2011 – Spring ’21 Class Letter
Greetings, Class of 2011!
I hope this letter finds you all well and healthy. Looking back a year ago, I don’t think any of us thought we’d be in the position we’re in today. I think I can safely speak for everyone when I say that I’m over it. I also want to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to those of you who are working in healthcare, as first responders, in retail, or any other profession where you’re interacting with the general public daily. Thank you for your time and effort and the risk you’re taking to keep the world running.
Some updates from campus: classes started on January 25 with a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid formats. Ripon is currently doing random weekly surveillance testing where about 25% of the College community is being tested for COVID-19 in order to keep everyone as safe as possible.
As you are probably aware, our 10-year Class Reunion is this summer – we will be celebrating together with the class of 2010 who had to postpone their celebration due to COVID-19. All classes who would have celebrated their Reunion last year will also be on campus celebrating their belated Class Reunions during 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 including for our very own NICK BEAMAN ’11 and SCOTT GILLESPIE ’11.
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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 including for our very own SAMUEL SONDALLE ’11; 2020 and 2021 reunion celebrations including our 10th Class Reunion, and will feature other outdoor events like 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.
As highlighted above, during Alumni Weekend, Outstanding Young Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame awards will be given out. SAMUEL SONDALLE ’11 will be receiving the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. NICK BEAMAN ’11 and SCOTT GILLESPIE ’11 will both be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Please join me in extending our classmates who are award recipients our congratulations. Hopefully, we can have a great showing at our Reunion, and let me know if you have ideas for how to specifically reach out to encourage our classmates to attend. I plan to get our Ripon College Class of 2011 Facebook page going again so please check that out.
Finally, #OneDayRally will be held on April 28, 2021. Mark your calendars and, if you can, please support the College and the Ripon Fund.
Attached are updates that were provided to me by our classmates. As always, please feel free to connect with me on any of the main social media platforms.
Class Notes:
HOLLY DEVORE ’11: Holly, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in December 2020 and recently passed the NCLEX. She now works as a Registered Nurse. In her spare time, Holly enjoys going to various Best Buys and camping in their parking lots. When an employee tells her there’s no need to camp and she can go inside any time she wants, Holly usually responds with “I know” and offers the employee a s’more.
MATT INGISH ’11: Matt, of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, is in his second year working at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee. He started a powerlifting program at the school last year and had a state champion in their first year. He and ASHLEY KIRST INGISH ’11, also of Mukwonago, Wisconsin, have two children (three and nine months old). Ashley is working at Waterford Union High School and coaching volleyball.
CALLEN MARX ’11: Callen lives in Salem, Oregon and does Oregon things almost every day. He and his roommate recently adopted a dog who is a big fan of David Hasselhoff. He reminds us not to Hassel the Hoff.
NICK OSENBERG ’11: Nick, of Royal Oak, Michigan, is currently wondering how he messed up saying the “A-train” so badly and why it was so funny at the time. He was also too busy doing this to provide a real update.
ABIGAIL RICHESON ILIEV ’11: Abby and her husband, of Lansing, Michigan, are both working as physicians in Michigan. They have a three-and-a-half year old daughter and a six-month-old daughter that they welcomed to their family in August 2020.
JORDAN SALZER O’BRIEN ’11 and BRENDAN O’BRIEN ’11: Jordan and Brendan, of Appleton, Wisconsin, recently welcomed their second daughter, Saoirse, to the world on November 4, 2020.
SARAH HOPKINS STANSBERRY ’11: Sarah currently lives Blue Springs, Missouri, which in the Kansas City area. She has been married to Jacob Stansberry for close to six years and they welcomed their first son this year. She manages a public library branch and just finished her Master’s degree in December 2020. Sarah recently took up the hobby of ant-farming. She manages the largest ant farm in the greater Kansas City area and has a couple of books in the works, all expected to be released in 2023. Her first book will be titled “Ant You Glad You Know Me.”
TIFFANY SEERING WATERS ’11: Tiffany, of Ormond Beach, Florida, married her dearest friend, Mike Waters, last March. They currently live near Daytona Beach, Florida, and are loving life there. She recently started teaching Environmental Science at the local high school and can’t wait to spend all summer on the beach with her bonus kids Lylah and Weston. Coincidentally, the family has befriended a pod of manatees led by a Lylah and a Weston. The Waters and Hallmark are currently in negotiations for a movie titled “Pod of Love – the Story of Lylah and Weston and Lylah and Weston.”
ROBYN ZAJAC-ELSBECKER ’11 and CHASE ZAJAC-ELSBECKER ’11: The Zajac-Elsbeckers of Pulaski, Wisconsin, spend their days with their newly-minted toddler and small family pod. Not to be confused with TIFFANY SEERING WATERS ’11’s pod of manatees. They very often reminisce about the time NICK OSENBERG ’11 said the “Uh-train” instead of the “A-train.” Further, they make a semi-annual offering to the raccoons in their backyard to sate their voracious appetites for baby carrots.
CASSANDRA FRANZ ZUMMALLEN ’11: Cassandra and JAKE ZUMMALLEN ’12 of Neenah, Wisconsin, just welcomed their second child, Hazel, in January. Hazel joins her big brother Graham. They live in Neenah and Cassandra is working as a Pediatric Hospitalist for Children’s Wisconsin.
Cheers,
SHANE ROEBER ’11
M: (262) 617-7707 / H: (262) 695-0555
Your 2011 Class Agent