2017 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 2017!
We hope everyone is thriving and that 2021 has brought a fresh start to your lives! Ripon College is starting 2021 off strong with an on-time start to the semester. They have also implemented a COVID-19 surveillance program in which they will frequently test students to find cases before they have any ability to gain a foothold. The college was lucky in the fall semester to have a limited number of cases. They limited cases by quarantining COVID-positive students on one floor of Anderson Hall until the infection cleared and those students could be released. Best of luck to the College for the rest of the spring semester in limiting the spread of COVID-19!
Although it may feel far away, our five-year Class Reunion will be here before we know it! Start marking those calendars for Alumni Weekend 2022 (June 23-26)! We can be hopeful that vaccines will open the world back up by 2022 such that we can have the Class Reunion of a lifetime! Until then, stay well and stay hopeful!
We have good news to share regarding this year’s Alumni Weekend. Alumni Weekend 2021 will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen with two distinct summer weekends of Ripon alumni programming for us. No matter how you’d like to connect, virtually or in person, the Office of Constituent Engagement is developing a variety of activities to continue to follow CDC, Fond du Lac County and College guidelines in both June and August. Full schedules, lodging, and programming details will be posted soon to www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend.
JUNE 2021
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In honor of our June Alumni Weekend traditions, virtual alumni programming will be held Tuesday, June 22 through Saturday, June 26, and will include: an alumni town hall, R Connections webinars, affinity socials, a summer book club, and special recognition of the 2020 and 2021 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees.
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The only in-person event, the Doc Weiske ’50 Memorial Golf Scramble, will be held off-campus on Friday, June 25.
AUGUST 2021
A combination of virtual and in-person Alumni Weekend programming will be held the first week of August. We will continue to evaluate the state of COVID-19. If circumstances change at the local and national level and we need to cancel in-person programming, that decision will be made and communicated by July 1, 2021.
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Virtual programming will be held Tuesday, August 3 through Saturday, August 7 and will include: a reunion-focused alumni town hall that also previews the new academic year, additional R Connections webinars, the summer book club capstone, and the traditional “That Was Then” storytelling session.
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In-person, on-campus programming will be held Friday, August 6 through Sunday, August 8, and will focus on alumni awards recognition, 2020 and 2021 reunion celebrations, and other outdoor events such as Rally Run and prairie walk.
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Additionally, the Class of 2020 will officially be welcomed to our alumni community with a special commencement ceremony.
Class Notes:
EMMA BRONSON ’17 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just purchased her first house in Bayview. She was also accepted into the U.S. Global Leaders Coalition Next Gen year-long mentor program. She is also still drinking beer and judging everyone.
KONNER FELDHUS ’17 of Des Moines, Iowa, is finishing up his third year of medical school and will begin applying for residency in the fall to general medicine programs.
NOELLE KORZENIEWSKI ’17 of Ripon, Wisconsin writes, “After receiving my Masters of Bible in Minnesota, my partner and I moved back to Ripon in 2017. I took a job at a plasma donation center in an attempt to learn something new and out of my comfort zone. Since starting a little over a year ago, I have been promoted twice and now am the Training Lead Tech, helping and teaching new and current employees learn phlebotomy! I love my job, and am so proud to be working in healthcare at this time. Our plasma center was one of the first to start taking plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients in order to create the life saving therapies for those struggling with COVID-19. If you are able to, please, go donate your plasma or blood. My significant other and I are now looking to buy our very first house in Ripon. (If you or someone you know is looking to sell their single-family home here in Ripon, Wisconsin, soon, please reach out [email protected]!) We absolutely love the community of Ripon and want to officially call it home.”
BRENDAN MCCOY ’17 and MADDIE VANDENHOUTEN MCCOY ’17 are both still working at Ripon College in the Office of Advancement and Office of Admission, respectively. They celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary last fall and are looking forward to spending time outside this summer with their dog, Finn.
JORGE GUTIERREZ ’17 of Ripon, Wisconsin, is the new academic support specialist for the fine arts department at Ripon College. He hopes all of you will be able to attend future fine arts events at Ripon College in the future and if you do, please say hello. His bearded dragon, Cheezit, and his many plants are keeping him company as he social distances and stays safe. He does hope to see many of you at next summer’s 5-year Class Reunion!
Sincerely,
KONNER FELDHUS ’17
303-280-5835
WINONA HOLMES ROBBINS ’17
650-274-9231
ERIN CANON ’17
414-469-5945
Your 2017 Class Agents