2010s

10 Happy Couples

On June 27, Andy Nester married Mackenzie Woods ’15SMC in a small family ceremony in Notre Dame’s Log Chapel, the same location where Andy’s great-grandparents were married in 1932. The couple hopes to have a marriage blessing and reception with wedding guests at ND/SMC next year. In October, Henry Vasquez and Dominique Dallas were married in Leavenworth WA. Michael and Christina Flattery ’13 were among the guests. Congratulations to the happy couples. Lindsay (Ruhling) and John Menze welcomed their first child, Clifford Albert, into the world on March 2. Molly (White) and Alex Deak welcomed baby Henry into the world on Sept. 10. He joins siblings Mary, Lucy, Alexander and Theo. Albert Ozimek ’80, father of Kathryn Ozimek, died in December 2019. Our condolences to Kathryn and her family. Keep an eye out for more details about our belated reunion celebration this June. We hope that we will be able to safely gather and celebrate our 11-year reunion together. Please continue to send updates. Go Irish. — Matt Molloy; ndclass2010@gmail.com

 

10MBA Another Quarter in the Books 

Jay You took a new role as the vice president of finance at Lexmark International, managing corporate development and global pricing strategy. Additionally, they welcomed their second daughter, Taylor, in late September. Mother and daughter are healthy and safe. Here is a brief update from Lauren (Buck) and Colin Kresse. They welcomed their second child, Grace Elizabeth, on September 5. Lauren works in business development at Roche, out of the Bay Area site, and is responsible for the development of the first FDA approved COVID test. Colin is a senior manager of sales enablement at Salesforce, keeping busy onboarding new Enterprise sales hires nationwide. They write that they miss you all. Kevin May and his wife Katie are looking forward to expanding their family. They are expecting a little girl in March 2021. Thank you for doing what you do and sharing your news with me along the way. Go Irish. — John Gerberich; cell 847-331-4707; jgerberi@alumni.nd.edu

 

10JD Class Secretary – Jennifer (Hernandez) Laffitte;

10310 Southwest 128^th Ave., Miami FL 33186; res 305-322-7154; bus 786-762-3815; jherna11@alumni.nd.edu

 

11 Here and There

Congratulations to Anna (Peterson) Story who married Eric Story in Victoria MN on September 12. Ashley-Anne (Elias) and Michael Bohnert welcomed their son, Edward Anthony Joseph, in February 2020. The family of three lives in Pittsburgh PA. Jane and Michael Eardley welcomed their second son, James Paul, on October 10 in La Grange IL. The excitement eclipsed the family’s earlier pride when, on the COVID-induced bye week Saturday, their son, Isaac, 2, woke up and asked if he could watch Notre Dame football. Erin (Semler) and yours truly, Evan James, welcomed a beautiful daughter, Isabelle Marie, into the world on July 15. Stephanie (Mulhern) and Jim Ogorzalek welcomed baby Finn Mulhern Ogorzalek in Takoma Park MD, just three days before his future ND best friend Isabelle James arrived. They can’t wait to meet in person once there’s no longer a global pandemic keeping them apart. On June 25, Claire Streitman and Aubrey Michael Rabon Jr. welcomed their firstborn son into the world. Aubrey Michael Rabon III is lovingly known as Tripp. Rachael and Packy Griffin welcomed their first child into the world on June 25. Darcy Faye Griffin is an energetic and smiley young lady and has enjoyed ample time with her family at home in Washington DC, including her first exposure to fall Saturday traditions of Notre Dame football. David Rudy and his wife, Lauren ’12MEd, welcomed Hannah Marie Rudy into the world on September 10. Mom and dad are adjusting well to parenthood and grateful for their wonderful blessing. Jessica and Patrick Brown welcomed Adeline Elizabeth Brown over the summer. Big brother Teddy and big sister Ellie are affectionate siblings. James “Big Dog” and Megan “Dunne” McKillen welcomed their first baby, James “Little Dog” McKillen, on September 21 in Chicago. Claire Brosnihan recently transitioned to a new role as the director of global field operations at One Acre Fund. She works across One Acre Fund’s African countries of operation to help smallholder farmers increase their yields. Claire continues to be based in Kigali, Rwanda, with her son, Francois D’Assise, 11. Congratulations to Ben Anderson on achieving his lifelong dream of gaining entry into one of the premier ultra-running races in the country, the Bigfoot 200, a 206.5-mile race through the wilderness around Mount St. Helens in Washington State. He will run the race on Aug. 13-16, 2021. — Evan James; ndclass2011@gmail.com

 

11MBA Class Secretary — Mimi Wilfong;

903-714-4988; mimitwilfong@gmail.com

 

11JD What Did I Miss?

For full disclosure, these notes were submitted in mid-October 2020, so I am unable to make any timely, witty remarks. What have I missed since publication time?

L to the O to the L. In any event, it is a good thing some people are providing us entertainment during this trying time. Meghan (Sweeney) ’08, ’11JD and Brett Bean welcomed the newest little Bean, Georgia Grace, on July 28. Her hair is already impressive, and with those locks and parentage, yours truly is pushing an arranged marriage (my favorite illegal pastime) with my own hairy baby, Connor. Speaking of cute babies, Nyeri Ahmed Adesokan and husband Ni welcomed Mara Jaiye on Oct. 2. Ryan Finlen ’06, ’11JD, 2011’s attractive nuisance, somehow tricked AnnaMarie Bliss into agreeing to marry him. I jest. They seem very happy. NDLS Class of 2045 be prepared. Blake Rambo’s sugar daddy Sean Cullen started his neonatology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine. We can’t wait for him to support us all. Samantha Winters McAlpin and Elizabeth Adams ’08, ’11JD visited the White Sands National Park and basically became influencers. 2020 gave us lemons, and we are making Backer Long Island Iced Teas, which means there is a chance we black out until 2021. Until next time, send updates my way. — Lauren Sharkey; lksharkey@gmail.com

 

12 Weddings and Births 

Katie Miller and Matt Hawk ’14MEd were married in a small ceremony in Austin TX on Sept. 26. Colleen Middleton was maid of honor, and Mark Hawk ’19PhD was best man. Congratulations to the happy couple. Kristyn Jeffries married Kent Melchiors, at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on October 2 in an intimate ceremony with their closest family and friends. Among those present was Kristyn’s Howard roommate, Alli Steiner, who was also one of her bridesmaids. It was a beautiful day. Olivia (Colangelo) and Ben Mall welcomed their first daughter, Madeleine, on August 5. Mom, dad and big brother, Arthur, are thrilled. Congratulations on the new addition to the family. Christina (Kuklinski) and Michael Chieffo welcomed their second daughter, Julia Isabella Chieffo, on July 29. Her sister, Elizabeth, is thrilled as well. John Heid, Michael’s Siegfried Hall roommate, and John’s wife Kacie will be godparents when a date for the baptism is scheduled. Dr. Lee Haggenjos graduated in July from the U of Minnesota Broadway Family Medicine three-year family medicine residency in Minneapolis. He was given the Spice Award for patient-centered care. He was due to begin his family medicine practice with OB in Willmar MN in October. Lee and his wife, Stephanie Ruas, welcomed their first child, Rafael M. Haggenjos, in March 2020. Stephanie Rice and her husband, Anirban Nandi, welcomed their first son, Luke Rice Nandi, on April 12. Congratulations to the new parents. Thank you to everyone who sent in submissions. Please reach out to me when you have news to share. — Tyler Harmsen; tharmsen14@gmail.com

 

12MBA Class Secretary — Chris Villani;

christopher.villani@gmail.com

 

12JD Good Start

Hello, classmates. I hope this column reaches you all in good health. To begin with babies (you knew that was coming), Charlie Drury and his wife welcomed their third child, Rowan Thomas Drury, to their family in April 2020. Mom and son are happy, healthy, and doing great. Sabila (Kadiruzzaman) Khan and her husband, Adil, had a second baby boy, Amir Khan, in July. Sabila was kind enough to send photos, as well as links to Wikipedia articles for the Bollywood actor and professional boxers that share a name with Amir. Carter Mills Isham also had a baby. Porter Mills Isham joined the family on May 20. Mom reports he is a happy, smiley guy who has already been on his first road trip and visited his first national park, Yellowstone. Wendy (Tran) Novotne let me know that Tim Nguyen and his wife had a baby girl. In marriages, Erin (Myers) Nell tied the knot with Ryan Nell in a small ceremony in Napa. Despite COVID, they were still able to do something with their immediate family over Labor Day weekend to make things official until next year’s big party. Also from Wendy, I am told that Fabian Gauna got married in August. Congratulations to everyone. Moving on to new jobs, a little birdy (Alison Curran Smith) told me that our very own John Portman opened his own firm specializing in real estate and capital markets in Denver. Manasi Raveendran is back from her assignment in India, and got a promotion to counsel at IBM, where she is the global pro-bono co-chair of the legal department and the diversity and inclusion co-lead for New York. We all know she’ll crush it. Manasi reports that she met up with Maira Sheikh in Austin, where Maira gave her a wonderful pre-COVID Texas-sized tour of the city. Ryan Raybould has relocated to Washington DC, where he works in the Senate as chief counsel for John Cornyn. He spent a lot of time working with Mike Fragoso, who works with Lindsey Graham. Ryan reports that his wife, Brooke, is running a successful mom blog when she isn’t sprinting after one of their three boys under the age of 5. Caitlin Shetter and Sharon Lim are fans of the blog, which Brooke and Ryan deeply appreciate. Brian Michel also reached out and told me that he celebrated his two-year anniversary as director of prevention services with Mental Health America of Wisconsin, managing statewide suicide prevention and behavioral health recovery programs. He is proud of a recent initiative founding a first-of-its-kind peer-support residence for veterans called the R&R House, which was set to open in November 2020. Brian also welcomed a new four-legged member of the family, Saint Reuben, the patron saint of sandwiches. And in the final jobs update, I, your humble secretary, James Champlin, left my job at the public defender’s office and joined a small practice in Atlanta specializing in estate planning and probate. It is a welcome change of pace, and I’m really enjoying learning a new area of law. I’m also having fun drafting myself the world’s most complicated will and trust scheme to mess with my future heirs. And in miscellanea, Brittany Hunt Jassey let me know that her consecutive crossword solve streak is up to 131 days. There are very few things I’ve done 131 days in a row, and none of them are as impressive as finishing a New York Times crossword puzzle. Finally, Alvin Adjei and I narrowly missed seeing each other this summer thanks to the pandemic. I kept telling him that he didn’t need to wear a mask during our Zoom calls, but he insisted that COVID had “made the jump” and was now also a computer virus. Thanks for all your news. Keep sending me those updates. — James Champlin; james.c.champlin@gmail.com

 

13 Glad 2020 in the Rearview Mirror

Hello classmates, and welcome to the first column of 2021, which was written in the fading moments of 2020 while it fought tooth and nail to drag on forever. I can only hope that by the time this is released we have found a way to celebrate the new year. I would like to start off with apologies to some updates that somehow got lost in the depths of my inexcusably disorganized email. In my defense, I made the account the day after graduation and is still a 21-year-old’s email. Anyway, congratulations to Megan Poloskey, who emailed me after she got engaged to Eric Zimmerman in August of 2019. I’m just now putting in the information after she got married in June 2020. Beth (Wloszek) Ulrich emailed me in February about her and Jeff’s baby girl Ella, who was born in August 2019. She also let me know about Mike and Shannon (Warchol) O’Brien’s baby boy Ezekiel, also born in August 2019. Since the last issue, it seems our class members have started to come out of their apartments and send me socially distanced email updates, spaced roughly six weeks apart as recommended by the CDC. Patrick Vinett married Kenley Stark on July 11 in Larchmont NY, famously known as the birthplace of “Flea” from Red Hot Chili Peppers. In attendance were fellow ’13ers Allison Schneider, Reid and Lawrence Brewster, Morgan Walsh and Patrick Marquard, each spaced six feet apart. In professional news, Stephanie Maciuba earned her PhD in biochemistry from the U of Wisconsin after defending her dissertation via Zoom. Soon afterward, she zoomed away from snowy Madison to sunny, breezy San Diego. Speaking of San Diego, Mick Hammock wrote to tell me he still works at the San Diego Zoo, and “amazingly not as the zoo’s latest attraction.” (His words, but my thoughts.) In the pandemic, he has been playing a lot of virtual board games with friends. Who knew that Tim Kaminski was such a shark. Apparently, after winning nearly every week, Joey Beglane, Spencer Andrews and Rob Nelson elected Tim as “chairman for life.” Finally, William Owen Cox wrote to tell me he returned to the U.S. after “three years living in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia working as an English language instructor for a professional language training school,” and has now started a master’s program in Arab Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. Aside from jet setting around the globe to meet up with Owen Zhang, Matt Keenan, Andy Boes, Dan Ampon and Derek Novacek, he was busy founding the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Saudi Arabia and being named the ND ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is eager to return one day to a place that’s become near and dear to him. It’s interesting: William flew all over the place to meet with people, even Derek, and yet I can’t get Bobby Shields to drive across town. That is all I’ve got, everyone, so thanks for all the updates and please keep them coming. If you have any positive feedback, I’d love to hear it. All negative feedback can go to Claire George, who is responsible for me being class secretary. — Chris Champlin; Cincinnati OH; nd2013updates@gmail.com

 

13MBA Babies, Babies, Babies

I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and sane. Babies are the focus of the updates this time. Erin and Rob Vetere just had their second baby girl, Madison. They are living in New York, where Rob works for NBC. Most of his basketball playing these days is with daughter Hailey, but he loves being a #GirlDad. Tanaya and Dennis Moran also had their second daughter, Reya Mari Moran, who joins big sister, Kaia. The Morans live in Richardson TX and both work at Capital One in Plano TX. Tanaya is in project management and Dennis is in finance. Marie (Chervanick) Flatley and Keith Flatley ’09 had their first child, Rose Amelia, who entered the world in October. The Flatleys reside in Seattle. Tomás Ramírez lives in Panama, where he works for Under Armour. In July, he and wife, Rocío, welcomed son Ignacio “Nacho” Ramírez, who is already making a name for himself. Doing his best to make sure these babies have a healthy environment to grow up in is Patrick Murphy who was voted to the national board of directors of the Sierra Club, the country’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. Directors are elected to three-year terms by vote of the membership, nearly one million strong. The Sierra Club’s board is a working board, setting budget and overseeing strategy for one of the most impactful environmental nonprofits in the U.S. Thanks for the updates this time. If you are feeling left out, tell me what is going on in your life. — Nick Imgrund; 314-775-7364; daimgrund@yahoo.com 

 

13JD Class Secretary — Alex Blair;

apblair@gmail.com

 

14 Updates from a Friend

As we head into a dark and cold winter, let’s take warmth and light in the fact that we have such an incredible, loving and supportive community. Keep giving me your updates. I want to hear everything. New house? New dog? (I’m looking at you, Laurel Komos, and your sweet baby Marlowe.) Or cat? Babies, weddings, new hobbies, Zoom happy hours with dorm mates — whatever you have, give it to me. And many of you did, and thank you so much for the wonderful news, which made me smile and I hope makes you smile too. Matt McCurdy, a lucky Dillon dude, got engaged to Erika Smith in Richmond VA. Best of luck and congratulations to you both. Going to the other coast, Vivian Devaney-Frice just started her PhD in human development through Fielding Graduate U. She hopes to study the intersection of nonprofit leadership and restorative practices because she is a lovely gem of a human. Best of luck, Viv. Finally, take a breath before this one, which is coming to you verbatim from Welsh Fam Whirlwind Jill Briody who submitted what might be the best update I have ever read: “Trivia team WelshFamBam peaked when, after many weeks of battling, they finally reached their goal of placing in the top 5 at Thursday night virtual bar trivia. Outside the trivia arena, members of the team have been working hard using their knowledge and skills for good during quarantine. Andi Cescolini has climbed quickly to the top of the Oula World, leading classes online and outside, bringing fun and wellness to people’s lives through energetic dance fitness. Rachel Lee continues to deliver joy to hearts and living rooms everywhere, burning the midnight oil to ensure NYC TV show productions run smoothly. Steph Lobaccaro has been busy consuming award-winning margaritas crafted and delivered by her sister and honing her NYC biking skills, when she’s not helping approve loans for small businesses. Carissa Henke has been working tirelessly to enhance the functionality of Groupon and bring her foodie talents to the Chicago takeout scene. Following in, and then surpassing, Rory Gilmore’s footsteps, Carrie Turek started as a pediatric psychologist and an assistant professor at Yale U. Even though they did not graduate with us, Bridget Daly ’17 and Natalie Branch ’15 have also been vital to the great success of the team. Natalie has been working hard using her legal skills to help those at risk of losing their housing and is continuously devising a plan to take advantage of all outdoor lunch specials on WFH days. After leaving her mark on the Cincinnati sand volleyball and grocery marketing data scenes, Bridget has taken her talents to the forest, joining Stanford’s statistics graduate program. Whirlwinds are what? Red hot.” Keep us updated, and let’s keep each other in our prayers. Lots of love. — Lizzie Helpling; res 513-470-9723; ehelplin@alumni.nd.edu

 

14MBA Class Secretary — Jessica Bonanno;

407-808-7148; jbonanno@alumni.nd.edu; Krick Cahill; 518-598-4222; kcahill1@alumni.nd.edu

 

14JD At Home and Proud

It’s been a year, but I’m happy to report that working from home in sweatpants hasn’t stopped the Class of 2014 from greatness. It’s the little victories, like getting out of your PJs before 11 a.m., that count these days. (We see you, Christina Giardina.) Special congratulations to Capt. Panashe Nhekairo, who recently graduated from Air Force JAG school and won their mock trial competition. Way to take your career to new heights; we all stand in awe. Shout out also to Libby Klesmith who not only rappels down the sides of buildings in her leisure time but is one of Michiana’s 40 Under 40. Moving on to the tiniest additions to the law school family: Congrats to Veronica and Nick Kamenjarin for the birth of their daughter, Violet Isabel Kamenjarin, born at 5 pounds, 3 ounces. Violet keeps herself busy jamming to great tunes including her current favorite, Jimmy Buffet’s “Volcano.” That is all this quarter. Stay safe and well. — Rachel Hanley; rachelrhanley@gmail.com

 

15 Catching Up with Classmates

Quinn O’Heeney, our civil engineering classmate, married Emma Collis at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on March 18, 2017. Their son, Theodore Martin O’Heeney, was born August 7, 2018, and their daughter, Evelyn Rose, was born September 25, 2020. Emma graduated as a doctor of dentistry from the U of Louisville School of Dentistry. They reside in Fort Wayne IN, where Emma practices at the Klinger Family Dentistry and Quinn is a project manager at Design Collaborative. Christina Senger and Brendan O’Brien became engaged in October next to the lakes, in classic Irish fashion. — Emily Flores; Alexandria VA; eflores2@alumni.nd.edu

 

15JD Class Secretary — Alisa Finelli; alisafinelli@gmail.com

 

16 New Year, New Website 

Last summer, I spent time with the ND Alumni Association rebuilding our class website and I would like you to check it out. We did not use our last website once in the last four years, but Tommy Schneeman, Shannon Montague, Brian Cimons and I are excited to share this new one with you. Check out 2016.undclass.org and make sure your account is up to date. COVID can’t stop love. Congrats to our recently engaged couples: Bryanna McGowan and Peter Sullivan ’15; Abbie Spica and Jacob Vandenbosh; Rhyan White ’17 and Mike Ginocchio; Caitlin O’Connor and Joe Mueller; Faride Talamas and Mike Fortuna; Alex Coticchia and Patrick Spellacy; Meredith Lobb and Daniel Groom ’15; Liz Feeley ’17 and Peter O’Connor; Caitlin Gruis and EJ Hinlo; Cami Mampieri and Michael Gills ’14; Maggie Long and Collin Foster; Abbey Borchers and Adam Soisson; Caitlin Bequette and Brendan Reardon ’20; Theresa St. Pierre and Jason LeBlanc; Katie Holmes and Stephen Seitz; and Elizabeth Hillman and Paul Heeder. Cheers to all our recently (and some not as recent) married couples including Kate Hermeling and Matt Hutchinson; Isabella Moraes and Kent Zier; Erin Sweeney and Ben Rosengren; Megan Hooven and Chris Brownschidle; Carina Suarez and Steve Doyle ’15; Megan Fink and Jack Nash ’17MEd; Izzy Nussbaum and Daniel Nilsson Sjolander; Marisel Wilbur and Ted Kallergis; Grace Mazur and Matt Lawton ’15; Sara Chesser and Pat Deasey; Rachel Serio and John-Paul Drouilhet ’17; Megan Tarpey and Cody Hanika; Elizabeth Ramos and Leo Linbeck; Sarah Pryor and Justin Hoffman; Megan Sorlie and Zac Cockman; Angela Reilly and Cary Shepard; and Carly Smith and Mike Petrucci. Cheers also to our recently married ladies named Emma: Emma Fleming and Patrick Couch; Emma Borne and Stuart Streit; and Emma Lyons and David Que. We are excited for all the new babies. Here’s hoping the future class of 2042 will include the sweet babes of Alison (Widner) and Hunter McDaniel (twins for them); Mimi (Michuda) ’15 and Nick Herzog; Maddy (Luteran) and Jeff Agar; Dominique (Nguyen) and Michael Blume ’15; Becca (Self) and Colin Devine with baby number 2; Katie (Ferrara) and Jack Beers, May (Stewart) and Jimmy DePierro; Bridget (Bruns) and Chris Moyer; and Savannah Kounelis and Anthony Willaume. Hungry, or just love food inspo on Instagram? Check out Monica (Simon) Lesch’s Made by Moni, or Danielle Lukish’s Delish by Dani. Adam Rene Rosenbaum received his MD degree from the U of Michigan last May and began his three-year pediatrics residence at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Hunter Smith finished his master’s in public health and is almost done with med school at UNC Chapel Hill. Zoe Volenec officially received her PhD from Princeton in ecology and evolutionary biology. Adrienne Voelker finished her PhD in food science from Purdue. Abby Johnson is studying for her PhD in archaeology at William & Mary. Ashley Murphy got her master’s in clinical psychology from Northwestern and is now working there with children with special healthcare needs. Erin Bishop will be graduating from Ohio State’s medical school this year. Erin Aucar finished her master’s in social enterprise at American U last year and works for ND and the Career Center in Washington DC as the regional engagement manager. Kate (Everett) Lobo is studying at U of Chicago getting her master’s in clinical social work, and Mary Kate Irving is also there getting her MBA. Will Fields, Mike Kelly and Brandon Angelini are at Harvard for their MBAs. Emily Horton works in Dallas as a consultant and got her pilot’s license last summer. Eric Woitcheck works as a business process expert with ALDI and is spending the next few years working in Dusseldorf, Germany. Andrew Fritz renewed his religious vows in the Congregation of Holy Cross and is in his fourth and final year of the MDiv. As for other classmates on campus, Kate Broadbent is also in her final year of the MDiv program. Shadia Ajam is finishing up her law degree this year. Alexis Meruelo started back there for grad school. Check out Fox & Robin, a new ethical activewear brand founded by Tommy Flaim focused on sustainability and social justice. And if you are into coffee or beer (or both) check out Parched, Charlie Labuz’s coaster-based board game. Jack Hanle and I were excited to share our love story in last season’s magazine. And if you are wondering, yes, I do still have the Hershey Kiss that he proposed to me with. Email me. You know I love to hear from you. — Bridget Doyle; bdoyle3@alumni.nd.edu

 

16MBA Grateful for Notre Dame Family

Hope this class update finds everyone doing well this winter. We missed the typical classmate reunions during fall football season and pray for the opportunity to safely welcome everyone back to campus next year. It has been inspiring to see your baby, engagement, wedding and job announcements during this challenging time. Keep sharing these happy social media updates and consider sending some our way for the next issue. Thank you to the many alumni who have supported Kelly (Chase) Rubey’s undergraduate students through participation in informational interviews and panel discussions: Kevin Hanrahan, Ann Elise Debelina, Tito Fernandez, Pat Knott, Denise Yee, Ashleigh Calderone, Fernanda Rivas, Runy Javahery, Meredith Alexander, Thomas Thomas, Lauren Russman, Ariston Lowe, Greg Sullivan, Andrew Keegan, Meagan Tenaty ’18MBA, Patrick Smith ’90, ’95MBA, ’95JD and Alex Mendoza ’87JD. It is amazing the way our community shows up for each other and to support future generations of Domers. — Claire Kenney; 734-751-2354; ckenney2@alumni.nd.edu; Kelly Rubey; 952-270-7830; kelly.rubey@nd.edu 

 

17 God, Country, Notre Dame

This issue will come out in January and you may be cracking open these pages right before the inauguration. As a column, we aim to celebrate our classmates and want to recognize some who worked in the democratic process this election. In an effort to encourage voter participation among infrequent voters in swing states, Sinead O’Donovan wrote letters to voters through the Chicago chapter of Swing Left and Indivisible. She lives in Lakeview and works as an associate for the office of the CEO at G2, a Chicago-based startup. Over the last two years, Louis Bertolotti had the pleasure of working for the Republican National Committee on President Trump’s re-election campaign. In this capacity, he traveled to more than 15 states and spoke with thousands of voters about what they would like to see in our country. The job was made especially challenging with the pandemic forcing a shift to a virtual campaign. Once more information about the virus was collected, they found ways to knock on doors and hold in-person events safely. Victoria J. Velasquez is a member of the historic Woman’s National Democratic Club based in Washington DC and is leading the club’s get out the vote (GOTV) efforts for the elections. She organizes the club’s weekly Winning Wednesday events, and has led volunteers in writing to nearly 14,000 voters in swing states and has led over 50 hours of phone banking and text banking. Victoria hopes these efforts will help Democrats take back the White House and Senate. We are at a time in our careers where our classmates are being recognized for work and personal accomplishments. Jordyn Coyne has recently accepted a cyber security position with Peloton in New York. PJ Finley was included in Commercial Observer’s Top 25 Under 35 Debt and Equity Professionals List. Brianna Dombo received the 25 Under 35 Award from her high school to recognize her for going above and beyond in personal and professional endeavors working as a designer for Ave Maria Press and as a freelance designer. Congratulations on these career achievements. It would not be an update without a few relationship updates. Congrats to Reed Fujan and Kristen Lomabardo on their engagement. Sean O’Rourke proposed to Abby Radomsky in Central Park in September. They will be married in the Basilica in 2022. We also had many weddings take place. Michelle Lacouture and Jimmy Perry had a beautiful wedding in Colombia. Molly Burke married Neil Joseph in Missouri in August. Neil graduated from Duke Law School in the summer. Clare Kampman married Eric Marasco in Ohio, dressing up their wedding outfits with masks for some fun wedding photos. In October, MaKenna Siebenaler and Freddie Stavins tied the knot. Katie Higgins brought her wedding party back under the Dome for her wedding to Matt Nealon ’15MBA. Stephanie Burton had an intimate wedding to Brent Jordan at Lake Minnetonka in early September. In early July, Katie Arndorfer married Max Rich. Emily Foernssler live streamed her October wedding to Josiah Williams. We wish happiness to you all. If you would like to send updates or celebrate a friend, please contact me or find me on Facebook because truly, that is the source of most of this news. — Celanire Flagg; cflagg@alumni.nd.edu

 

17MBA Class Secretary — Mary Tomasik;

mtomasik@alumni.nd.edu

 

17JD Share Your Updates 

Please send me your updates. — Lauren Nottoli;

laurennottoli@gmail.com

 

18 Class Secretary — Matthew Peters;

mgpeters96@gmail.com 

 

19 Quickly Making Our Mark

The Class of 2019 has been out in the “real world” for just over a year, but its members already have exciting life updates to share with the Notre Dame family. Lauren McCulley, who earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, has worked as a spacecraft design engineer for Lockheed Martin, designing the LM2100 fleet of satellites and working on the Human Lander System, which will land the next space explorers on the moon. Lauren is working toward a Master of Systems Engineering from Penn State U. She also has been heavily involved in STEM outreach in her community, leading a Girls Who Code chapter at an elementary school and a STEMBlazers chapter at a middle school. Jeff Riney, who studied mechanical engineering and design, started Irish Woodworks as a graduate student in the ESTEEM program. While he initially launched Irish Woodworks to help pay for graduate school, Jeff has since partnered with the Innovation Lab to continue to grow the company. With the mission statement “Made at ND, for ND, to support ND,” Irish Woodworks creates products that give Notre Dame fans and alumni the chance to own a piece of Notre Dame history. Jeff splits his time working on Irish Woodworks between Washington DC and South Bend. Isabel Teixeira joined the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) after graduation to serve as a fifth-grade teacher in Denver CO. In her second year with ACE, she is still teaching her students about ND football while navigating mask wearing, hand sanitizing, and sitting behind plexiglass barriers. Isabel had fellow ND 2019 alumna and current Creighton School of Medicine student Jane Driano join her class via Zoom to discuss the best ways to stay healthy amid COVID-19. We would like to congratulate the following Class of 2019 alumni on their engagements. Melanie Justice and Nicholas Jeffrey announced their engagement in spring 2020. Claren Hesburgh and Anthony Smyth were engaged in early fall 2020. Ashley Huffman said yes to Matthew Yoder ’18, and the two will marry in 2021. Please reach out to your class officers or send a message to the email listed here to share your life updates with us. — Michael Conlon, Daniel Hopkinson, Edward Griesedieck, Jane Driano; notredameclass19@gmail.com