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:

It has been more than a year since our departure from Hood, but the class of 2011 continues to exceed expectations and accomplish amazing feats. Robin Bast has moved to Gainesville, Fla., and is pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine at the Univ. of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. David Blowe is working toward becoming a professional gamer and in his spare time is teaching tennis in Frederick. John Boasi will graduate next semester from New York Univ.’s Center for Global Affairs program. In the meantime, John has been interning at the Consulate General of Canada located in Manhattan. Chelsea Bosch is working as a fourth grade teacher in Anne Arundel County and is engaged to be married in May 2014! Nicholas Case is working for AAI Corporation.

Symya Chumbris is working with Texcell-North America, Inc. Megan Crane gave birth to a daughter Molly on May 31. Lauren Dods is working for Way Station, Inc. as a facilitator in a residential rehabilitation program. Justin Everett is enrolled in the police academy with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police and is set to graduate in January. Tiera Hawkes is in pursuit of a juris doctorate at the Univ. of Baltimore School of Law. Amanda Jacob is living in Honduras where she is teaching kindergarten in a village built by Students Helping Honduras. Allen Kees is engaged to Becky Watson with a fall 2013 wedding set! Dylan Kelleher is working at DrFirst as a Health IT integration consultant and he will graduate from Hood in May with his master of business administration degree.

Allyson Lethbridge is a sixth grade social studies teacher at Walkersville Middle School in Frederick County. Dana Martindell will graduate in December from Seton Hall’s College of Nursing with an accelerated bachelor of science in nursing. Sarah Mecklenburg is currently working at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., as a visitor’s services representative. Kayla Murphy was recently promoted to web and social media strategist for Meritus Health. Kelsey Rosen is set to graduate in May 2013 from Stevenson Univ. with a bachelor of science in the nursing program and plans to pursue graduate programs in the future to be an acute care nurse practitioner. K

ristina Coggins is currently working in Colorado at the Copper Mountain Resort in the conference, event and sales services department. James Ledwell has been hired as a police supervisor with the Brunswick, Md., police department. Keep working hard and striving for success, class of 2011!

Class Reporter:

Katie Townsend is finishing up her first semester of nursing school through the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore’s bachelor of science nursing program at the universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md. Darby Williams is still living in Frederick and working at The Trail House on Market St. Chelsie Wolke Christie is a service coordinator working with people who have developmental and intellectual disabilities at Service Coordination Inc. in Frederick. Stephanie Gardner is a pre-K teacher in Carroll County, Md. David McDuffie ’11 is substitute teaching in Anne Arundel middle schools. During the weekend he is an MC/event consultant for Double-E Entertainment in Frederick. David also edits and produces videos. Emily Chambers is currently a human resource representative at Bechtel Power Corporation and graduated with her master of business administration degree in December. Tim Kuhn has been working as a case manager at Abilities Network, a support agency for adults with disabilities. It is a mix between both a job training and community integration program for people with disabilities  who live in Baltimore City. Alyssa Moore started a new job at the American Society of Civil Engineers as a conference coordinator. Ali Kelley is still working at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School as the marketing and public relations assistant. She has accepted a coaching position at Maryland All-stars Cheerleading and plans to coach two teams.

Class Reporter:

Monique House graduated from Towson Univ. in January with a master of science degree in health science with a concentration in school health education. In October, she passed the national exam to become a certified health specialist.

Class Reporter:

Can you believe it has been almost five years since we graduated? I hope everyone is looking forward to our class reunion next spring as much has changed. Yael Guillaume Elden works at Adventist Development Relief Agency International, a humanitarian NGO in Silver Spring, Md., as a marketing and communications specialist. Amanda Jimenez Alley is an adjunct instructor at Bentley Univ., in Waltham, Mass., teaching expository writing. Amanda also gave birth to baby boy Agustin Curtis Alley on Sept. 24, 2012, at Cambridge Hospital.

Stephanie Garrett married Andrew Soukup (Towson class of 2008) on April 28 and they purchased a house in Carroll County, Md. Stephanie then graduated from the Univ. of Maryland School of Medicine on May 18, 2012. Tia Fletcher graduated May 16, 2012, with a master’s degree in legal and ethical studies from the Univ. of Baltimore. Katie Hitchens got engaged on June 8, 2012, center stage at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Pa. She is planning an August 2013 wedding in West Chester, Pa. Erika Molina recently became employed by the U.S. Department of State as a country desk officer for Mexico, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Belize and Colombia, handling all incoming International Child Parental Abductions (IPCA) from those countries. Freddie Ephraim accepted a job as a medevac helicopter pilot at STAT MedEvac this past July. He and his wife Kate have a 2-year-old son named Jack, and are expecting another boy in January 2013.

Jovanni Mahonez continues to be secretive about her life. Lenore Brown and Heather Gillich share her sentiment. Amy Kaufman MacLeod married her husband Andy on July 7, 2012, in Columbia, Md.. Mal Lamont is planning an April 13, 2013, wedding to Matthew Viktor Petterson, who was stationed in Frederick at Fort Detrick from 2009-2011. She also moved to Madison, Wis. Candice Moreland and her husband are expecting their first child in April 2013. They recently built their dream home where they currently reside. Candice is a physician assistant at Berkeley Family Medicine and Urgent Care in Martinsburg, W.Va. Lenae Franey King and her husband are expecting their second daughter in March 2013. She will also earn a master’s degree in special education from Notre Dame around the same time. Lenae continues to teach a regional behavior development program for Calvert County Public Schools. Alecia Weddle is teaching preschool at Celebree Learning Center in Frederick. She also coaches GVAA Baseball in Walkersville, Md., and the Mid-Maryland GVAA girls varsity basketball middle school travel team in Walkersville.

Class Reporters:

Amber D. Guzman, M.A. ’08 finished her second master’s degree in clinical psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology in Washington, D.C., in 2010. She is currently in her fourth month of internship at the Eastern Kansas VA in Leavenworth, Kan. She is also finishing her dissertation and plans to graduate with a doctorate in clinical psychology after completion of her internship in July.

Class Reporter:

Judie Evans earned a master’s degree in library science from the Univ. of Alabama. Evelyn Gosnell is working for the Carroll County Public School system as a substitute special needs teacher and associate. In addition, she works for Black Rock Church of the Brethren as the director of equipping ministries. In this position, she matches appropriate volunteers to their interests both in the church and in the greater community.

Joanna Grauel married Chris Zeisser on May 12, 2012, in Bethany, Del. Judie Evans officiated the ceremony. Emily Brown Hagan earned a master of science degree in engineering and a systems engineering certificate from the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore County in December. Jessica Holthaus is engaged and will be married in April. She also started a new job in December. She is now a recall outreach specialist in food safety for the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Leslie Beck Hughan started a new job in August. She is now the community relations manager for MedStar Harbor Hospital. Andrew Noll and Lauren Sebald Noll welcomed daughter Lily Isabella on Nov. 25. She weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. Lily joins big sister Emilia. Sarah Robinson Rathbun started a new job in March. She is now the facility accounting manager at Corrections Corporation of America.

Kelsey Gage Staggers and her husband Ian welcomed a son Lennox Xavier on Sept. 19. Lennox joins big sister Cadence. Patricia Stevenson was promoted to senior production editor at Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, where she has worked for the past seven years.

Class Reporter:

Thank you for all who responded to my gentle nudging in the last column. I received several of updated email addresses. I encourage all of you to email me at chandagilmore@gmail.com or Facebook me if you want me to update my email list. Welcome back John McCutcheon after a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan. John is currently stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. Congratulations to the following second-time mommies and new mommies: Rachel Krieger Murphy and husband Jason welcomed their second daughter Hannah in May 2012. Hannah joins big sister Kaitlyn born in 2010. After seven years of teaching, Rachel is now a stay-at-home mommy and loves every minute of it!

Sara Lewis and her husband welcomed their second son Eamon on July 18, 2012. Uyen Vu Phillips, M.S. ’10 welcomed son Lucas Jack Phillips in March 2012. The happy family resides in Nashville, Tenn. Sarrah Kiermayr Yoder and husband Joel welcomed their first child Micah Gracelyn on March 27, 2012. Katie Nash, MBA ’08 was promoted to project coordinator at GRSi, a government services firm in Frederick. She also serves as the management services representative for its ISO 9001 certification and is pursuing her project manager certification. Katie will announce her candidacy for City of Frederick alderman in January 2013. Volunteers can email Katie at katiejonash@gmail.com.

Melanie Muscar, MBA ’07 was commissioned as an officer in the Medical Service Corps of the U.S. Navy Reserves in September 2012. She serves as a health care administrator at an operational support unit in Bethesda, Md. Juliane Bettina Husemann currently works at a major film production company in Munich, Germany.

Class Reporters:

Hi everyone! I am excited to be our new class reporter––and even more excited that I have received so much news to share from our classmates. First, everyone should put June 7-9, 2013, on their calendars for our 10-year reunion! Jennifer Fair Milas and I are co-chairs, and we have been working with the office of alumni relations to put together a great weekend. Speaking of Jen, she had a pretty exciting summer. She was married on June 23, 2012, to Matthew Milas and then promoted to tax manager at McLean Koehler Sparks & Hammond on July 1, 2012.

Carolynne Fitzpatrick Keenan recently started a new job as a public affairs specialist for the Frederick National Laboratory (FNL), down the road from Hood at Fort Detrick. Naomi Levine Levinthal accepted a new position with The Advisory Board Company as a consultant in healthcare information technology. She will work out of her home office in Cary, N.C., where she recently moved. Her new address is 5031 Cary Glen Boulevard, Cary, NC 27519. Elizabeth Stacks Millhouse currently lives in Monterey, Calif., where her husband Scott is studying at the Naval Postgraduate School. She is working at the Dudley Knox Library on campus and although she misses the East Coast and all of her family and friends there, she really likes the weather in California! They have two spoiled dogs and were expecting a baby girl at the beginning of February.

I also heard from Kaye Brown Hamilton, who has been pretty busy. She recently returned to the states after living and working in Adelaide, Australia, for three years. She was married there on Sept. 23, 2011, to Australian Adam Hamilton and followed that with a United States ceremony and reception on June 23, 2012. After working as a school-based counselor for two years in Baltimore, Atiya Smith began a doctoral program in counseling in fall 2012 at the Univ. of Rochester, N.Y. She plans to study identity development, the impact of social support on the success of students of color and, multicultural issues in counseling, testing, training and clinical supervision. Atiya is also an adviser to underrepresented undergraduate students interested in pursuing advanced degrees. She is participating in research focusing on children in foster care; leads a young musicians group; and offers private lessons to young violinists and participates in community service activities sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Lee Goetz just finished her doctorate in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She defended in October 2012 was set to graduate in December. Her thesis research was crosslinking lignocellulosic fibers and nanocellulose whiskers with a polymer system, then evaluating the material properties and crosslinking chemistry, with a focus on improving water absorption. She moved back to her hometown in June 2011 and has been working for Contact Technologies, Inc. Her email address is leeanngoetz@yahoo.com.

Julia Sirak Pacilli recently changed positions within Montreat College in North Carolina. She went from being the Asheville regional campus director to the director of enrollment effective July 1, 2012. She also started her doctorate in education with a higher education specialization in June 2011 with Walden Univ. Lauren Guerieri McCrea and her husband Jessop welcomed their son Henry Jessop McCrea on June 18, 2011. After finishing a tour as group surgeon for II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, including a deployment to Afghanistan, Stephanie Bulka Smith has moved back to Maryland, along with her husband Kevin Smith ’05 and their daughter Allison who is 4½ years old. Steph is now stationed at Quantico as a family physician. As for me, Leah Giambarresi M.S.’10, C’05, I had a lovely visit with Larry Smerk, MBA ’06, Mary Northrup Smerk, M.S. ’07 and Taryn Chubb this fall. Larry and Mary just built a new house in Springtown, Texas, where they are living with their kids: Wesley, 4½; Cassie, almost 2 years; and their newest addition, Marcus Emmett, who was born on July 30, 2012. Taryn also has some exciting news to report––she finished her doctorate at Cornell Univ. this August. She is working at East Central Univ. in Ada, Okla., as assistant professor of art and the director of the Pogue Art Gallery. Keep your updates coming, and I cannot wait to see everyone at reunion weekend!

Class Reporter: