Hello from the class of 2012! We (Ashley Nokes and Laura Saad) would like to thank those of you who provided news to share in our first column in the Hood College magazine. Our classmates have been busy after graduation. Many are attending graduate school across the country, including Marissa Mitchell and Maria Smith at the Univ. of D.C.; Josie Wawrzyniak at Frederick Community College; Corrinne Ransom Darragh and Veselin Vasilev at Hood College; Briana Becker, Mollie Widdowson and Carley Altenburger at the Univ. of Pittsburgh; Jillian Jones at the Univ. of California, Los Angeles; Aida Odobasic at Univ. of Delaware; Ashley Nokes at the Univ. of Maryland; and Jessica Henry at the Univ. of New Hampshire. Best of luck to all of you through your graduate school programs!

Meghan Coulbourne and Jose Sanchez are employed through the Teach for America program in Warrenton, N.C., and Dallas. Congratulations are in order for Marisa Mitchell who married Tristan Flack July 29, 2012, Tyler Harrison Fairley who kept up the Hood College tradition and got engaged to Lauren Nopenz ’13 this past summer, as well as Kaitlin Hughes who is also recently engaged to Kyle Retallick. Also, Taurean Chastain Washington is celebrating the birth of his first child in March as well as their first home together. Congratulations to you all! Employers have wisely chosen members of the class of 2012 to work for their organizations. Kasey Smith is now employed as a special education teacher for two Frederick County Public Schools; Monica Devamanoharan is now a marketing coordinator at a2z, Inc.; Ricky Ornforff is currently employed as a software engineer at Praemittias Defense Solutions; Douglas Raftery is employed as the director of broadcasting and media sales at Eau Claire Express (enjoying the cold weather!); Laura Saad is teaching English to kindergarten and elementary students in Bucheon, South Korea; and Joanna LaBoue is employed as a seventh and eighth grade language arts teacher in Carroll County, Md., as well as a junior varsity track and field coach at Liberty High School.

Our sympathy goes out to Aida Odobasic and her family for the untimely passing of her father. The family resides in Banjaluka, Bosnia. Several classmates have mentioned the desire for our class to continue to be involved in on campus activities and programs. We want to send a huge thank you to all of our professors and other Hood faculty who helped and guided us through our time there. Hood College made an immeasurable impression on all of us and has a special place in our hearts. We will never forget our experiences there and how it has shaped our lives post-graduation! We cannot wait to see how our classmates grow and prosper in the world. Go Blazers!

Class Reporters: