乐播传媒 College has announced the election of three new trustees, effective July 1, 2026.

• Scott F. Higgins 鈥�91, P鈥�27 is a business leader currently working as a senior executive in the commercial insurance industry. 
• Matthew B. Schecter 鈥�89, P鈥�20 is a leader in the life sciences industry whose work has focused on advancing healthcare communication, education, and access.
• Sophia B. “Sophie” Wagener 鈥�17 is an attorney based in California, whose practice is focused on general liability matters and toxic tort, defending plaintiffs in personal injury lawsuits involving exposure to dangerous chemicals and hazardous substances. 

鈥淥n behalf of the board, I want to express how grateful we are to Scott, Matthew, and Sophie for their willingness to share their considerable expertise with 乐播传媒 and for the not insignificant time commitment that comes with supporting the board鈥檚 work,鈥� said Gregory A. Ehret 鈥�91, P鈥�23, chair of the 乐播传媒 College Board of Trustees. 鈥淭hey join an incredibly dedicated group of trustees, and I know each of them will bring valuable experiences and perspective to the board. I look forward to working with them to help ensure 乐播传媒 is fulfilling its mission.鈥� 

The new trustees will serve five-year terms that extend to June 30, 2031.

Scott F. Higgins 鈥�91, P鈥�27

Scott Higgins is a business leader currently working as a senior executive in the commercial insurance industry. 

Higgins is the executive vice president for Burns & Wilcox, overseeing the firm鈥檚 North American commercial insurance division. He executes Burns & Wilcox鈥檚 comprehensive strategy and maximizes client and market relationships.

Prior to joining Burns & Wilcox, Higgins worked for Travelers for more than 30 years. He held a variety of roles at the insurance giant, working in nearly every aspect of North American operations and holding the title of executive vice president and president of Middle Market and National Property for Travelers.

At 乐播传媒, Higgins majored in political science. A football player, he was a recipient of the Robert P.  Schmidt Award, given to a teammate who demonstrates physical and mental courage while bringing honor and achievement to themselves and their team. He earned an MBA from the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). As a member of the alumni community, Higgins has served as a class agent and been an Alumni in Admission volunteer. He continues to work closely with other football alumni.

Higgins鈥� volunteer work outside of 乐播传媒 includes a deep commitment to Vista Life Innovations, a nonprofit that provides programs and services to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve personal success and independence.

Higgins and his wife Heather P鈥�27 reside in Connecticut and are the parents of Karly and Cole 鈥�27, a politics major with a minor in history. Cole is a member of the football team. Scott’s mother Althea Curtis Higgins 鈥�70 also attended 乐播传媒.

Matthew B. Schecter 鈥�89, P鈥�20

Matthew B. Schecter is the founder and chief executive officer of The Lockwood Group, a global pharmaceutical services organization specializing in medical communications, market access, regulatory affairs, and clinical consulting. Founded in 2007, The Lockwood Group employs over 800 professionals worldwide.  In 2021, Ares Management made a strategic investment in the company to support its continued growth and expansion.

During a 30-year career in the life sciences industry, Schecter has built and led organizations dedicated to advancing healthcare communication, education, and access. 

At 乐播传媒, Schecter majored in political science and excelled at track and field. He was a three-time NCAA All-American, NCAA national champion, and still holds the college鈥檚 high jump record. He is a member of the College Key. As an alumnus, he served on his 25th Reunion committee, co-chaired his 35th Reunion gift committee, and has volunteered as a class agent and Alumni in Admission representative.

Schecter is active in several civic and philanthropic organizations, including Children of Fallen Patriots, which supports the families of fallen service members and helps their children pursue higher education. 

He and his wife Jill P鈥�20 live in Palm Beach, Fla. They have two adult children, Zachary and Samantha 鈥�20. Samantha earned a degree in neuroscience from 乐播传媒 and works as a senior marketing coordinator at Kohn Pedersen Fox in New York. Schecter鈥檚 brother, Michael Schecter ’86, is executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer for Morgan Properties. Michael is married to Sharon Jane Curry ’88, a lactation consultant at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Sophia B. “Sophie” Wagener 鈥�17

Sophie Wagener is an attorney working as an associate at California-based Walsworth LLP. Her practice focuses on general liability and toxic tort litigation 鈥� complex cases involving exposure to harmful substances. It鈥檚 work that calls on both her scientific background and legal precision.

Before joining Walsworth, Wagener gained hands-on litigation experience serving as second chair in two civil jury trials and helping defend clients across a broad spectrum of cases, including professional, product, and premises liability. During law school, she interned with a nonprofit supporting cancer patients, in-house at a healthcare company, at the city attorney鈥檚 office, and at the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. 

At 乐播传媒, Wagener pursued biology with a minor in public health and a concentration in Asian studies 鈥� an academic combination that reflects her wide-ranging interests and love of interdisciplinary thinking. In 2023, she earned her JD from the University of San Diego School of Law, magna cum laude, and is a member of the Order of the Coif.

Wagener is an active member of the alumni community who looks forward to annual reunion weekends with her close-knit circle of 乐播传媒 friends. Her commitment to the college extends beyond participation 鈥� just one year after graduating, Wagener and her parents, Shaw B. Wagener and Debbie J. Heitz, established the Wagener Family Professorship at 乐播传媒, dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in STEM. Today, April Horton carries that mission forward as the Wagener Family Professor of Equity and Inclusion in STEM.

Mohammed M. Obaid Shwani 鈥�24 has been a world traveler and an award winner since he was a teenager. In 2016, he first came to the United States after being named an Iraqi Young Leader through a State Department program, then traveled to Bosnia to attend United World College on a scholarship before landing in Maine for college.

As a first-year student at 乐播传媒, he won the Dana Award, the highest honor bestowed on a student in their first year. He majored in politics, minored in philosophy, and graduated summa cum laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After time in England and a return to Iraq, he鈥檒l soon embark on another journey with a fresh accolade, heading to Beijing as a Schwarzman Scholar.

This month Shwani was named one of 150 Schwarzman Scholars, representing 40 countries and 83 universities from around the world, who will attend a one-year, fully-funded master鈥檚 degree program in global affairs at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University. Selected from a pool of over 5,800 candidates worldwide, Shwani is a part of the most competitive cohort to date. 

When the State Department selected him as a Young Iraqi Leader, they saw a determined student from Kirkuk who grew up amid terrorism and instability, and who, at just 16, founded Iraq鈥檚 first National Model United Nations association. At 乐播传媒, Shwani was curious about global systems and approached this work from an interdisciplinary perspective. His work at 乐播传媒 was followed with a year in England studying law at the University of Oxford. These experiences, he says, helped him learn to critically analyze power, history, and governance. 鈥溊植ゴ� didn鈥檛 give me a single narrative,鈥� he notes. 鈥淚t gave me the tools to deconstruct them and form my own conclusions.鈥� 

Shwani returned to Iraqi Kurdistan after 乐播传媒 and has been leading global partnerships at the Kurdistan Foundation, tasked with attracting investment, collaboration, and strategic alliances to the region.

鈥淔or years, my country and I have oriented ourselves around 鈥榳hat will the U.S. do, and how does its system work?鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淏ut my country is now actively engaging with another great power whose system we do not understand. We have strong economic ties with China, but almost no insight into its strategic culture, its governance model, or its long-term vision. Kurdistan and Iraq鈥檚 future leaders must understand and have connections with all sides to be able to navigate the country鈥檚 relationships in this new multipolar world.鈥�

This need for understanding led him to the Schwarzman Scholars program, a scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century and designed to prepare the next generation of global leaders.

鈥淥ur eleventh cohort is a truly impressive group that fills me with optimism,鈥� says Stephen A. Schwarzman, founding trustee of Schwarzman Scholars, 鈥淚 am hopeful that their interest in China and global affairs, coupled with their leadership potential, will create opportunities for collaboration and dialogue at Schwarzman College and beyond.鈥�

As Shwani prepares for Beijing, he looks forward to reuniting with Scarlett Wang 鈥�23, who now lives in Beijing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been years since we were on campus together,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he idea that a 乐播传媒 friend will be part of my first community in China makes this huge transition feel more like a homecoming. It reminds me that no matter where I go, the network and relationships from 乐播传媒 are a permanent foundation.鈥�

乐播传媒 is welcoming a large group of new faculty this year. Seventeen tenured or tenure-track professors will join the college over the course of the 2025-2026 academic year.聽乐播传媒 News聽is introducing them in groups over this semester.聽Part 1 ran in our newsletter聽of September 25, part 2聽went out in our October 3聽newsletter and Part 3 appeared in our October 10 newsletter.

Scotty Farley, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry

Focus of teaching and scholarship:

My background is in chemical biology: developing and using chemical tools to help solve intractable problems in biology, specifically, for me, virology. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites and need to get all of their resources from the cells they infect (ours) and often manipulate the way our cells work in order to do that. One of the things that has been very historically difficult to study has been the way that viruses manipulate the lipid composition of cellular membranes. My research uses common cold coronaviruses 鈥� related to the familiar SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, but much less pathogenic 鈥� to investigate how the coronavirus family as a whole manipulates the lipid metabolism of infected cells and what aspects of that are essential to the viral life cycle. I teach a range of classes in the chemistry department, including organic chemistry, biochemistry, and biochemistry of virus replication.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year at 乐播传媒?

I taught here as a visiting professor last year and had a great time in the classroom and getting to know 乐播传媒 students. This year, in addition to teaching in the classroom, I am thrilled to get to mentor thesis students in my lab. I鈥檓 excited to share my research with my students and try to convince them that lipids are as cool as I think they are.

What is your favorite part of teaching?

I teach a lot of classes that have a reputation of being hard and scary and unapproachable 鈥� organic chemistry, especially. A lot of the students are often worried that they鈥檙e not smart enough or are not cut out to understand these 鈥渉ard鈥� topics. I love being able to frame things to make them approachable: to make it obvious how understanding such abstract ideas as where electrons like to be are directly relevant to things that they care about, like how antibiotics work. I equally love making an environment where everyone gets the tools they need to understand what鈥檚 going on. The moments when someone who has been struggling or has been reticent about speaking up begins to participate in class discussions are when I feel like I鈥檝e succeeded as a teacher.

Halla Attallah, assistant professor of religious studies

Focus of teaching and scholarship:

My focus is in Qur’anic and early Islamic studies. I am also interested in teaching classes on the scriptural traditions, religion and feminist studies, and disability studies and religion. My scholarship examines the stories of the Qur’an within the context of gender and disability studies. Currently, my work examines the Qur’an’s annunciation stories 鈥� the stories of the miraculous birth of a son to Abraham, Sarah, the virgin Mary, and Zachariah. Relying on these texts, I consider how the Qur’an and its original seventh century audience imagined the embodied experiences associated with reproduction and infertility.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year at 乐播传媒? 

I am most looking forward to getting to know students and colleagues.

What is your favorite part of teaching?

My favorite part of teaching is when you see the “aha moments” happening from a reading or concept being discussed in class. This can show up in student questions, comments, facial expressions, and even struggles with the materials showing that there is always so much more to learn.

Lauren Buisker, assistant professor of rhetoric, film, and screen studies and director of debate

Focus of teaching and scholarship:

I teach rhetoric classes that examine how discourse distributes power and explore how activists use rhetoric to create a safer, more inclusive society. I鈥檓 currently teaching 鈥淧ublic Discourse鈥� and I鈥檓 excited to teach 鈥淚ntroduction to Argumentation鈥� and 鈥淪ocial Advocacy and Activism鈥� in the winter. Similar to my teaching, my research investigates how activists against sexual violence use rhetoric to challenge harmful narratives surrounding victimhood and aim to create a world in which marginalized people can live free of violence. 

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year at 乐播传媒? 

I鈥檓 very excited about three things: 1) office hours, because I enjoy talking one-on-one with students about how they can make connections between their specific interests and general course content; 2) traveling around the globe 鈥� Oxford, United Kingdom, and Sofia, Bulgaria, this year with the Brooks Quimby Debate Council as the new director of debate; and 3) lunches in Commons because I love the sense of vibrant community that emerges in a space where people really seem to know one another and care about each other. The soft serve ice cream in Commons is also incredible! 

What is your favorite part of teaching?

I love course sessions when I feel like I learn just as much from my students as they learn from me. I enjoy creating classroom environments that are active, noisy (in the best possible way), and engaging. In these moments of chaotic rigor, it’s an absolute privilege to witness students come to understand a concept so effectively that their contributions expand and energize my own intellectual curiosities.

Before she joined the U.S. Foreign Service, Clarisa P茅rez-Armend谩riz, professor of politics, was certain that she would never make a career out of studying Latin America.

Her family is from Mexico 鈥� she was born in Monterrey before moving to the U.S. at age 2 鈥� and she felt that studying the region would give in to people鈥檚 stereotypes about what was expected of her.

But, when she was assigned to Mexico for her first post as a Foreign Service officer, everything changed.

鈥淚 was really upset,鈥� P茅rez-Armend谩riz says. 鈥淏ut then, it turned out it’s the most incredible thing that happened in my life.鈥�

Her experience in Mexico inspired much of her thesis work for her PhD in politics and continues to impact her research and teaching. In recognition of the latter, P茅rez-Armend谩riz is this year鈥檚 recipient of the Kroepsch Award for Excellence in Teaching, 乐播传媒鈥� highest honor for teaching.

鈥淚 really like teaching, and it felt really exciting for people to recognize something that I care about a lot,鈥� P茅rez-Armend谩riz says.

鈥�Hearing from them and taking seriously their observations, I like that a lot. That’s what makes me come up with a new idea for a course.鈥�

Professor of Politics Clarisa P茅rez-Armend谩riz

She helped establish the college鈥檚 Program in Latin American and Latinx Studies, and her courses frequently cover comparative politics, Latin American and Latinx politics, and international migration. This semester, she鈥檚 teaching a first-year seminar, 鈥淗ow Democracy Dies,鈥� and a 300-level course, 鈥淧olitical Challenges in Latin America.鈥�

For politics major and 鈥淧olitical Challenges in Latin America鈥� student Elizabeth Holcombe 鈥�26 of Takoma Park. Md., what makes P茅rez-Armend谩riz stand out as a teacher is her ability to develop close, honest relationships with her students.

鈥淐larisa makes everyone feel capable and smart in their own way,鈥� Holcombe says. 鈥淓veryone has something to share and contribute.鈥� 

Both Holcombe and Leslie Jimenez 鈥�26 of Chicago, Ill., a politics and Latin American and Latinx studies double major also in 鈥淧olitical Challenges in Latin America,鈥� took their first courses with P茅rez-Armend谩riz their sophomore year. They jump at any opportunity to enroll in a course with her, they say, and are constantly recommending her courses to their peers.

鈥淐larisa is this light that guides a lot of people in this world,鈥� Jimenez says.

Another strength of P茅rez-Armend谩riz鈥檚 teaching is the way that she uses her experience as a Foreign Service officer to make her lessons come alive, Holcombe says.

鈥淚t’s pretty clear in her teaching that a lot of her life before 乐播传媒 is informing what we’re learning about in a powerful way,鈥� Holcombe says. 

As a Foreign Service officer, P茅rez-Armend谩riz was responsible for issuing visas for entry into the U.S. and helping people with dual citizenship in Mexico and America resolve various administrative problems. She began to notice interesting patterns among her clients with dual citizenship or who had emigrated out of Mexico and were returning or visiting. 

Her experience inspired her to begin thinking about how Mexican emigrants influence the political state of their home country from abroad or through their families, a topic that would go on to influence her doctoral thesis and later research. P茅rez-Armend谩riz is currently working on several research projects, including investigating election participation of Mexican citizens who vote from abroad.

P茅rez-Armend谩riz鈥檚 courses touch on complicated, contested political concepts, such as, for her first-year seminar students, the often-debated definition of populism. As a teacher, one of her priorities is ensuring that her students both understand and can explain these intricate topics. She wants them to be able to share what they鈥檝e learned, whether while educating family members or discussing their work in a job interview.

鈥淲e complicate things a lot,鈥� P茅rez-Armend谩riz says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to lose your audience.鈥�

P茅rez-Armend谩riz helps students grasp ideas by teaching them how to create and analyze visual tools such as graphs. She鈥檚 laid back and approachable when she鈥檚 at the front of the classroom, using humor to help students relax and feel comfortable approaching difficult topics, and quick to remind them that there is often more than one way to view an idea.

In her classroom, 鈥測ou’re allowed to have a very nuanced opinion,鈥� Jimenez says.

P茅rez-Armend谩riz seeks feedback from students on what they want to learn and provides opportunities for students with unique global perspectives, such as international students or those returning from study abroad, to share their insights with their classmates. 

鈥淗earing from them and taking seriously their observations, I like that a lot,鈥� P茅rez-Armend谩riz says. 鈥淭hat’s what makes me come up with a new idea for a course.鈥�

Her changing, topical ideas for her courses are part of what makes students return to her repeatedly.

鈥淐larisa has her finger on the pulse,鈥� Holcombe says. 鈥淪he knows what people want to learn.鈥�

Though her courses are all taught in English, P茅rez-Armend谩riz encourages her students to engage with source materials in other languages, whether they access them because they speak another language or through using AI translation services. She discussed the importance of accessing sources in different languages during the Kroepsch Pedagogy Panel in September, which P茅rez-Armend谩riz organized and moderated around the theme of 鈥減reparing our students to be global citizens.鈥�

In the same vein of having students who have spent time abroad share their experiences, engaging with scholarly work in different languages offers a glimpse into ideas beyond what is available in the English scholastic catalog.

鈥淚t’s not just 鈥榮ame stuff, different language,鈥欌�� P茅rez-Armend谩riz says. 鈥淚t’s 鈥榙ifferent stuff.鈥欌��

Lexie Jamieson 鈥�20, a double major in politics and Spanish, embraced P茅rez-Armend谩riz鈥檚 enthusiasm for using multiple languages while writing her thesis analyzing perceptions of foreigners in Argentina. With P茅rez-Armend谩riz encouraging her as her advisor, Jamieson conducted surveys and interviews in Spanish. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jamieson worried that it wasn鈥檛 possible to complete her thesis virtually. But P茅rez-Armend谩riz assured her that she could do it. They met online nearly every day until she was finished.

鈥淪he’s the definition of what an amazing professor is like, and she really truly cares about her students and their lives,鈥� Jamieson says.

P茅rez-Armend谩riz enjoys supporting students who are interested in research and encourages them to pursue their interests, even when their ideas are unusual. When she herself was a PhD student, her advisors cautioned her against studying her primary interest of immigration, claiming that it was not a topical part of politics.

Years later, immigration is one of the most relevant and examined topics in political science.

鈥淚 have a really strong reaction to when people are like, 鈥榊ou don’t want to do that.鈥� It’s really negative,鈥� P茅rez-Armend谩riz says. 鈥淚t keeps us from knowing and learning stuff we don’t know. Maybe a student is from a place that hasn’t been represented in academia.鈥�

Jimenez spent a summer as P茅rez-Armend谩riz鈥檚 research assistant through an internship funded by the Center for Purposeful Work. Even though Jimenez began the summer without the research skills needed for the work, such as coding data, P茅rez-Armend谩riz was confident that she could learn 鈥� and she did.

鈥淐larisa is just meeting you where you’re at and really wanting to make sure you like what you’re doing,鈥� Jimenez says.

But P茅rez-Armend谩riz has high expectations for her students. Her courses taught Jamieson that her brain and work ethic were capable of more than she previously thought possible. Today, as a bilingual English-Spanish kindergarten teacher in Washington D.C., Jamieson views her students鈥� potential the same way that P茅rez-Armend谩riz viewed hers.

鈥淚t really influences the way I also hold those high standards and expectations of my students,鈥� Jamieson says. 鈥淓ven as five-year-olds, I’ve been very amazed at their abilities to have critical conversations about the world around them and understand.鈥� 

P茅rez-Armend谩riz knows personally that the path to purposeful work is often winding and full of surprises. With her unfailing belief in her students鈥� ability to succeed, she is equipping them for the journey.

鈥淥ne thing will lead to another, and you can’t predict it,鈥� P茅rez-Armend谩riz said. 鈥淛ust be ready and be open and listen to your instincts.鈥�

乐播传媒 is welcoming a large group of new faculty this year. Seventeen tenured or tenure-track professors will join the college over the course of the 2025-2026 academic year. 乐播传媒 News is introducing them in groups over this semester. Part 1 ran in our newsletter of September 25 and part 2 went out in our October 3 newsletter.

Ellen Finch, assistant professor of psychology

Focus of teaching and scholarship:

I am a clinical psychologist whose research explores the intersection of personality and psychopathology. Most recently, I have been working to elucidate underlying features of pathological narcissism. In the classroom, I enjoy teaching any and all topics related to clinical psychology, from research to theory to applied psychotherapy. My experience as a practicing mental health clinician deeply informs both my scholarship and pedagogy.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year at 乐播传媒?

I am particularly excited to get to know the 乐播传媒 community. Between the students, staff, and faculty, it is clear there are many very special people on this campus. I鈥檓 eager to learn more about the folks who make 乐播传媒 what it is, and to become a fully engaged part of this community myself. I am also really looking forward to exploring Maine with my family 鈥� we鈥檙e thrilled to be in a place with so much natural beauty and are ready to break out our snowshoes!

What is your favorite part of teaching?

Without a doubt, my favorite part of teaching is helping students develop self-efficacy both in the classroom and beyond. It鈥檚 extremely rewarding to witness this form of academic and personal growth, which can pop up where I least expect it! This is one of the reasons I am so grateful to be at a liberal arts institution 鈥� we as faculty have the privilege to really get to know our students and see their development over multiple years. 

Christine Martinez, assistant professor of environmental studies

Focus of teaching and scholarship:

My family and friends are often confused when I tell them that I teach in an environmental studies program. They remember me as a photojournalist, and later, as a scholar of Spanish literature and film. But I tell them it鈥檚 all connected! I鈥檝e always been interested in the stories people tell to make sense of and change the world. Because of Spain鈥檚 experience as both center (of colonial empire) and periphery (of modern Europe), it is a fascinating place to study the power dynamics of contemporary environmental discourses. And, because of its relatively late incorporation into post-WWII global capitalism (thanks to a 36-year dictatorship), we see consumer culture鈥檚 aggressive arrival alongside the survival of older, subsistence ways of working the land. I currently study how small farmers, migrant workers, community gardeners, and rural feminist movements in Iberia are recuperating subsistence practices and building transnational alliances to advocate for more just food and land-use systems. (It鈥檚 a longer story to explain how I, a daughter of the Puerto Rican diaspora, ended up studying Spain鈥�) At 乐播传媒, I teach courses on food justice and food sovereignty; Mediterranean and Caribbean environmental thought; visual media studies; and journalistic communication in environmental studies. 

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year at 乐播传媒?

Prior to my current appointment, I was a visiting professor here at 乐播传媒 for two years. While I am grateful for this time and everything I learned, I am relieved to be off the job market and excited to finally be 鈥渏ust me,鈥� to plan courses I can teach and improve for years to come, to contribute to the environmental studies curriculum and humanities at 乐播传媒, to accompany students throughout their college careers, and to build on community partnerships with organizations that do meaningful, necessary, and inspiring work in this place called Maine. I am also very much looking forward to completing a draft of my first book project this academic year! 

What is your favorite part of teaching?

I have never liked being the center of attention or standing at the front of an audience speaking! What I like the most about teaching is decentering the classroom and sharing meaningful learning experiences with students: seeing students get excited about ideas or making connections between material; accompanying students through the highs and lows of research or creative processes 鈥� and finally reaching that aha! moment where the effort pays off; serving as a bridge between students and spaces where impactful community work is happening (and encountering them semesters later working in these spaces). I also deeply enjoy running into my students semesters later 鈥� whether after study abroad, summer internships, or graduation 鈥� and learning about the work they are doing beyond 乐播传媒.

Kamal Kariem, assistant professor of anthropology

Focus of teaching and scholarship:

I am an environmental and political anthropologist, whose research and teaching interests center on global indigeneities and comparative imperial formations as these intersect with nature protection. These interests come together in my book project, Believing Conservation: Hunting, Protecting Nature, and Altering Indigeneity on the Bikin River, in which I demonstrate how the environment becomes a site of contestation over state belonging among the Udege people through conflicting mobilizations of late imperial Russian and Soviet histories. Within this project, the questions I ask revolve around the social formation of indigeneity within Russia. In particular, I leverage archival data on understudied histories from late imperial Russia and the Soviet Union to demonstrate how late imperial officials and Soviet bureaucrats constructed indigeneity and found uses for indigeneity as a social formation. Each historical deep dive was fueled by ethnographic research from 2019鈥�2021 in Russia鈥檚 Primorskii krai as I learned how these pasts become socially relevant today (and for the future) within one Udege community as its members conflictingly relate to both the role of hunting as a part of protecting nature and the formation of Bikin National Park.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year at 乐播传媒?

I鈥檓 really looking forward to teaching ANTH 101 鈥淐ultural Anthropology鈥� and my seminar ANTH 237 鈥淚ndigeneity Today.鈥�  For ANTH 101, it鈥檚 always exciting to teach students who are new or newer to the discipline and its central concepts. I鈥檝e found many students know more about anthropology and think more ethnographically than they believe, so part of the work is demonstrating this and discovering ways to further develop this knowledge and type of thinking. Somewhat differently, I love teaching 鈥淚ndigeneity Today鈥� because it emerges from my own research. As I conducted research, I found convergences and divergences between the experiences of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Russia, which encouraged me to read more Indigenous scholars and engage with Native and Indigenous studies in more robust ways. I genuinely enjoy sharing this process of 鈥渢hinking between鈥� with students and teaching how they can do similar thinking within their own work and how they should always engage with Indigenous scholars and community members. Further, for the portfolio project (the class鈥� main assignment), students always impress me with the quality of their thinking and questioning and the necessary care they use as we read and learn about Indigenous communities and experiences. Together, I get to expose students to a wide range of ideas both connected to discipline broadly (as well as critique of it) and to my own research, which fuels my own research questions and process! 

What is your favorite part of teaching?

My favorite part of teaching is thinking with students. Teaching, learning, and research are always collaborative processes. Within my own undergraduate studies, having faculty who understood this left a lasting mark on my teaching practice. I love engaging with the questions that most interest students and answering them together if possible. And if we can鈥檛 come up with an answer, we do the work of identifying questions that would need to be answered first. Another aspect of thinking with students that I also deeply enjoy is finding ways of showing students how they can use anthropology and its ideas in their own lives and future work. 乐播传媒 students seem especially interested in applying what they are learning, which makes such connections incredibly important and satisfying. With this in mind, in my teaching, I make a case for how they can develop their own ethnographic sensibilities and why this can be useful beyond the classroom.聽

Earlier this year Golf Digest was looking for college golfers to star in a video that would showcase how a new Adobe tool could be used by lovers of the sport.

There are 1,300 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 college golf programs in the U.S. but typically the talent pipeline for pro golf 鈥� and its preeminent publication 鈥� runs through powerhouse NCAA Division I schools such as Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Wake Forest.

For this video production though, Golf Digest turned to Division III and 乐播传媒 College. To demonstrate the creative reach and user-friendly qualities of Firefly, Adobe’s generative AI tool, Golf Digest followed members of the 乐播传媒 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 golf teams as they explored its potential applications to build idealized golf holes.

Shot in Lewiston and Auburn on a single day in May, the result is a that debuted this month, starring many 乐播传媒 golfers adorned in Bobcat-merch, the Martindale Country Club, and campus locations that included Pettengill Hall鈥檚 Perry Atrium.

乐播传媒 landed on Golf Digest鈥檚 radar through connections with two 乐播传媒 golfers. The first is a current student, Charlie Weinman 鈥�27, a politics major from Rye, N.Y., whose father, Sam Weinman, is the publication鈥檚 digital editorial director. 

But Sam Weinman鈥檚 connection to 乐播传媒 predates his parental one. For Golf Digest in 2018, he profiled a teenage golfer, Sam Gerry 鈥�24, who at that time was by drawing on his own experience. Gerry went on to attend 乐播传媒 and play golf. Over that time, Weinman followed his progress. Then, when Charlie Weinman was first considering 乐播传媒, he got a campus tour from Sam Gerry.

During Golf Digest鈥檚 brainstorming sessions for the Adobe project, the idea of using a small-college team came up. Weinman said his colleagues 鈥渒new that Charlie was having a great experience at 乐播传媒.鈥� They included Stina Sternberg, an executive with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports who leads video and branded content for the publication and who ultimately made the call to select the Bobcat team for the Adobe project.

Watch the Golf Digest video:

Filming day was May 20. Production started at 乐播传媒鈥� historic home course, Martindale Country Club in Auburn, then shifted to campus, where the golfers used Firefly to imagine, design, and create realistic visual images of their own golf holes 鈥� all in front of a production team capturing their every move.

The weather was familiar Maine 鈥渟pring鈥� weather: cloudy skies, north winds gusting to 20 mph, and a temperature that barely reached 50 degrees. The day鈥檚 first scene focused on one of the course鈥檚 signature holes, the par-3 9th hole, a precipitously downhill hole that plays 180 yards from the white tees.

From a storytelling standpoint, it was the perfect place to begin. Since the course opened in 1921, the elevated tee has felt magical. 鈥淐limb to the very crest, keep your eyes on the ground until you reach the summit, and then turn around and drink it in,鈥� exhorted the Lewiston Sun Journal in its review of the new Auburn course. (Today Martindale Country Club is owned by Nick Glicos, whose son Evan graduated from 乐播传媒 in 2024 with an economics degree.) 

Atop the windy hill, the film crew assumed their positions on the 9th tee. Down below, the 乐播传媒 golfers were gathered on the green. 鈥淎ction,鈥� said supervising producer Michael Sneeden, and three handheld cameras captured video, and a drone tracked the action from above, as the golfers completed a cinematic walk up the steep hill. There, they met Derek Duncan, Golf Digest鈥檚 architecture editor and host of the podcast Feed the Ball. 

With cameras rolling, Duncan offered a historical primer on golf course design. He explained the history and legacy of Charles Blair Macdonald (1855鈥�1939), who studied classic U.K. holes and brought their strategic brilliance to his U.S. designs. 鈥淢acdonald had a set of what he considered his 鈥榠deal鈥� golf holes, and he worked to design courses from those holes,鈥� he said, referring to Macdonald鈥檚 concept of 鈥渢emplate holes,鈥� basic layouts that could be tweaked and adapted for any terrain or setting, but that would always be playable, fun, and challenging for all golfers.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what you will do with Adobe Firefly,鈥� Duncan said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l use inspirations from holes that you’ve played, some from your own hometown courses, and from your travels. Think about what you like and don’t like about those courses.鈥�

He asked them to look down at the 9th green, which has Beech Hill Road passing right behind the hole. The hole鈥檚 design reflects strategic course design: To help the golfer keep the road behind the green out of play, there鈥檚 a generous, safe landing area in front of the green.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want a road to be part of a hole鈥檚 strategy, unless you鈥檙e talking St. Andrews,鈥� Duncan told the golfers, referring to the famed Road Hole, where a road behind the green and along the right side of the fairway becomes a critical part of a golfer鈥檚 decision-making.

From the 9th tee, the production team and the 乐播传媒 golfers moved to the 12th, a straight 484-yard par 5 where a right-handed golfer could slice the ball into the Little Androscoggin River that runs alongside the fairway. 

As Duncan walked the 12th fairway and talked with the 乐播传媒 golfers, the 16-member production team 鈥� camera and audio operators, drone specialists, producers, directors, and executives 鈥� moved in a loose orbit around them. The video team came from IMG Media, based in London, with freelance professionals capturing audio.

Duncan asked what made the hole challenging. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just so straight,鈥� said one 乐播传媒 golfer. As they advanced down the fairway, team captain Will Phillips 鈥�25 of Portland, Ore., took note of Duncan鈥檚 approach to the course, which was instructive beyond golf. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 the way he walks a golf course: He walks slow, and he takes time to look at all the undulations in the green, to look at where a good miss might be off the tee.鈥� (A 鈥済ood miss鈥� is a shot that misses the golfer鈥檚 intended mark but doesn鈥檛 find deep trouble.) 鈥淗e takes his time to gather in what is all around him before he makes any remarks or gives his opinion.鈥� 

For Phillips, the morning exercise at Martindale turned the typical golf experience inside out. Like other individual sports, golf demands an inward focus. But like only a handful of other sports, such as skiing or running cross country, golf鈥檚 playing venue changes dramatically with each match, which tests the golfer鈥檚 ability to stay focused, block out distractions, and make smart decisions under pressure.

鈥淲e just came off our season,鈥� explained Phillips. 鈥淧ractice, practice, practice, and play, play, play. You work to get comfortable with yourself in your own head. You find little techniques to stay on it mentally.鈥�

But as Phillips walked the Martindale golf course with Duncan, he realized that to view the course as a creative course designer, he needed to step outside 鈥渢he player mentality and into the designer mentality, and visit the game of golf without having to be completely locked in, dialed in, and focused on yourself.鈥�

His teammate, Henry Ehrlich 鈥�26, also from Portland, Ore., was similarly struck by how Duncan invited the group to shift their thinking. Duncan asked the golfers to imagine how any given hole might be different, and how that would affect someone鈥檚 experience. 

鈥淲hen you’re on the course as a golfer, it’s such a mental sport. It’s so easy to get in your own head,鈥� Ehrlich said. 鈥淭hinking about the way the course is constructed and how everything’s laid out isn鈥檛 something that’s always at the top of your mind.鈥�

鈥淵ou gave us gold. You blew all of us away with your engagement, enthusiasm, smart questions and answers, and, yes, design skills.鈥� 鈥� Stina Sternberg, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports

For example, said Ehrlich, when he鈥檚 on Martindale鈥檚 9th tee, 鈥渕inus wind, I鈥檒l hit the same club no matter what. I know where I’m going to be, because I’d rather be short in that collection area than be long.鈥� (That鈥檚 an example of the 鈥済ood miss.鈥�) 鈥淲hen you realize that the hole is designed for that purpose, that it鈥檚 how you’re supposed to play the hole, the architecture makes more sense.鈥�

At its heart, a liberal arts education teaches students to ask the question 鈥渨hy,鈥� and that played out even during the experience of starring in an advertising product. Mehar Nijjer 鈥�27, a psychology major from Chandigarh, India, said that her mindset on the tee would typically be focused on tactics. 鈥淗it the ball to this target, avoid that hazard.鈥�

Now, she has 鈥渨hy鈥� in mind. 鈥淚’m thinking much more about strategy and the architect’s intended path. I ask questions like, 鈥榃hy is this bunker here? What is the best angle of attack to this green, and why?鈥� It鈥檚 no longer just about hitting a good shot but about hitting the right shot for the situation, based on a deeper understanding of the hole鈥檚 design.鈥�

Her teammate Isabelle Meltzer 鈥�28 of Summit, N.J., agrees. 鈥淎 big part of scoring in golf is being good at course management 鈥� taking into account shot shapes, risk vs. reward for certain shapes, and where to place balls on the green. Walking the course gave me more things to think about when it comes to where I want to be on a green or fairway in a competition.鈥�

After the morning at Martindale, everyone headed back to Perry Atrium in Pettengill Hall where the 乐播传媒 golfers broke into groups and used what they saw and heard from Duncan to take a crack at designing their own golf holes using Adobe Firefly. 

During a break in the afternoon shooting, Michael Sneeden, the project鈥檚 supervising producer, was asked what the 乐播传媒 students were bringing to the project. He used the example of a Venn diagram, how a series of circles might explain a video project that uses volunteer student talent.

Sneeden rattled off the circles of need. One, of course, was being top-flight golfers 鈥渁t a great college.鈥� Then being available and willing to give their time, the ability to 鈥渢ake physical direction as we move the cameras around,鈥� and, finally, the ability to speak on camera, 鈥渢houghtfully, respectfully, and intelligently.鈥� 

Like other Adobe products such as Photoshop and Illustrator, Firefly enables users to create and enhance visual content. It uses generative AI, which means users can produce images, including text effects and other visual attributes, by typing a text description. The 乐播传媒 students also used Firefly Boards, a collaborative tool to help with the overall ideation.

Phillips鈥� team took a crack at designing a variation of the par-3 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. First, they used Adobe Fresco, a free drawing tool, to make rough sketches, then used Firefly to make the hole look real, with lush greens, swaying trees, and a vivid water hazard fronting the green. They didn鈥檛 touch the iconic green, but instead imagined new tee boxes. 鈥淲e gave them four new options, differing yardages, which creates more or less of a battle with that traditional angle across the green.鈥� 

Meanwhile, Nijjer found inspiration from across the country, designing a dogleg-right par 5 that features stunning redwood trees sometimes found on northern California courses like Northwood Golf Club in Monte Rio. 鈥淲e felt this provided a unique and scenic element that is not often seen in golf course architecture,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 key element was ensuring the hole was accessible and engaging for golfers of all abilities.鈥�

That鈥檚 what the Golf Digest team wanted to see. 鈥淭he engagement from the 乐播传媒 golfers comes a lot from the fact that they鈥檙e so genuine,鈥� said Sneeden.

Since 2021, NCAA student-athletes can profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) through endorsement deals and other business ventures. At the Division I level, this means millions going to top athletes.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e making a ton of money, which means they often already have media training by the time they get to college,鈥� said Sneeden. 

What the Golf Digest team found at 乐播传媒 was golfing excellence among the men and women on the golf team. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be professional in their fields, just not professional golfers. They gave us their honest opinions, not something manufactured.鈥�

Or as Stina Sternberg put it in a thank you note to the golfers: 鈥淵ou gave us gold. You blew all of us away with your engagement, enthusiasm, smart questions and answers, and, yes, design skills.鈥�

Jay Burns recently retired from 乐播传媒 Communications and Marketing after a 32-year career that included many titles and ended with senior editorial director. He edited 乐播传媒 Magazine for much of his career at 乐播传媒 and will continue to contribute to the college’s publications as a freelancer.

President Garry W. Jenkins has received the 2025 Maine Black Excellence Compass Career Award from , a network that connects Maine鈥檚 Black professionals, students, and entrepreneurs to opportunities across multiple areas, from social to professional. 

The Third Place gives its Compass Career Award in recognition of 鈥渙utstanding professional achievement, principled leadership, and a commitment to equity and excellence in one鈥檚 field.鈥� The nonprofit, which was founded in 2017 by Executive Director Adilah Muhammad, noted that Jenkins, the ninth president of 乐播传媒, is also its first Black president.

鈥淔rom the courtroom to the boardroom to the college green, Garry Jenkins has led with integrity, brilliance, and heart,鈥� the group said, citing his record spanning higher education, law, philanthropy, and public service. 鈥淗is career is a compass for those navigating the intersections of leadership and justice.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 deeply touched by this honor, and for this award to be tied to my new home state of Maine,鈥� Jenkins said as he accepted the award at a dinner celebration on a beautiful August evening outdoors at the Caswell Farm and Wedding Barn in Gray. 鈥淚t carries special significance because it comes from a community that understands both the challenges we face and the excellence we represent.鈥�

鈥淥ur democracy and our institutions succeed and flourish when everyone has a seat at the table and has the support and encouragement to shine brightly,鈥� he added.

Jenkins was one of . He spoke of his pride at leading 乐播传媒, citing its rich and unique history of inclusion and legacy of producing remarkable Black leaders through the 20th century and into the 21st century. Specifically, he mentioned John P. Davis, a debater at 乐播传媒 who graduated in 1926 and would go on to be a lawyer and pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and civil rights icon Benjamin Mays, a member of the Class of 1920, as well as pioneering television journalist Bryant Gumbel 鈥�70 and Val Smith 鈥�75, the president of Swarthmore College. 

鈥淚 want to make sure that we continue to produce alumni, of all backgrounds, who go on to make a difference to their communities, fields, and institutions,鈥� Jenkins said.  

His remarks ended with an invitation to attendees to come to 乐播传媒, walk on the beautiful campus, visit the museum, and attend theatrical and musical performances as well as athletic competitions.

Among the 乐播传媒 community members who joined Jenkins at the event were recent graduate Davina Kabantu 鈥�24, who is a trainee in a bank management development program, Professor Emerita of Politics Leslie Hill, and Morgan Kinney and Mohamed Awil of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. The Portland Press Herald .

In the greenhouse atop Carnegie Science Hall, a green seedling peeks up from an unassuming black pot. Small but storied, this plant has traveled the world to put down roots here in Lewiston.

The ginkgo tree seedling, not even a foot tall, is the child of a ginkgo tree in Hiroshima, Japan, one of 170 hibakujumoku or 鈥渟urvivor trees鈥� that miraculously lived through the atomic bombing of Aug. 6, 1945 鈥� 80 years ago this August 鈥� and still stand in the city today.

鈥淲e are looking at a piece of something that survived the bomb, and that’s what’s really magical,鈥� says Alan Wang 鈥�24, who coordinated the effort to bring the seedling to 乐播传媒 in partnership with the .

Green Legacy Hiroshima tends to the surviving trees in Hiroshima and their legacies, collecting their seeds and sharing them with institutions of higher education and botanical gardens. The offspring of the survivor trees are now growing at 146 partner institutions across 41 countries, bringing their message of hope and survival to communities around the world. 

As a junior at 乐播传媒, Wang, who is originally from Henan, China, studied abroad in Japan through the Associated Kyoto Program. As part of the program, he traveled to Hiroshima to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where Green Legacy Hiroshima gave Wang and classmates a tour of the hibakujumoku. 

From a watch that stopped exactly at the moment the bomb detonated, to a shadow created by someone instantly vaporized by the heat of the atomic blast, what Wang saw in Hiroshima left a lasting impression on him.

鈥淵ou can just see the devastating impact that the nuclear weapon caused,鈥� Wang says. 

When he learned that Green Legacy Hiroshima had no partners in Maine, Wang became determined to make 乐播传媒 the first. He imagined a survivor tree planted on campus, its presence encouraging discussion about the effects of nuclear weapons.

鈥淚 envision it as a platform to get people to talk about this,鈥� Wang says.

But before he could bring the seeds to 乐播传媒, Wang had to secure the support of campus partners and then apply to join Green Legacy as a partner institution. Though it would be a long process, Wang was committed. 

As a senior back on campus, he started by bringing his idea to Assistant Professor of Japanese Language and Asian Studies Hanna McGaughey and Lecturer in Japanese Keiko Konoeda, who were both eager to support Wang鈥檚 efforts. Impressed by Wang鈥檚 persistence, Raymond Clothier, the interim multifaith chaplain at 乐播传媒, also joined the project.

鈥淲hen somebody is willing to dedicate that amount of time to a project like this and to not let it go when he encounters bumps on the road, it is inspiring,鈥� Clothier says.

Finally, Wang was left with finding a biology professor who was willing to take on a multi-year responsibility. A young tree needs a lot of tending before it is sturdy enough to plant outside. Wang eventually connected with Daniel Slane, a visiting assistant professor of biology, who immediately agreed to help.

With the four faculty and staff members on board, Wang submitted the application for partnership to Green Legacy Hiroshima during the holiday break between semesters of his senior year and heard back within a month: 乐播传媒 was approved as a partner.

In summer 2024, seven ginkgo seeds arrived from San Diego, where all Green Legacy Hiroshima seeds for U.S. partner institutions are stored. Slane first sanded their hard exteriors to make it easier for them to germinate. He then refrigerated two of the seeds for cold stratification, a process which mimics winter by exposing seeds to cool weather and encouraging germination. After a couple of months, he removed the seeds and planted them in pots in the greenhouse high above the Historic Quad.

But, those first two seeds did not germinate. Slane suspects that the soil conditions were too moist. Back to square one, Slane refrigerated and planted three more seeds. A couple months later, one seed germinated. Now, Slane heads upstairs almost daily from his office to check on the seedling.

One of the oldest tree species on Earth, ginkgo trees are known for their resiliency. Konoeda says there is a message there for all beings about enduring through the impossible.

鈥淭he mother plants survived and watched the experience 鈥� the fire and the wind and the heat. And still, we see this green and the tree,鈥� Konoeda says. 鈥淪o, we don’t know what is going on in the world right now, but we will survive.鈥�

乐播传媒鈥� seeds are from a 200-year-old ginkgo tree in the lush Shukkeien Garden, created in 1620. The garden is a little less than a mile from where the bomb exploded. Its blast spread outward and then the force of air, rushing back toward the hypocenter, pushed the tree inward, leaving the tree with a permanent slant toward ground zero. 

The fact that the hibakujumoko are able to reproduce is impressive, Slane says, because high radiation can cause plants to become infertile. The ginkgo seeds鈥� DNA may even be altered due to epigenetics, the way in which heritable traits in offspring are changed by a parent鈥檚 life experiences. 

鈥淚f you have seeds from a tree that has been impacted by a natural event or something like a bombing, they will have certain epigenetic changes that allow the offspring to probably deal better with those changes,鈥� Slane says.

Though it will be at least two years before the tree is large enough to plant outside, the ambition, or hope, is that the ginkgo will eventually be planted on campus, joining the ranks of the bright yellow tree standing guard outside of Carnegie since 2003 and the new ones at Bonney Science Center. Once the tree is planted, Clothier and the Multifaith Chaplaincy will be in charge of maintaining it. 

鈥淚t’ll be meaningful to me to see the tree when it’s in the ground, to have a place, a marker on campus for peace, for the intergenerational work of peace,鈥� Clothier says.

Like the seeds themselves, each of the people contributing to this project have a personal tie to the atomic bombings or the brutal history of World War II, and most have traveled across oceans to end up at 乐播传媒. Konoeda, for example, grew up in Kitakyushu, Japan, the original target for the second atomic bomb. The city narrowly avoided complete destruction when clouds obscured its skyline on the planned day of the bombing, and American planes headed toward Nagasaki instead.

Growing up in Independence, Mo. 鈥� the hometown of President Harry S. Truman, who authorized the atomic bombings 鈥� Clothier interrogated the history of the bombings at a young age. 

In middle school, he and his peers put Truman 鈥渙n trial鈥� for a school assignment, attempting to answer the question, was authorizing the bombings the right choice? Thinking through these questions in a shared hometown contributed to Clothier鈥檚 interest in peace and ultimately led to his anti-nuclear weapons activism.

McGaughey and Slane both have a German background, which instilled in them the importance of never forgetting the atrocities of the war. Both also spent years living in Japan.

Growing up in Germany, 鈥淚 was brought up with, 鈥楻emember, remember, never forget what happened back then,鈥欌�� Slane says. 鈥淔or me, that’s in a way connected, and that’s why my heart is there.鈥�

At the intersection of these varied identities and backgrounds are differing narratives about the story of World War II and the relationship between countries like Japan, Germany, and the U.S. The ginkgo trees do not declare one narrative right or another wrong, the project contributors say; they simply open up a space for listening and thinking beyond preconceived notions. 

鈥淛apan tells a story that is very much about its big victimhood and not about what it has done or how it has come to that position in the history,鈥� Konoeda says. 鈥淎nd the U.S. tells its own narratives. And only by stepping outside of those stories, you see a bigger picture. And we are stuck now looking at this contemporary world that’s so divided in different ways, but we need to step back.鈥� 

As a living reminder of both the past and the potential of the future, the ginkgo tree will offer students the opportunity to reflect on their own lives while perhaps exploring these differing historical narratives, McGaughey says.

鈥淭he past isn’t necessarily a blueprint for how we should do things. I think we are free to decide for ourselves what should come next,鈥� McGaughey says. 鈥淭hat’s what I hope that the tree can be 鈥� a place where people can reflect on, 鈥楽o what is the right thing to do here?鈥欌�� 

For Wang, a 乐播传媒 politics major and Japanese minor, the relationship between his home country of China and Japan is storied and complicated. Fighting between China and Japan during World War II exacerbated the two countries’ fraught political relationship and, for many, established an enduring resentment between the two populations, a feeling only complicated by the devastation Japan experienced during the atomic bombings.

With this historical context, some people, Wang says, may be surprised to see someone from China advocating so strongly for something like the preservation of the hibakujumoku seeds.

But, after studying Japanese for two years at 乐播传媒 and studying abroad in Japan, Wang holds two things to be true at the same time: the relationship between his home country and Japan has been a difficult one, and the atomic bombings in Japan were unequivocally devastating.

鈥淎ll of that has some nuanced influence on my opinion of the seed,鈥� Wang says. 鈥淏ut at the end of the day, it came from something that survived the bomb. The wonders of life, the resilience of this being, I think, deserve celebration.鈥�

Ginkgo trees can live for thousands of years. 乐播传媒鈥� tree may live on to see the next generation of people, and the next, and the next, its legacy of survival and hope enduring for centuries to come.