Hello Class of 2013! Can you believe it has been over a year since our graduation? In the months since our last update, we have continued to keep busy. Many of our classmates are in the midst of their Master’s degrees, a number of us are working with different organizations, and we have many engagements and marriages to celebrate!

Congratulations are in order for Bridgitte McColligan who is engaged to Mark Hessler; Kate Adams Anthony who married Benjamin Anthony in May; Mi’Kea Bowie Hawkins who married Adrian Hawkins in February; and Elizabeth Garner Drummond who married Scott Drummond in July 2013. Kimmy Bates is looking forward marrying Toby Getzandanner in August; KeKe Smith has planned her May 2015 wedding to Jeremy Raynor; and Ashley Birdsell and Billy Lewis have started planning their December 2015 wedding. Mandy Shanaberger and her husband Colin celebrated their third anniversary in July and welcomed their son, Mark, in February!

Torie Sullivan is working as a graphic designer and multimedia specialist at Caervision; Kellie Duncan is working as a youth counselor for Pride of America Cruise Line in Hawaii; and Bridgitte McColligan was promoted at The Advisory Board. Kate Adams Anthony completed her first year of teaching third grade and moved to Georgia to live with her husband; Heidi Gunzelman is working as a research technician in the Immunology Department at the University of Pittsburgh; Kimmy Bates is working for Frederick County as a wastewater treatment plant operator; and Nalla Tejera is working as an office manager with the Miami City Ballet. Kasey Johnson is working at the Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky as a heritage apprentice; Billy Lewis is working in attractions at the Bronx Zoo in New York; and Elizabeth Garner Drummond is a special education teacher in Bowie, Md. Nilsa Gonzalez moved back to her home country of Panama and is working at Integrity Solutions; Mandy Shanaberger is teaching middle school social studies in Hagerstown, Md.; and Brett Shelley has accepted a position with the USDA. Kyle Dimock will begin his service with Teach for America this fall; KeKe Smith is working with Boar’s Head Provisions Co., Inc. in Petersburg, Va.; and Stephanie Taylor is working as a research technician with Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. Ian Wolbert started a job as the communications manager for The Patuxent Partnership; Ashley Birdsell is working as the marketing resident at the Public Theater in New York; and Spencer Knoll managed a campaign for State Senate seat in Montgomery County and has moved to D.C. to work for government relations firm Sixkiller Consulting. Nick Mudgett is doing well as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua and Jahtay Teh left in June to embark on his Peace Corps service in Zambia.

Ashley Birdsell is halfway through her Master’s program in performing arts management at Brooklyn College in New York City; Michael Andrews will begin a Master’s in experimental psychology at Towson University this fall; and Deryka Nairne in the higher education and student affairs administration Master’s program at the University of Vermont.

Around Hood, Andrew Bodine is the assistant manager of aquatics; Breanne Carbaugh is halfway through her Master’s in Thanatology and is a nanny to two children; and Brett Shelley is working on his Mater’s in Biomedical Science. Mimi Brown is pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration and is the graduate assistant to Rev. Beth O’Malley and I, Elaheh Eghbal, have completed my term as the AmeriCorps*VISTA member at Hood and accepted a position with LIFT-DC. Continue to make your mark, Class of 2013, and keep in touch! Cheers!