Alumni in the News: April 10, 2023

On April 5, Dr. Jennifer Ashton ’91, PS’00, HN’16 was honored with the American Heart Association’s 2023 Woman Changing the World Award. Ashton is the chief medical correspondent for ABC News.

Lionesses are in The New York Times! Alicia Weilerstein ’04 was the subject of a March 24 feature, “A Cellist Breaks Music into ‘Fragments,’ Then Connects Them.” Weilerstein performed a solo concert at Zankel Hall on April 1. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela ’00 was the subject of the March 10 article “A History Professor Takes On Hollywood.” Petrzela is an associate professor of history at the New School; she often presents her research through podcasts and other media outlets.

On March 15, it was announced that Eric Garcetti ’92, SIPA’93, the former mayor of Los Angeles, was confirmed by the Senate to become the U.S. ambassador to India. Garcetti was confirmed with a vote of 52 to 42. “The United States-India relationship is extremely important,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). “It’s a very good thing we now have an ambassador.”

Writer Kelly Link ’91 was profiled in the March 14 Vulture article “The Fabulist in the Woods.” Link was a MacArthur “genius” grant awardee in 2018 and a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2016; her latest book of short stories, White Cat, Black Dog, was released on March 28.

On February 21, it was announced that Phillip Lopate ’64 was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Lopate will be inducted at the academy’s annual ceremony on May 24.

Rachel Silverstein ’06 was named a 2023 Elevate Prize winner on January 23; she was recognized as a global leader for her impact as a social entrepreneur with Miami Waterkeeper, a nonprofit that advocates for clean water and ecosystem protection. Silverstein received a $300,000 unrestricted grant to continue her work and $200,000 in support services to help her reach a wider audience.