Gray Collins ’25
“And the Oscar goes to Oppenheimer: Jennifer Lame,” announced Danny Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger at the 96th Academy Awards. Lame ’00 was recognized for her work in editing the three hour biographical film, which received a total of seven Oscars (including Best Picture). According to critics from outlets like The Wall Street Journal, the movie owes a large part of its success to its complex flashback sequences and extensive, yet captivating, length. This praise showcases the strength of Lame’s editing, where she makes decisions about the format and pace of the film.
Angelique Israel, Director of Alumni Engagement, remarked, “Jennifer is one of our illustrious alumni and we are so proud of her.” Part of the Class of 2000, Lame has achieved great success after her time at EA, editing multiple feature films, culminating in this Oscar victory. Lame participated in multiple clubs and athletic teams during her time at EA, ranging from the key club to manager of the football team.
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Next, she attended Wesleyan University, where she studied film and first explored her interest in movie editing. She made her film editing debut in The Lovely Bones, by Peter Jackson, as an apprentice. After early success in smaller pictures, Lame broke through in editing Marriage Story, Manchester by the Sea, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. From romantic dramas to action-packed superhero movies, the EA alumna’s range and consistent excellency has been repeatedly put on display.
A key factor in Lame’s success in Oppenheimer was her partnership with director Christopher Nolan. She addressed the director in her acceptance speech, saying, “I was terrified when I first got to work with you . . . but you never made me feel that way. You instilled so much confidence in me and I looked forward to going to work with you every day.” Nolan, who is ranked as the 6th greatest modern director by IMDB, is famous for Interstellar and the Dark Knight trilogy. However, Nolan and Lame’s partnership began on Tenet, Nolan’s 2020 science fiction film. Since the pair had already worked together, there was a mutual trust that allowed for some unique filmmaking experiences. Lame detailed how Nolan gave her all the movie footage, “And then he went to vacation in England for two weeks! I was just left alone with all the material. I’d never done that before.”
Lame previously won the EA Alumni Award for Achievement in the Arts in 2023, and she still remains in contact with the alumni office and school as a whole. Michael Dimonte ’25, Mainline Student of the Week and amateur director, commented, “I think it’s really cool that Mrs. Lame was able to navigate from Episcopal to an Oscar win. It’s very inspirational when I make movies knowing other people who were in my shoes were able to get to such a high level.” Israel concludes, “We are proud to be able to say that she is a part of our family and a part of our community.”
In addition to Hollywood awards, EA alumni have experienced recent success in the athletic world—both on and under the water. Ivan Puskovitch ’19 became the fifth American male in history to qualify for an Olympic open water swimming event. The University of West Virginia swimmer reflected on his performance in the Doha 10k that earned him the spot, “On February 4th 2024 I became an Olympian.” He continued, “This is for Team US. This is for my coaches. This is for my family. This is for my younger self who dreamt of competing at The Games. This is for everyone who has believed in me. This is for anyone who has almost given up but instead gave it another shot.” During his time at EA, Puskovitch helped bring home the first Inter-Ac swimming title in 49 years, winning two events in the final meet of 2019.
Photo courtesy of WVU Athletics
However, Puskovitch was not the only aquatic athlete alumni making waves recently. Nick Mead ’13 qualified for his second Olympic rowing team in the men’s quad, and will be heading to Paris in the summer to try to claim his first medal. In the 2021 Tokyo 8+ race, Mead and the Americans came up just short, finishing just a second behind the bronze medal British. However, the EA graduate has not come up short often in his career, Mead has finished on the podium three times in the World Rowing Championships and won multiple national titles as a collegiate at Princeton and an upper schooler. Additionally, Mead was named USRowing Male Athlete of the Year for 2023.
Photo courtesy of USRowing
Jennifer Lame, Ivan Puskovitch, and Nick Mead’s recent successes on the world’s stage exemplify the strength of EA’s alumni and highlight our student body’s incredible, wide-ranging potential.