1998–Fall ’18 Class Letter
1998
Sarah Eng
312-404-6732 / [email protected]
Leilani Kupo
419-308-8574 / [email protected]
Dear Class of 1998,
TWENTY YEARS, friends. Hard to believe it. For many of us, this reunion was our first time on campus in quite a while, and as usual, there were plenty of familiar sights and plenty of changes. Most remarkable were the renovations to Storzer, now known as Willmore Center. It’s a fantastic new space and a great investment by the college.
While the physical changes to the campus are always startling, the main takeaways from Alumni Weekend are all about the people. These moments of connection (not only with our classmates, but fellow alumni, faculty, and staff) remind us that while we might “see” each other often on social media, there is no substitute for connecting in person. On that note, big thanks again to our reunion coordinators, DJ CURRAN ’98 and JULIANNA TAMRAZ CIMAGLIO ’98. And thanks also to everyone who attended: CHRISTOPHER ABICHANDANI ’98, MELANIE ROMME BEAHM ’98, JOSHUA BOHNEN ’98, AARON BENNETT ’98, JENNIFER ANSTEE CHAVEZ ’98, JULIANNA TAMRAZ CIMAGLIO ’98, DJ CURRAN ’98, BRIAN DESPLAINES ’98 (and Michelle), KRISTIN DODDS ’98, TREVOR DURHAM ’98, SARAH ENG ’98, BETSY GARDNER ’98 (and Jamie Dobbs), RYAN GRUBBS ’98, AMY FREITAG GRZYB ’98, NICKI HALPERIN HANSON ’98, SIRRY INSY ’98, STEPHEN KENNELLY ’98 (and EMILY MEYER ’09), AARON KOEHN ’98, KHAM KONGRATSASY ’98 (and AMY DAVENPORT KONGRATSASY ’96), LISA KRAUS ’98, MICHELLE TOUTLOFF MARTIN ’98 (and STEVE MARTIN ’96), LYNNE PHILLIPS ’98, JOSH SATZER ’98, IAN STEPLETON ’98 (and MIRA RABACAL STEPLETON ’00), SARA TINER ’98, and STEVE WIECHMANN ’98. Steve enjoyed himself so much that he’s considering a door-to-door campaign to personally invite each of you to the next reunion. (That last part may or may not be true.)
And now for your class notes:
CHRIS ABICHANDANI ’98 of Plano, Texas tore his achilles tendon while playing tennis the morning of our class reunion. The surgery went well, he’ll be in a cast for a month and walking again after that!
SARAH ENG ’98 of Chicago, Illinois, is a Compliance Officer at Harris Associates L.P. in Chicago.
BRAD KOZACZUK ’98 of Kiel, Wisconsin, got married last summer, now has two step children (Trenton and Lauren), and bought a house. Brad is currently the Social Studies Department head at New Holstein High School.
LEILANI KUPO ’98 of Merced, California, was recently appointed as the Associate Dean of Students for Educational Equity & Access, Learning Support, and Transition Programs at the University of California Merced.
KATE PAWLIK JOHNSON ’98 of Nokomis, Illinois, was named the Bureau Chief for Tobacco Enforcement for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
LYNNE PHILLIPS ’98 of Appleton, Wisconsin, left her job as curator of the National Museum of the American Sailor and is now the archivist at Macmurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois.
SOURICHANH “SIRRY INSY”INSYXIENGMAY ’98 of Muskego, Wisconsin, is currently the Vice President/Branch Manager at JPMorgan Chase.
JONATHON LEATHERBURY ’98 of Richfield, Wisconsin, serves as COO at AON.
RHONDA NICHOLSON CONNER ’98‘s husband, Jason, retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years and moved back to his hometown – Aitkin, Minnesota to be closer to family. Her step-daughter, Courtney, is finishing up her senior year and her step-daughter, Caitlyn, is finishing up her freshman year. Rhonda is the office manager for the local REMAX office here in Aitkin. She loves being a part of the real estate world. A whole new endeavor!!
BEAU TIBBITTS ’98 of Seneca, South Carolina, is still in the Army and back at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Beau is a Lieutenant Colonel and in command of an Air Traffic Control Battalion call 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment (Airfield Operation Battalion). Beau has been married for 13 years and has two children.
STEVE WIECHMANN ‘98 has been in Bozeman, Montana for six years, and is mostly still a stay-at-home-dad to his twin 8-year old girls. During the winter he works part-time at Bridger Bowl Ski Resort. Steve had a great time at the 20-year Ripon reunion!
Signed,
SARAH ENG