2020s

20 Celebrating our 5-Year Reunion
The registration website for our 5-year Reunion opens in January at reunion.nd.edu and we hope you will join us May 29 - June 1, 2025. You can reserve a bed in our air-conditioned dorm when registering or there are hotel room block links listed on the Reunion website. We hope to build a large committee of volunteers to help plan class hospitality and encourage classmates to attend. If you would be willing to join the planning committee, please email Gabby Meridien at gmeridie@alumni.nd.edu. Finally, we will be be emailing important class plans through myND, so if you are not receiving our emails and would to subscribe, please visit 2020.undclass.org, log in and click the “Join” button, or contact onlinehelp@reunion.nd.edu for help subscribing. — Gabby Meridien; gmeridie@alumni.nd.edu

 

20MBA Career Moves
This edition’s update is all about career moves. John Chao has taken a role at the Internal Revenue Service, working in the front office of the chief information officer on modernization efforts. He continues to dabble with Chaos Studio, focused on developing cutting-edge AI solutions for defense technology. He still lives in VA with his wife, Kristina, and their children Wynnie and Gene. Tonde Yorbana has been hard at work as well. In the challenging job market we all faced back in the summer of 2020, Tonde decided to further his skills by pursuing a CPA license. He became a CPA in 2022 and shortly after won the Indiana CPA Society Breakthrough Award in 2023. This past year has, in his own words, been a “perfect” one: He and his family qualified for permanent residency through his Alien of Extraordinary Ability visa, he was promoted to internal audit manager and he relocated to Indianapolis where he purchased a house. He and his family are excited to be living their American dream and are grateful to the Notre Dame community and everyone who has been a part of their journey. If you have any updates to share, please send them my way! — Audrey Walker; awalke10@alumni.nd.edu

 

20JD Barrister Baby Arrivals
Congratulations to our classmates who welcomed beautiful barrister babies into the world this fall — all within eight days of each other! Dominique (Fry) and John Casey ’21JD welcomed baby boy John Robert Casey IV on Sept. 16; Alexa and John Morris welcomed baby boy John “Johnny” Benton Morris IV on Sept. 22; and Bailey (Burns) and Mick Pence welcomed baby boy Julian James Pence on Sept. 24. Congratulations as well to Braden Murphy, who recently joined Hilgers Graben, relocating to Lincoln NE with his wife and two daughters. Braden and his family; Hanna (Torline), Tim Bradley and their daughter; Hannah (McCausland), Chris Gerace and their daughter; and Melinda (Holmes) Hudson and her husband reunited at campus together this fall, successfully cheering the Irish to victory over the Stanford Cardinal. I’m praying for and thinking of you all, always. In Notre Dame, Go Irish! — Elizabeth (Lombard) Eckert ’15, ’19MBA, ’20JD; 708-334-0213; elombard@nd.edu

 

21 Milestones
Happy holidays, Irish Nation! I presume that this will be published sometime after the New Year, so I hope that everyone had a very relaxing and refreshing holiday season, and that you were able to spend some quality time with those that matter most to you. May 2025 be the year that your new year’s resolution finally makes it out of January! Without further ado, the much-anticipated and highly sought-after life updates! After three years in the Notre Dame Investment Office, Megan Whelan recently started her MBA at our home under the Dome in the fall of 2024. Rosemary McGovern will be moving to London in January, and may already be there by the time you’re reading this! Sara Braynard Fry was married on June 15. Katelyn Wyatt ’22 and Peter Brown were married at Holy Family Catholic Church on Oct. 19. Noemi Torczkai is moving to Washington DC to start a new job as a government program specialist. Grant Barthelmes is working at Medtronic Surgical Robotics in Boston trying to make innovative things. Sam Cannova is neck-deep in some fascinating research regarding the northern large-leaved dragon-tree, and his findings are likely forthcoming in many a scientific journal. Therese (Douglas) and Peter Jachim got married July 15, 2023, and recently welcomed a baby daughter, Cecilia Rose, on June 5, 2024. Finally, Molly Queal and John Kling got engaged in South Bend on Oct. 11, and are getting married at Notre Dame in June 2026! Congrats, all, on some amazing life accomplishments and milestones! As always, for those of you reading along, don’t be shy! When we send out our quarterly emails asking for updates, let us know what you’ve been up to. Or, if you’re too eager to wait for that, you can DM us 24/7 on Instagram @class21nd. We look forward to hearing from you, and Go Irish! — Ryan Mullin; rmullin77@gmail.com

 

21JD Class Secretary — Graham Pilotte;
gpilotte@alumni.nd.edu

 

22 New Arrival
Hello, Class of 2022! Since our last update in the fall, our classmates have continued to celebrate exciting milestones and life updates. Susan and Sam Adofo ’20 are thrilled to announce that they’re expecting their first child—a baby girl—due in late October. They are excited to embark on this new chapter and already have her Notre Dame onesie and a foam football ready. Best wishes to Susan and Sam as they welcome their little bundle of joy to the ND family! Please email me updates about our incredible classmates to include in this column. Go Irish! — PJ Brennan; classof2022@alumni.nd.edu

 

23 Around the World
Our Class has been busy recently! Many classmates are pursuing further education. Mary Grace Hamlin started her first year of medical school at U of Toledo in OH. James Galante currently works at Stanford U as a computational biologist while applying to graduate school for bioinformatics and genetics. In September, Genevieve Fougerousse began pursuing an MS in cognitive science at U of Trento in Rovereto, Italy. She enjoys finding opportunities to practice speaking Italian. Inspired by her time on Class Council, she is running for a student representative position. Like Genevieve, classmates have been traveling all over the world, and the lucky ones have been able to do it together! James Plaschke, JR Mancini, Parker Scanlon and Chris Elwell, former roommates on North Frances Street, traveled to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. They began their trip in Amsterdam, visiting James’ family before spending three days singing their hearts out in the Oktoberfest tents, finally ending the trip in Prague by reminiscing on the times they shared in Stanford Hall. Please send any updates you may have to classof2023@alumni.nd.edu or DM us on Instagram @class2023nd. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and learning more about the cool things you are up to! Go Irish! — Jill Borza; classof2023@alumni.nd.edu

 

24 First Football Season as Washed Alum
It was great getting the chance to see so many of you at the Notre Dame vs. Louisville football game. Thanks again to everyone who bought tickets through us! This was the first of many “mini-reunion” games that will utilize our alumni football ticket allotment. Be on the lookout for information on next season’s game in a future issue. While at the game, Elizabeth Ream and Bryce Van Caster took advantage of the beautiful campus scenery and are now engaged! They are planning to have their wedding in the fall of 2025. Congratulations to the two of you! Lane Obringer recently got her yoga teaching certification. Ahoy to our alumni across the pond! Brian Joseph, Jacob Sherer and Irasema Hernandez Trujillo started their master’s programs at the U of Cambridge and the U of Oxford, respectively. Matt Kianpour was accepted as a pediatric otolaryngology research assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Ryan Wachter recently made the move down to Durham NC to start his new job in Bull City. No word yet on whether he cheers for Duke or UNC and he has yet to respond to the washed allegations. Lulu Romero recently sold her soul to corporate life in the Windy City of Chicago (like every other Notre Dame grad). Emily Shetterly has a newfound love for Dungeons & Dragons, while Liz Spretnjak started her job teaching through the Echo Program in Salt Lake City. Jocelyn Orlando has been busy visiting her friends all across the country while working part-time before starting work at PwC in January. Dane Sherman has become a world traveler as of late! He traveled to 32 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe this summer and fall. Talk about cultured! Katie Pardy completed her first-ever marathon at the Deadwood Mickleson Trail Marathon and swam in a relay across Lake Tahoe this summer before starting pharmacy school at the U of Colorado-Anschutz. Again, no update is too small to share with the Class! We will be sending out an anonymous Google Form soon to use to shout-out your fellow classmates as well. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! — Ryan Wachter; classof2024@alumni.nd.edu