Brandeis Magazine

Lily Adams was named press secretary for U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. She served in a similar role for the Democrat’s successful senatorial campaign. She previously worked for U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, first as his traveling press aide, then as his Washington, D.C.-based press secretary. She also worked on the communications staff of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign. Sara Smith, MAT’10, adapted her senior thesis into an article, “The Imahot in the Amidah: A History,” published in Contemporary Jewry in fall 2012. The article traces the specific liturgical development of the insertion of the matriarchs into the first blessing of the Amidah, a central prayer in traditional Jewish liturgy. Naman Pugalia, a public policy analyst at Google, was the subject of a profile in India Today, which discussed his learning experiences at Brandeis. “Studying liberal arts gave me the freedom to explore and choose the direction of my life,” Naman told the newspaper. “I majored in economics with a minor in music and political science. The system encourages one to dabble with various faculties, employ lateral thinking and think from various perspectives. Liberal studies on a large scale is definitely missing in India. If a student wants to study economics, they are stuck with the same discipline for the next three years. In a liberal arts college, you could learn and explore so much more.” Eric Trachtenberg received his PhD from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Worcester. He graduated Phi Lambda Sigma, received numerous awards and served as president of the American Pharmacists Association’s Academy of Student Pharmacists. He accepted a job with CVS and has since been promoted to pharmacy manager at a store in Waltham. Eric has also run flu clinics and led a continuing education class for doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.