News

Annette Nierobisz, Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Social Sciences and professor of sociology at Carleton, published a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal on July 15. The letter summarizes findings from her research on late-career job loss in response to the July 8 WSJ news article, “Late-Career Job Losses Are Blurring: What Retirement Looks Like in America.”

SOAN alum Hannah Burcaw ’19 and husband Shane were interviewed by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine for their new book Interabled: True Stories About Love and Disability. Hannah and Shane have 2 million followers on their YouTube channel Squirmy and Grubs, where they document their interabled marriage—Shane was born with spinal muscular atrophy; Hannah is a nondisabled former college athlete (she swam at Carleton). They rank in the top three of Minnesota’s most popular YouTubers.

SOAN major Ellis Kondrashov ’25 was among 14 Carleton students who received Fulbright Awards, which give college students and recent graduates the opportunity to conduct research, pursue graduate study, or teach English in a host country of their choice, facilitating cross-cultural respect and dialogue. Kondrashov will travel to Kyrgyzstan to work as an English teaching assistant.

Annette Nierobisz, Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Carleton, was featured in the Carleton News for a Q&A about her and co-author Dana Sawchuk’s book American Idle: Late-Career Job Loss in a Neoliberal Era. The book explores findings from interviews with 62 mostly white-collar workers who experienced late-career job loss in the wake of the Great Recession.

Cheryl Yin, assistant professor of anthropology at Carleton, presented a five-minute lightning talk titled, “Cutting Family Ties: Disownment Announcements in Cambodia” on at the 2025 Society for Linguistic Anthropology Conference. Occasionally, Cambodians will publicly disown family members in newspaper ads and on social media. Yin shared preliminary data on her research, hypothesizing that announcements prevent the spread of shame, debt, and other responsibilities within the family.

Cheryl Yin, assistant professor of anthropology at Carleton, has been selected as a Mellon Periclean Faculty Leader. Support from Project Pericles will allow Yin to redesign the course “Southeast Asian Migration and Diasporic Communities” to center the voices of Cambodian elders through the collection and preservation of oral history interviews. The revised course will provide Carleton students with the opportunity to learn from Cambodian refugees who have resettled in Minnesota and to explore ways to address and advocate for the needs of the Cambodian American community.

SOAN and ENTS major Julianna Baldo ’25 was featured in the 2025 Sustainability Office newsletter for being a recipient of the Stewsie Sustainability Award, which recognizes one Carleton student and one staff member who have made a notable impact on sustainability efforts at Carleton. Julianna was recognized for her “remarkable dedication to environmental activism, education, and community engagement throughout her time at Carleton.”

SOAN major Victoria Semmelhack ’25 was among three Carleton students awarded the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which supports graduating seniors during a year of independent exploration outside of the United States. The fellowship allows for deep, global engagement of a personal interest. Semmelhack will travel to Ghana, India, Australia, and Norway to explore childbirth knowledge and maternal healthcare policy.

Annette Nierobisz, Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Carleton, published a new book titled American Idle: Late-Career Job Loss in a Neoliberal Era, now available from Rutgers University Press. The book explores the challenges faced by older white-collar workers navigating job loss in a recessionary economy marked by employer preference for younger workers.

Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, Broom Professor of Social Demography and Anthropology at Carleton, was featured in the Carleton News for her long-running ACE course Anthropology of Health and Illness, which she has been teaching for over 20 years.