2012
Laura Saad Voelker
lauragvoelker@gmail.com
Ashley Nokes Reidenauer
adnokes@gmail.com

As always, the class of 2012 has lots of exciting news and updates! Katelyn Vu Brady married Shane Brady ’11 and lives in Virginia Beach, VA where she works as an attorney with Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP. Carley Altenburger completed her MA in the History of Decorative Arts at George Mason University and recently accepted the position of Assistant Librarian for the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera at Winterthur Museum. Cara Dillon Clements celebrated her daughter’s first birthday and is looking forward to a new position in the Montgomery County Public Schools system. Edwin Franco is the owner of a small real estate business in partnership with Keller Williams Capital Properties in Springfield, VA. Courtney Fraser has two nephews and a niece and is a consultant for both ‘Usborne Books and More’ and ’31 Gifts’. Samantha Gertner celebrated her engagement to Francis Nebenburgh III last summer. They are getting married next spring in St. Martin where they shared their first date. Samantha’s private grief consulting business continues to grow. Lauren Hagan was promoted to senior digital marketing strategist at Immersion Active, a digital-first marketing agency in Downtown Frederick. Kelly Harris is working as a special education teacher at Bancroft. She has been married for almost 10 years and has 2 beautiful daughters, Sofia (5) and Charlotte (2). Rachael Conboy Harris had a baby, got married and is teaching special education. Jessica Henry is working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and loving life in Boston, MA. Jose Sanchez Hernandez is defending his thesis for the completion of the Biomedical Science Master’s degree at Hood College this July. He recently won “The People’s Choice Award” in the 2019 3MT competition and is loving his job at the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research. Troy Hubbard and Lauren Baranauskas Hubbard live in North Carolina where he is finishing post-doctoral studies at the National Toxicology Program branch of NIEHS and Lauren teaches 8^th grade history in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. They are expecting their first child in October. Mike Lancaster is living in Southern Maryland designing maps for the Marine Corps. Eric Leviton is continuing his service in the Air Force and was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant. He completed a year tour in Turkey and now lives in Germany. Nathalie Lewis resigned as Accounting Associate at Nymeo Federal Credit Union in Frederick, MD and as June 3rd became Staff Accountant for Maryland Oral Surgery Associates Management office in Rockville, MD. Scott Mauer worked as a historical researcher for a New York Times best-selling author and is now a technical writer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Elizabeth Ulmer Page celebrated the birth of their first daughter in May and is teaching at an independent all-girls school in Columbus, Ohio. Conor Prachar shifted his computer monitor about 6 inches to the right and is still working at Hood as the women’s soccer coach. Molly Poling and her fiancé got a kitten to keep their cat, Escher, company. They have been working in their garden and are looking forward to their wedding in September. Doug Raftery stepped into the role as General Manager, Business Operations of Reno 1868 FC, a professional soccer team in Nevada in April. Michelle Kuehl Randolph married her husband Dane in Asheville, NC in May. They also are expecting their rainbow baby this year. Ashley Nokes Reidenauer was married in October and is working for an outpatient mental health clinic in Greenbelt. Kaitlin Hughes Retallick received a promotion to Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office last September. Drew Roderuck bought his first house and is currently working at the National Aquarium in Baltimore as a Herpetologist. Kenneth Rupert was the winner of the 2019 Pitch Competition, published the Financial Self-Defense Training Guide and is now offering Financial Wellness Training as a part of the Financial Black Belt Academy. Bonnie Lapp Seabolt just finished her 6^th year as a 3^rd grade teacher and is continuing her education at Hood College. David Stanker is enjoying life to the fullest! Laura Saad Voelker has moved to Silver Spring, MD with her husband, Bruce, and is a 1^st through 3^rd grade science teacher at an independent school. Taurean Washington will be having a solo art exhibition at the Hood College art gallery in Tatem Hall on November 21^st. He and his wife are expecting a baby boy in August.

As always, the class of 2012 has lots of exciting news and updates! Katelyn Brady (Vu) married Shane Brady (c/o ’11) and lives in Virginia Beach, VA where she works as an attorney with Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP. Carley Altenburger completed her MA in the History of Decorative Arts at George Mason University and recently accepted the position of Assistant Librarian for the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera at Winterthur Museum. Cara Clements celebrated her daughter’s first birthday and is looking forward to a new position in the Montgomery County Public Schools system. Edwin Franco is the owner of a small real estate business in partnership with Keller Williams Capital Properties in Springfield, VA. Courtney Fraser has two nephews and a niece and is a consultant for both ‘Usborne Books and More’ and ’31 Gifts’. Samantha Gertner celebrated her engagement to Francis Nebenburgh III last summer. They are getting married next spring in St. Martin where they shared their first date. Samantha’s private grief consulting business continues to grow. Lauren Hagan was promoted to senior digital marketing strategist at Immersion Active, a digital-first marketing agency in Downtown Frederick. Kelly Harris is working as a special education teacher at Bancroft. She has been married for almost 10 years and has 2 beautiful daughters, Sofia (5) and Charlotte (2). Rachael Harris had a baby, got married and is teaching special education. Jessica Henry is working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and loving life in Boston, MA. Jose Sanchez Hernandez is defending his thesis for the completion of the Biomedical Science Master’s degree at Hood College this July. He recently won “The People’s Choice Award” in the 2019 3MT competition and is loving his job at the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research. Troy and Lauren Hubbard live in North Carolina where he is finishing post-doctoral studies at the National Toxicology Program branch of NIEHS and Lauren teaches 8^th grade history in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. They are expecting their first child in October. Mike Lancaster is living in Southern Maryland designing maps for the Marine Corps. Eric Leviton is continuing his service in the Air Force and was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant. He completed a year tour in Turkey and now lives in Germany. Natalie Lewis resigned as Accounting Associate at Nymeo Federal Credit Union in Frederick, MD and as June 3rd became Staff Accountant for Maryland Oral Surgery Associates Management office in Rockville, MD. Scott Mauer worked as a historical researcher for a New York Times best-selling author and is now a technical writer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)Elizabeth [Ulmer] Page celebrated the birth of their first daughter in May and is teaching at an independent all-girls school in Columbus, Ohio. Conor Pracher shifted his computer monitor about 6 inches to the right and is still working at Hood as the women’s soccer coach. Molly Polling and her fiancé got a kitten to keep their cat, Escher, company. They have been working in their garden and are looking forward to their wedding in September. Doug Raftery stepped into the role as General Manager, Business Operations of Reno 1868 FC, a professional soccer team in Nevada in April. Michelle [Kuehl] Randolph married her husband Dane in Asheville, NC in May. They also are expecting their rainbow baby this year. Ashley Nokes Reidenauer was married in October and is working for an outpatient mental health clinic in Greenbelt. Kaitlin Hughes Retallick received a promotion to Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office last September. Drew Roderuck bought his first house and is currently working at the National Aquarium in Baltimore as a Herpetologist. Kenneth Rupert was the winner of the 2019 Pitch Competition, published the Financial Self-Defense Training Guide and is now offering Financial Wellness Training as a part of the Financial Black Belt Academy. Bonnie Seabolt just finished her 6^th year as a 3^rd grade teacher and is continuing her education at Hood College. David Stanker is enjoying life to the fullest! Laura [Saad] Voelker has moved to Silver Spring, MD with her husband, Bruce, and is a 1^st through 3^rd grade science teacher at an independent school. Taurean Washington will be having a solo art exhibition at the Hood College art gallery in Tatem Hall on November 21^st. He and his wife are expecting a baby boy in August.

Here’s a look at the class of 2012! Drew Althouse is finishing up first full year at Madonna University working as an athletic trainer in the NAIA.  He is getting married on July 6th, 2018 to his fiancé Kristen Baker! Briana Becker works as an LCSW in a collaborative health setting, providing mental health services to underserved populations. Jes Garshell was married to Ryan Van Newkirk and started a new job at the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Specialty Hospital. Adrienne Gladden started a new position at Laureate Education Inc. as a Student Support Coordinator for Walden University students, and started her own business called “Crowned By A.Reneé” specializing in wig making and other hair services. Lauren Hagan started a new job as a digital marketing strategist at Immersion Active in Frederick, MD. James Hammond attended the University of Baltimore School of Law after graduation and is working as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Baltimore City. Jess Henry graduated with her PhD in Chemistry from the University of New Hampshire and lives in Boston, MA. She works for PPD doing analytical development at a pharmaceutical company. Jillian Jones works as a Secondary Education English Peace Corps Volunteer in north-west Sierra Leone, West Africa. She lives and works in a tiny village of less than 500, with no running water or electricity. Michelle Kuehl and her fiancé, Dane Randolph were recently engaged. They are planning their move from Georgia to Maryland with their two cats and Italian mastiff.  Bern Lee accepted a pre-doctoral internship position at Henry Ford Heath Services Center in Detroit and published a first-authored peer-reviewed paper on PET imaging in professional athletes at risk for CTE. He gave his first formal research talk at the American Academy of Neurology Conference in L.A. Eric Leviton has been serving in the US Air Force and lives in North Dakota. He is scheduled to serve overseas in Europe for the next 4 years. Nathalie Lewis graduated with an MBA in Accounting from Hood College and enjoyed seeing some fellow 2012 alumni at the 5-year reunion! She currently works for Nymeo Frederick Credit Union in Frederick, MD. Lauren McGrane and her husband welcomed their son, Victor, into the world! Marisa Mitchell-Flack will attend the PhD in Immunology program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine this fall. Kelli Nord recently graduated (May 2018) with her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in designing digital literacy from George Mason University. Cori O’Donnell is a mom to a beautiful boy and is active in the fight against the opiate epidemic, helping to organize awareness events in the Carroll County, MD area.  Molly Poling graduated with a Masters in Heath Science with a concentration in Gerontological Studies from Boise State University. She has been working in Boise as a recreation assistant at an assisted living facility. Zach Roberson moved to the greater Boston area and started a new job at Walnut Hill School for the Arts as the Director of Community Programs. Drew Roderuck is a herpetologist for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. He works in the Australian Department with reptiles. Kenneth Rupert recently published three books; Simple Wealth Building Strategies, The Plan, and God-I Was Wondering. He also attained the rank of Senior Brown Belt in Hap Ki Do from the Global Martial Arts in Hampstead, MD. Kasey Smith is teaching in Frederick County at Woodsboro/New Midway Elementary as a Special Education Teacher, has bought a house, and is working on her Masters of Educational Leadership at Hood College. Maria Smith recently completed her MA in Intercultural Communication with a concentration in French Language and Francophone Studies from UMBC. She also moved into a new role as the lead dormitory parent for her building at the boarding school where she teaches middle and upper school French. Kristina Southwell is an attorney living in Tacoma, Washington and has fully embraced the Pacific Northwest lifestyle by hiking regularly and drinking lots of coffee. Last year she started a new job as a civil litigation associate with Gordon Thomas Honeywell. Stephanie Toone was married to her now husband, Lucca Santineli. Laura Voelker and her husband, Bruce, are moving to the D.C. area this summer. Katelyn Vu graduated summa cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2015, and was sworn into the Maryland Bar. She is now a litigation attorney working for Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP, in Baltimore, Maryland.Taurean Washington earned a solo exhibition at the art gallery of Frederick Community College on June 8th 2019. Also he now works for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was just promoted to a Project Specialist within a year of being employed. Haley Webb celebrated the marriage of her college roommate, Megan Coulbourne on May 19th.

2012
Ashley Nokes
hc2012reporter@gmail.com

Laura Saad
hc2012reporter@gmail.com

Hello from the class of 2012! It was another exciting year for the members of our class and we are excited to share it with you. Carley Altenburger graduated from the Univ. of Pittsburgh with a master of library and information science degree in archives, preservation and records management and has started a second master’s degree program in the history of decorative arts at Smithsonian-George Mason Univ. Jamal Bell is now a licensed realtor and is starting his career in realty. Jarred Braxton is halfway finished with his graduate program at Tisch School of the Arts in New York City aiming for his master’s degree in cinema studies. Adrienne Gladden started a new job as a student adviser for StraighterLine, Inc., an online education program located in Baltimore. Janet Gainesearned a certified supervised counselor alcohol and drug certification and is in the master of social work program at the Univ. of Southern California. She is working as a lead counselor at Gale Recovery, Inc. Claire Gogan will be entering a master’s degree program in history at Virginia Tech in the fall on a full scholarship. Kelly Harris married Matthew and they welcomed a baby girl Sofia Grace in October 2013. They moved back to New Jersey to be closer to family. Hilary Lawch planned to enroll at McDaniel College in the fall to pursue her master’s degree in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. She plans on using her master’s degree to work for a nongovernmental organization that helps immigrants adjust to their new lives in the United States. Lauren Miller married Galen McGrane April 12, 2014, in Frederick. Carter Reitman is currently in his second year of service with the Peace Corps in Morocco. Kenneth Rupert published a book in December 2013 and two more in the first quarter of 2014. He is writing one book that will be published this summer and two more in the fall. Kasey Smith will be leaving Frederick County Public Schools after two years of teaching special education for a new teaching job on a Native American reservation in Mandaree, N.D. She will  teach special education for a year. Maria Smith will be starting a new job in the fall as a middle and upper school French teacher at Garrison Forest School in Owings Mills, Md. Mollie Widdowson is working for the Washington County Department of Social Services in foster care and has been there since September 2013. Emily Wilson planned to attend Arcadia Univ. doctor of physical therapy program in August. What a year it has been for our incredibly accomplished class! Please keep your class reporters updated so we can inform you of the amazing things our class continues to accomplish every day.

The members of the class of 2012 continue to stay busy and productive as life after Hood College Undergraduate School continues on. Here are some updates on some of the fantastic members of this class. Jessica Henry is on her second year of the Chemistry PhD program at the University of New Hampshire. Sasha Scaun is working at Victor Cullen as a Program Therapist. Graduating this past August from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with her Master of Social Work (MSW), she is now a Licensed MSW. Leigh Hopkins got engaged and is planning her wedding for August 2014. She currently works as a Loan Servicing Specialist with the Written Customer Contact team for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. She is also working to get her art and photography business off the ground, Owl Eye Studios (www.owleyestudios.com). Lauren Miller, recently engaged to Calen McGrane started a new job as the Program Coordinator with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Mollie Widdowson passed her LGSW licensing test in May and graduated from the University of Maryland, School of Social Work in July. She is now working for the Washington County Department of Social Services. Monica Chickering is finishing up an international field placement experience in India before completing her MSW program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in May 2014. Kristen Strater is currently attending American University for her Masters in Environmental Public Policy. Doug Raftery has recently accepted a new position with the Frederick Keys and will be the Sponsorship Account Manager and No. 2 radio broadcaster. Briana Becker graduated from the University of Pittsburg with her Masters of Social Work and is now a Licensed Social Worker in the state of PA. Marisa Mitchell-Flack has moved to New York City and acquired a job as Research Technician at Weill Cornell Medical College. Michelle Kuehl just celebrated six months in my new home she purchased in Catonsville, MD and is keeping busy with her job and traveling. Maria Smith is currently taking a year off from law school at the University of DC and is teaching high school English in Avignon, France. Laura Saad is also teaching abroad, currently on her second year in Bucheon, South Korea teaching English to kindergarten and elementary aged students. She keeps a blog about her experiences to update family and friends (http://goings-on-in-bucheon.blogspot.com). Cadance Roddy got engaged to Giff Howland in February 2013. She resides in Gaithersburg, MD along with her son, Sebastian Layser age 12, and is planning a wedding for the spring of 2014. Casey Smith is teaching freshmen Algebra at El Dorado High School outside of Wichita, Kansas. Chris Galo currently lives in Cumberland, MD with Kelsey Parker and their 3-year-old daughter, Juliana, and is working for the Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation for the state of MD. Jaimie Shopland became the President of Young Democrats of Frederick County, a political club that engages young people under the age of 36 in politics. She also took on a new job as the Special Assistant to Jen Terrasa, Chair of the Howard County Council, which is an appointed position. Furthermore, she became a board member of Emerge Maryland, an organization that trains Democratic women to run for office. Victoria Gudeman plans to graduate from the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work in May 2014. She is completing an internship at the National Institute of Health and is working in the behavioral health unit at Frederick Memorial Hospital. Sadly her husband lost his battle with cancer on November 12, 2012. She is thankful for friends at Hood who have helped through this difficult last year. Aleece Groom plans to graduate from the Univ. of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work in 2016. She is working for Genesis Health Care and will be getting married on May 17, 2014. Always a busy and productive class, the members of 2012 continue to work hard and make Hood College proud.

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: