2015 – Spring ’19 Class Letter
Class Agents:
Samantha Kay ’15
Kaylie Longley ’15
[email protected]
Spring 2019
Your best friend from high school gets engaged. In a place so far away, it can’t be real. You debate writing, “congratulations” because then you’ll get all the other notifications from every other commenter, but then you’d also see your former classmates. Think of the creeping potential. Instead… “Love.”
Your colleague shares another political meme. During work hours. For the third time this week. You debate between “Angry” and “Wow” and ultimately, choose neither. You consider a gif, but you know that will fuel their fire. Don’t stoop to their level. Ignore.
Whether it’s videos of fur children peeing in the snow or snapshots of your early AM overnight oats (whatever those are), we’re conditioned to think these are Life Events.
But what happens in between the filters? Have we forgotten about the moments that don’t make Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat (does anybody use that anyway?).
Life is seasonal, and it’s a changing, breathing thing. Because of that, it’s exciting, terrifying. Yet, with so much stimulation, we forget these online moments are probably better (or stranger) in Real Life anyway.
Have we forgotten about the pivoters? Or the quiet ones making change? Instead, the only time we see “before” pictures is when there’s an “after” to go with it. We only see the clickbait, and we can’t help but click. Hook, line, sinker.
Instead of scrolling before bedtime, recognize life is so much more than the pixels. Our classmates, for one, are living their dreams, so go live yours. And then share it with us. We’ll be sure to Like it.
Kaylie and Sam
Classmate News:
MICHEAL ANDERSON ’15 is finalizing his commission with the United States Air Force JAG Corps and will be reporting to his first duty station in May.
BROOKE BEHNKE ’15 of Brillion, Wisconsin got engaged and will be getting married in the fall.
KATIE BIEDLER ’15 of Saint Cloud, Minnesota has enjoyed working as a design graduate assistant for Saint Cloud State University’s College of Liberal Arts & School of the Arts, making their college banners, event ads, etc. She expects to graduate with an MS in Strategic Media Communications in December 2019.
CATHERINE CARBAJAL ’15 just landed her dream career in Hawaii.
ZACHARY CONNERS ’15 and his boyfriend Weston Dixon sold their home in Rockford and moved to Freeport, Illinois. Zach started a new job at CorTech International Staffing as the branch manager of the Rockford office and recently took over as their account manager for their onsite office in Freeport and Galena Honeywell factories. Planning for the future, he just took his oversized dog, Baron to the veterinarian to be neutered. Baron is expected to make a full recovery, though he laments the loss of his fertility.
EMILY CONNOVICH ’15 of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin has started a family, with twins with her husband! Emily and her husband Elias have identical twin boys.
ELEANOR DAVIS ’15 moved to Madison, Wisconsin and joined Caravel Autism Health as a Human Resources Recruiter. Her family also grew by 4 paws. She and her boyfriend Trevor adopted a kitten from the DCHS named Jax.
EMELIA ERICKSON ’15 has recently made the decision to donate a kidney to someone in need. The surgery will be on April 9 in St. Louis, Missouri. Emelia has also been promoted to run her department at The Lodge Retirement Community. She continues to bike commute through the (mild) Ohio winter and will be glad to get back on her bike a few weeks after surgery. She hopes that others who have the resources to do so will consider saving a life by donating an organ or bone marrow.
PETER HAYES ’15 of Chicago, Illinois is still with Envestnet on the Portfolio Management Consultant team as a Investment Product management specialist. Peter’s high rise apartment offers him a great view of the Chicago skyline. Having a 19th view really helps with his phobia of heights.
JULIA HASHEIDER ’15 is living the beautiful tropical life in Miami with her husband, Victor.
HAYDEN HOERDEMANN ’15 of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, has made his way back to Ripon. He just completed his first year as an assistant coach at Ripon College for basketball. He couldn’t be more excited for another year! He is also a special education aide at Berlin High School. Last year, Hayden graduated with his Masters in Sports Management from Illinois State. He had a graduate assistant basketball coaching position with Illinois Wesleyan University. Personally, he can’t wait for Game of Thrones Season 8 to begin in April, and he’s ready to watch the Chicago Cubs attempt to win the World Series Title more than once in his lifetime.
SAMANTHA KAY ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is working as a Program Manager for the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. She manages educational programming for gene and cell therapy professionals. Right now, she is managing one thousand abstract submissions and presentations for the upcoming Annual Meeting in May. She is also planning four full-day workshops on topics such as gene editing and commercialization of novel therapies. Sam spent the fall campaigning for Governor Tony Evers and Senator Tammy Baldwin who both won, giving her hope for humanity. She plans to visit Portland this summer to see if it’s anything like the show Portlandia.
SAMANTHA KLEIN ’15 is massaging in Denver.
SERGE FEDOROWSKY ’15 is graduating next month (woot woot).
CHRISTIAN KRUEGER ’15 is finishing up the second year of her Ph.D. in Early American History at Marquette University, and she plans to take my Doctoral Qualifying Exams in August. In September, she presented her paper “No Hoof, No Horse: Virtue and the Horseshoe in America’s Early Republic” at the Horses, Moving conference at the Arkeologisk Museum in Stavanger, Norway. She will be presenting additional research at Eastern Kentucky University’s Living with Animals conference at the end of March.
CAROLINE KORDES ’15 began attending Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas.
HOLLY KORTEMEIER ’15 of Edgerton, Wisconsin is working as a school counselor at Community Elementary School in Edgerton.
ALISON LAPIDUS ’15 graduated with a Master’s degree in public health from Boston University. She started working full time as a research coordinator for a research core at The Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
MICHAEL LANPHIER ’15 now lives in Lincoln, Nebraska where JOHANNA BURTON LANPHIER ’13 is a zookeeper, and he is a traveling engineer.
EMILY FISCHER LENSMIRE ’15 of Reedsville, Wisconsin, has been promoted to Assistant Director of Admission and Head Women’s Volleyball Coach. Her daughter Charlotte is also getting a promotion to big sister. Charlotte appears to be preparing for a career in MMA fighting by practicing on her older cousin. Charlotte loves the snow, especially sledding and gets very concerned about their dairy cows and would like to bring them into the house.
MARK LISOWKSI ’15 is studying hard for his final months of grad school at Marquette. Mark has been reporting on water quality issues in Milwaukee and loves his work. Sometimes, he dreams of rolling down Sadoff Field and wishes he was back at Ripon. He is planning to come back this year for alumni weekend.
KAYLIE LONGLEY ’15 of Milwaukee, WI was recently promoted to manage the content strategy and brand reputation of Bardon Bowling Centers. She markets their fresh eats, events, and entertainment, such as local concerts and comedy shows (with help from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). She’s also coding and finally published her own website. Inspired by launching a digital space of her own, she is on a mission to help 19 fellow creatives take next steps in their work so they can pitch, publish, and/or produce. If you’re interested in this free 19 for 2019 project, email her. This is one of her admittedly ambitious 19 goals for the year, including mastering her pullup game, reading daily, and exploring downtown every week.
RAQUEL MACSWAIN ’15 of Stillwater, Minnesota is settling into Portland, Oregon. She survived her first year of graduate school at Lewis & Clark ands expects to graduate in May of 2020.
NICOLE MALLI ’15 of Washington, DC is still working for the Slave Wrecks Project. She bought a new couch that is worth a month’s rent. Nicole will be solo backpacking through South America at the end of May through the beginning of June. In July, she will be in St. Croix and Mozambique for work. Her cats have started a cult and now have more Insta followers than she does, and it’s honestly so millenial of them.
KATIE MCGEE ’15 became an ESL Teacher in Nanjing, China, where she now lives. She works for a company called First Leap.
CODY MESSERSCHMIDT ’15 of Madison, Wisconsin has been working as a Project Manager at Epic since summer of 2015.
BRIANNE MILROY ’15 of Shorewood, Wisconsin is graduating from Marquette University with her masters in School Counseling in May. She is planning to work in the Greater Milwaukee Area. After watching some terrifying documentaries about meat, Bri is now a vegetarian.
JESSICA SKIBA MORGAN ’15 of Cedarburg, Wisconsin in enjoying married life with LUKE MORGAN ’14. Jessica is now working with Gorman Co. as their digital marketing manager for the Brewhouse Inn and Suites in Milwaukee and the Stella Ballroom/The 1844 restaurant in Kenosha. She’s excited for this new opportunity because it allows her to continue to do what she loves while adding more stability to her life.
JONATHAN NEWBERY ’15 of Oak Park, Illinois recently completed a cross country move to California. He graduated from flight school and selected F/A-18 super hornets.
ZACHARY NELL ’15 has enjoyed a very snowy winter in Saint Paul with his wife, ERIKA RIEBE NELL ’16. Currently, Zac is looking for a new job.
ALYSSA NYCZ ’15 recently finished a stretch of interviews with a dozen pediatric residency programs across the country. She now considers herself a pro at navigating airports and power walking, thanks to many short layovers. Highlights from her travels include explaining the concept of ice fishing to fellow applicants and being teased about her pronunciation of the word ‘bagel’.
JONATHAN PETTENGILL ’15 of Medicine Lake, Minnesota will be marrying his girlfriend, Taylor Rush this June.
CHLOE PIEPHO ’15 of Rochester, Minnesota is living in Los Angeles, California. In December, she completed her Master’s in Strategic Public Relations at USC. She works for the LA Galaxy as a Digital Media Associate. Over the holidays, Chloe got engaged to Luke Corey.
MADELINE POULLETTE ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is working in human resources at a PEO organization, EmPowerHR.
ABIGAIL QUACKENBOSS ’15 continues to serve active duty in the US Navy.
MEGAN RAY ’15 of Delafield, Wisconsin recently accepted a position as Marketing Communication and Events Manager at Habitat for Humanity Waukesha County.
BRISTOLE RYFF ’15 was recently accepted to Purdue University in Indiana’s Master of Special Education program and will be obtaining her teaching license! She is very excited for this new adventure.
LAURA SAVALL ’15 of Ridgeland, Wisconsin has taken up residence in Vermont and is now a Staff Attorney with Have Justice —Will Travel, a nonprofit focused on helping survivors of domestic and sexual violence with various legal issues that may arise while escaping abuse. She is enjoying the mild winter in southern Vermont but is excited to tackle some of the Adirondack 46ers this summer.
KARENA SCHROEDER ’15 of Lakeville, Minnesota is loving life as a new mom. Aiden is almost a year old now, and he is her absolute world. Karena is working in the metro area as a manager at Sam’s Club. It has been challenging but incredibly rewarding to see their metrics improve immensely, at a location that was struggling for a very long time. Karena’s cat Bambi has been great with Aiden, even when he pulls her tail, grabs bunches of fur out, and pushes her face just a little too hard. Bambi puts up with it like a champ, although she still hates every other person.
BRIAN SCHUMACHER ’15 purchased a home in Milwaukee a few months ago with his wife, KATIE DREW SCHUMACHER ’14. They love their new space, and they hosted a housewarming/friendsgiving party with all of his Ripon friends. Brian is working as an R&D Associate Scientist in the materials science group at Millipore Sigma. He is studying emerging technologies and 2-D materials.
ELIZABETH SILVA ’15 of Catalina Island, California is now living in San Francisco, California. She recently started an exciting journey as a loan consultant with Better. Better is a direct lender that provides a fast, transparent digital mortgage experience.
SAMANTHA SEILER ’15 will be doing an ortho rotation in New York and then her final rotation before graduation. She’s planning a well-deserved staycation in NYC.
LAURA SHIVELY ’15 continues to work for Pre/3 Real Estate, a national leader in commercial investment, development, and management. Employed at their corporate headquarters in Brookfield, Laura has most recently succeeded in spearheading the RentCafe initiative, incorporating the nationwide listing service into the company’s now online portfolio. Laura is proud to have been part of an experience that has streamlined the property management process for both management and consumers, along with forging connections between onsite managers and offsite corporate employees. In her personal time, she has enjoyed reading on the cities of her next travel plans and cooking new dishes. She most recently returned from New Orleans, Louisiana where she enjoyed the history of one of the oldest cities in the United States and all of the local cuisine.
ZACH SPACIEL ’15 moved to Milwaukee after completing law school in December 2017. Zach doesn’t particularly enjoy city life, and he dreams of moving out to the suburbs, where he can have a nice home in Franklin with a white picket fence.
JOHN SPADONI ’15 and KRISTINA OGLESBY SPADONI ’15 were married on November 10, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin surrounded by all of their friends and family. They honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They both continue to make strides in their careers and enjoy their current positions. In 2019, they are hoping to travel more. Kristy dreams of going to Italy, and John dreams of becoming a lobster on a beach somewhere.
ANTHONY TAUSIG ’15 of Chicago, Illinois has been working at Broadspire for little over a year now. His pup Tula is growing up enjoying the lakefront. Anthony and his girlfriend, ALLISON MACKNICK ’17 have been together for 4 years now and are loving life in Chicago.
ALEX THILLMAN ’15 of Minneapolis, Minnesota successfully passed the bar exam and is now a licensed attorney in Minnesota, where he works in civil litigation in the Twin Cities area. Recently, Alex traveled to Iceland and has already planned his next trip to Costa Rica in the fall.
SYDNEY CHURCH VAN TREECK ’15 married AUSTIN VAN TREECK ’14 in October in Kohler, Wisconsin. They spent their honeymoon in Anguilla in November. She will graduate from Marquette University in May with her MBA and will continue to work for Johnsonville on the MIS team.
CASEY VERCAUTEREN ’15 of Chicago, Illinois is working as a management consulting analyst at Accelerated Growth Advisors. Casey’s life is abound with stability, nothing has changed, and he likes it that way.
ROB ’15 and KAMELLE VAN DER LEEST WATERS ’15 are living in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Rob started a new job as a Sales Consultant at Smart Motors Toyota in Madison this past January. Kamelle is still at Dean Health Plan and in November started a new role as a Grievance & Appeals Quality Specialist. They had a great time at the Red Hawks Alumni Track & Field Meet in January! They are enjoying spending their time with their weimaraner Jake who is full of energy.
KAITLYN WELZEN ’15 has a pupdate! Sirius all 95+ pounds of him, can reach her shoulders on his front paws As you’ll see, Sirius loves the snow!
KEVIN WHITENEIR ’15 will be presenting his performance art and art history research at the UK Art History Association’s annual conference in Brighton. He’ll also be presenting his work on decolonizing academic institutions at the 47th annual conference of the Art Libraries Society of North America. He was awarded their presenters of color award. He’ll be performing a solo piece at Roman Susan Gallery on August 9th. He’s working on a second masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign starting this Fall.
LOGAN SOICH ’15 and Rachel Soich married on June 10, 2017 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. BRIAN SCHUMACHER ’15 and MATTHEW ROHRBECK ’13 were groomsmen. Logan and Rachel currently live in Chicago with their pet, Koko, a Pomeranian mix. They both are active with careers as actuarial analysts and are associates of casualty actuarial society.