2014-Spring ’19 Class Letter
Class Agents:
Naomi Jahn Skulan
Mara Jensen Poullette
Tim Holme
Spring 2019
Greetings Class of 2014!
Hope you have all been staying warm during this frigid winter (and for those of you who have moved to warmer climates that was smart thinking!) It was hard to believe that it was so cold that classes were cancelled at Ripon. I don’t remember classes ever being cancelled for cold or snow when we were there!
It’s our reunion year! Don’t forget to keep June 27-30 open on your calendar so you can make your way to Ripon for Alumni Weekend and our reunion. The planning team has been able to confirm that our 5th Reunion party location will Knuth Brewing Company’s Beer Hall where we will enjoy delicious woodfire pizzas and wings, along with beer and wine. We’ll celebrate downtown from 7-9 PM and then head back to campus for dessert (complete with a chocolate fountain), live music, and the fire pit (complete with s’mores). All of this for just $25 per person. It is sure to be a great time reconnecting with each other and campus!
Full weekend details and online registration are coming April 1 to www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend, but also watch your mailboxes for the official Alumni Weekend brochure. On campus housing is a fun, nostalgic experience, not to mention, more inexpensive than a hotel ($55 per person per night) and includes continental breakfast. Online pre-registration will be open until June 24, so make your plans to be on campus this spring.
In addition, consider giving a donation to the Ripon Fund by June 30 this year, as it will count towards our reunion class gift. We’ll present our big check (like we did at Commencement) to the College during lunch Saturday (June 29) and we hope many of you can attend that event too. Alumni Weekend is sure to be a great time—we can’t wait to see everyone again after these past 5 years to catch up!
Speaking of catching up, here are a few notes about some of the new and exciting things some of our classmates have been up to this last year.
PENNY SHAPANSKY AUGUSTINE ’14 of Big Lake, Minnesota, is working as an HR information Specialist with Medtronic in Fridley, MN. She reviews background checks and drug screens for interns, candidates and current employees.
NATHAN DAVIDSON ’14 of Elburn, Illinois, is currently working as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Macon County, IL where he handles primarily misdemeanor DUIs.”
BENJAMIN FIRGENS ’14 of State College, Pennsylvania, is pursuing a PhD in Communication Arts & Sciences at Penn State University with a subspecialty in rhetoric with communication discipline.
ANNA GALLE ’14 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, writes “I decided on a career change and moved to Milwaukee to pursue a nursing degree at Marquette. I’ll be graduating in December 2019 with a Master’s in Nursing as an RN!”
LIZ GREVER ’14 of Chicago, Illinois, started a new job in Global Customer Success at LinkedIn and became and awareness speaker for the Selah Freedom organization.
AMANDA FINN HAGGERTY ’14 of Chicago, Illinois, is the Illinois editor and venue relations for Footlights, theatre contributor and social media for Scapi Magazine and a freelance writer. She has won a few WNA awards in her 2-1/2 years with The Wisconsin State Journal and has bylines with American Theatre Magazine, the Isthmus and BroadwayWorld.com.
SOPHIE KLINGENBERGER ’14 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, got engaged to CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ ’14 and will be getting married in June 2020.
DONALD MALCHOW ’14 of Madison, Wisconsin, writes, “This fall I begin my 2nd year of law school at the University of Wisconsin. Over the summer I worked as a law clerk at Community Justice, Inc, providing legal services to underrepresented communities.”
CASSIE BILOTTO PASBRIG ’14 of Verona, Wisconsin, writes “We had a baby! We also moved back to Wisconsin from Kentucky. I got promoted to Performance Operations Analyst within Conifer Health.”
CAM PLANTZ ’14 of Ripon, Wisconsin, is the Assistant Coach of Men’s Soccer at Ripon College.
MARA JENSEN POULLETTE ’14 and SAM POULLETTE ’13 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin both continue to work at Lakeland University. Sam continues in his role as Director of Admissions, and Mara has recently been named Director of Student Leadership & Community Service for the student development division. Mara is also finishing up her Masters of Arts in counseling degree at Lakeland and will graduate from the program in August with her emphasis in higher education and student affairs. Sam and Mara stay busy continuing to renovate their house and trying to keep their large fur baby, Arnie, out of trouble.
JENNY RESCHKE ’14 of Appleton, Wisconsin, and MARK YOCIUS ’14 of Countryside, Illinois, relocated to the Chicago area for his job in May. They got engaged and will be married spring 2020.
BRITTANY LAHAIE ’14 of Juda, Wisconsin, got engaged to Nathan Martlett in June and will be getting married in May 2019. She is still living in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
DAVID “TRES” REDEMANN ’14 of Spokane Valley, Washington, moved to Spokane, Washington and started working in the marijuana unit of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. He took Company Command of a US Army Reserve Unit located at Fort Lewis.
TYLER RUTKOWSKI ’14 of Wyandotte, Michigan, has continued his employment as a state trooper with the Michigan State Police, and recently purchased his first house.
KATIE DREW SCHUMACHER ’14 of Ames, Iowa, and BRIAN SCHUMACHER ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, moved back to Wisconsin and bought their first house. Katie recently started a new position as a marketing coordinator.
NAOMI JAHN SKULAN ’14 and NICK SKULAN ’14 of Morris, Minnesota welcomed baby Charles Xavier Skulan to the world on July 21, 2018 (photo on the left). Nick also started a new position as a One Stop Counselor at the University of Minnesota Morris this fall.
RACHEL WEDEWARD ’14 of Oak Park, Illinois, writes “In addition to my job, I will be teaching a course at the University of Chicago’s Graham School starting in March.”
Hopefully, you will all be able to make it to our reunion in June and we can catch up more then. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to become a member of the Ripon College Class of 2014 group on Facebook, so you never miss a call for updates or news about the reunion! You can also contact the Office of Constituent Engagement with any updates at [email protected].
Best wishes and see you in June!
Naomi Skulan, Mara Poullette, Tim Holme