2008–Spring ’18 Class Letter
Stephanie Sommer Faulds 608-630-3369 / [email protected]
Leah Hover-Preiss 608-432-2399 / [email protected]
Zac Schwandt 920-291-5685 / [email protected]
Spring 2018
Greetings Class of 2008!
It is hard to believe, but it is true. Our tenth reunion is right around the corner. While it seems like just yesterday we were having late night study sessions at Lane Library, grabbing a snack at The Pub, or playing intramural sports at the field or in the gym, it has been almost a decade since we walked across the stage and received our diplomas.
With that being said, planning for the reunion this summer is well underway. If you have not already done so, mark your calendars for the 2018 Reunion Weekend, June 21-24. There are a variety of activities planned for all reunion participants ranging from the golf scramble, campus tours, a boat cruise, a morning fun walk/run, and much more. There are also events planned specially for the class of 2008 including the class gathering at Knuth Brewing Company on Friday, June 22, and our Tenth Anniversary Party at J’s BBQ on Saturday, June 23. More details will be mailed out in the near future and can also be found online at www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend/. If you have any questions or suggestions about the reunion, feel free to contact us. We look forward to seeing you all this summer!
In the meantime, make sure to check out the class updates provided by some of the wonderful members of the Class of 2008. If you would like to have your information included in upcoming publications, contact your Class Agents or visit the Ripon College Class of 2008 Facebook page. We would love to hear about any engagements, marriages, births, advanced degrees, new jobs, moves, and so on. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Go Red Hawks!
Your Class Agents-
Leah, Stephanie, and Zac
Spring 2018
Class Updates:
JORDAN ANDERSON ’08 and DAVE CZARNECKI ’08 of Waukesha, Wisconsin, report, “We are still living in Waukesha with their children, Eadalie (4) and Enoch (1). Dave has been a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company since 2017 and Jordan continues to work for a private practice doing clinical trial research. Jordan has also recently accepted a Wisconsin state leader position with The Well-Armed Woman shooting groups and also as Vice President of Badger IDPA, a local competitive shooting group.”
AMANDA BEERS WOJTANOWSKI ’08 of Oregon, Wisconsin, welcomed a baby boy, Jacob Daniel, on June 27, 2017. She also began working at the Vet Center in Madison as a Readjustment Counselor.
STEFANIE BOSTEDT ’08 of Pahoa, Hawaii, wrote “I have my eyes set on attending the International Conference for Community Psychology happening in October in Santiago, Chile in order to bring back knowledge for my new consulting involvement with a youth- owned worker cooperative in Pahoa, Hawaii. To find out more about the cooperative, visit www.yopac.org.”
JESSICA CHATMON BEDNAREK ’08 of Berlin, Wisconsin, wrote “my husband, BRYANT BEDNAREK ’07, will be Assistant Principal of Wautoma High School starting this 2018-19 school year.”
AMY DORMAN ’08 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was promoted to Director of Development at Milwaukee Repertory Theater on January 1.
CHELSEA DWYER ’08 of Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a Chief Stewardess on a private mega yacht, sailing primarily through the Caribbean, New England, and Mediterranean.
REBECCA DULEY MEGAHAN ’08 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin received her master’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis. She moved back to Wisconsin and got married in 2015 and had a daughter in 2016.
LEAH HOVER-PREISS ’08 of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin is in the final stages of writing her dissertation for her doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University. She is expecting to graduate this summer. She is in her ninth year of teaching high school mathematics. Leah and her husband Zach have two children, Aiden who is 6 and Harper who is almost 1.
ALISON KRINGS OTTO ’08 of Larsen, Wisconsin, and TYLER OTTO ’07 had a baby boy, Gordon Marshall Otto, on November 30, 2017. Gordon weighed 2 lbs, 13 oz and measured 15 inches long. Everyone is healthy and happy!
SARA KUSSMANN SCHMITT ’08 of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, said, “I left the lab at the end of 2017 and am now working from home as a Medical Writer for Avant Healthcare Marketing. CURTIS SCHMITT ’09 also works from home as a Solutions Consultant for Tyler Technologies. We’re so lucky to have such accommodating jobs, because it allows us to stay home with our newest addition: a baby boy named Finley John, who we welcomed on October 18, 2017.”
RUTH LAWRENCE ’08 of Germantown, Wisconsin, reported, “I graduated from UW Milwaukee with a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in August 2017. I am working as a Speech-Language Pathologist for Aegis Therapies in the Milwaukee area. I had a baby in December, her name is Alice.”
TYLOR LOEST ’08 of Ripon, Wisconsin, wrote, “After 8 years, I will be leaving Ripon College and heading to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. There I will become the next Corporate Relations Coordinator.”
ERIN MAGUIRE ‘08 of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is employed as a social worker for Davita Dialysis, a Fortune 500 healthcare company. She oversees three different dialysis clinics in the area. Erin’s father, Kenneth Maguire, passed away May 15, 2017. He was an avid supporter of the Ripon College Fine Arts program and a close friend of Thomas E. Caestecker.
RYAN MANIS ’08 of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, transitioned from Director of Brand Operations with United One Credit Union to Chief Operating Officer for Roydan Enterprises Inc. in Manitowoc.
ARLENE TORRES ’08 of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, became Chair of the Southeastern Wisconsin Educational Consortium on January 1.
ERIN OAKLEY KOLTES ’08 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, married Mike Koltes on September 30, 2017.
BRANDON PARROTT-SHEFFER ’08 of Palatine, Illinois, is Vice President at Edelman in Chicago. He is also engaged to be married in October of this year.
LESLIE REINKE LUEDTKE ’08 and RYAN LUEDTKE ’08 of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, welcomed their second baby, Rory Thomas Allen Luedtke, in October 2017.
PAMELA SCHUMACHER MUMM ’08 of Ripon, Wisconsin, transitioned from teaching high school for the past seven years to being the K-8 Media Specialist at the Rosendale Primary and Intermediate Schools this past fall.
SARAH TIMM HARTER ’08 of Proctor, Minnesota, reported, “I moved to Minnesota in June 2015 to start a new job as a psychologist. I recently married on September 30, 2017 and am expecting a baby on July 4, 2018!”
JUSTIN YONKIE ’08 of Portage, Wisconsin, is now working as a Medical Coding Specialist in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin.
JULIE NELSON KUKOWSKI ’08 and BRUCE KUKOWSKI ’10 of El Paso, Texas, write “we recently moved to El Paso, Texas in August. Bruce has taken command of the 734th OD CO (EOD) rear detachment. Julie works for MOPS in El Paso. Our son Travis is preparing to attend kindergarten next year.”