Wake the Arts is shining a spotlight on 30 extraordinary graduates of 2023, and we're only scratching the surface. There are so many incredible people in the Class of 2023—we can only highlight a small handful to give you a sense of their breadth and caliber. What makes Wake the Arts graduates so successful? The Arts are the secret ingredient—whether a student's major was Psychology or Studio Art, Sustainability or Economics, Engineering or Theatre. These students embody the engaged liberal arts experience at Wake Forest and are destined for greatness.
Visit the Old Gold and Black, the Department of Theatre & Dance, and the WFU Choir to learn about more members of the Class of 2023.
Roscoe Bell
Major: Psychology; Minor: Music
One of the driving forces behind this year's Wakeville, founder of Songbird Musical Service (providing musical therapy to local residents living with dementia), co-president of Musical Empowerment (serving local children who would not otherwise have access to music lessons), and co-president of the National Alliance for Mental Illness club, Roscoe studied piano in addition to his major in Psychology, receiving the Christian Cappelluti Prize in Music. After graduation, he will continue to build his mental health start-up Noveltor. And you'll still see him around campus—he's the new WFU Fellow in the Program for Leadership and Character.
Maren Beverly
Major: English; Minors: Spanish, Creative Writing
being attentive to detail and really diving into a piece of culture or art allows you to look at something critically and interpret your own meaning as well as a larger world meaning. I would consider both literature and fashion to be art.
Maren's work at Wake has encompassed visual art in addition to the written word—her thesis, ‘Memory Box,’ blended photographs, poetry, fiction and nonfiction. She was the recipient of the D.A. Brown Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and the H. Broadus Jones Senior Excellence Award. Beverly aims to work in fashion after graduation and wants to move to New York City to pursue her goals.
Parker Beverly
Major: Critical and Creative Media
I’ve done a lot of stories about women, so I wanted to study how other documentary filmmakers have captured the ways in which women are perceived in the media.
Parker created her own major called “American Studies,” which synthesizes four fields: history, English, politics and international affairs and communication. She is excited to continue on with Wake's Documentary Film MFA program.
Gretchen Castelloe
Major: Environmental Science (Sustainability); Minors: Dance, Anthropology
It’s beautiful to be able to use the art form I’ve known my whole life to make something meaningful to me and hopefully inspiring to others.
Gretchen was one of the tireless powerhouses behind this year's Wakeville, which she worked to make optimally sustainable. A talented dancer and choreographer, Gretchen was a member of the WFU Dance Company, an Assistant Dance Teacher for Community Ballet and the recipient of the Knox Dance Scholar Award. She will return to campus as one of the new Wake Forest Fellows.
Lucy Chapman
Major: Studio Art; Minors: Journalism, Art History
A Presidential Scholar in Visual Arts, Lucy was a member of the Wake Forest 2021 Reece Collection Acquisitions Committee, and was part of the 2022 Venice Biennale Program. Lucy co-curated the exhibition 1969: Reflection and Reimagination at the Wake Forest Historical Museum. Her thesis project "Close-Knit" is a product of the careful work of over one hundred women sitting in a circle, sharing their stories of womanhood, and knitting together. In addition to art, she also works in video production. Lucy will be a Campus Ministry Fellow at Harvard in the fall.
Ian Davis-Huie
Major: Elementary Education; Minors: Theatre, Religious Studies
Ian served as a Student Director of Wake Forest University's Virtual Tutoring program for two years, and was a member of the Anthony Aston Players. As a Leadership and Character Scholar, he interviewed Kristin Chenoweth at Face to Face. Ian is leading summer theatre camps and interviewing for elementary school teaching positions with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.
Tal Feldman
Majors: Economics, Mathematics; Minor: Politics
Piano lessons with Dr. Kairoff helped me stay in touch with my creative side, with our music-making constantly inspiring me in my other efforts.
A Schwarzman, Truman, and Stamps Scholar, Tal co-founded the Collegiate Association for Inequality Research. He credits his piano studies as a key ingredient of his success. Tal will will be continuing his studies as a member of the Schwarzman Scholars next year at Tsinghua University in Beijing and plans to work for the US government.
Katie Fox
Major: History; Minor: Education
Editor-in-chief of The Howler Yearbook and photography editor of the Old Gold & Black, Katie also sang in Minor Variation (an all-female, Christian a cappella group). Throughout her four years at Wake, she played integral role behind the camera documenting events for the department of Theatre and Dance. She was featured speaker at convocation—her talk, "Through My Lens," was this year's colloqium winner. Katie has been accepted to the Wake Forest's Master’s program in Education.
Alice Hauser
Majors: Music, Philosophy; Minor: History
Music, to me, is a celebration of humanity. I think there is something very special about humanity, and my music reminds me of that.
A Rhodes Scholar, Stamps Scholar and prolific pianist, Alice has been a refugee advocate as a member of Wake Forest’s Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees. She received a Richter Scholarship for independent research and traveled to Germany, Austria and Switzerland during the summer of her junior year to study composer and pianist Johannes Brahms. She will study musicology at England’s Oxford University beginning in the fall of 2023, and then plans to go to law school, where she hopes to hone her skills and prepare for a life of fighting for justice.
Kgosi Hughes
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Minor: Music
Choir is and will always be a highlight of my journey at Wake. I cannot thank Wake Choir enough for the fantastic memories and opportunities!
After graduation Kgosi will be doing research in Cervical Cancer with UPenn in Gaborone, Botswana. He is planning to take a gap year and apply to medical school with the goal of practicing pediatric oncology. Kgosi has been in choir since his freshman year and has performed on tour in London, Key West, Spain and Portugal.
Maddie Koontz
Majors: Classical Studies, Business Management (Marketing)
Choir has been such an important and influential part of my time at Wake Forest and I am so grateful for the time that I had here.
Maddie was an active member of the Anthony Aston Players and contributed her vocal talents to the Chamber Choir, where she went on two international tours. She is the new Wake Forest Fellow in ZSR.
Dianna LaTerra
Majors: Psychology, Sociology; Minor: Music
I’ve been super involved in arts programming on campus, and I found that I really love it—making sure that it’s accessible, Keeping the arts flourishing and making sure that people of all different backgrounds can have access to it.
A Magnolia Scholar, Dianna has been active in all parts of Scales. She performed at Wakeville this year with her band, SCOBY, and has been active in the Dance program. As co-president of The Artivists, she collaborated to create sound environments for the exhibition, "[Sustain]ance," at stArt Gallery. Dianna is the incoming Fellow in the Office of the Dean of the College.
Ruisi "Nicole" Liu
Majors: Theatre, Biology; Minor: Japanese
I realized then that theatre is the thing that makes me really happy, and it’s the one thing that made me grow. It’s what I’m really passionate about.
Nicole combined energetic work in biology and theatre, and recently directed “Unborn,” a show for the Bimoo Chinese Theatre Group. Nicole received the Harold C. Tedford Dedication to Theatre Award, Senior Service Award, and the WFU Theatre Association Award for Academic Excellence.
Cameron Michles
Majors: Theatre, Psychology; Minor: Neuroscience
A Presidential Scholar in Theatre and Senior Orator, Cameron appeared onstage in many productions—including a starring role in the recent "Silent Sky," where her interdisciplinary studies in science and art were on full display. Cameron is working to make theatre more accessible to neurodiverse audiences and those with sensory issues.
Cole Nikas
Major: Anthropology; Minor: Communications, Classical Studies, Music
A Presidential Scholar in Music, Cole has held leadership positions in multiple music groups on campus. Cole also worked with the Wake Forest Athletic Department to help generate marketing plans for WFU teams. Cole received the LaCava-LoDuca Family Scholarship.
Lucy Owen
Majors: Art history; Minors: English, Cultural Heritage & Preservation Studies
Lucy was a member of the 2021 Reece Collection Acquisition Committee. Lucy co-curated the exhibition 1969: Reflection and Reimagination at the Wake Forest Historical Museum and was part of the Chamber Choir. Beginning in the fall, she'll be pursuing an M.A. in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Julia Powers
Majors: Studio Art, Engineering
art pushes you to think unconventionally, and it pushes you into the abstract — into ideas that you had never thought of before. I loved being able to combine both Art and engineering.
After taking a painting class with Professor Page Laughlin in her sophomore year, Julia decided to add a double major in studio art, discovering that she loves the creative overlapped between the two disciplines. While at Wake, Julia was a resident artist of Hidden STEM, and a captain and the president of Club Volleyball. Her work has been featured in Hanes and stArt galleries. After graduation, she'll work with Corning Optical Communications — where she had an internship last summer — to work on fiber optics.
Jessy Ren
Majors: Art History, Politics & International Affairs
The art community at Wake Forest is probably the closest-knit community on campus. I would highly advise students to take advantage of being a part of a community as special as this one.
Jessy's honors thesis analyzed the work of Chinese contemporary artist Xu Bing’s “Book from the Sky.” She was a member of the founding Wakeville executive team. Jessy received a Carl Moses Excellence in Research Award and will continue her study of art history in graduate school.
Grace Schlotthauer
Major: Finance; Minor: Dance
I am so grateful for the friendships, mentors, and experiences that the dance program has given me.
Grace has been active in the WFU Dance Company for all four years at Wake and was an assistant teacher in Community Ballet. She is headed to Boston to work as a financial analyst.
Madison Stafford
Majors: Studio Art, Russian
At some point, I just realized I couldn’t leave it behind—I just realized that life is far too precious to spend it learning things you don’t like.
Madison's work has been featured at both Hanes and stArt galleries. Madison plans on spending the next year studying illustration at the Maryland College Institute of Art, and then hopes to work at the Smithsonian.
Sophie Thomas
Major: Business and Enterprise Management; Minor: Theatre
A Presidential Scholar in Theatre, Sophie has shined in numerous productions, where she earned the Caroline Fullerton Excellence in Acting Award. She has been vice president of the Anthony Aston Players.
Gabby Valencia
Major: Anthropology; Minors: Latin American Studies, English, History
Gabby aims to be a museum curator, drawing on experiences working with art and activism at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, CA. In her time at Wake Forest, Valencia has assisted in research and curation of art exhibits at the Lam Museum of Anthropology. Gabby was named Outstanding Senior in Latin American and Latino Studies, and her own artwork was featured at Wakeville.
Michael Votto
Major: Biochemistry & Microbiology; Minors: Politics & International Affairs, Theatre
A Stamps Scholar, Michael has been a vibrant presence on the stage in Theatre productions and behind the scenes as historian for the Anthony Aston Players.
Zhané Waye
Major: Music; Minors: Education, Neuroscience
Zhané has kept busy as a brilliant performer and violin teacher while also researching the effects of music on memory and the brain. She received the Boteler Prize in Music, was a President's Aide, and served as co-president of the Student Advisory Committee for the Center for Interdisciplinary Arts. Zhané begins work as a Teach for America Fellow at Bluff City High School in Memphis.
Maya Whitaker
Major: Sociology; Minors: Studio Art, Art History
Maya was a founder and co-president of The Artivists, an award-winning group dedicated to making art sustainable. She curated the exhibition "[Sustain]ance" as well as contributing multiple pieces of art to it. Maya received the Community Engagement Award in Sociology. You'll continue see her on campus as the new manager of stArt Gallery.
Quinn Whitman
Majors: Economics, Art History; Minor: Journalism
Quinn's many activities at Wake included singing with MeloDeacs A Cappella and an internship with WFU Art Collections, where he curated an exhibition, "Handmade," that was displayed in ZSR. He is an incoming Marketing Coordinator at LIV Sotheby's.
Ziyan Zhang
Major: Studio Art, Critical and Creative Media Studies; Minor: Film Studies
I find a way to tell my own story in a way that is also compelling to another person.
Ziyan was a key member of WFU's student-run The Media. Her video piece "To Darker Nights: An Exploration of Light Pollution" was recently purchased by WFU Art Collections. After graduation, she plans on either attending graduate school for a masters in marketing at Northwestern or pursuing a dual Global Media and Communications degree at the University of Southern California with the London School of Economics.
Will Zimmerman
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies
everything was just about creating a story, Whether that was written, or through pictures or film.
Will's major combined courses from creative writing, journalism and communications (mostly film courses). He served as sports editor and online managing editor for Old Gold & Black and his short films have screened internationally. His film "El Sazón" won the Alumni Choice Award at Trinity Film Festival.
Credits:
Katie Fox, Ken Bennett