Cheers to a New Year
Bennington alumni shared their professional and personal accomplishments in 2024 and their goals and hopes for 2025.
What was your favorite moment or accomplishment in 2024?
"Publication of my book, A Whole Life in 12 Movies: A Cinematic Path to a Deeper Spirituality, co-written with Gareth Higgins and published by Brazos." - Kathleen Norris '69
"Being re-elected as board chair of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, which I co-founded in 2003 and now numbers 251 nonprofit newsrooms in 95 countries." - Brant Houston '76
"After developing a 5-day residential training program for community archivists, historians, and other memory workers called the Southern Memory Workers' Institute, I've been awarded a $25,000 grant from the National Historical Publications & Records Commission to build the program out. The program is part of my work at the Highlander Research and Education Center; it's designed to resource community-operated archives center to protect the histories of Black, Latine, Indigenous, Working-Class, and LGBTQ-led movements in the Southern U.S." - Ashby Combahee '18
"I had a busy year exhibiting my work, but a highlight was to have several pieces of my recent artwork shown in Venice (Italy) during the Biennale at The Palazzo Pisani-Revedin." - Rita Valley '80
"Premiere of 'Northwest Passages, thirteen climate alarms from the Arctic' for 13 violas." - David Jaffe '78
"Making videos with Oregon Public Broadcasting, especially this Oregon Experience documentary about Colegio César Chávez." - Christie Goshe '09
"Learning to speak Bahasa Indonesian." - Randie Denker '72
"The biggest accomplishment in 2024 was getting distribution for the feature film Good Side of Bad, which I directed, produced and co-wrote. It will be released January 7, 2025 in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month." - Alethea Root '02
What are you looking forward to in 2025?
"The publication of a memoir, Rebecca Sue: A Sister's Reflections on Disability, Faith, and Love, to be published next September by InterVarsity Press." - Kathleen Norris '69
"Working with professional and student journalists on investigative stories." - Brant Houston '76
Katie Yee '17's debut novel Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar was picked up by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and Brazen in the U.K. This novel was written partially during her fellowships through from the Center for Fiction, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and Kundiman. The novel will be published in July 2025.
"More terrific opportunities to show my work...hopefully abroad!" - Rita Valley '80
"Continuing to break new ground and carry the torch that was handed off to me at Bennington." - David Jaffe '78
"More creativity and rest." - Barnabas Rose '89
"Aligning work, dreams, and action towards justice and the next season of planting, growing, and harvesting." - Christie Goshe '09
"Going back to Indonesia again and being able to speak with people I meet about their lives and ideas." - Randie Denker '72
"I'm looking forward to my film Good Side of Bad having a positive impact in the world of entertainment and mental health awareness. I hope to continue the conversation to demystify and end stigma surrounding mental illness." - Alethea Root '02
What do you appreciate most about Bennington?
"The friendships I made there, the outstanding faculty." - Kathleen Norris '69
"The faculty and freedom to explore what you are passionate about." - Brant Houston '76
"I loved the freedom and encouragement to follow my curiosity. The educational environment nurtured at Bennington developed a skill for lifelong learning. It also allowed me to sharpen my artistic expression. While I do not perform professionally, my musical practice keeps me grounded as I continue my professional work in archives and libraries." - Ashby Combahee '18
"The freedom to create my own path to becoming the artist I (still) am today!" - Rita Valley '80
"Creative individual-oriented approach, close relationships with teachers, learning by doing." - David Jaffe '78
"What a quirky little place it is." - Christie Goshe '09
"That it supports and catalyzes creativity across every discipline." - Randie Denker '72
"The ability to say I want to do this 'thing,' and then having the support to do that 'thing.'" - Alethea Root '02
