Tag Archives: Amherst College
Bonus Episode: Will Dix ’77 Helps Families Navigate The College Admissions Process
I published this episode about getting into college with my friend and former Amherst College Associate Dean of Admissions Will Dix (Amherst ’77) a few years ago, but it has aged well. As teens and their parents explore and apply to colleges, I wanted to share it once again. It covers most of the major considerations: how to select colleges for application, the importance and pitfalls of campus tours, what to do if a college has an optional step in its application, essay writing, financial aid, and much more.
If we were to record it again today, I’m sure we’d talk about the impact of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, as well as many colleges (including Amherst College) ending legacy admissions. Even without those elements, though, Will’s advice is superb and timely.
To learn more or contact Will, email him at collegeforall@gmail.com.
Evan Wollen on Finding Purpose in Military Service and Leadership
It’s time to catch up with my Amherst College birthday twin, Evan Wollen. While many of us left Amherst still unsure of what was next, Evan’s path was shaped by a love of history and a calling to service. He went on to spend more than 22 years in the U.S. Army, leading combat units in Iraq, teaching history at West Point, and running the ROTC program at Claremont McKenna.
One of the most powerful parts of our conversation comes when Evan describes his work as a casualty notification officer. It is the hardest duty imaginable, showing up at a family’s front door with the worst possible news. Evan talks about the solemnity of that responsibility. It was, without question, one of the most poignant moments I have had in any interview. (For a deeper telling of that story, click here to read Evan’s account.)
We also talked about the challenges of leadership in combat, where bad leaders put lives at risk and good leaders can turn a struggling unit around. Evan also shared how rugby continues to anchor him today, both as a personal passion and as a successful coach of the Claremont Colleges women’s team, which has won multiple championships under his leadership.
Evan and I also covered how he thinks about the years ahead, the importance of hobbies that fill your tank, and why he’s not a fan of the phrase “thank you for your service.”
Key Takeaways
Evan gives a first-hand account of one of the hardest jobs anyone in military life can ever have: being a casualty notification officer.
Leadership was the through line of Evan’s Army career. Good leaders build trust and purpose, while bad leaders can bring an entire unit down.
Why he’s not a fan of the phrase, “thank you for your service.”
The gifts he took from Amherst, including ROTC, rugby, and lifetime friendships.
Whom from the Class of ’94 he wants me to interview next.
You can contact Evan via email at ehwollen@yahoo.com.
Correction: I misidentified the rugby teams Evan coached to championships. They should be pronounced as plural “fifteens” and “sevens,” not “fifteen-s” and “seven-s.”
JC Leveque Makes The Case For Conversation As A Surgeon’s Best Tool
What do 1990s college radio, Richard Scarry’s picture books, and complex spine surgery have in common? They’re all part of JC Leveque’s journey. Today he’s the Section Head of Neurosurgery at Virginia Mason in Seattle, but his path included years on the road with his Amherst-born band Rosemary Caine, the decision to, as he put it, “step off the bus” before med school, and a career built around making some of the hardest conversations easier for his patients.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
How JC knew it was time to walk away from his band Rosemary Caine to pursue medicine
His take on spinal surgery as both engineering and art
The Richard Scarry moment that made Seattle feel like home
What he’s learned about patient communication from time on stage
And, as always, JC names the classmates he’d like to hear on the podcast.
You can email him at jcleveque@me.com.
Jordan Hayslip Lives At The Intersection Of Teaching, Coaching, And Making
When you think of Amherst football in the early ’90s, you probably remember linebacker Jordan Hayslip, a four-year starter and anchor of the defense. But Jordan was much more than a gifted athlete. An English and Fine Arts double major, today he describes himself as a teacher, coach, and maker. I call him a Renaissance man who has woven together art, athletics, and community in ways that feel deeply intentional.
After years teaching in Watts, working as a coach and educator in Hawaii, and experimenting as a furniture builder in Los Angeles, Jordan returned to Amherst in 2018 with his wife Sarah (a Hampshire grad) and their two children. He now works in the Amherst College athletic department, supporting student athletes’ development with a focus on mental health. Outside of that role, you’ll find him in his woodshop turning local trees into furniture, painting landscapes of the Pioneer Valley, and hosting classmates when they come back to campus.
Jordan opens up about his own mental health journey, the lessons he’s drawn from coaching and teaching, and why Amherst — the town and the college — continues to shape his life decades after graduation.
Conversation highlights include:
Jordan lives at the intersection of teaching, coaching, and making, three pursuits that form the through-line of his life.
On becoming a mental health advocate: Jordan speaks openly about his own mental health struggles and how they shape the way he supports Amherst student athletes today.
The meditative power of making: Whether painting on trails or building furniture from local trees, Jordan sees his creative practice as both expression and therapy.
The Amherst classmates he wants to hear from next
To contact Jordan, email him at jordanhayslip72@gmail.com or jchayslip94@amherst.edu, or visit his website, jordanhayslip.com, to see his handcrafted furniture.
Bonus Episode: Professor Emeritus Barry O’Connell
My favorite podcast episodes of all-time tend to feature friends, family, teammates, classmates, and others who love each other. Their warmth comes through every time. Every episode I publish is precious to me, but I love this one in particular because of the deep affection and respect that emerges between a beloved teacher and one of his former students.
Classmate Ben Batory sits down with Amherst College Professor Emeritus Barry O’Connell and explores Barry’s origin story and journey into higher ed. Along the way, you’ll come to see just how Barry came to possess not only a powerful voice, but also how for over 50 years he has helped his students find their own voices. Kudos to Ben for his persistence and determination in making this happen.
I never took a class with Barry. More than ever, I wish I had.
Alisa Pincus Finds Home Abroad
Alisa Pincus is in the 22nd year of a five-year plan to live in Sydney, Australia. After starting her legal career in New York, a blind date changed her trajectory, leading her to Australia, a global role with Nielsen, and extensive travel across the Asia Pacific region.
In this episode, Alisa reflects on the ways being an expat has shaped her perspective on America, Australia, and herself. She also shares the highlights of her years in corporate law — and her decision to step back and focus on family and board work.
Listeners will hear:
What it was like to trade New York City law for Sydney — and how five years turned into 22
The challenges and rewards of working across vastly different Asia Pacific cultures
Stories from a three-month family adventure around the world (including an Amherst reunion)
How Amherst prepared her for a life of pivots and possibilities
The classmates she’d like to hear from next
To get in touch with Alisa, email her at alisa.pincus@gmail.com and find her on Instagram: @alisapincus. Big thanks to Ed Castillo for nominating Alisa!
Abbie Raikes Seeks Out The Hard Stuff And Makes It Better
Curiosity and challenge have propelled Abbie Raikes ever since she left the stage at Amherst College in 1994 with her diploma in hand and launched her career in public service just five days later. Abbie describes the moves she’s made, from Nebraska to Paris and back again, as a series of deliberate choices to get closer to big, tough, important problems. She’s now tackling early childhood development on a global scale through her company, ECD Measure, and her role as a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
We talk about why she left the law school track, the revelation that hit her while working in a Nicaraguan health clinic, the philosophies that have guided her as a researcher and entrepreneur, and the ways that Amherst nurtured her early instincts. She shares a poignant remembrance of a classmate who left too soon, and offers insights about what she hopes to prioritize in the years ahead.
Highlights:
Abbie reflects on how a serious injury and a stubborn sense of curiosity led her to choose Amherst College over schools closer to home
She shares what working for Senator Bob Kerrey and reading constituent letters illuminated how she could best tackle important problems
Abbie explains what her company ECD Measure does. and why she prioritized cultural adaptability in its tools and output
She discusses the balance between academic rigor and entrepreneurial agility, and why she seeks out discomfort and challenge
Learn whom from the class of 1994 she’d like me to interview next
To get in touch with Abbie, you can find her on LinkedIn or through her faculty profile at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Pete Lalor Brings a Coach’s Mindset to Surgery and Parenting
Pete Lalor, a bariatric surgeon and medical director in Ohio, launched from Amherst College to Ireland to the hockey rinks of Holland—but today we find him leading a surgical weight loss program. A former student-athlete, Pete shares how his performance mentality evolved from athletics into medicine, and why he remains a student of psychology even decades after majoring in it at Amherst.
Pete opens up about parenting five kids, the future of medicine (including the hype and limitations of GLP-1 weight loss drugs), and how youth sports today have left him feeling torn about their value and trade-offs. He also reflects on how emotional intelligence is a critical skill, whether you’re in the operating room or the living room.
Highlights include:
His enduring interest in psychology helps him be a more empathetic physician and parent.
Pete’s perspective on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic is nuanced: they can help, but they’re no magic bullet for obesity.
The values he absorbed at Amherst and in sports—grit, teamwork, performance—still shape his life today.
How he’s envisioning the next 20 years, including how he might apply his extensive experience and curiosities in a new direction.
The two Amherst classmates he wants me to interview next.
To get in touch with Pete, email him at petelalor@hotmail.com and learn more about his practice at http://www.woodcountyhospital.org.
Jane Rohde Bowers Excels In Public Health By Meeting People Where They Are
Jane Rohde Bowers grew up both overseas and in the Pioneer Valley, with parents who graduated from Amherst College and Mount Holyoke. She also had a front-row seat to international public health via her father’s career. A self-described “beach gal” who dreamed of marine biology, she instead found herself pulled into anthropology at Amherst and later, public health herself. Today, Jane is a Health Program Manager in Los Angeles County, where she champions equitable access to HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) care, especially for vulnerable populations.
In this conversation, Jane reflects on how her international upbringing shaped her ability to relate to others, how she found her footing in public health after a post-college journey that included backpacking and tour guiding, and how she now strives to mentor the next generation of practitioners. Throughout it all, she affirms her belief that health is a human right—and that connection, trust, and persistence are the keys to making real change.
Key Takeaways:
Jane shares how growing up abroad as the child of a global public health leader gave her a deep appreciation for diversity and a recognition of health disparities.
She talks about how her early jobs—backpacking through Mexico, working as a camping tour guide, and volunteering in San Diego—helped clarify her professional path.
Why meeting people where they are is central to Jane’s work today.
Jane opens up about how she builds trust with vulnerable populations.
The Amherst College classmate she wants me to interview next.
You can email Jane at janebowers100@gmail.com.
Toby King Made His Own Path—From Geology To Bluegrass To Academia
When I think of people who’ve allowed life’s serendipities to shape their course, Toby King comes immediately to mind. In this episode, he walks me through a zigzagging journey that began with a keg behind the geology building before his freshman year at Amherst College even started and took him to UNC Asheville, where he’s Associate Professor and Chair of Music and, starting this fall, the chair of the UNC Faculty Assembly. Toby’s story is a reminder that we don’t always have to know where we’re going—as long as we stay open to what moves us.
Highlights include:
How Toby chose geology at Amherst after bonding with faculty during a pre-orientation outing—and a well-timed beer
Why he walked away from a geology career after a frank conversation with a mentor during an oil company internship
Why he taught himself how to play the banjo, and how he leveraged his passion for music into a spot at Columbia’s graduate program and a teaching role at Sarah Lawrence
The importance of prioritizing connections over content in teaching, and how the Amherst College geology department has influenced his approach to at UNC Asheville
The Amherst College classmates he wants me to interview next
To get in touch with Toby, check out his page on the UNC Asheville website: https://www.unca.edu/person/jonathan-king/.
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