Landing on the prestigious Forbes list a year and a half after graduation is affirmation that the leap of faith in launching Afforai is paying off, Alec Nguyen said.

鈥淚 knew we were on to something big right from the beginning and it鈥檚 an amazing validation by getting featured on the list,鈥� he said.聽鈥淚t was even more surprising when I found out the judges for the Forbes list consisted of the CEO of Common App and a co-founder of Grammarly. These are two people running incredible companies and they acknowledged Afforai. This gave me even more motivation to take Afforai to the next level in 2025.鈥�

Alec was born in Vietnam and spent much of his life in Japan before coming to the United States to study economics and data science at 麻豆影院. He and Austin, a student from Vietnam who was studying economics and computer science, met during their first year on campus and developed a tight friendship. Both were involved in 麻豆影院’s聽Innovation & Entrepreneurship聽program, which now聽features a business and entrepreneurship major and led to the creation of the newly opened Business and Entrepreneurship Center in Fox Commons.

As AI technology has advanced, its relationship with higher education has often been fraught with tension. Alec mentioned that he and Austin experienced this tension firsthand during their time as students at 麻豆影院 while developing their initial concept.

Alec and Austin initially conceived the idea for Afforai during their senior year, planning to enter the annual Launch LU business startup pitch competition hosted by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship department. However, due to the university’s stance on AI technology at the time, the Afforai pitch was not allowed, and they instead entered a different business pitch. Undeterred, the duo believed in their vision and worked to secure a wild card spot for Afforai in The Pitch, a regional competition featuring startup ideas from students at universities across northeast Wisconsin. Although Afforai didn鈥檛 place in the top three, the experience solidified their commitment to the dream.

鈥淲e lost, but we used all of that experience as motivation to continue building Afforai,鈥� Alec said.

Since that time, those who were initially hesitant about Afforai have reached out to acknowledge the startup’s success and discuss ways to support student business ideas within 麻豆影院’s business and entrepreneurship studies.

“That means a great deal,” Alec said, highlighting the progress made with the business and entrepreneurship major and the new Business and Entrepreneurship Center as important steps forward, learning from their experience with Afforai. 鈥淵ou never know what an idea could become. To me, Afforai is a life-changing idea, giving me financial freedom to accomplish what I want in life.鈥�

It鈥檚 been a wild ride from graduating in June 2023 to making the Forbes鈥� 30 Under 30 list in late 2024. There鈥檚 more to come.

鈥淲e鈥檙e aiming to grow even more in 2025,鈥� Alec said.

Bass, of Greenville, Wisconsin, received the Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Award in the Arts. He will enroll in the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris to pursue a graduate degree in piano performance. He will live in Paris at the Fondation des Etats-Unis, where he will collaborate with other artists in residence there.

鈥淚 spent the fall of 2022 abroad in Paris, and my only regret was that I didn鈥檛 have more time鈥攕o I鈥檓 absolutely thrilled that I get to go back,鈥� Bass said. 鈥淧aris has such an incredibly rich musical and cultural life; one could spend weeks on end just wandering through some of the art museums鈥攊mportant because visual art and music are often intertwined in surprising ways. And, on any given night, there are concerts of every genre of music you can imagine.鈥�

At the Ecole Normale, Bass will study with Professor David Lively, who taught him privately while in Paris in 2022. Catherine Kautsky, the George and Marjorie Olsen Chandler Professor of Music at 麻豆影院, connected Bass with Lively.

鈥淗e is a really wonderful teacher,鈥� Bass said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to work with him again.鈥�

Bass, who will graduate in June, called 麻豆影院 a 鈥減erfect fit.鈥�

鈥淚t was high-level music study within the context of a well-rounded liberal education that taught me so much more than just how to play fast notes on the piano,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n particular, professors Michael Mizrahi, Dominica Chang, and Cathy Kautsky have regularly gone out of their way to open doors for me鈥攁nd then to give me advice about how best to walk through those doors.鈥�

Gunner Bauer ’23

Bauer is headed to Slovakia, where he will teach English. He said the pursuit of a Fulbright was a goal since arriving at 麻豆影院.

鈥淚 actually chose to go to 麻豆影院 after Professor (Victoria) Kononova told me about the Fulbright during a visit, and thus began four years of studying Russian and international relations,鈥� he said.

Bauer spent a term abroad in Kyrgyzstan. Since graduating last June, he has been working in his hometown of Menomonie, Wisconsin, while writing and translating for Argentics, a Ukrainian software company.聽

Miri Villerius ’23

Villerius鈥� Fulbright award will allow her to work as an English teacher’s assistant in southern Italy for nine months. She will work with a high school English class while engaging with the surrounding community.

鈥淚’m excited about this opportunity because of how much enrichment I’ve gotten from Italian language and culture throughout my life,鈥� Villerius said. 鈥淚f I had never learned Italian, I would be a completely different person. Living in Italy for an extended period to try and return that favor by teaching my own mother tongue is a beautifully reciprocal opportunity.鈥�

Villerius said her four years at 麻豆影院 prepared her to embrace such opportunities.

鈥淭he fact that I got to pivot my studies as much as I did while still building a lot of real practical skills was wonderful, especially in the company of a lot of impactful mentors and wonderful friends I made there and am still in touch with,鈥� she said.

After graduating last June, Villerius worked as an intern with the Center for Deep Listening in Troy, New York, before moving to Chicago. She is working in food service and as a freelance journalist and has started her own publication, Oyer, focused on Jewish music. As an undergrad, she was among a group of 麻豆影院 students who explored klezmer music.

Ayla Walther ’23

Walther鈥檚 Fulbright journey will take her to Bavaria, Germany, where she will work as an English teacher assistant.聽

鈥淥utside of the classroom, I plan on participating and engaging with the community as much as possible,鈥� Walther said. 鈥淚 plan to join a local sport group and connect with individuals that way, as well as travel and see as much of Germany and Europe as possible. I also really want to use this experience to polish my German skills in preparation of being a German teacher when I return.鈥�

Walther said she鈥檚 been dreaming of this opportunity since her high school days in Wausau, Wisconsin.

鈥淎s someone who has essentially dedicated my career to pursuing German studies, I see this as a fantastic opportunity to continue to improve not only my German language skills but also develop a deeper understanding of German culture to bring back to the classroom and share with my future students,鈥� she said.

Walther, who graduated from 麻豆影院 in June, completed her student teaching in German and social studies at Ashwaubenon High School earlier this year. She received her teaching license from the State of Wisconsin in early spring and is working as a substitute聽teacher in Ashwaubenon and Green Bay.聽

Want to know more about the Fulbright? 麻豆影院 students interested in applying for a Fulbright award or other fellowships should reach out to Claire Kervin, assistant professor of English and director of fellowships advising.

While international relations and journalism may seem like separate fields, Freeman鈥檚 studies and experiences have informed each other, she said. Through understanding the relationships between the press, the people, and their governments, Freeman is learning how to use media to create positive outcomes.

Freeman鈥檚 multiple areas of study, including her minors in anthropology and Chinese, have helped her pursue a broad variety of experiences, both on and off campus. She interned in Taiwan with a news company while studying abroad, and she studied the effects of media in Sierra Leone. Freeman said she loved studying media’s interactions with society, from on-the-ground discourse to governmental action.

麻豆影院鈥檚 small campus and involved professors make work and study opportunities more accessible, Freeman said. She has worked in the Office of Communications for four years and served as an editor for The Lawrentian, the student newspaper.

鈥淵ou have the opportunity to do more things here than at any other school,鈥� Freeman said.

Freeman will begin her graduate-level studies abroad, first at the London School of Economics and Political Science and then at Fudan University in Shanghai. Freeman is grateful for the Rotary Foundation鈥檚 sponsorship and can鈥檛 wait to connect with Rotary International in London.

鈥淭he Rotary is so international and involves so many people trying to do good around the world,” she said. “Having this 鈥榠n鈥� and connections abroad鈥鈥檓 hoping it鈥檒l expose me to different perspectives.鈥�

Freeman is excited to study in London, where journalism has a rich history. She said she鈥檚 seen firsthand how involved the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is in global media. She hopes studying close to this international news hub will allow her to further both her media and international relations knowledge.

Freeman said she plans to eventually work in nonprofit communications and advocate against harmful and stigmatizing narratives.

Back on campus in 2021, she carried that interest into the classroom, connecting with Georgia Chau, a fellow sophomore and clarinetist who happened to be preparing klezmer music for an upcoming recital. Their meeting set the wheels in motion that eventually led to the forming of The Klezmommies, a klezmer band with upwards of 10 麻豆影院 students rotating in and out of the lineup.

鈥淚 emailed my friend, Mikayla, who plays trombone,鈥� Villerius said. 鈥淎nd Mikayla got another friend, Willow, who sings and studies linguistics; she鈥檚 really into Jewish linguistics. It grew from there. We all convened during spring break in 2021 for our first little jam, which was very, very creaky, and scary.鈥�

Creaky or not, it sparked a fire that continues to burn two years later. The jam sessions in the Conservatory became a weekly thing, the band played a Hanukkah party, then a recital with friend and bandmate Eviatar Shlosberg, then two Music for All events, then a festive set at last spring鈥檚 LUaroo, then a road trip to play a bar mitzvah in Boulder, Colorado. An invite came this winter for the band to take their music back on the road for a performance at the Klezmer on Ice festival in the Twin Cities.

More recently, The Klezmommies, with several members eyeing graduation in June, have been in the studio, recording what will be an album of mostly organic reinterpretations of classic klezmer tunes. They鈥檙e hoping to release Running Out of Time this summer.

What was once a very casual dabbling in the music has slowly grown more serious for Villerius, Chau, and friends.

鈥淚 was initially drawn to klezmer music in high school because it vastly contrasted the classical music I had been studying up until then, and I loved how free it sounded,鈥� said Chau, a neuroscience and music performance double major from Sausalito, California. 鈥淚 taught myself the techniques to play it but was never very serious or good at playing it until my third year at 麻豆影院.鈥�

That merging of musical interests is a very 麻豆影院 thing. Whether it鈥檚 klezmer or bluegrass or jazz or hip-hop or any number of other genres, musical side projects often evolve very organically for students in and out of the Conservatory. The available recording and performance spaces on campus help facilitate those musical explorations. LUaroo, the annual campus music festival held Memorial Day weekend, often becomes a showcase for student bands, just as it did a year ago for The Klezmommies.

In addition to Villerius, Chau, and Shlosberg, students who have been part of The Klezmommies include Alex DeBello, Sela Dombrower, Mikayla Frank-Martin, Celia Goldstein, Zemirah Willow Higgins, Ryan Saladin, and Marya Wydra.

鈥淥ne of the things I really appreciate the most Is that not all of us are Conservatory students or performance majors or music majors,鈥� said Villerius, who plays the accordion and piano. “We鈥檙e on different tracks with our studies and have different musical backgrounds and goals. We’re learning to play together just as much as to play the actual music.”

Villerius has dived deep into klezmer music over the past two years. She鈥檚 studying its origins, its histories, how and where it鈥檚 embraced. Klezmer is a Hebrew word that combines 鈥渒ley鈥� (vessel) and 鈥渮emer鈥� (melody), and its history dates to Jewish musicians of the Middle Ages. It was once focused solely on instrumental music鈥攂asses, clarinets, violins鈥攂ut has expanded to encompass a wide range of musical styles, from Yiddish folk songs to dance music with a 鈥渒lezzy鈥� vibe.

鈥淭here鈥檚 so much more to learn,鈥� Villerius said.

While klezmer music hails from Jewish traditions鈥攎ostly Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe鈥攏ot all members of The Klezmommies are Jewish.

鈥淔or some of us our affinity for the music has to do with our Jewish identities,鈥� Villerius said. 鈥淏ut when we鈥檙e playing with the group, it鈥檚 way more about having fun, but everyone is always respectful. Some of us speak Hebrew and others don鈥檛. Some of us were聽bar or bat mitzvahed and others weren鈥檛. But we鈥檙e all happy to have fun and play the music.鈥�

The invite to perform in February at the klezmer festival in Minneapolis鈥擵illerius鈥檚 hometown鈥攁llowed six of the band members to make key contacts with other klezmer musicians. They played three sets at a cabaret night, sharing the spotlight with a handful of other performers, among them a John Lennon impressionist singing Yiddish folk songs. They played several original arrangements, including Villerius鈥檚 klezmer reimagining of You Are My Sunshine.聽They also attended workshops and met with musicians from the band Midwood.

Now the students in The Klezmommies are focused on finishing Spring Term strong鈥擵illerius and Chau are among this year鈥檚 graduates. They’re on the bill for a return to LUaroo during Memorial Day Weekend. And at 8:30 p.m. May 30 in the Pusey Room in Warch Campus Center, Villerius will lead the Klezmommies in “Klezmemes!,”听an 鈥渋nformance鈥� (lecture and performance) that is part of her senior capstone, a culmination of her two years of klezmer exploration.

鈥淲e will attempt to answer the question, 鈥榃hat is klezmer?鈥� Villerius said.

Check out a , performing in December at a bar mitzvah in Boulder, Colorado.

Business of music

Michael Murphy on launching Michael Murphy Music LLC as a student.聽

Murphy also is a big proponent of 麻豆影院鈥檚 new business and entrepreneurship major, launching in the 2023-24 academic year. It鈥檒l open new doors for students both in and out of the Conservatory who want to study business within a liberal arts curriculum.

It all fits the bill for Murphy, who has launched Michael Murphy Music LLC.

鈥淭he musician nowadays has to be an entrepreneur,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淢aking a successful band nowadays, in my opinion, is no different than making a successful business.鈥�

With the help of Conservatory faculty and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, Murphy is ready to use Indigo Jones as a steppingstone into the music business. His work on the album began while studying abroad at 麻豆影院鈥檚 London Centre in Fall 2022. The name Indigo Jones is a play on Inigo Jones, a seventeenth-century English architect. Murphy said the music was especially influenced by Elton John鈥檚 roots rock album, Tumbleweed Connection, recorded in England in 1970.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 do as much music writing there, but I did a lot of freehand creative poetry to get my brain thinking,鈥� he said of his London experience.

It鈥檚 been a busy stretch since returning to Appleton for his final two terms鈥攖ouring with STEEM, a popular Fox Valley cover band, continuing classes in advance of Commencement on June 11, and writing and recording the album鈥檚 14 tracks.

鈥淚 was able to bounce a lot of ideas off people and run with my own thing,鈥� Murphy said of the album. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have any creative limitations. 鈥� I hope I can keep it that way.鈥�

In addition to STEEM, Murphy has a band with his brothers called Murphy鈥檚 Law. He frequently collaborates with older brother and 麻豆影院 alum Jack Murphy 鈥�21, who lives in Manhattan.

鈥淲e write very well together,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got that special brother bond where we can think each other鈥檚 thoughts and finish each other鈥檚 sentences.鈥�

Indigo Jones features contributions from bassist and 麻豆影院 alum Ryan Erdmann 鈥�22 and drummer Wayne Salzmann II. Salzmann took lessons from 麻豆影院 Professor of Music Dane Richeson and has played with Eric Johnson, one of Murphy鈥檚 guitar idols. Jack Murphy, Erdmann, and Salzmann will all be playing at the Gibson Music Hall concert.

While Murphy handled the album鈥檚 recording process himself, he credits Brent Hauer, 麻豆影院鈥檚 director of recording and technology and lecturer in recording arts, with providing a big assist.

鈥淚t was a fun process and a learning experience for me,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淏rent basically gave me free rein and the key to the mic locker.鈥�

Murphy also credits Gary Vaughan, a lecturer in innovation and entrepreneurship and coordinator of 麻豆影院鈥檚 Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, with advising the financial and business aspects of the project.

鈥淗e was my big overseer for making sure this wasn鈥檛 just a one-off project,鈥� Murphy said.

Murphy said he found a welcoming supporter in Dave Willems, owner of Gibson Music Hall and director of Mile of Music.

鈥淒ave was unbelievably generous in letting me use the Gibson space, and he had the idea to make it a 麻豆影院 thing,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淗e was like, 鈥楬ey, would you be interested in having someone open for you?鈥� and I was like, 鈥榊ou鈥檇 better believe it.鈥欌��

Opening for Murphy will be 麻豆影院 senior Holly Beemer.

鈥淚鈥檝e done a lot of projects with other bands and groups, but this is the first big solo project that I鈥檝e done, so that鈥檚 been really exciting,鈥� Murphy said.

Popping the bubble

Murphy was taking beginner-level movement music classes at the 麻豆影院 Community Music School (then known as the 麻豆影院 Academy of Music) before he was even a year old. With a father who is a hobbyist musician and a mother who is classically trained, Murphy said he and his siblings grew up surrounded by all types of music.

鈥淲hen I was growing up, it was Veggietales on the TV, and then all of a sudden, my dad would take out the VHS and put in Stop Making Sense by the Talking Heads.鈥�

Murphy said as much as he loves recording and production, he鈥檚 just as passionate about visuals and live performances. A friend owns The Wild Goose Exchange thrift store and is helping create outfits for the May 15 concert. Murphy鈥檚 keeping the details a surprise, though.

鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be a little warm, but it鈥檚 a really cool outfit,鈥� he said.

Beemer will open the show at 7 p.m., followed by Murphy at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free; concertgoers will be able to leave tips.

Murphy said the biggest hope for this project is to provide a fun opportunity for 麻豆影院 students to venture off campus and hear a rock concert.

鈥淪ince I鈥檓 a townie鈥擨 grew up in this beautiful place鈥擨 would love to see more connections between 麻豆影院 and the community,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got this bubble and I鈥檓 trying to be the one little needle that keeps popping it. That鈥檚 my goal: Pop the bubble, get people out.鈥�

For all these positive aspects, however, Matthews said these women鈥檚 perspectives are almost impossible to find. There are no known official lists of workers, the project is obscure in scholarship, and scholars who cover it continue neglecting the workers鈥� perspectives.

鈥淚t was pretty common to refer to them in the masses,鈥� Matthews said. 鈥淏ecause of that, there鈥檚 this hierarchy that鈥檚 been created in the archive right now where the only people who receive credit for the project are usually the director of the program or the head designers.鈥�

Matthews also said while she agrees with other scholars praising the project鈥檚 desegregation, there鈥檚 no way of knowing how effective it truly was, and if women of color felt accepted and safe at work.

Matthews has been a Wriston Art Galleries intern for a couple of years. This gave her good connections with Beth Zinsli, assistant professor of art history and Wriston Art Galleries curator.

鈥淪arah鈥檚 meticulous research on the Milwaukee Handicraft Project textiles, centered on the women workers who produced them, offers a deeper and more thorough understanding of the WPA鈥檚 employment initiatives,鈥� Zinsli said.

Sparking an interest

Matthews鈥� interest in the project began two summers ago as a Wriston Art Galleries intern. Tasked with creating a mini-exhibition on an item in the gallery鈥檚 collection, Matthews was drawn to the obscure textiles.

鈥淭he design of these textiles is actually fairly modern, which I think sometimes surprises people,鈥� Matthews said.

Matthews used this topic for her art history capstone paper, but she decided she wanted to know more.

鈥淚 came back to this idea for the project but dug a little deeper in terms of, 鈥榃hat does the archive look like right now for this project?鈥� and 鈥榃hy aren鈥檛 these women鈥檚 perspectives being showcased?鈥� and 鈥榃hy aren鈥檛 these items being displayed more often?鈥欌��

Matthews knew she had to do some digging. She consulted Seeley G. Mudd research librarian Antoinette Powell, who helped her search old censuses.

鈥淲ith Antoinette鈥檚 help and assistance, I was able to find 30 potential names of these women, which is a very small number compared to 5,000, but not having any individual identification on these women at the start of this project, that was a big deal for me.鈥�

Matthews admitted she has no way of confirming if these 30 women were workers, but this further emphasizes her point.

鈥淚 would like people to know that there鈥檚 still very much that remains unknown about this project,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his serves as an example of how skewed archives can be, and how there are so many hierarchies in archiving.鈥�

Passion on display

鈥淚 was a little surprised that I became an art history major鈥ut after taking my first art history class, I was like, 鈥楾his is what I want to do,鈥欌�� Matthews said.

Matthews said the change from capstone paper to exhibition was all about making it more accessible.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want anyone to get overwhelmed thinking, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know anything about art history, I can鈥檛 look at this exhibition,鈥� because that鈥檚 not what an exhibition is for,鈥� Matthews said.

Zinsli recognized Matthews鈥� interests in curation and hands-on experiences and was able to provide support.

鈥淗er curatorial choices allow visitors to learn about the historical significance of the textiles and delight in the beauty of their patterns and motifs; it is a wonderful visual presentation of her capstone research,鈥� Zinsli said.

Matthews said developing the exhibition was a rigorous process involving research鈥攂oth old and new鈥攄esigning the exhibit layout, and creating mattes, labels, and displays.

鈥淚 think that transition from writing, researching, and reading about these objects to actually displaying them was super intriguing and powerful for me to go through,鈥� she said.

Matthews believes the most important thing about being a curator is taking care of what matters and diversifying archives and museums.

鈥淎 lot of times, fiber arts and textiles aren鈥檛 displayed in museums as often as other artworks that are considered 鈥榝ine art,鈥� like oil paintings or even drawings,鈥� Matthews said. 鈥淭here is this 鈥榗rafts versus fine art鈥� debate in the museum world that I鈥檓 super interested in.鈥�

Matthews said she hopes to work in the museum field following graduation. She鈥檚 also considering a graduate degree in art history or museum studies in the next few years.

鈥淚鈥檓 really passionate about art, but I think I鈥檓 even more passionate about taking care of art,鈥� Matthews said.

Read more about Lost Identities and Loose Threads and other Wriston exhibitions here.

Augmented reality lets users see digital creations inserted into the real world; virtual reality immerses users in an entirely digital world.

鈥淵ou can use a physical mock-up to give you just what you need to touch and interact with 鈥� and then have someone put on a VR headset where there鈥檚 a virtual model that is lined up with the physical mock-up but has a much higher level of detail,鈥� Brailovsky said.

A role for psychology

The lab is part of NASA鈥檚 Human Factors Analysis branch. Human Factors鈥� engineering work is about making sure designs are user-friendly as well as functional.

Brailovsky said Human Factors analysts look for questions rather than answering existing ones鈥攊t鈥檚 an intersection between engineering, psychology, and computer sciences.

鈥淢y first thought is always the person, and that鈥檚 not typical for engineering perspectives,鈥� Brailovsky said.

While virtual reality isn鈥檛 perfect for recreating the real world, it can help test scenarios too difficult or expensive for labs.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 mimic reality without first understanding how our brains construct reality,鈥� Brailovsky said. 鈥淐olor doesn鈥檛 exist, it鈥檚 just wavelengths of light. Sound doesn鈥檛 exist; it鈥檚 all illusions created by our brain processing information. So, we can鈥檛 replicate those without knowing really well how we create our own reality.鈥�

Psychology is important in the space industry, especially when considering the rise in commercial spaceflight and possible future Mars landings.

鈥淭his is like going back to the old age of sail ships where you could have six people in a boat for months. 鈥�,鈥� Brailovsky said. 鈥淥nly in our case, they鈥檙e in zero gravity in a really tight container, and if there鈥檚 a hole in the container, they all die. What does that do to a person鈥檚 perception?鈥�

Along with making sure everything works properly, Human Factors analysts want space habitations to feel as much like home as possible.

Making dreams reality

Brailovsky has held a fascination with space since childhood. His interest in psychology developed in high school. He also took computer programming courses at 麻豆影院 and interned at Iowa State University鈥檚 Virtual Reality Application Center last summer.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to be a psych student now coming into this industry because attention to it is growing,鈥� he said.

Brailovsky applied for an opportunity he saw on NASA鈥檚 website about using augmented reality to test spacesuits. Although his application was unsuccessful, another NASA program leader in need of virtual reality expertise saw Brailovsky鈥檚 application and invited him to join.

鈥淭his is what I told people my dream job was when I was 15,鈥� Brailovsky said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what they did here, and I didn鈥檛 know this group existed. I invented them for myself and just hoped they were out there. They were, and they called me.鈥�

Brailovsky said he wasn鈥檛 planning on interning during his senior year to avoid graduation conflicts, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

鈥淲hat they teach you when you study psychology is to always be looking out for the unexpected,鈥� he said.

The internship will last through the summer. Brailovsky intends to return to 麻豆影院 this fall for one final term to wrap up his psychology major and minors in cognitive science, computer science, and data science.聽After graduation, Brailovsky said he hopes to head back to the Marshall Center.

鈥淚 have never felt as professionally respected in my life before; the people in my lab are incredible,鈥� he said.聽

Brailovsky said the chance to contribute to future Mars landings with his VR and psychology skills makes him want to stay with NASA. His ultimate goal is to have his own zero-gravity psychological laboratory.

Until then, Brailovsky said driving past a Saturn V rocket every morning on his way to work is a powerful motivator.

鈥淛ust the chance to participate in our generation鈥檚 version of the moon landing is incredible,鈥� he said.

Reflecting the value of voices, Dorr said multiple board members wanted queer theory and music education to be the topic of this year鈥檚 symposium. Anybody, regardless of major, is welcome at the symposium, to be held in Room 163 of the Music-Drama Center throughout the day on April 8. A performance by LGBTuben will be held at 8:30 p.m. April 7 in Memorial Chapel. .

鈥淭he word 鈥榮ymposium鈥� is fancy, but also a little scary,鈥� Dorr said. 鈥淚 want everyone to feel welcome and invited because I feel that鈥檚 something at the core of queer theory and what we鈥檒l be discussing.鈥�

The keynote speaker is Elizabeth Gould, a retired associate professor from the University of Toronto. Her work frequently connects LGBTQ+ and music themes.

鈥淲e started looking into her works and were like, 鈥極K, she鈥檚 a leader in this field and we really want her here,鈥欌�� Dorr said.

With NAfME鈥檚 last few symposia unable to host guests due to COVID, Dorr said Gould鈥檚 attendance is special.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to have her on campus, especially as an international guest as well,鈥� Dorr said.

Other symposium participants include Julie McQuinn, associate professor of music, who first recommended Gould to the group; Ann Ellsworth, a horns professor, and her ensemble, LGBTuben; alumnus Benjamin Hiles 鈥�22, who has researched queer theory in the music room and will be presenting on his findings; and Jessica Pruett, visiting assistant professor of gender studies, who will discuss queer theory and its influence on her teaching.

鈥淚 feel having this run successfully is my greatest task and, hopefully, accomplishment as president of the board,鈥� Dorr said.

A musical journey

Music and education have long been central to Dorr. It was while playing clarinet for the Minnesota All-State Band and Orchestra that she first was drawn to 麻豆影院. Andrew Mast, 麻豆影院鈥檚 wind ensemble conductor, associate dean of the Conservatory, Kimberly-Clark Professor of Music, and director of bands, made a fateful visit to guest conduct.

鈥淚 was like, 鈥極h my god, this guy is awesome. I love how he鈥檚 leading rehearsals,鈥� and he would talk about 麻豆影院,鈥� Dorr said.

Settling on a music education major and French minor at 麻豆影院, Dorr joined NAfME during the 2019鈥�20 school year. NAfME is one of the longest-standing student associations at 麻豆影院.

鈥淚 really liked it,鈥� Dorr said. 鈥淚 thought it was a great community, so I applied to join.鈥�

Dorr said ideas central to NAfME are lifelong learning and providing fun and engaging learning outside the curriculum.

鈥淎s a teacher, you鈥檙e always learning,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e learning from your students, we learn from each other, and I learn from the people on the board every day.鈥�

Dorr became president this year. Her responsibilities include leading meetings, delegating tasks, and reaching out to potential symposium guests.

Dorr said her favorite part of the job is the ability to work with other students and communities around 麻豆影院. She also sees this symposium as an example of student leadership in action.

With Dorr graduating soon, NAfME will be holding board elections for next year. Dorr said students interested in NAfME can check out on Instagram or email Dorr directly to join the email list.

Dorr鈥檚 plan is to teach general elementary music, but she said her absolute dream is to teach music in a French-speaking nation.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just really excited about the symposium,鈥� Dorr said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to engage people on campus and we鈥檙e open to anyone who鈥檚 interested and wants to come, so it鈥檚 going to be a great time.鈥�

Watson Fellows are selected from 41 private colleges and universities across the United States that partner with the Watson Foundation. More than 3,000 Watson Fellows have been named since the inaugural class in 1969.

The Watson Foundation dates back to 1961, created as a charitable trust in the name of Thomas J. Watson Sr., best known for building IBM. It works with students to develop personal, professional, and cultural opportunities that build their confidence and perspective to be more humane and effective leaders with a world view.

This year鈥檚 class comes from 20 states and four countries and exhibits a broad range of academic specialties, socio-economic backgrounds, and project diversity. They will travel to 54 countries pursuing topics ranging from climate refugees to pediatric cancer; from contemporary African art to disability care innovation; from entrepreneurial inclusion to urban animals; from coastal resilience to modern opera.

Q&A with Charlie Wetzel

We talked with Wetzel about the year ahead:

Q: What sort of connections and collaborative work are you looking to do as you travel the world?

Wetzel: Over my Watson year, I am hoping to make sculptures, photographs, and body-art pieces with other transgender artists around the world. I am starting my fellowship in Sey冒isfj枚r冒ur, Iceland, which is a rural town of around 700 people located on the eastern edge of the country. While the town is small, it has an internationally recognized art scene and there are multiple queer artist residencies in the region. During my time there, I plan on collaborating with other trans women artists to make polaroid and alternate process photographs. I will also visit with and interview artists from the Heima art collective, a small group of makers who are located in east Iceland, about how their art practices have been shaped by gender identity and Icelandic public policy.

Next, I will visit Bengaluru, India, where I will volunteer with the Aravani Art Project and work on murals and large-scale paintings. The Aravani Art Project is a public art collective run by trans and queer women across India. The project brings together people from the transgender community who paint murals inspired by their lives and experiences. In Berlin, Mexico City, and Amsterdam, I will work on similar collaborations with other queer art organizations and meet with artists who are making work about trans ontology.

During my Watson year, I will also explore what gender-affirming health care looks like around the world, with the goal of understanding how different care settings can impact art about transgender life. While I am in Chonburi, Thailand, I am hoping to meet with surgeons and health care workers who provide gender-affirming bottom surgeries. Chonburi is an international hub for gender-affirming surgery, and while I am there, I will live in a hotel used by patients who are recovering from gender-affirming vaginoplasty. Early during my transition, I looked into having surgery in Chonburi, so this stop will have special significance to me. I will also work with one of my contacts who is a body and performance artist to make a collaborative piece about altering the gendered body.

Q: Why is this work and exploration important to you?

Wetzel: My art practice is the single most important thing to me. I spend all of my free time making art, and when I am not able to be in the Wriston Art Center or the Maker Space physically working on a project, I am reading, talking, learning, and thinking about art. I am totally obsessed. All of my work centers around trans ontology鈥攊t is all about how and why trans people exist, and it celebrates the beauty of trans life. One of my goals in life is to advance the rights of queer and transgender people. We are routinely denied access to basic health care and are increasingly being used as political scapegoats. My activist art practice is what I use to gain some sense of control over these narratives, and this project will let me spend an entire year making work about, and advocating for, trans identity on an international scale. The Watson Fellowship is, literally, a dream come true.

Q: How has your time at 麻豆影院 prepared you for this next adventure?

Wetzel: I came to 麻豆影院 undecided with a vague idea that I wanted to eventually go to law school. But then, I took Intro to 3D Art with professor Rob Neilson. I had some background in photography when I applied to 麻豆影院, but I did not think I would pursue art at any serious level. That class, and the sculpture classes I took my sophomore year, totally changed me鈥擯rofessor Neilson taught me how to think with art. He showed me how pieces of wire, chunks of wood, and lumps of metal can communicate profound ideas, and he encouraged me to think of myself as an artist. Additionally, the classes and conversations I had early on with professors Elizabeth Carlson and John Shimon showed me that artists and visual scholars can have a profound impact on the world, and they helped me realize that a life as an artist can be as, if not more, impactful as a life as a lawyer.

Q: How about experiences outside the classroom?

Wetzel: 麻豆影院 has granted me dozens of opportunities that have prepared me for my Watson. Over the last two summers, I stayed on campus to produce a few different bodies of work. In 2021, I made an installation piece and a large body of photographic self-portraits and in 2022 I spent my days between the Maker Space and the Wriston working on a series of 3D printed sculptures. All that work turned into three separate solo shows in the Mudd Gallery, one solo show at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a residency at the Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, where I got the opportunity to run interactive art workshops. All of that prepared me incredibly well for the Watson鈥攂oth the application process and the project itself鈥攁nd none of it would have been possible without the support of 麻豆影院 facilities, faculty, and staff. Sometimes I have these moments where I realize just how lucky I am to have this community. I am a Pell Grant recipient who has never left the country, and it makes no logical sense that this is happening to me. Thanks to this wacky little school called 麻豆影院, though, it is, and now I get to travel the world making queer art.