MARIE LI ’15 Marie Li ’15 most definitely did not throw away her shot … to sing at the home of none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda in October! The dream sequence began earlier in the month when the “Hamilton” creator and star emailed and tweeted at her Columbia University a cappella group, Notes and Keys, to invite them to perform at his father-in-law’s retirement party, to be held outside his apartment. Here’s more on the experience from Li: “His father-in-law is a big fan of a cappella, so Lin wanted to surprise him with our performance! He requested one song, which we arranged and performed, along with a few others from our set list. We met up with his assistant and she led us to his apartment, where we warmed up and got to meet his dog and see his piano. “Then, he came back from the party and met up with us, talked to us for a bit, and instructed us on how the gig was going to happen (when/where we would come in, how he would introduce us, etc.). We took a group picture and he let us play with his Grammy, Emmy, and Tony! “Then later when it was time to perform, his assistant led us outside and we performed for a bunch of his family, friends, and neighbors!”
Tim Johnston ’79 Congratulations to alumnus Tim Johnston ’79, who won the 2017 International Book Award for Best Short Fiction for his shortstory collection, Friday Afternoon and Other Stories. To learn more, go to bit.ly/timjohnston.
Kimari Jones ’14 Who’s that standing between Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine? DA alumnus Kimari Jones ’14! Jones will be among the inaugural graduating class of the University of Southern California’s Iovine and Young Academy in May, which the music moguls founded to bridge the gap between music and technology. Jones helped the music heavyweights celebrate the groundbreaking of a new building for the academy in October. Jones is working on ways to disrupt the arts with a video game where workers go head to head with their bosses. Learn more about what Kimari has been up to at USC at bit.ly/kimarijones.
Bryce Polascik ’16 As a Duke University sophomore, Bryce Polascik ’16 is already making a name for himself in the biomedical research field. Polascik is part of a Duke team that is evaluating the superficial and deep retinal vasculature of the eye; it’s believed that such imaging may be used as a biomarker to diagnose Alzheimer’s before a person develops symptoms. For more information, visit bit.ly/brycepolascik.
62
Durham Academy // Winter 2018