2007
Melissa Barrick Estes
melissadestes@gmail.com

It is my great pleasure to share a lot of good news from the class of 2007. Amanda Earp Hayes recently purchased a new home in Baltimore with her husband Toby and 2-year-old son James.  She works at home as a freelance writer and editor and has published two short works. Laura Smith graduated from a two-year post-graduate certificate program for psychodynamic psychotherapy through the Washington School of Psychology in Washington, D.C. She works with a practice in Frederick and is starting a private practice in Bethesda, Md. Jessica Palmer Biggs and her husband Josh live in Jacksonville, Fla. They welcomed twins, a son Mason and a daughter Aubrey, Aug. 31, 2013. Julia Blickenstaff, M.S. ’14, graduated from Hood with her master’s degree in management of information technology in May 2014. She currently lives in NYC. Congratulations to Katie Chick who was recently promoted! She is now the director in career management at The Advisory Board Company where she has been working for more than seven years. Laurie Burrier Atwell was married at Hood in July 2010. She and husband welcomed a son Colton in August 2011. She now lives in Smithsburg, Md., and is a history teacher at Smithsburg High School. Amber Guzman, M.A. ’08, earned her master’s degree in thanatology from Hood in 2008 and her doctor of psychology in clinical psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2013. She is working as a psychologist in the Geriatric Care Clinic at the Leavenworth, Kan., VA Medical Center. She also recently bought a home! Sarah Fortney Marshall and her husband welcomed a son Cameron Jay Marshall Aug. 8, 2013. Adrienne Lawrence is the new operations and conference director for the Journalism and Women Symposium. JAWS is a national association that supports the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism and works toward a more accurate portrayal of the whole society. Christine Layton earned her doctor of philosophy in plant pathology and plant-microbe biology from Cornell Univ. She moved to St. Louis, Mo., to take a new job at Monsanto Company; she is also engaged to Courtney James, brother of Megan James ’06. Emmanuel Osong Noumbissie is now married and has two children, Quinn and Liam, both under the age of 2. He graduated with his doctor of philosophy this year in epidemiology from Walden Univ. and started a pharmacovigilance consulting company, NEOPha, Inc. in 2010. Kimberli Smith O’Connell and her husband Daniel welcomed son Desmond Ward O’Connell June 10, 2013. Stephanie Cowen Eisenberg and her husband moved to Las Vegas in September 2013. She is now the executive producer of the morning show on KLAS-TV. She has been working in TV for the last seven years, including jobs in D.C. and Orlando, Fla. Laura Duncan, MBA  ’09 is now Laura Duncan, Esq. She works as an associate for Poffenbarger and Weddle and as an attorney for the Maryland Appointed Attorneys Program. Amy Duvall, M.S. ’13, earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Hood College in September 2013. Chelsea Henkel earned her master of public policy degree from Vanderbilt Univ., Peabody College of Education and Human Development and started a new job as a policy analyst with an education advocacy group in Denver, Colo. She also got engaged to Julien Ross. Jaclyn Stielper Pek and husband Kevin welcomed a daughter Lucille Luise Pek May 11, 2014. Congratulations to Derrick Harrigan, MBA ’14 who earned his master of business administration degree from Hood College in January 2014. Charis Loomer, M.S. ’13 married James Beavers July 4, 2014. They are expecting their first baby in October. Charis is a pre-school teacher at Monocacy Elementary School. Heather Holder Kuriga married Alexander Kuriga July 14, 2012, and moved to Florida on Feb. 4, 2013. Your class reporter, Melissa Barrick Estes, and husband Casey moved back to their hometown of Middletown, Md., just in time to welcome a son Adam Joseph in July 2013.