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Connie Halporn K’78 fights both on the mat as a 6th degree judo black belt and in the nonprofit sphere as chair of the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation. Halporn’s judo journey began in high school and continued to blossom at Kirkland College, where she first started leading judo classes.

Victor Maldonado ’86 has no plans to retire from practicing immigration law anytime soon. In fact, he’s pushing himself harder than ever. Last summer, Maldonado swam the English Channel, a course considered the “Mt. Everest of Open Water Swimming” — and he’s not stopping there.

As a research hydrogeologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, Michelle Walvoord ’93 is forging new frontiers in studying the impact of changes and instability on groundwater.

For Katie Veasey ’17, golf is all about the greens — and we’re not talking about the putting area. As a golf sustainability consultant at WM, formerly Waste Management, she works with some of professional golf’s biggest tournaments to make their events eco-friendlier by reducing waste and carbon emissions.

As a senior fellow, Julia Afsar-Keshmiri ’26 has amassed a network of scientists to further unravel the mysteries of brain development and neurodegenerative diseases. Through her fellowship, Afsar-Keshmiri has the opportunity to devote her entire senior year to her project, giving her a taste of life as a professional researcher.

This summer, Levitt Center student researchers Luke Hanson ’26, Delaney Patterson ’26, Samuel Low ’28, and Ton Somnug ’27 joined forces with Griffiss Institute CEO and Hamilton alumna Heather Hage ’02 to investigate the holistic impact of federal spending on the local economy. In November, the Griffiss Institute released findings from the research study.

Organic Chemistry is a course with a reputation, striking fear in the hearts of pre-med, biology, and chemistry students due to its notorious difficulty. However, Associate Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck is bringing a little light into the dark trenches of “Orgo” through a most unlikely medium — song lyric parodies in assignment emails.

Organizing events ranging from on-campus scavenger hunts and merch drops, to excursions off-campus to apple orchards and Syracuse’s Destiny USA mall, the First-Year Experience (FYE) student leaders are experts in making all the “new” of college life exciting. FYE leaders support first-year students through the difficulties of transitioning to college by providing ample opportunities for socializing, destressing, and recharging. We asked Dana Blatte ’26, a FYE leader since fall 2024, to share her experience with the program.

The Chautauqua Institute emphasizes holistic lifelong learning in all disciplines, from politics and history to art and spirituality. This summer, Susie Anderson ’27 became part of that history as a staff writer for The Chautauquan Daily, shining a light on the happenings of its 2025 season.

When tsunamis inundate the land or wildfires leave nothing but ash, even insurance companies feel the crushing weight of disasters. In these scenarios, insurance companies rely on reinsurance — the insurance for insurers that helps them weather the storm during rare mass claims incidents. This summer, Peter Dillman ’26 worked at Gallagher Reinsurance Brokers, applying his mathematics background to real-world scenarios.