2016 Fall ’23 Class Letter
Hello, Class of 2016!
Fall is upon us, and there is no time like the present to cozy in and catch up!
Before we chat about what’s new for everyone, an important update from our alma mater: Ripon has formally launched the Forever Ripon campaign, which aims to expand access through student affordability and programs, enhance facilities, and strengthen the institution through the Ripon Fund. Remember that participating in this campaign can take so many forms – beyond monetary donations, attending alumni events, volunteering, and engaging on social media all help our college in meeting its goals.
As always, there is no update too small or too large, and I love to stay in contact with your latest happenings. If you have a fun trip planned, recently met up with some classmates, or have a Ripon memory you’d like to share, I’d love to add them to our next letter.
I am so grateful for every chance I get to catch up with you, and would love some help reaching everyone to build this class letter! If you are interested in joining the team to be a class agent, please reach out.
And with that, let’s catch up!!
CLASS NOTES/UPDATES
ALEXANDER MEHRE ’16 is still living in Maine with Jess. He is entering his senior year as a mechanical engineering student and president of the UMaine Black Bear Robotics Club. He doesn’t know where he will work in a year yet, but the Pulp and Paper industry has been very good to him.
ALYSAA NYCZ ‘16 and her fiancé recently bought a house just north of Green Bay, and they’ve been enjoying the never ending list of projects that comes with homeownership. Alyssa is still working as a pediatrician in the area. She and her fiance have gotten to enjoy some recent travel (Ireland, Banff), as well as reunions with Ripon friends!
ALYSSA KENNEDY POLK ‘16 and JORDAN POLK ‘16 recently bought a house and moved to La Valle, WI. They got a German shepherd puppy. Alyssa is working at Reedsburg Area Medical Center, and Jordan is working and coaching in the Hillsboro School District.
CHRIS WEAVER ‘16 and NIKKI GLASHEEN WEAVER ‘14 welcomed their first baby, Madelyn, into their family in May. They are still living in southern Wisconsin and loving being parents!
ELIZABETH KONIECZNY YAMAT ‘16 has had a busy and fun summer with her boys (Theo, 3 and Lincoln, 1) with many park, splash pad and zoo playdates.
EMILY WESTPHAL ‘16 and her husband recently sold their first home in Milwaukee, WI, and purchased a new home in Hartford, WI. They are excited to be moved in and are really looking forward to being closer to family and being in a smaller community. Emily continues to coach club volleyball for Midwest Penguins with BRI MILROY SIUDAK ‘15, and is really looking forward to another upcoming season that is right around the corner.
FRANK STELTER-HOGH ‘16 is welcoming a baby boy in March!
GARRISON ANDERSON ‘16 is running the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 8.
HOPE BELL ‘16 started, owns, and runs the only drag company in Daegu, South Korea.
JENNIFER KELLER ‘16 still has her red aluminum Ripon College water bottle from welcome week. Life is great, Andy and Jen get married in May and will be looking for a home or builder between now and then. 
She is enjoying work as Village Administrator in Jackson and thriving off the dinner table work banter with Andy, an Engineer for WisDOT. Anyone in the Milwaukee area open to catching up, let her know! Fall beer gardens abound.
JOSHUA LUNA ‘16 just got engaged!! So this next year he will be planning a wedding. Otherwise he’s been doing travel occupational therapy this last year which has been amazing. So much to see around the country.
KARI WRENN ‘16’s family of three will be a family of four in early November with the arrival of their second daughter! They may move back to Wisconsin in the spring – Colorado has been a wonderful adventure, but home awaits them!
KELLI WALSH MYERS ‘16 after working at our alma mater for nearly 5 years, has recently begun a new position working in conservation across the state of Wisconsin.
KELSEY O’SHIELDS ‘16 recently started pursuing her Master’s degree in School Counseling at WVU.
LIZZIE PETERS ‘16 is currently in Scotland trying to secure a primary school teaching position. She was approved to teach in Scotland in May, but getting a job offer has been a slow process. Thankfully, she has a couple interviews set up in the fall! Lizzie is excited to be the maid of honor for her best friend’s wedding the second week of October. Hopefully everything will fall into place after the wedding so she can fly back to Scotland and live here permanently!
MEGAN MAREMA ‘16 moved to South Florida in October 2022. She is still working as a certified prosthetist orthotist, but moved to work alongside orthopedic surgeons who specialize in limb lengthening and limb deformity correction.
NICK LUEDTKE ‘16 got married May 2022 in Iowa to Carolyn Stone. They’ve been traveling around the country running marathons and recently adopted a foxhound from a rescue in Iowa. In July 2023, Nick defended his PhD in chemistry at The University of Iowa. He was awarded an NIH fellowship to pursue postdoctoral research at UI to investigate signal transduction in bacteria.
RACHEL ROKUSEK GASSER ‘16 bought her first home in February 2022, and just welcomed her first daughter, Caroline, at the end of July!
RACHELLA LEABRIE FORTIER ‘16 just welcomed her second son, Bodhi Samuel Fortier!
RAEANN BRIXIUS ‘16 has spent most of her summer training for adventure races and has been working on training her new puppy, Arugula. She’s currently getting ready to move from DC to Arizona in October!
SARA DRIEBEL ‘16 recently started a new job as a Senior HR Generalist and celebrated her five year anniversary at her weekend job teaching at the zoo! Her favorite class is definitely penguin class, but lemur class definitely is high up there too. Besides work, Sara has been catering to her plants and pets, reading, hiking, and playing Barbie with her niece and nephew.
STEPHANIE ROSENOW PERGANDE ‘16 is expecting her first little one (baby girl) early December this year! She is still working at Oshkosh Corporation but as an associate marketing manager now. 
She still lives in Appleton!
ZACH BRAYER ‘16 won his grandma’s house back by beating his rival, Shooter, at the big golf tournament.
ZACH MUENCH ‘16 is currently in medical school at the University of Wisconsin and continues to work part-time as an emergency medicine PA in the Chicago area.
I hope to see you all at Alumni Weekend 2024, which will be June 20 – 23, 2024!
Sincerely,