2011 – Fall ’20 Class Letter
SHANE ROEBER ’11
(262) 617-7707 / (262) 695-0555 / [email protected]
Dear Class of 2011:
I hope this letter finds you and your families well and in good health. To say that we’re in a unique situation is an understatement – COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down and has shifted how the world works. It has forced us to change how we socialize and recreate and made some of us take on roles we never thought we would. It has pretty much been a giant buzzkill and took away the best season, in my humble opinion, that Wisconsin has. But it has also allowed us to reconnect with old friends and with ourselves.
Thank you to those who sent in updates – it was good to hear from you and see what’s new. When we’re past the whole COVID-19 I hope to hear from more of you! And, I certainly hope to see you at Alumni Weekend 2021 – our 10-year reunion – June 24-27. Take care, stay healthy, and feel free to reach out to me any time. I can always use a distraction while working from home.
Below are the updates from your classmates:
NICK OSENBERG ’11 of Ferndale, Michigan, completed his Masters in Theatre Studies: Production and Design from Southern Oregon University in July. Additionally, his senior theatre students competed for theatre scholarships at the Michigan Thespian Festival. Collectively, the students were awarded $1.9 million in combined scholarship offers. The scholarship awards totaled $25 million in combined offers. This makes it the largest single-day scholarship event for the arts in America. Lastly, one of his lighting design students was honored as one of the Top 10 theatre artists of Michigan. He’d like to thank Ripon’s liberal arts background because my student’s accolades made this possible.
CARLOS J. SOTO ’11 recently graduated from Florida State University with a Ph.D. in Biotstatistics. He focused on statistical shape analysis of chromosomes and proteins and has a couple of papers in the publication process. He has accepted a visiting assistant professorship and is excited to continue his career in academia.
PATTY DETERMAN TAKAWIRA ’11 has two daughters and is a Community Health Planner in the Cardiovascular Health Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health. She is still fly.
CHASE ZAJAC-ELSBECKER ’11 and ROBYN ZAJAC-ELSBECKER ’11 of Pulaski, Wisconsin, writes, “Robyn and Chase welcomed their first daughter, Alice, on January 1, 2020.”
Take care and stay healthy,
Shane