Catching up with Union faculty

Originally from San Salvador, El Salvador, Fernando Orellana and his family migrated to Miami, Fla., as political refugees.

Growing up in Guardo, a small village in the north of Spain at the foothills of the Picos de Europa mountains, Cecilia Bores Quijano was surrounded by amazing landscapes.

From South Philly to Southern Spain, Megan Flynn has taken part in dance projects and performances, put bodies in motion on an assortment of stages, and taught and mentored students in dance and choreography.

Zoe Oxley, professor of political science, grew up in Etna, Maine, and spent her undergraduate years at Bowdoin College.

Schenectady is more than 5,000 miles from Michael Okwori’s birthplace in Nigeria but, thanks to advances in his field, he can easily connect with friends and family back home.

Two economists, two teaching jobs in different countries, one big commute and a whole lot of cooking. That’s how life adds up these days for Dong (Carl) Cheng, the John D. MacArthur Assistant Professor of Economics, and his wife, Jun (Bean) Zhao.

James Hedrick ’92 grew up on Long Island. A longtime amateur radio operator, he got his FCC commercial radio license as a teenager and designed, installed and repaired public safety radios and marine electronics.

Lewis Davis, the Thomas Armstrong Professor of Economics and department chair, joined Union 16 years ago.

Joyce Madancy got the travel bug early. Her father worked as a civilian for the Army Corps of Engineers, so she spent five of her first six years living on a base near Tokyo.