

continue to support faculty in this endeavor,

questions emerge, engaging classroom learning,

as well as the critical work of the research

understanding and active problem-solving.

centers. She cites the important contributions of the George and Irina Schaeffer Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights and

Academic Innovation and Community Engagement

Conflict Prevention; the Center for Critical Democracy Studies; and the Center for Writers and Translators, in which AUP will continue to invest, and adds that new interdisciplinary degree objectives are also laid out. “AUP does a tremendous job of creating a community where

New degree programs and initiatives focused

critical questions can be asked and in different

on contemporary opportunities and challenges

ways; this is part of why AUP does and should

have also been recently approved or are

exist; this is the most distinctive feature of AUP’s

envisioned in the Plan, Stephens reveals. AUP

truly international classroom,” explains Stephens.

will be adding two new majors in Global French

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Studies and Fashion, a minor in Food Studies

Thanks to this commitment to learning through

and an MFA in Creative Writing in the next 12

connectedness across social, linguistic and

months alone.

disciplinary borders and to being an integral part

AU P M a g a zine

of the international community, AUP aims to

will allow for better networking for alumni and

continue to enhance its global reach, furthering

the opportunity for more regional chapters and,

the network and its positive impact. “While

eventually, professional affinity groups.

we are clearly doing many things right, we can always improve on what we are doing and build

“We are an institution focused on opportunities

on existing success,” says Stephens, “and we will

for learning across the community,” says

continue to evolve and enhance our existing

Stephens, “and one priority of the Strategic Plan

programs, partnerships and opportunities for

is to continue to enlarge and strengthen that

individuals to excel.” Accordingly, the Strategic

opportunity across all constituencies.”

Plan also underscores the fact that community does not stop at the edge of AUP’s 7th

Since 1962, the University has grown

arrondissement campus. “‘How to build and be

tremendously and yet our core values have

in community?’ is an important conversation

remained the same. The Strategic Plan has been

in itself,” says Stephens, and while AUP has

developed through a commitment to sustain

already taken it on in theory and in practice,

the character and uniqueness of AUP and the

many elements of the Plan for the future of AUP

education it offers—a transformative, American

center around the importance of reimagining

liberal arts education infused with experiential

community, in the places, spaces, programs and

learning, in the heart of Paris, with a global

global partnerships of AUP. “AUP is not a bubble.

outlook that launches confident individuals with

It has always existed in partnerships—with

the curiosity to explore, the passion to engage

global partners, academic partners, non-profits

and the capability to lead.

and companies that offer opportunities for study trips, internships and employment and which share a common set of principles and values with the University,” says Stephens.

AUP’s Plan is to build upon existing partnerships— including with US universities and traditional study abroad programs—as well as to foster new connections that may allow for multi-site, co-awarded degrees, increased pre-professional and professional experiences and more seamless interaction with the local community and the city of Paris. This thrust of the Plan will also be aided by the creation of the Alumni Association, which

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Students, staff, faculty and alumni have all helped build the new Strategic Plan; many through future crafting sessions with University leadership.

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The AUP Retreat helped our community discuss ideas for the future of the University, including artificial intelligence,

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student success and professional development.

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Student Housing

Years over the

The city of Paris has always been a coveted but challenging place to live in, not to mention its historically saturated housing market.

Needless to say, the housing team at AUP has a lot on their plate, and the process of housing hundreds of students each year has drastically changed over the years.

During AUP’s first few decades, students would arrive in Paris, often without a clue as to where they would be living. In the 1980s, explains Marc Montheard, VP of Student Services and Security, the process involved temporarily housing students at youth hostels (the FIAP) or the American House of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris during orientation week until housing counselors could offer students options that met their needs and budget. This involved sifting through a paper binder, lots of phone calls and on-site visits. “It was a zoo!” says Montheard.

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Professor Stephane Treilhou with students on an art history study trip to Madrid and Toledo

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Karen Johnson ‘75, Elizabeth Sharpe ‘77 and Michele Zazwirskz ‘76 dining with the d’Anginé on Boule Mich family

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In the early 2010s, a proper housing program was created in partnership with Blue Stripe Living, a provider that offered hundreds of apartments scattered across the city and managed the entire rental process. However, in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, the provider went bankrupt, leaving the AUP housing team just three months to figure things out!

Since 2021, AUP has managed all the steps of housing internally.

Now, residential options include six different AUP-leased buildings that house only AUP students and three French partner residences, where students mix with people from outside the AUP community– both of which have resident assistants on-site for support and who organize events–as well as apart’hotel options with front-desk staff available 24/7.

As for graduate students and returning students, information sessions on how to find housing are held in the spring, and they are given the opportunity to consult a database–a remnant of the old system–with a list of contacts. “The market has always been difficult, and scams are ever more prevalent,” says Siham Mouahid, Manager of Residential Life, “but we do our best to accompany students without taking over everything for them.”

Learning to live with roommates and navigating Parisian apartment life go hand in hand with the challenges of moving abroad, adjusting to an unfamiliar environment and learning a new language, Mouahid explains. “No A/C in Paris; you’ll have smaller spaces; these are older buildings, and even if renovated, the structures are old. It’s a cramped city; the commute is just a reality. But old also means beautiful and historic; and commuting means that you can explore any part of the city because you know how to use public transportation,” says Mouahid. “All of this is educational.”

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1 Homestays were a common option in AUP’s first few decades, but demand for this housing option has shrunk, as students prefer more independent living.

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1 2 Living in Paris has always been tied to building community. While much has changed in AUP’s housing landscape, shared meals are as common today as they were in the 70s.

3 In the early years, students arrived in Paris without knowing where they would live and were temporarily housed until they could find an apartment.

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4 Students may be housed with other AUP students in shared rooms or shared apartments, as is the case with AUP’s residence on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

4

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5

5 AUP houses students in the 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th arrondissements. The Heliopolis residence features a stunning rooftop, common areas and even a gym.

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6 6 As of Fall 2024, AUP's 12 residences, including Annonciation, featured here, house between 12 and 72 students depending on location. Some exclusively house our students, while partner residences may house individuals from outside the AUP community.

7 For many, housing registration for residences such as Leon Blum, seen here, opens in late spring, and students are informed of their placement by early summer for the fall. The possibility of independent housing still exists, but only in exceptional cases.

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8

8 AUP housing options, such as Musset, above, cater to the needs of current students, whether they are visiting (first year abroad or independent study abroad) or incoming degree-seekers. Graduate students may also consult our housing database to facilitate their apartment search. Resident assistants live in most of the AUP housing options, offer support, and organize activities to help students build community once they arrive in Paris.

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9 Many residences and apartments feature classic Parisian architecture on the inside and outside, as seen here at Jouffroy d'Abbans. Historic housing is beautiful and inspiring, but it also has challenges in terms of space, plumbing, and old fireplaces that are no longer used.

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Technology Human Rights Learn more about AUP‘s UNESCO Chair for Artificial Intelligence & Human Rights

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The intersection between human rights and 21st-century technology represents a dynamic frontier where innovation and ethical considerations converge. As technology permeates every facet of our lives, from communication to healthcare and governance, it profoundly impacts the fulfillment and the protection of our rights. Technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, big data and digital media platforms have the potential to benefit human rights by improving access to knowledge and information, enabling freedom of expression and fostering social inclusion. However, these technologies do not come without significant risks, including but not limited to privacy violations, surveillance and the amplification of biases, which can undermine individual freedoms and exacerbate inequalities. Navigating this complex and rapidly evolving landscape requires a nuanced understanding of how technological progress can both advance and jeopardize human rights. From an academic standpoint, this means considering the intersection and impact of each field on another, which AUP has endeavored to bring into focus with the recent creation of the MSc in Human Rights and Data Science.

With Professors Susan Perry and Claudia Roda—newly appointed UNESCO Co-chairholders for Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights— at the helm, AUP is ideally positioned to train professionals capable of creating the robust legal frameworks and ethical guidelines necessary to ensure that technology serves as a tool for empowerment rather than for oppression.

Through the AUP community’s expertise and decades-long commitment to being present members in the pressing, and sometimes controversial, global conversations around where human rights and technology meet, we find ourselves at the forefront of both fields—promoting social justice and ensuring that technology contributes positively to society.

In what follows, you will discover perspectives from some of the best placed individuals in our community to discuss the issues at hand and the realities present within specific fields.

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Professor Claudia Roda in class

“

“We need to start thinking about where technology is useful and where it is useful for people to make a lot of money” 54

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Dr. Claudia Roda Program Director, MSc in Human Rights and Data Science

Roda’s goal for the Master’s is to make sure

Professor Roda began working at the

field, be they technical-, legal- or business-

crossroads between computer science and cognitive psychology for a study on children’s learning that involved a form of tracking. She immediately became concerned with the abuse of data and connected with Susan Perry,

that graduates, in a position to guide the development of technology, are aware of all the interconnected problems related to the oriented. For her, ethical input-assessment is key. This means working with the people who will be impacted when you want to develop a product and thinking about the consequences of such products at all levels.

Professor of History, Law and Politics, who specializes in human rights.

For Roda, the potential of data to solve social problems is tremendous. “For issues related

Claudia Roda's faculty profile

to access, statistics on abuse, to cure disease, to feed people, data is a gamechanger,” she says. However, the benefits of technological development for human rights do not come without major risks. While EU legislation has been very proactive—GDPR being a model for the rest of the world, and the French CNIL an effective safeguarding mechanism—Roda believes such frameworks need a more robust regulatory system and governance structure firmly rooted in the International Human Rights Framework. “Privacy regulation has come a long way, but it’s still very focused on the individual; the rights of communities must also be taken into account in order to prevent the amplification of disinformation and bias through technology.”

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Nicole Santiago, JD, G ’19 Research Manager at Trilateral Research Nicole Santiago, who holds a JD from Northeastern University, an MA in Diplomacy and International Law from AUP and recently taught at the AUP Summer Institute for Human Rights specializes in international law and human rights. As a student at AUP, she collaborated with Professors Perry and Roda to submit feedback to UN committees and still regularly contributes to debates on human rights at the international level. Currently focused on the ethics of emerging technologies and conducting legal analysis in this field, in her most recent role, she considers how to operationalize ethical recommendations and link them to binding human rights requirements existing at the international, regional and national levels.

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“The focus is 100% on AI at the moment,” she GLINT / Style: Catherine Rochette

says, telling of serious human rights infractions already taking place, such as the use of neurotechnology for the purpose of torture she is working to help expose.

Santiago advocates in particular for a “technology neutral” as opposed to “technology specific” approach to regulation, as in the case of the AI Act recently adopted by the European Commission. She also reaffirms the need for increased predeployment assessments through audits and impact assessments to analyze the intended and unintended uses and abuses of technology as well as the short-term and longterm consequences. One example Santiago highlights is virtual and augmented reality, which is already being used in classrooms.

While it may allow children to learn things in different ways, and perhaps encourage greater engagement, some of the physical and psychological effects (long-term dissociation, development issues, lack of retention) are extremely undesirable. “We must also consider who is designing the interfaces and the content we use,” she cautions.

“

“Technology development has gone mostly Connect with Nicole Santiago on LinkedIn

unregulated and is happening primarily in the private sector; there is a need for balance, and we haven’t struck balance yet.”

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Dr. Agnieszka Kupzok ’04 Senior Manager at Nokia For Agnieska Kupzok, who comes to the field from a background in economics and intellectual property law, any new technological or developmental shift should be accompanied by a reflection on the need for a framework.

“AI needs a framework for ethical use wherever you use it. It is a very exciting time when we are thinking about what we as humans want. There is a need for cogent, evidence-based analysis to determine the parameters for successful use of AI, which is legal and ethical at the same time.”

She underscores the need for the political and governance framework, which should include reflection at the grassroots level as well as more engagement with inventors and developers to thoroughly understand the impact of technology.

One practical use Kupzok sees for AI, which stems from her work on LGBTQI+ rights in Poland, is for AI to be used as part of a video-editing tool for training materials and for the general optimization of human resources to help alleviate some of the overhead cost struggles of non-profit organizations on the ground. Another example of a potential use is language translation to meet the needs of refugees. As Kupzok explains, innovation is a sustainable development goal, and her work at Nokia centers around this principle. “I am always for science and R&D because it brings humanity forward. Some progress is structured, some is unpredictable, and I am very fortunate to witness it and support it in my role at Nokia.”

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“

“Technological progress for humans only means progress if there are humans.”

Connect with Agnieszka Kupzok on LinkedIn

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Chloe Curreri conducting field research in Viñani, Peru

Chloe Curreri G ’24 Founder and CEO, InnovateRights Chloe Curreri is a recent graduate of AUP’s MA in Diplomacy and International Law and has already founded the youth-led, women-led NGO InnovateRights that aims to educate and equip social sector organizations to more effectively drive change.

While at AUP, Curreri completed a field internship in Peru, working in an abandoned government housing project where 10,000 people were still living. Part of her internship involved helping to build the very first school in the area, an endeavor that allowed her to witness first hand how technology could help. She soon began to turn her focus toward making technological tools as accessible as possible in remote locations across Africa, Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe. “If you’re not equipped with technological know-how, you’re suffering from exclusion,” she says. In other words, marginalized communities are the most impacted by injustices. “Technology is clearly exacerbating vulnerability,” she explains, “but at InnovateRights we are looking at ways to empower people with technological tools without creating new vulnerabilities or new problems.” InnovateRights currently has a team of 15 people who are on the way to greater impact through partnerships in various countries.

Connect with Chloe Curreri on LinkedIn

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Yann Lechelle ’93 Founder and CEO at Probabl For entrepreneur Yann Lechelle, how we manage technology reflects the geo-economics and geopolitics of the places where the technology emerges. He is particularly interested in how shared European and North American values, tightly correlated to democracy and human rights, can be applied to technological development. “Value capture takes place through data capture,” he says. As founder of several European tech companies and now exclusive brand operator of Scikit-learn.org, a French-built open-source framework used for AI (machine learning), he expresses the need to build this industry around the values that drive European society—and with awareness and responsibility. “Technology is knowledge, but not if it is a black box,” he says, insisting on the role of technological education and awareness at the societal level to avoid knowledge getting captured and content spoon-fed to us.

Lechelle recognizes that AI is a slippery slope but highlights that this is especially the case because companies are left unchecked. “AI has a tendency to become exponential; the danger is that it may hijack the very foundational basis of our societal constructs, in particular democracy.” For Lechelle, the European AI Act was produced quite quickly and has a lot of strong ideas but remains complex. “We need to continue to raise awareness and place guardrails without stifling innovation,” he says.

Connect with Yann Lechelle on LinkedIn

“

“Eyes wide open, AIs wide open.”

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Jessica Kaisairis G ’14

that technology will continue to be a force

Senior Product Manager at Microsoft AI

for good. “AI will bring people together and further widen access to information and

After completing an internship at UNESCO in

education,” she affirms, “but Responsible AI

the Communication and Information division,

measures must be leveraged at every step of

Jessica Kaisaris entered the tech world at

the product development process in order to

Farmerline in Accra, where she worked on

ensure AI systems are reliable, private, secure,

empowering smallholder farmers in Ghana.

inclusive, transparent and accountable.” All the

Since then she has returned to Paris to work

while reaffirming her strong belief that local

in various tech startups, including Octoly,

entrepreneurs can change the world and that

where she launched an online marketplace for

technology will be the driving force of their

micro-influencers, and AppNexus (acquired

impact, she warns that “the private sector, civil

by Microsoft in 2022), where she works with

society, researchers, technologists, individuals

machine learning engineers to automate ad trust

and especially governments must all work

and safety platform policies.

together to stay informed of the ethical risks and implications of AI in society so that human

Despite her concerns over non-stop data

rights are protected by design.”

breaches, the malicious use of AI, such as prompt injection attacks, and the environmental harms associated with the carbon cost of computing large models, Kaisaris firmly believes

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Connect with Jessica Kaisaris on LinkedIn

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Alumni stories from across six continents

CLASS NOTES

Ready for a walk down the Champs Elysées? Email alumni@aup.edu and let us know if you’re coming back to Paris

Do you have an update for your fellow alumni? Share it with us by visiting aup.edu/class-notes.

If you have any questions about the Class Notes section, don't hesitate to contact us at alumni@aup.edu.

CLASS NOTES BARBARA FREMINEUR (BRUNI) ’64 After AUP (a wonderful school where I met my three best girlfriends), I attended George Washington University where I majored in economics and minored in African politics. Then, I married a high school sweetheart and worked at Yale in the economics department before

took a week-long yacht trip in the BVI. Weekend trips included Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and Cambria. We live in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains of California with a house on the river.

Please come share a glass of wine with us if you are in the area.

ROBERT HERTZKA ’68

moving to Manhattan and getting an MBA

My wife, Linda Lockhart, and I work for

at Columbia Business School. For the last

the non-profit Global Give Back Circle

44 years, I’ve been married to a Belgian.

(GGBC) that she started in 2006 in

And I live in Honolulu!

Kenya. We mentor and support at-risk girls through high school, university or

GRANT PLEMONS ’64

trade schools. The organization got a major boost thanks to the Clinton Global Initiative, where Linda appeared on stage at the opening with Bill Clinton, and then grew rapidly with the help of USAID and many corporate sponsors, including over 1500 mentors from Microsoft! The program is a huge success and is inducing a major cultural change that we hope to expand throughout East Africa. On top of this, two years ago my wife was selected

Our 2022 HWY 9 Dry Rosé won a Double

out of 10,000+ applicants to the Forbes

Gold Medal in the 2024 SF Chronicle

50 over 50 Program celebrating 50 women

Winemaking Contest, and our 2020

over 50 who have started a new career

Tempranillo won a Silver Medal. Donna

(Linda worked in banking before this bug

and I continue to enjoy our winemaking

took her over!)

journey which has resulted in gold, silver and bronze medals in 2022 and 2023.

This past year we traveled to Athens and Paris for the alumni reunion, to the South American wine country and

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Have a look at our website

Years 1964 - 1975

RHICKE S. JENNINGS ’74

ANNE ZEDLER ’75

Following that transformative year in the City of Light, I returned to the US and completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees in business at Chaminade University of Honolulu.

Little did I know that my career would take me across the globe, primarily with FedEx Express, on ten international assignments across Asia and Europe, eventually leading me to retire as a country managing director in 2021. For the past 44 years, I have been happily married to my wonderful wife, Lisa. We have two incredible children. Lisa and I are now retired in the city of Porto, Portugal, where we continue to indulge in our passion for travel, and I pursue my lifelong love of scuba diving. Additionally, I take great joy in mentoring students at AUP. I have remained friends with my AUP flatmate, Chip Jordan. I am filled with gratitude for the experiences and relationships that have shaped my life.

My two years at AUP (1973-75), then ACP, were the most meaningful years of my life. I lived at 24, rue du Laos chez Mlle Baston with two fellow students. It was a most memorable time! The plan was two years in Paris and then back to Heidelberg, Germany. Instead, I stayed 20 years! Thanks to my wonderful AUP professor of psychology, Dr. George Allyn, and his fascinating classes, I stayed in Paris to study psychology and built my life in this fantastic city. I finally left Paris in 2009 to teach at universities in Germany and France. For the past 15 years, I have worked as a psychotherapist at a private practice near Munich.

Through these years and the knowledge gained from my clients, I was inspired to write a book on resilience. I can only say “Merci Paris! Merci AUP!”

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CLASS NOTES VICTORIA VARVARIV MARKOWICZ ’77

DOROTHY (DOTTIE HALLEY) OHLRICH ’80

After leaving AUP, I went on to attend the École des Beaux Arts and got the equivalent of a Masters and a Doctorate in Aesthetics and Fine Arts at the Sorbonne. I got married in Vienna, Austria, in 1988 and my daughter was born there in 1997. I have had over 50 one-woman exhibits of my artwork in Geneva; Washington, DC; NYC; Philadelphia; Chicago; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Toronto; Edmonton; Ottawa and other cities. Before getting married, I lived in Paris, Florence and Venice.

Professor Bob Toth taught me calculus in After getting married I lived in Bucharest,

my first year in 1979-80. I loved the way

Romania; Mons, Belgium; Bratislava,

he taught, and the second semester I

Slovakia; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Tbilisi,

ended up tutoring ACP students per his

Georgia. Since spring of 2017, I have

recommendation. After being a French

lived in Alexandria, Virginia, and Bethany

major and going to law school for one

Beach, Delaware.

year, I ended up becoming a math tutor.

I would love to get in touch with him

KAREN RAMOS ZURO ’78 A year ago my husband passed away, and I am looking to move to Colorado to be nearer to my daughter, son-in-law and 6-month granddaughter once I have sold

and thank him for his awesome way of teaching. It made an indelible impression.

I loved the one year I spent at AUP (then ACP) and wish I could have done all four years there. Looking forward to being there 45 years later next April!

my house in Cape Coral, Florida. Yet, for now, it is hurricane season, so I may be here for a while!

BEVERLY (BEVI) INGRAM ’85 Greetings AUP people! I graduated from AUP with a BA in International

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Years 1977 - 1988

Relations in 1985. Since then, I have been an entrepreneur and educator.

REBECA GRILLET ’87

I am an expert in this area and have

I recently had a mini reunion with

loved coaching and teaching the English

classmates from my time at AUP!

language at MBA and professional programs, community colleges and 1-1 coaching through language schools for professionals and refugees. I specialize in intermediate-advanced levels and American culture. I offer 1-1 goal-based lessons targeted specifically to the needs of the client. After years of working for others, I am ready to go out on my own and open an English language coaching business for professionals! I am

REBECCA CAMHI ’88

particularly interested in reaching nonnative English speakers in business and government/diplomacy. If you would be so kind as to offer suggestions, I’d love to hear anything that pops into your head about this new project and look forward to connecting!

Connect with Beverly Ingram on LinkedIn

I live in Athens, Greece, a progressive European country; however, the legislation on same-sex marriage was not passed until very recently. With my partner Marina, we have been together for 8 years and did a civil union contract (before the marriage legislation passed),

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CLASS NOTES which we decided to celebrate with 250 friends and family at the yacht club in Athens, which has an amazing venue

TEODOR (TONY) MASSAD ’95

overlooking the sea and sunset. I feel like it is important to share this information not only because it is nice to be in touch with old schoolmates but because still today there are people who cannot live their life the way they want to.

THOMAS FULLER ’92 Penguin Random House published my first book, The Boys of Riverside, in August 2024.

The book follows members of a deaf high school football team in Southern California and their quest for a championship. I took seven months off from my job as a reporter for The New York Times to follow the team and write the book. I am based in the East Bay of San Francisco.

I had my first son in 2021, Zander Khalil, and my second in 2022, Izaak Jamil Massad. Since I went back to university in 2013, I have been happily married to my sweetheart, Meagan, who is an amazing mother, wife and BSN nurse! We are living the dream with rental properties and vacation rentals in Aruba, Dutch Caribbean. I am looking for interns to learn real estate investing and entrepreneurship.

I am also working with another AUP alumni to publish books. Later this year, I expect to launch an online course.

Check out the book

EDWARD FEHLIG ’96 I am an attorney with law offices in Saint Louis and Kansas City, Missouri.

I have an international legal practice with an emphasis on immigration, estate planning, and criminal defense. I spent my junior and senior years of college at Saint Louis University in Madrid and

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Years 1992 - 2001

graduated from The American University

My book on traveling by night train,

of Paris. I am fluent in Spanish and

Nachtzugtage (Days on the Night Train),

French and have clients from around

will be published by Friedenauer Presse/

the world. My time at AUP gave me

Matthes & Seitz Berlin in August. It

an international outlook and network,

recounts the high and low lights of my

which I have maintained to this day.

many long-haul train trips throughout Europe over the course of the last thirty years and reflects upon the expansion of time, space, and experience when choosing to travel slowly.

Check out the book

PAUL CURE ’01 View Edward Fehlig's website

Paul Cure is now the Chair of Strategic Partnerships at the Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado (Boulder). Now in its 77th year, the

MILLAY HYATT ’96

Conference hosts thought leaders, influencers and entrepreneurs to discuss how best to address and solve the current challenges facing the world.

Learn more about the Conference on World Affairs

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CLASS NOTES MARGARET M. FENNER ’02

After 8 years in the field working

Bonjour! My time at AUP truly helped me

investment education for females, I

navigate many international experiences,

started at Feminvest in 2023 (www.

particularly as they relate to my new

feminvest.se). It is the biggest investing

passion for aviation. I became a pilot

network in the Nordics, and I will

in 2018 and have flown and traveled to

be focusing on strengthening the

many destinations. Merci!

Norwegian division. We have podcasts,

for equality in the workplace and in

magazines, conferences in all the biggest Nordic cities; memberships for entrepreneurs, advanced investors and beginners; smaller events; a Run for Female Ownership; and we recently launched a Fund (Feminvest Ventures) that will invest in 50% female-owned businesses! If you are interested in collaborating, or want to know more about memberships, partnerships or the fund, please contact me.

Connect with Jeanette Grendahl on LinkedIn

JEANETTE GRENDAHL ’05 CAITLIN WARE ’07

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Years 2002 - 2011

I just graduated from the Université

the coming months and building our farm

Paris Cité with a PhD in psychoanalysis

system with more local apiary partners.

and psychopathology under the supervision of Professor Paul-Laurent Assoun. My research centers on how bilingualism affects the psyche and how learning a second language promotes neuroplasticity. In January, my research was cited in the New York Times.

RACHEL HUSSEY ’10 I recently accepted an administrative assistant position at the Allied & Rehabilitative Health Department at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Working on the island where I grew up and

Check out the article

fostering relationships with the surrounding community are just a few of the perks of this exciting new endeavor for me.

CODY DAMON G ’09 JENNIFER LAUREN G ’11 In 2024 my edited volume Global Youth Protest, Climate and Education will be published by Routledge.

After selling my digital ad agency, Media Cause, I have moved on to my next venture, honey! I launched Outfield Apiaries this summer as a honey brand that sources honey from all over the United States (www.outfieldapiaries.com).

We partner with family-owned apiaries to create a subscription-based honey delivery service. Our brand mirrors the small towns and communities of minor league baseball with each of our partner apiaries having their own queen bee that tells the story of that region. We’re looking forward to scaling our business in

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CLASS NOTES JENNIFER COOK G ’12

My husband, AJ Mesiti, and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl—Louisa James—on

See more of my work

August 30, 2023. We currently live in Brooklyn, where I am a buyer in the fashion industry. We can’t wait to make it back to Paris with Louisa soon to show her where Mom lived and went to school for a bit!

PATRICK JOSHUA LASKEY G ’16 I will be joining the faculty of Wharton

RACHEL RIXEN G ’15 I’m a professional watercolor artist based

County Junior College outside Houston, Texas, where I’ll teach English, Humanities, and Theater.

in Chicago, and I was selected for an artist residency at La Maison de Beaumont in Beaumont-de-Pertuis, France, in summer of 2024. After attending AUP (during which time I met my now husband, a wonderful Paris memory), I spent many years working in law and made the transition into the art world in the fall of 2023. This residency was an indispensable opportunity to take a break from city life and live in the tranquility of the Luberon, to connect with the other artists-in-residence and to reconnect with the French language.

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JOAN STEIGER G ’18

Years 2012 - 2020

I started as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State in April 2024.

As a newly minted diplomat, I’ll be moving for my first assignment at the consulate.

Do you have an update for your fellow alumni?

MICHELAH BROWN ’19

Share it with us by visiting aup.edu/class-notes

to Lagos, Nigeria, at the end of the summer

I am continuing to make my way in the music industry. I have recently played Sofar Sounds shows in Madeira, Portugal and in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

KATE BUTCHARD G ’20 I am soon to be married to Emmanuel Maloba. An official wedding is taking place in Canada, and a traditional ceremony is planned for Kenya.

Class Note s

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ALUMNI WEEKEND

2025

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to reminisce and relive your student days in Paris. Join us to reconnect, spark new connections with friends from across six decades of AUP’s rich history and enjoy networking opportunities, celebrations, and academic and cultural programming.

Whether you graduated last year or fifty years ago, this weekend has something for everyone.

Alumni from all decades and programs are welcome and encouraged to attend. Those from graduation years ending in 0 and 5 will be celebrating milestone years. Don’t miss out!

APRIL 24-26

aup.edu/aw25

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