2007: Ben Cherington ’96 was director of player personnel for the Boston Red Sox. Now: Cherington made news in October 2011 when he replaced Theo Epstein as Red Sox general manager. Calling him “a quiet but determined executive,” The Boston Globe said Cherington’s “immediate task will be to soothe the frayed nerves of fans.”

2004: Emily Lakdawalla ’96 kept an online diary for the Planetary Society about her work on a NASA project to develop an aircraft that can explore Mars. Now: Lakdawalla writes a popular blog for the Planetary Society on new discoveries and research in planetary sciences. She won the 2011 Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award for a post about a previously unseen ring around Saturn.

2007: Edwin Macharia ’01 ran for Parliament in Kenya. Now: After losing the election—he placed third in a field of 14—Macharia joined Dalberg Global Development Advisors, where he is a partner and the regional director for Africa, based in Nairobi.

2008: Keith Millner ’92 and his wife, Kelly, were raising 9-year-old Neavey, who has severe disabilities. They hoped to add a second child to the family.  Now: Neavey is more alert and responsive. Though she is generally healthy, her scoliosis and kyphosis have gotten worse. “We continue,” Millner says, “to fall more desperately in love with her.” The couple is signed up with a private adoption agency. The Millners do question “whether adopting an infant is something we want to take on and can handle” but trust in their ability to make that choice when and if they are matched with a birth mother.

2007: Honora Talbott ’07 wrote and performed a two-person play. Now: “Los Angeles can be a tricky place to be an actor,” Talbott says, “because you can easily fall into the trap of waiting and getting lazy because the weather is so beautiful
all the time. However, waiting just drives me crazy, and that’s partly why I’ve delved into creating my own work.” She is co-writing and co-starring in the Web series Silverbaked, with Joey Ally ’07, and shooting comedy sketches with Aparna Nancherla ’05 and Bree Barton ’07. “I really miss doing theater,” Talbott adds, and so she’s also at work on a one-person play.