ephexpedition2014

[ephexpedition2014]

The Last Post

We don't have to tell you, our well-traveled reader, that it's not just anyone who makes a decent adventure buddy. How lucky that the two of us have been so compatible: K drives, M blogs. K photographs, M talks. Both eat (shout out to the West Coast for keeping us so well fed. We'll never forget those cream puffs).

As we write our final goodbye, we'd like to say a HUGE thank-you to the Williams alumni of the West Coast for their incredible hospitality!

Another big thanks to our colleagues in AR for supporting us in this grand adventure, and an even bigger thanks to Brooks Foehl '88 (Director of Alumni Relations) who for some reason allowed two crazy gals to hit the road on behalf of Williams College, snap some photos, blog a little, eat a lot.  He won't take credit, but he should.

We would be remiss not to acknowledge the loyalty of our readers (d'awww), even though we still sometimes think you're figments of our wild imaginations.  We type in the hope that someone somewhere is paying attention.

See below for a photo trail of our time together.  If you can't tell from our positioning in the photos, we have our preferred sides.

Though as evidenced below, maybe we don't really have bad sides ;P Credit to K's bestie Jamie Baik '14 for making such a fantastic "movie poster":

What a great ride. Thanks for following us on this (hopefully!) blockbuster hit! We hope the critics (you) have enjoyed it.

Always,

Keelia Willison Riegg '14

Michelle Almeida '13

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One in 28,000: Keelia W. Riegg '14, the Expeditioner

It has been 12 wonderful days of plenty of sunshine, alumni, Beyoncé, and most importantly, long car rides and deep conversations with the one and only, Keelia Riegg ’14. You’ll forgive me for bragging about her. Please don’t close your browser. 

Michelle: Tell me one thing you learned about Williams during this two week trip. 

Keelia: I think it’s something I "knew" during my time at Williams, though it has taken me some time to figure out. Every single person has a story, like what Suenn ’85 and Ko ’09 have talked about. And I don’t just mean everyone has a story and some are really boring while others are exotic and fascinating. They’re all worth listening to, and if you listen long enough, you’ll find that fascinating thing even if you don’t notice it at first. And after you notice, you’ll kick yourself for not seeing it right away. 

This trip has highlighted that pretty constantly. Everyone has been amazing and no one has had a straight path. And we get to hear about it. 

M: What is something you learned about yourself? I’m just assuming this two-week adventure has been transformative.

K: I really do like listening to country music in the car. It’s not a guilty pleasure anymore. I also found out I can’t get sick of purple and yellow. I have these Williams goggles and I think you [Michelle] have them, too. Flowers, plates, clothing, whatever--anything purple and yellow, I notice. 

M: You’ve taken over as Alumni Relations Coordinator. What are you excited about? What didn’t you expect? What scares you about it? I think a good job does all three. 

K: I’m excited to get to know Alumni Relations better. 

M: Its staff or its purpose?

K: I meant staff because they are the friendliest bunch, but also purpose. Something unexpected? Much of work doesn’t feel like work, it’s just fun which makes me think I’m not working hard, or I’m a good fit. 

I’m nervous about admin things like, p card reconciliation, or sending intercampus mail. But I know I don’t need to be afraid. Everyone is so willing to teach me. Take Juan (Baena ’07), for example!  He has been so patient. I knock on his door constantly and each time it's like I'm there for the first time. He just hops out of his chair and comes right to my office to show me how to turn my computer on. Literally. 

Whenever I tell people about my job, I can tell they’re jealous ‘cause obviously I have the best job in the world.

M: Obviously. 

K: Obviously. 

M: What is a favorite moment from our Expedition tour?

K: I think the moment when we decided to go to the Beyoncé concert 

(we appropriately erupted into a fit of cheering and dancing)

K: It wasn’t just going to Beyoncé; it was the spirit of "let’s go and do something crazy and spontaneous." I feel like a lot of our trip has been us doing exactly that. This whole trip was basically you [Michelle] taking the initiative and organizing events around that idea of whimsical adventure with a solid mission behind it. But then that’s also what all these alumni have been doing, too. They just went, ‘oh I’ll just casually move to the West Coast and keep being amazing’.

And so that moment when we were kind of staring at each other, deciding to purchase the tickets, was so exciting for me. Of course the concert was amazing too. 

***

Keelia W. Riegg, I can’t believe it took me this long to spend this much time with you. I find you thoughtful, I find you thought-provoking, I find you graceful, I find you quirky and adorable. I’m so glad to see that I’m leaving the work of Alumni Relations Coordinator in mighty strong hands. 

[ephexpedition2014]

One in 28,000: Michelle Almeida '13, the Expeditioner

I’ve known Michelle for years (she was one of the first people I met on my freshman move-in day!), but there are still things I learned about her over our 2-week non-stop West Coast adventure, and as this is the last day *tear* of the Expedition 2014, I’d love to share them with you:

Number 1: she’s pretty much always adorable.

See?  I snapped this shot just as a test to correct the camera settings, and ended up with a classic joyful-Michelle photo.  It’s so unfair how some people are always photogenic.

Number 2: she’s piles of fun.  How many people would organize a two-week adventure on the West Coast, bring along a purple cow, and be willing to hop into a tractor?

She’s also the queen of finding the best gifs to use in our blog posts, and I think that skill demands an extremely fun personality, eg:

Number 3: she tells it like it is, and that’s always a good thing.  It means you’ll never be in doubt whether she actually likes the radio station you’ve just chosen.  It means you’ll be kept laughing pretty constantly as she opens up about everything she finds funny (including herself).

It also means that you’ll have countless meaningful conversations, and that when she says something like, “Keels, I’m so glad we got to do this trip together,” your heart will just melt because you’ll know she really means it. Michelle, you’ve taught me so much, you’ve made me laugh (understatement), and you’ve taken me on one of the best adventures of my life.  I am so, so glad we got to do this trip together. =)

[ephexpedition2014]

A Message from Ephelia

Ephelia asked me to tell you that she’s flattered so many of her photos have been on Williams’ social media.  She says it makes her blush. She also says that she has the best job in the world, i.e. getting to hug and hang out with the friendliest family ever.   She really enjoyed meeting some new Ephs in San Diego yesterday afternoon...

...as well as reuniting with alumni who attended the Send-Off!

Finally, she says that yes, the West Coast is a bit hot for a cow sometimes, but she wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.  The combination of incredible travel adventures and “fantabulous” company (her word, not mine) makes it infinitely worth it!

Stay classy, Ephs!

Keelia

[ephexpedition2014]

One in 28,000: Chris Simmons '13

It’s unclear how Chris Simmons ’13 and I even became friends, never mind how we managed to stay friends throughout Williams and after. Those who know us know that we’re quite an odd pairing. He’s a multi-sport athlete, a poet, a musician, a visual arts and media buff from California while I am none of those things (no one counts singing in the show right?):

What is clear, however, is while we are terrible at phone calls, texts, carrier pigeons, or any other method of communication, we’re willing to try this thing called ‘keeping in contact’ for the sake of not losing what has been such a strangely beautiful relationship. We sound like we’re in love, don’t we? I promise this is so incredibly platonic. 

While vacationing in Los Angeles After working very hard at the 2018 send-off party, Chris and I caught up on the coolest rooftop bar I’ve ever been to…granted it is the only rooftop bar I’ve ever been to. As per usual, we bickered for most of his interview. He poked my nose, and I pretended to be annoyed. We have opposing viewpoints on the JA and entry system so that took up ten minutes. We have opposing viewpoints on Williams College as an institution; this disagreement has been going on for five years but still managed to take up another ten minutes. 

Once we settled down, I asked him one question and he gave me one lovely response:

Michelle: What is the essence of Chris Simmons?

Chris: I don’t think I can give the essence of Chris Simmons in one sentence. 

M: Well good, you’re complex. I wouldn’t be friends with you if you could put the whole of your being into one sentence.   

C: Ok so the whole of my being into one...

M: No! I don’t want you to do it. Fine, try. But I won’t like it. 

C: I’m just trying to live and still make it into heaven. That comes from a conversation with my pops. He said he’d send me money while I was at college. I insisted I was low-maintenance and didn’t need that. His response was ‘I can give it to the cable-man, the light-man, the water-man. All that will stay the same. Forget him. I’d rather give it you.’ I told him how much I appreciated that and he said, ‘At the end of the day, I’m just trying to live and still make it into heaven.’

M: Aww ok I like it.

***

One minute after this, Chris had to head out to meet another girl for a movie.

See? I told you this was platonic. 

Stay tuned, 

M

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It's the little things, really. 

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One in 28,000: Gillian Wood '14

Gillian is one of my randomly close friends--in the best sense.  We basically bumped into each other often enough to realize that we saw the world in similar ways, laughed at the same things, were both film and literature nerds, and in general really loved hanging out.  Boom, random friendship. When I asked her about her transition from senior year to post-grad life, she responded in excellent English Major form:

“The number one way I have described my 'transition' to friends is to compare it to those vampire/werewolf 'transitions' we read about and see in the movies. You know how once they are bitten or something they freak out and don’t know what’s happening and go through this kind of painful transition then come out the other side all stoked to have new powers and freedom? My transition from 'Williams College Undergrad' to 'adult' has kind of been like that… At first I was a little disoriented and didn’t know what I was going to do next. Then I started really enjoying my (temporary) lack of obligations, then moved to job applications and interviews, and am now happily settled with a new job. I loved Williams but am completely ready for this next phase.”

Go get ‘em, girl.  And don’t forget to come visit us all in Wtown every once in a while. =)

[ephexpedition2014]

Bugs and Beaches

Michelle and I enjoyed LA's stunning sights from inside this cheerful vintage bug:

Michelle was just about ready to steal the "Baby Blue" bug from Chih McDermott ’14, a classmate and good friend of mine who hosted us during our LA stay.

Send-off #2 in LA was a grand old time.  More freshmen, so more of this:

My fondest memories of the event are:

a) the many conversations I had with the new ‘18s about entries, extracurriculars, and climate

b) the tiny gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches that were served (I ate at least eleven)

c) the number of Williams alumni who showed up to welcome the freshmen to the family.  Gosh golly gee, I love Williams.

Such fun.

Stay classy, Ephs!

Keelia

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One in 28,000: Jack Rudolph '11

Who wouldn't want to visit an avocado farm and hear a few of Jack Rudolph's stories?  Michelle and I are the luckiest Ephs in the world.  Turns out Jack also grows tomatoes, cantaloupes, and dozens of other fruits.  We were so hoping he'd let us sample an avocado or two, and the gentleman gave us a huge goody bag full of the best oranges and avocados we'd ever tasted. We stood in rooms filled with things like this:

#heaven.  This place...

...is simply the coolest.

After graduating as an economics major in 2011, Jack decided to use his major in a less traditional way, and in case you can't tell already, it's worked out pretty fantastically.  The family of workers he's helped bring together on his ranch is exceedingly friendly, for example:

This goat was so excited to see us, she stuck her head right through the fence.

Every dog, pig, and goat has a name (the above goat is either Basil, Allspice, Clove, or Broccoli--we can't remember which, unfortunately).  We had the pleasure of meeting a few human members of the community, too, including one of Jack's entrymates who's working with him for the summer. 

Jack told us that everyone who works on the ranch lives on the ranch, and sure enough, right beside the barns were homes with gardens overflowing with flowers and produce.  Jack pointed out some wild grapes:

It was literally like this everywhere: gorgeous sunshine and bright, plump fruit hanging from every bush, tree, and vine.

Jack, you're doing amazing work.  We wish you the best of luck with your ranch (especially with your new coffee plant babies!), and cannot thank you enough for having us over!

Stay classy, Ephs!,

Keelia

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One in 28,000: Danielle Diuguid '11

Seeing my darling JA, Danielle Diuguid '11 brought me right back to freshman year. However, instead of stress-eating at snack bar, we were elegantly sipping complimentary wine (thanks to our new friends at the University Club) on a balcony over-looking San Francisco. 

We caught up on life; she’s now leading an environmental education program in area elementary schools, while I’m just hopping around waiting to see what happens. She offered whatever guidance she could, in true JA-fashion. We caught up on relationships (romantic and otherwise), in true friend-fashion. We commented on how delicious the cheese was, in true foodie-fashion. We reflected on our shared entry-experience, in true Williams-fashion. 

Michelle: I can’t believe you listened to me, all those times. I must have exhausted you but I appreciate that you were so patient. I remember thinking, “She’s still paying attention?" As difficult as the entry was for me, I understand that it wasn’t easy for you. I feel like the following year was about ‘recovery’, so to speak, for all parties involved. 

Danielle: Yeah, it was a really intense year for me. [Kwame Poku ’11 and I] weren’t really sure what experience we were meant to create for you and your peers,...my peers, and when the entry’s views didn’t align and when we had people who were so passionate about what they did or didn’t want, it became hard to please everyone involved. You all really cared about it, which looking back is beautiful and rare. People were fighting for what they wanted and what they believed. 

Coming from a place of wanting to please and make the best of a situation for people, I realized that in this instance I wasn’t going to succeed at that. It taught me that living with discomfort, and this is my four-years-out reflection, is a positive experience. That’s the most trying and that’s where the most learning happens. Our entry gave so much growth and perspective to all of our freshman, in various ways. In some ways that is what the entry system is meant to do and what it can do best.

M: What you’re saying is so interesting. Looking back, we were very invested. But we were such different people and were forced to negotiate between our competing visions for life at Williams. It was messy, though maybe the entry did was it was supposed to do. 

D: It still affects my life. It comes up often, I reference the experience often. It is very present in my thoughts. At that moment in my life, nothing I was doing was going as planned and that was the resilience thing I would learn. It was the most powerful and most painful thing I had been through in a long time. 

(At this point the free wine came. Very appropriate timing.)

M: What are you most proud of from your time at Williams?

D: Probably my work around transitions and making students feel welcomed, working towards a more inclusive community. I worked on various committees related to the entry system, JA advisory system, admission, first-generation and students of color. I was straight with them about some of the difficulties they’d experience. I’m most proud of being honest. I'm proud of working towards the injustices that appear on campus.

….this is some good wine, huh?

M: Delicious. We should toast. To growth and maturity. To you.

D: And to you. Cheers. 

***

Danielle, you will always be such a special person to me and to much of Armstrong-Pratt 1. It’s easier to call someone a strong JA when their entry becomes fast friends or completely checks out. For the most part, AP-1 was not and did not so thank you for staying committed.

Stay tuned, 

M

[ephexpedition2014]

Two in 28,000: Jen Bees '08 and Pei-Ru Ko '09

No one likes a party crasher but if they come as friendly as Jen Bees ’08 and Peu-Ru Ko ’09, it wouldn’t be so bad. These two members of the original Expedition tour back in 2009, felt like old friends of ours. As often happens when old friends catch up, we jumped between topics, barely finishing sentences before one would interrupt with a memory from college or an anecdote from the Expedition while the others broke into a laughing fit. Here we share only a tiny snippet of our conversation. We promised that at least 75% would remain off the record (as much for our benefit as for theirs). 

Keelia and Michelle: Brooks (Dir. of Alumni Relations) emailed us about your interest in coming to the 2018 send-off and I mean, duh! That’s not a question.

Ko: You asked, Jen? I just showed up (laughs).

K&M: You are always welcome! We want to know about the very first Expedition you led with Jason Kohn ’08 and Emily Flynn ’09.

K: Um… it was exhausting, but full of memories!

Jen: Yup, ours was a lot longer. We did something like 23 cities in 25 days. And we also had professors come along for the ride. Joe Cruz, Will Dudley…

K: Ed Burger. We applaud them for road tripping with a bunch of new grads. 

J: I mean we had plenty of space; we were driving a big van (not a cute little VW like us =P). We were so proud ‘cause we could blog from the car. That was a big deal.

K&M: That’s still a big deal! To us at least. But 23 cities? You met so many alums. Tell us about them!

K: It was interesting because there were people who had never been to an alumni event or back to campus. 

J: But for some reason they came out to meet us on the Expedition!

K&M: Any funny Expedition stories?

J: Haha, well we missed a stop. For some reason it wasn’t on our schedule so we were four hours away when we realized the event started in an hour. 

K: We just kept it moving. Sorry Charlotte, NC!

K&M: What? You missed a stop? But what can you do…Thankfully that hasn’t happened to us, we just keep forgetting to give the thank you gifts. So now we have to ship hats to the various hosts and alumni profiles.

J: Oh you’re staying with alumni too? Fun!

K&M: Yes! They’re all so kind. They feed us and give us warm beds…let us come to their cabins. We’re so grateful.

K: What’s blogging like for you? 

K&M: We think people read it. Unclear. If they do, we’re sure they’ll want to know what you’ve been up to since graduation and since the inaugural Expedition. 

K: I just started “Real Foods, Real Stories.” Its purpose is to help sustainable food producers, who face a lot of challenges surviving, to help them articulate who they are, why they do what they do, and connect with consumers in a way that inspires them to be advocates and invest in their long-term success. It is all about stories and breaking bread.

K&M: Food is already so communal so that makes sense. Jen?

J: I worked in admission for two years, and college counseling before that. You can change a life by getting a student into Williams but many don’t even have the academic preparation to have it as an option. I recently finished my masters of ed and teaching credential at Stanford. I’ll be in a third grade classroom this year. I know I’ll be in education for a long-time. 

K&M: What are non-work related hobbies? For example, theoretically I’m [Michelle] a jewelry maker, since I took one Winter Study course. [Keelia] is a baker. 

J: Theoretically, I could be a pottery-maker but the only decent thing I made during that class was pencil cup that my boyfriend dug out last week. 

K: It’s always been food. I taught a Free University class during Winter Study on Italian cooking. 

K&M: It’s interesting to hear people talk about some of the tougher times at Williams. Some people have smoother rides, which is a lucky experience but what were some of your harder moments?

J: My junior year, when I was a JA, was tough. I had a death in the family over Thanksgiving and otherwise might have taken time off, which would have been a necessary move but I didn’t feel that I could leave the entry. I mean, how would that even work?

K: Freshman year can be hard, especially when you’re not interested in that ‘freshman!’ experience, as I wasn’t. I had my transfer app to Duke filled out and ready to go. I’ll never forget, I was talking to Steve Klass (VP of Campus Life) about transferring when he asked me if I thought there were stories worth sharing at Williams. I had been frustrated because all anyone talked about was how busy they were, and it was a competition. “I have two meetings” “Well, I have two meetings and a paper!” 

He suggested creating a time and space where people could share more of themselves. From that conversation, I developed Storytime. I then had a way to make deeper connections.

K&M: Thank you goodness you didn’t go to Duke. A big thanks to Steve Klass, that magical man, for giving you a reason to stay. 

***

Stay tuned, 

M

[ephexpedition2014]

Expedition Send-Off #1: San Francisco

My good friend Sierra Betts '17 hosted us in San Francisco and took us on a glorious tour of the city.  We visited Chinatown and North Beach, resulting in our lunch lasting about 3 hours and at least 5 courses.  The last "course" was probably my favorite: a tiny shop that sold only cream puffs.  Unbelievably perfect.

After that, we didn't think the day could get any better, but then we reached the highlight: our first freshman send-off of the expedition!

As soon as the class of '18s walked in, this happened:

Or at least it's how I felt.

Ephelia turned up and took some polaroids with the freshmen, so many conversations were held with the conversationalists flapping their photos together.  It was a bonding experience.

One of the highlights for Michelle and me was seeing the freshmen find each other and start bonding as a class.  Here are a few snapshots!

Stay classy, Ephs!

Keelia

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One in 28,000: Suenn Ho '85

If you ever get the chance to pick urban designer Suenn Ho ‘85’s brain over cheesy pizza and cold beer, do it. As a would-be creative, I was fascinated by this alum and her perspective on story telling, aging, and design. This is a slightly lengthier profile but please, please read it. Tell me after if you regret the extra two minutes. 

Michelle: What would you want people to understand about Garden of Surging Waves? About your process? 

Suenn: Never overlook the little things. Never overlook the potential of things that are seemingly unimportant in life.

Everybody’s got a story, whether or not you are poor, you are wealthy, and those are the stories that make us human, make us a community. For people who have a piece of paper saying they are an expert, they need to be humble because people who don’t have a piece of paper may have some inspiring, little story and lesson learned.

There are a lot of stories so there’s a lot of process.

M: I find that Williams values stories more and more. For example, a recent tradition is called Storytime. A community member is invited to sit in Paresky and have an audience listen to them talk while everyone munches on some cookies. That happens every Sunday.

S: And that is different than reading a story. Our life moves so fast and so the encounter of people sharing stories, face-to-face, gives them the ability to connect. With this project, I met grandchildren, now my age, who never knew their grandparent’s journey. Until now, they’d never shared it!

M: The Garden of Surging Waves is another way to tell a story. There’s no audio when you visit the Garden but in the way you lay your bricks, your placement of certain elements, your choice of quotes that invoke a visual image in our minds, all of it still tells a tale. 

S: The other thing about the garden’s design is that I wanted to get the most out of the richness of the materials. We don’t have to maintain much: there’s no paint, there’s no calking and it is to embrace age. 

The corrosive interaction between the steel and the bronze is to reveal the journey of the immigrants. You came from a long distance, you came here [Astoria], you got scuffed up and you stayed. You started to speak with an accent that is different than when you were at home. 

People should not keep thinking ‘Oh we have to polish it’. No! You don’t have to polish it. It is the moss that you gather..

M: ooooo I love that so much!

S: …so when we look at grandma’s face, it’s beautiful! People should embrace natural aging, it’s a sign of wisdom and experience. If something is corroding, let’s just say ‘this is how things age’. That has been Astoria’s spirit. 

***

Stay tuned, 

M

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One in 28,000: JJ O'Brien '05

Put together a Williams econ major, football player, a track and field competitor, a Stanford MBA, an interest in Burning Man, and middle school sewing experience, and you get JJ O'Brien '05.  He was even a contestant on the most recent season of The Bachelorette.

JJ was kind enough to show us around his neck of San Francisco, and on the way I couldn’t help but snap a pic of our cow in high heels:

JJ showed us some of his fabulous Hem Haus apparel, which originated from his attending Burning Man and using his middle school sewing background to try out some new looks for the festival.  We're completely obsessed with his products, and we think the Gummy Vests really bring out Ephelia's spots.

Sign me up for a purple and yellow one!

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All hail the Queen!

After snubbing us in Seattle (we've since moved on), turns out Queen Bey was following the Expedition tour down the West coast, all the way to San Francisco. If you wanted to see us Beyoncé, all you had to do was ask ;)

With some time and some loose change to spare, Keelia and I have managed to score nose-bleed seats to the Beyoncé concert!!!! Everybody cheer!!!!

Your Highness, listen, I don't think you understand how ready I am for this experience. 

I can handle it. So please. Hold nothing back. Give me everything. 

Yup, that looks about right. GAH WE'RE SO EXCITED!!

Stay tuned!!

M

P.S. Silly us. Jay-Z will be there too!

Jay-Z's probably looking at me like:

"I don't understand...what's wrong with you?" Everything. "How can you forget me?" I'm blinded by B, what can I say?

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A Cow in the Forest?

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One in 28,000: Olivia Goodheart '18

Olivia is a brand new Eph from Lorane, Oregon, a town that she says rivals even Williamstown for its tiny size and 'bucolic' nature. (wow)  After she told us that she loves the cold, we were convinced that Olivia was simply made to be an Eph.

Olivia was planning on arriving in Williamstown this fall with the rest of her class. Last week, however, she was diagnosed with cancer.  She's starting chemo this week, and we hope to see her in Wtown soon.

I had the privilege of meeting Olivia and her family a while back when they visited Williams for a college tour!  We instantly bonded after finding out that we had the IB program in common (love that Higher Level Bio).  In addition to successfully conquering the IB in high school, Olivia is a runner, a member of a hip-hop dance company, first flute in her school orchestra, and interested in biology, neuroscience, and philosophy.

What an amazing Eph, right?  But while Michelle and I were goggling at all of her accomplishments, Olivia was very real with us about how she was entirely focused on meeting people different than her. 

She's most looking forward to "creatively increasing my own awareness and sense of diversity," becoming a member of the Williams community, and "growing as a person, and as a cow. A purple one." 

She's also excited about the new library and new track, which Michelle and I spent our entire Williams career patiently waiting for, but it's okay because we're not bitter or anything. At all. We can't wait for Olivia and her classmates to enjoy them. 

Once in Williamstown, Olivia will of course miss her gorgeous Oregonian home and family. She'll especially miss her sister and "favorite person in the whole world," Sarah, age 16.

Shout out to Dennett 2: Olivia's really excited to meet you guys in person!  All of you have been so supportive to her, and she says you're really cool. (she'll fit right in, then)

Olivia Goodheart, first of all: you are aptly named. =) We are so blessed to know you, and so glad we got to spend some time with you!  Second of all: Ephs everywhere send you their love, and we hope you get well soon!