The Heart and Soul of New Machines
Nate Yohannes ’07 works to build ethics into pioneering technology. By Kris Dreessen Nate Yohannes ’07 is in the room and at the table where tomorrow’s technology is happening — ensuring that it will empower everyone, and not become an instrument the powerful use to exploit others or leave them behind. How he got there is a classic American immigrant tale that Alexander Hamilton might relish. Yohannes’s father was an Eritrean...
A Leader in Autism Services
Former teacher Melissa Willa ’98 created a network of trained professionals who help educators, families and children. By Carol Marcy Melissa Willa ’98 didn’t expect to establish a large business one day. She intended to be an elementary school teacher. Yet, by 2005, Willa had co-founded Gateway Learning Group with her spouse, Colin Davitian, whose background in finance and business development helped her create a company that...
Two Wheel Wonderful
Freedom, play or a more practical commute — bicycling is experiencing a boom. By Mary-Margaret Dwyer ’20 Sometimes finding joy is as simple as riding a bike. A sense of independence can come from exploring on two wheels, or an endor-phin rush from cruising down a steep hill. That joy is exactly what Shana Lydon ’98 needs. “Being able to get out on your bike, pedal and have that sense of freedom is what I like the most,” says...
Make Belly-Warming Barbeque at Home
Award-winning chef Matt Abdoo ’02 shares how to create your own masterpieces in the kitchen. (Get Matt’s barbeque recipes that are easily made in the oven at home. https://scene.geneseo.edu/2020/11/try-this-at-home-barbeque-recipes-from-master-chef-matt-abdoo-02/) By Robyn Rime I’ve loved cooking since I was a little boy,” says Matt Abdoo ’02, chef and owner of New York City’s Pig Beach BBQ. “I’m half Lebanese, half...
Leadership Starts from the Inside Out
By listening to others and envisioning possibilities, A. Gidget Hopf ’72 created ground-breaking opportunities for those with physical challenges. By A. Gidget Hopf ’72 Getting a job upon graduation from Geneseo in 1972 was my number one goal. My husband John (Class of 1970), whom I met at Geneseo, and I were dead broke, and I was driven to earn a living in my chosen field of speech pathology. Fortunately, I landed my...
Making “Frozen” Magic on the Silver Screen
An animator for The Walt Disney Company, Becky Bresee ’93 was a head of animation for “Frozen 2.” /Photo by Ricky Middlesworth Walt Disney animator Becky Bresee ’93 brings fairy tales to life. By Carol Marcy When you wish upon a star, do your dreams come true? Yes, if you are Becky Bresee ’93. As a young girl, she loved The Walt Disney Company’s fairy tales. She dreamed of the characters’ lives — royalty in castles and imaginary...
The Proof is in the Pipeline
The Geneseo student-athlete experience has developed a strong tradition of alumni coaches at the collegiate level. By Brett Ford Student-athletes are often told that what they learn in competition will apply to their in-classroom learning, but the opposite is true as well. Sometimes, they pass that knowledge on to a new generation — as coaches themselves. Former Geneseo women’s basketball student-athlete Melissa Graham Kuberka ’13 is...
The Small Steps of Lifelong Learning
The journey toward fulfillment starts with wonder. by Dana Wavle ’85 Our lives are a sequence of small steps toward the attainment of our personal and professional goals. Since graduating from Geneseo in 1985, I have been a lifelong learner. My academic experiences at Geneseo — the classes, professors and ivy-covered buildings — instilled a love for learning that has remained with me to this day. I earned my master’s degree in...
A New Focus
Jeff Fasano ’80 chose passion over an uninspiring career. He was rewarded with his dream job, photographing musicians and actors. By Kris Dreessen For 18 years, Jeff Fasano ’80 worked a corporate job organizing container ships carrying goods for import and export. Ultimately, it was disappointing to spend his days in New York City, poring over operations in an office. He wasn’t happy in life. “I was 33. I left my job one day,...
Video: A Voice for LGBTQ History
Michael Venturiello ’13, founder of Christopher Street Tours in New York City, speaks about his path at Geneseo and his path to start his own walking tour that highlights LGBTQ history:
Scene Around the World
Where will you take your issue of the Geneseo Scene? Check out our Scene Around the World photo gallery and submit your own snapshot.