Download this issue as a PDF - Columbia College - Columbia ...

CLASS NOTES
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
CLASS NOTES
Lots of Columbia bridesmaids
and groomsmen were in attendance.
Among the groomsmen
were Paul Roland ’99; Alastair
Wood ’01; Alok Verma ’01E;
Laurance Guido Pascal ’00, ’01
SIPA; Alan Rappeport ’02J; Adam
Reese ’05 P&S; and James Tierney.
Bridesmaids included Erika Yoo
’05 P&S, Elisabeth (Cohen) Roland
’98 Barnard, Alisa Wood ’08
Business (née Amarosa), Kristin
Barbato ’08 Business and Kristin
Reilly ’08 Business.”
Congratulations to everyone on
their marriages and babies!
02
Sonia Dandona
Hirdaramani
2 Rolling Dr.
Old Westbury, NY 11568
soniah57@gmail.com
Lachlan McG. Smith writes, “I live
in Providence, R.I., and am in my
third year of radiology residency at
Brown with plans to pursue a cardiovascular
imaging fellowship at
Yale in 2014. But most importantly,
on October 30, my wife, Meghan,
and I welcomed into the world a
daughter, Emmelyn May Smith!
We couldn’t be happier.”
Beth Stein Lipschitz and her
husband, Nat, welcomed their
second daughter, Hannah Reed, on
October 29, just as Hurricane Sandy
began. Beth, Nat and sister Evie
look forward to an upcoming NYC
visit with Hannah, including a stop
to show her the Columbia campus.
Miriam Sheinbein is headed to
New York next month for Alison
Hirsh’s wedding; Karen Austrian
is flying in from Kenya to attend.
Miriam is on the clinical faculty
for the UCS-SFGH Family Medicine
Residency Program but recently
Manage Your
Subscription
If you prefer reading CCT
online, you can help us
go green and save money
by opting out of the print
edition. Click “Manage Your
Subscription” at college.
columbia.edu/cct and follow
the domestic instructions.
We will continue to notify
you by email when each
issue is posted online. You
may be reinstated to receive
the print edition at any time
by sending a note to cct@
columbia.edu.
also started working for Planned
Parenthood Mar Monte as associate
medical director for primary care.
She lives in the Mission district of
San Francisco with her husband
and two kids.
Anna (Nelson) Fleming welcomed
her first baby into the world
on November 12, a son, Jasper
Thomas Fleming.
Viviana Rodriguez, along with
her husband, Stuart Luth ’01 Colby,
has successfully produced her first
film, White Alligator (whitealligator
themovie.com), which she wrote
and starred in. It’s a comedy about
the racism she encountered in the
entertainment industry as a whiteskinned
Puerto Rican actor. It is now
making the festival circuit. Viviana
still lives on the Upper West Side.
REUNION WEEKEND
MAY 30–JUNE 2, 2013
ALUMNI OFFICE CONTACTS
ALUMNI AFFAIRS Sarah Trimmer
sst2132@columbia.edu
212-851-7977
DEVELOPMENT Amanda Lasker
ak2934@columbia.edu
212-851-7883
03
Michael Novielli
World City Apartments
Attention Michael J.
Novielli, A608
Block 10, No 6. Jinhui
Road, Chaoyang District
Beijing, 100020, People’s
Republic of China
mjn29@columbia.edu
As much as we try to avoid the use
of clichés, sometimes there’s simply
no better way to communicate
our feelings: Time flies! It’s hard
to believe that 2013 is upon us and
that our 10-year Alumni Reunion
Weekend is just a few months
away. I’ll be coming in from Beijing
especially for the weekend, and I
hope to see you there as well. The
dates are Thursday, May 30–Sunday,
June 2. To find out more, to
make a pledge to attend or to update
your contact information with
Columbia, please visit reunion.
college.columbia.edu. Feel free
to email me with any questions
about the weekend. Also “like” our
Facebook page, “Columbia College
Class of 2003 - 10 Year Reunion.”
So that you’ll know a bit more
about some of our classmates when
you catch up with them in a few
months, here are a few updates.
Andy Shin is the co-founder
and CTO for a fashion start-up,
Vaunte. He recently moved back
to New York City after living in
the Bay Area, where he started
Togetherville, a company acquired
by Disney.
Rachel Lynn Kalin (née Reichard)
writes, “My husband, Matthew
Kalin, and I welcomed our first
child, Sophie Lynn, on December 8.”
Adam Kushner is executive
editor of National Journal, a weekly
political magazine based in Washington,
D.C.
Afia Owusu-Sekyere writes, “I
live in Indianapolis and am a brand
manager within the men’s health
business unit of Eli Lilly.”
Kristin Connors and Brian
Kaderli are engaged to be married
in June.
Raquel Gardner writes, “I
recently finished my residency
in neurology at UCSF and have
started a fellowship in behavioral
neurology at the UCSF Memory
and Aging Center. My husband,
Jonathan, recently graduated from
the M.D.-Ph.D. program here and
started his residency in lab medicine.
My son, Azaria (16 months)
already is quite a character!”
Steven Ling writes, “I had
an extremely busy but fun-filled
summer 2012 in NYC pursuing my
passions while being on hiatus from
the actuarial profession. I recently
played in an amazing concert with
the New Amsterdam Symphony
Orchestra with Elaine Tai ’03E,
where we played the works of Mozart,
Mendelssohn and Beethoven.
I also enrolled in a six-week acting
program at the Ted Bardy Acting
Studio, which has been 20 hours
a week of intense and fulfilling
classes. I have been continuing
my improv comedy training at the
Upright Citizens Brigade Improvisational
and Sketch Comedy Training
Center and the Magnet Theater,
and have been performing on stage
every chance I can get.”
Jason Colombo, v.p. for asset
management at Goldman Sachs,
married Jessica Levin at the Ritz-
Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jessica is an associate at Morrison
Cohen, a Manhattan law firm.
Sam Arora writes, “I married my
sweetheart, Jaime Bugaski, in Washington,
D.C. On hand for the celebration
were Jonathan Manes, Dana
Peritz (née Hopp), Karen Sagall
’03E and groomsman and Columbia
roommate Vincent Schoefer ’03E.”
Lastly, Will Hu had a mini Columbia
reunion at his wedding to
Jessica Meksavan ’05 Barnard. The
reception was held at the Westin St.
Francis in San Francisco. Classmates
in attendance included Gaurav
Shah, Daniel Dykema, Michelle
Hodara, Shelly Mittal and Daniel
Lee.
04
Angela Georgopoulos
200 Water St., Apt. 1711
New York, NY 10038
aeg90@columbia.edu
Hello fellow CC ’04ers! I hope you
are all well and looking forward
to spring. As usual, just a friendly
reminder to send in your news and
updates — don’t be shy! This column
needs your input. Feel free to
contact me at aeg90@columbia.edu
or via Columbia College Today’s web
submission form: college.columbia.
edu/cct/submit_class_note.
On to the news.
Lauren Ende and her husband,
Daniel, welcomed their first child,
Arielle, on September 17. Lauren is
a surgical pathology fellow at The
Johns Hopkins Hospital, having
finished her residency in pathology
at the Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania. Lauren also shares
that Shirley Cho Fulmer ’04E and
her husband, Ryan, welcomed their
first child, Hannah, in November.
Congratulations to both sets of
parents!
Brian Cabezas married Grace
Ouma in July and began an M.B.A.
at IE Business School in Madrid,
Spain, in November.
Joseph LoGiudice is in a Ph.D.
program in social welfare at The
Graduate Center, CUNY, and is
studying policies and practices that
affect the LGBTQ and disability
populations.
Congratulations to Robyn Mar
and Ría Tabacco, who were married
in October. They met in law
school at NYU. Robyn is a lawyer
in the criminal defense practice of
The Bronx Defenders.
05
Claire McDonnell
636 SE 1st St.
Belle Glade, FL 33430
claire.mcdonnell@
gmail.com
Hello from San Francisco, Class
of 2005! I’m excited to join you as
the new Peter Kang. Let’s start the
updates with a few weddings.
Cedrick Mendoza-Tolentino
wrote in about a Columbia wedding
weekend extravaganza: “On
June 23, Lauren Parmington married
Dan Long at the Lake Placid
Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y. The
ceremony was a beautiful bookend
to a courtship that, for those who
have had the pleasure of spending
time with Lauren and Dan through
the years, began years ago at a Halloween
party at the Nancy Whiskey
Pub just south of Canal Street.
How were we all supposed to
know that Dan, who was shocked
that he was being put into a cab
given that Lauren’s apartment was
only two blocks away, would be
the one to win over Lauren’s heart
Dan endured much to be the one
lucky enough to stand at the shore
of Lake Placid as Lauren’s father
guided her down the long set of
stairs and over the gravel-covered
path — endless hockey games, sailing
events and hikes up, through
and around the Adirondacks.
Speaking for those who know
them both, we wish them nothing
but happiness.
“Many alums were in attendance,
including Michael Bazylewicz
’04E; Becker Chase; Pepin
Gelardi ’05E; Stefanie Goodsell
’09; Teresa Herrmann; Stephanie
Huffman; Kent Parmington ’08;
Casey Potash; Annelise Schantz
’04 Barnard; Grace Souter (née
Coyle); Julia Werb ’06, ’13 Business;
Lily Wohl; and Weston Friedman
’08. The evening included many
highlights, not least of which was a
lovely speech by Lily that brought
much of the audience to tears.
A fun time was had by all, and
everyone left Lake Placid wishing
the weekend could have lasted just
a bit longer.
“Congratulations, Lauren and
Dan!”
Becca Brown married Devin
McKnight in September in her
home state of Vermont. Columbians
in attendance included Daryl Weber
’02, Jenn Weber (née Legum), Anya
Cherneff, Bennett Cohen, Rujeko
Hockley and Anna Sternoff ’05
Barnard. After graduating from
Georgetown’s McDonough School
of Business last spring, Becca became
a communications specialist
at Applegate.
Alexandra Hartman and Andrew
Tolve celebrated their first anniversary
in October. The couple, who
began dating senior year after taking
Music Hum together, was married
on October 1, 2011, in Highlands,
N.C. A number of College and Engineering
graduates made the trip,
including Regina Bennis-Hartman
’09, Sarah Rae Murphy ’05E, Christina
Baumel, Amanda Ramsdell ’12
P&S and Carolyn McCormick. After
quite a few years abroad and away,
Andrew and Alexandra moved back
to New York following their wedding.
They live in Brooklyn, where
he is a writer and she works on
sustainability and labor issues.
In addition to tying the knot, our
classmates continue their adventures
as playwrights, home owners,
doctors and more.
Michael Yates Crowley is a Lila
Acheson Wallace American Playwrights
Program fellow at Juilliard
and frequently performs with his
theater company Wolf 359 (wolf359.
org).
Brendon Jobs loved his second
summer in Washington, D.C., but
has decided to stay out in Philly, as
Germantown is taking off and he’s
settling into home ownership with
his partner.
Vanessa Carr is an independent
filmmaker in San Francisco. Since
graduating from the UC Berkeley
Graduate School of Journalism,
she’s worked on projects with The
New York Times and PBS. She’s
making a documentary about
Shannon Munoz ’07 and Sean Kelly ’05E were married on August 25 in Napa, Calif. Columbians in attendance
included, left to right: Carter Reum ’03, Courtney Reum ’01, Michael Brown Jr. ’06, Aubrey
Medal ’07, Cassandra Hamar ’07, the bride and the groom.
PHOTO: PATRICIA MARK PHOTOGRAPHY
restorative justice programs in Alameda
County, Calif. (And hangs
out with me a lot.)
Ariel Daube is finishing a pediatric
residency at Children’s National
Medical Center in Washington, D.C.,
and recently matched at a fellowship
at Columbia in pediatric critical care.
After completing a degree in
urban planning and urban design
jointly at Harvard and MIT, Ben
Harwood moved to New Orleans
to work on Katrina recovery efforts.
Since 2009 he has worked in affordable,
sustainable recovery housing.
He was responsible for writing
recovery and redevelopment plans
for several important neighborhoods,
authoring and passing
significant sections of the city’s post-
Katrina master plan and securing
more than $35 million of state and
federal housing funds to fund work
on 2,000 lots and homes.
Ben now is a project manager at
C&G Construction of Louisiana,
where he coordinates projects with
the City of New Orleans and many
nonprofit organizations. These include
the Riggio Foundation’s Project
Home Again, which is building
200 homes in the heavily flooded
Gentilly neighborhood, and Brad
Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation,
which is building 150 houses in the
devastated Lower Ninth Ward. Ben
also is on the board of the Historic
Faubourg Tremé Association and
chairs its Economic Development
Committee.
In December, Ben purchased and
began restorations on a 200-year-old
historic “Creole cottage” house of
his own in the Tremé neighborhood.
That’s also where he founded a
community-based nonprofit, People
United for Armstrong Park, that
helped rebuild and re-open Louis
Armstrong Park, home of Congo
Square, the historic birthplace
of jazz. In 2012, his organization
produced 15 weeks of free, all-ages
musical and cultural programming.
Recordings and more information
can be found at armstrongpark.org.
Don’t hesitate to email Ben at ben@
armstrongpark.org if you’ll be in
New Orleans any time soon.
What’s going on with you these
days We all want to know, so send
an update!
06
Michelle Oh Sing
9 N 9th St., Unit 401
Philadelphia, PA 19107
mo2057@columbia.edu
Seth Wainer recently started a
position with the White House’s
Office of Science and Technology
Policy and ran into Wayne Ting,
who works on the National Economic
Council.
Talibah Newman ’13 Arts was
awarded a 2012 Director’s Guild
of America Student Film Award in
the African-American category for
her short film, Busted On Brigham
Lane. She is in post-production
on her thesis film, Sweet Honey
Chile’, which will premiere in the
Columbia University Film Festival
later this year.
On December 5, Jennifer Medbery
(née Schnidman) was featured
on CNN.com for her work with
Kickboard, a software company
that provides a centralized location
for teachers to record their students’
progress. The article was headlined,
“In Katrina’s shadow, New Orleans’
startups take flight.” (See Around
the Quads in this issue and the
Alumni Profile in the Summer 2012
issue.)
Teddy Diefenbach finished his
master’s in interactive media at
the USC School of Cinematic Arts,
where he wrote a thesis on narrative
systems design in video games. He
then founded Rad Dragon, a game
development studio based in Los
Angeles. The studio’s game, The
Moonlighters, was selected and
shown by the IndieCade festival at
the Electronic Entertainment Expo
last summer, and Rad Dragon released
its first game for iOS devices,
Shove Pro, in November.
And now for a series of wonderful
wedding announcements.
This past November, Emily Lo
married fellow MIT graduate student
Marcus Gibson in her native
Philadelphia area. She took a break
from her architecture thesis-writing
to celebrate with guests from
around the world, including several
Columbians and Carman 13-ers:
Anissa Bazari; Allan Fong ’05E;
Emily Kleinman; Jean Lee ’05; Randy
Li ’06E and his wife, Norah Li
(née Garry); Peter Liou ’08; Krishna
Rao; Jonathan Talamini ’07 and his
wife, Christine Talamini ’07 (née
Lin); Becca Tam ’05 (née Anderson);
Anne Thomas; Michael Vary and
his wife, Jackie Vary (née Matayoshi);
Vidya Vasu-Devan; Dave Wei;
Susan Wei ’08E (née Liu); Jerry Wu;
and Sevinc Yuksel ’06E.
Kinara Flagg ’11L and Paul Fileri
were married on August 11 at The
Ram’s Head Inn on Shelter Island,
SPRING 2013
90
SPRING 2013
91