2016 – Spring ’22 Class Letter
Hi, Class of 2016!
It is time to say goodbye to winter and welcome spring with open arms. As the sun starts to peek out for longer and longer, don’t forget to spread some light to your friends as well! The Class Letter is a great time for us all to touch base and connect with one another, so don’t forget to check in on your classmates and be sure to share a smile.
Please join me in thanking, ELIZABETH KONIECZNY YAMAT ’16 for her service to Ripon College and her dedication as a co-Class Agent for the past six years. ELIZABETH has expressed that she would like to have someone else take over the role of co-Class Agent, and as such, we are actively seeking one or two interested individuals to join me as co-Class Agent. As her fellow Class Agent, I want to recognize ELIZABETH for helping to keep us all connected since graduation.
What does it take to be a Class Agent? We write a Class Letter each fall and spring, and we include updates from classmates as we receive them. Being a Class Agent gives us a direct line of communication with a staff member at Ripon College, and we collaborate closely with the Office of Constituent Engagement to write Class Letters. The College will take care of sending out Class Letters both through email and through snail mail.
Here are some reasons why you may want to consider being a Class Agent:
- You will have unique opportunities to get information, often before our general alumni population, and you will get to know campus staff and administration on a more personal level.
- You will help the College keep track of the contact information of classmates, helping ensure that all of us get to keep in touch. This is also important to help keep classmates connected to the larger Ripon College family.
- It feels good to give back to your Alma Mater in such a tangible way.
Please email me, SARA DRIEBEL, at [email protected], or email [email protected], with any questions or to state your interest in becoming a new Class Agent for our class.
Some fun news from our Alma Mater: During the search for Ripon’s next president, Interim President Dr. Andrea Young has joined us on Twitter and Instagram as @RiponPrez. Make sure you are following along for all sorts of exciting updates and Ripon news!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the #OneDayRally and in all of our other fundraising efforts this fiscal year! Your contributions go far and are appreciated. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for our annual Alumni Weekend, taking place this year over June 23-26.
Finally, a great big thank you to all who reached out and responded with updates on their lives. You all continue to inspire and amaze me, and I am proud to be part of your class! Now, on to the updates!
GARRISON ANDERSON ’16 of Chicago, Illinois, designed a limited-run poster for the singer, rapper, and writer Dessa.
GISELLE TIMOTHY THOMAS ’16 of Madison, Wisconsin, formerly known as Matthew Thomas Schultz has so many life updates to share. She’s come out as a transgender woman and is going by a new name since her last alumna update. She has also made plans to leave being an optician at Costco to live her lifelong dream of being a travel writer. GISELLE is working with Ripon alumna AMANDA FINN ’14 on AMANDA’s new travel website geared towards including stories from the types of travelers whose stories aren’t shared in most travel blogs and guides. Dream Suitcase is focused on giving an authentic voice back to travel while highlighting marginalized voices and stories. GISELLE is definitely still a work in progress, but is excited to share her journey with everyone who wants to tune in as she’s preparing to take flight into a new career and more fulfilling life. While there’s not much from GISELLE there now, going forward the best place to keep tabs on GISELLE between these class updates will be via her and AMANDA’s new website, www.dreamsuitcase.com. Both GISELLE and AMANDA would encourage all of their Ripon friends to check out the site and like Dream Suitcase on Facebook because they are excited about what they have been cooking up the past few months.
KATIE TREDINNICK ’16 of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, is pursuing a DVM/MPH dual degree at UW-Madison. She is expected to graduate in May 2024.
NICK LUEDTKE ’16 of Appleton, Wisconsin, is finishing his Ph.D. in chemistry and recently made a protein containing an unnatural amino acid. He is looking forward to sharing those new experiences and discoveries at Ripon College in two oral presentations. There is a lot of momentum in NICK’s life with post-graduate job hunting, and he is excited to get married on May 14, 2022!
MADESON WALGENBACH LEWIN ’16 of Waupun, Wisconsin, is a Spanish teacher at Waupun Junior High.
MINH DO ’16 is still working at a bank in Vietnam. He just got promoted!
RACHEL ROKUSEK GASSER ’16 of Chesapeake, Virginia, started a new job in August 2021. She and her husband, Andrew, were married in November, and they just bought their first home together!
SARA DRIEBEL ’16 of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, had her first flat tire and made it far worse than it needed to be. It’s truly what she deserves for treating a cube car like it can offroad on hiking adventures. Otherwise, SARA is still working in HR during the week and teaching at the zoo on the weekends and has been enjoying doing as much wildlife photography, reading, gardening, and crocheting as possible in her free time.
Thank you for sharing your updates and news with us!
With love,
SARA DRIEBEL ’16
(262) 347-1484 / (262) 439-8124
Your 2016 Class Agent