Following graduation, Austin Ray (B.S., applied mathematics, ’13) founded an education finance policy nonprofit, EdBuild. The nonprofit helped governors and legislators make sure more money went to public schools serving low-income students. Ray is now returning to school to earn an MBA at Duke University.
Austin Sendek (B.S. physics, ‘12) was named to Forbes annual 30 Under 30 list of individuals making an impact in the field of energy. Sendek founded his own company, AIONICS, which develops machine learning platforms for accelerating new battery designs.
The Rev. Mae Elise Cannon (Ph.D., history, ’14), executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, wrote "A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land" (Cascade Books, 2017).
Sertan Usanmaz (B.A., political science and international relations, ’17) is an associate government program analyst for the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee in the State Treasurer’s Office in Sacramento.
Joe Sasto (B.A., communication, ’10) was a contestant on the latest season of Bravo’s Top Chef television series, making it to the Final 3 before exiting the show.
May Wilson (MFA, art, ’13) has won the 2017 San Francisco Artist Award from the San Francisco Art Dealers Association (SFADA). As winner, she will have a solo exhibition at the Themes + Projects gallery, Minnesota Street Project, 1275 Minnesota St., Sept. 9 – 30. Wilson creates sculptures and installations with industrial materials — vinyl, industrial felt, nylon strapping, sand and concrete. Around 30 artists were nominated for the biennial award by art professionals, collectors and other artists.
Eva Mehl (Ph.D., history, ’11), an assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, wrote Forced Migration in the Spanish Pacific World: From Mexico to the Philippines, 1765-1811 (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
Photographer Jason Engelund (M.F.A., art, `13) has been selected to exhibit artworks in “Boundless: A California Invitational” at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. The exhibition runs Oct. 15, 2016 – Jan. 29, 2017. “I use photography as a metaphor for the mind’s camera eye and my process is abstraction,” Engelund said. “Images are made with film and created in camera through multiple exposure. I compose a piece by taking multiple shots on one film frame and combine together different elements from the seascape and the sun.”
Ofunne Okwudiafor (B.A., communication, ’11) was recently featured in a BuzzFeed article about her new app, Cocoa Swatches, that helps people of color select makeup. A recent graduate of Columbia University's Master of Science in Communications Practice, she blogs at ofunneamaka.com.
James Rizzo (B.A., political science, ’15) has won a prestigious new scholarship for a year's graduate study in Beijing at one of China's leading universities. Rizzo is one of the 111 members of the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars selected from more than 3,000 applicants worldwide.
