R Connections

TAMMY JOHNSON ’04 shares: “I was recognized as an Outstanding Special Education Teacher from the National Association of Special Education Teachers and received a Meritorious Service Award from the Illinois State Board of Education. I’ve taken a new position this school year at Antioch Community High School as a Special Education teacher and JV girls’ volleyball and basketball coach. I am four classes and one dissertation away from my EdD. Our older boys earned their purple taekwondo belts and little Finnegan is starting 2yr old preschool this fall with my wife, Becky, as one of the lead teachers. The Johnson family is busy!”

Submitted by: Nick Spaeth

AMANDA PHILLIPS GROSS ’04 shares: “I am starting my sixth year as a special education teacher at Clintonville Elementary School and 11th year overall in education. I am working in kindergarten and 5th grade this year. I have not been in 5th grade since student teaching so this will be a learning experience! I have been lucky to have been working with alumni ANDREA KNORR JUSTMAN ’09 the past six years in kindergarten. My husband, Bob, and I have three great kids. Matthew and Peyton are starting 7th grade and Brenna is in 5th. It’s crazy how fast the time has gone!”

Submitted by: Nick Spaeth

AMY GABRIEL GERRETSEN ’04 continues her role as Director of Constituent Engagement at Ripon College. She writes, “Annually, I get to work with reunion classes to plan successful celebrations. But it is always way more fun to work with Nick and other classmates to make our 20th Reunion a blast. If anyone is interested in helping make decisions about how Alumni Weekend 2024 will look, especially related to the Class of 2004, please contact me at [email protected].”

Submitted by: Nick Spaeth

MICHAEL COLES ’04 works as the Director of Talent Acquisition at CFI and is in his tenth year of coaching travel softball (which keeps him from having a beer with NICK SPAETH ’04 even though they live 10 minutes from each other). His youngest daughter, Riann, is an 8^th grader and oldest daughter, Amiah, is a freshman at Iowa State University.

Submitted by: Nick Spaeth

Hey Class of 2018,

Another year, another class letter. It was great to see many of you at the five year class reunion this past June. A small group of the Class of 2018 caught up at Roadhouse and celebrated this important milestone. We hope to see more of you at the next reunion.

This past summer kicked off many exciting projects and changes for the college. A new football stadium, a refreshed Farr Hall, and the introduction of the college’s first female president are just a few of the exciting things happening at Ripon. The college isn’t the only one with exciting news. Below are some updates from your fellow classmates:

CLASS NEWS

COLLEEN ELZINGA ’18 of Gainesville, Florida, finished her rotating internship in veterinary medicine and surgery this summer at Louisiana State University. She recently moved to Florida to start her residency in veterinary anesthesia and analgesia at the University of Florida.

DAVID FIRARI ’18 of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, completed their northbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. They started on February 21 in Georgia and after hiking over 2,200 miles, arrived at the northern terminus in Maine on August 29.

ABBEY FLOWER ’18 of Waukesha, Wisconsin, recently married the love of her life, Wayne Guenther, surrounded by family and friends including fellow alumni SAMANTHA BETHEL ’18 and HANNAH BRODNER ’18.

BEN FOLGER ’18 of Norman, Oklahoma, is finishing his PhD program at the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, LAURISSA JOHNSON FOLGER ’19 welcomed their daughter, Kennedy, into the world in August. Laurissa is also wrapping up her masters program in psychology.

EVE GREEN ’18 of Sydney, Australia, started a new job as a rights manager for a children’s publishing imprint. In addition to the new job, Eve and her partner purchased their first house together.

DREW HETZ ’18 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is working as a physician associate at an ears, nose, and throat clinic. He is also continuing renovations on his house which is a never ending, but still rewarding project.

HAILEY MATTHEISEN ’18 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from her two masters programs: clinical and health informatics from the University of Wisconsin and biomedical sciences from Nova Southeastern University. She just started her first year of medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She’s also taken on a leadership role with the Association of Women Surgeons and the admissions committee.

MERRANDA SCHMID ’18 of Ripon, Wisconsin, started a new job as a chemistry laboratory instructor and interim director of math and science services at Marian University.

See you soon!

Lauren ’18

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

ANDY WELLS-BEAN ’10 is serving as the Executive Director of Audubon of the Western Everglades.

Submitted by: Tomissa Porath Friesleben

LINDSAY KUEHL LAMB ’10 and her kids are welcoming her boyfriend, Christian, and his son to McFarland, WI. Christian will be working as master IT for UW Hospitals and Clinics and his son, Noah, is starting high school.

Submitted by: Tomissa Porath Friesleben

TOMISSSA PORATH FREISLEBEN ’10 and DAVE FREISLEBEN ’07 welcomed their son, Charlie, this spring. They are trying to get some sleep in between chasing Henry and Charlie around their house

Submitted by: Tomissa Porath Friesleben

Dear Class of 2010,

Once again fall is here, and I am missing campus quite fiercely. I’d like to start this note with a special thanks to NICK BAKER ’10, who has decided to step down as Class Agent following four years of service. NICK – thank you for all you have done as Class Agent.

I’m headed back to campus twice this autumn, once for the Alumni Board meetings and once to see the brand new Hopp Stadium for a men’s soccer game. I’m looking forward to seeing the renovation progress that has been made on the Franzen Science Center, which is slated for completion around December 2024.

While there are many changes taking place on campus, Ripon College is still committed to academic excellence; next summer the first exercise science master’s degree cohort will begin their studies. Additionally, the college’s new engineering program will begin alongside the opening of the Franzen Science Center.

There is so much happening at our alma mater that we can all be proud of. Hope you have a chance to make it back to campus soon to see these changes for yourself!

RIPON UPDATES

Ripon College to Offer Master’s Degree in Exercise Science
Ripon College will launch its first master’s degree program in exercise science in the summer of 2024. The Masters curriculum will be a 15-month program. The new program will offer three areas of specialization: Physiology, Sports Management, Sports Psychology. A 4+1 program will allow Ripon College undergraduate students to begin taking the graduate-level courses in their senior year and complete the master’s degree in just one additional year after receiving their bachelor’s degree.
To learn more about the Master’s Degree, click here.

Ripon College to Offer Engineering Program
Ripon College is launching its first engineering program to coincide with the opening of the new Franzen Science Center in 2024. John Sisko, Ripon College Vice President and Dean of Faculty, stated “We are making curricular expansions to meet the educational needs of current and future STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students. The physical needs of the engineering program as well as state-of-the-art facilities for all of our science programs were integral considerations throughout the entire design process for the new science center.”

As part of the engineering program, the College also is establishing an Engineering Advisory Board, comprising regional industry partners. This advisory board will help optimize Ripon’s engineering program to best suit the technical needs of the region, offer internships and co-op programs to students and ultimately help create a path to employment for graduates.
You can learn more about the Engineering program here.

 CLASS UPDATES

TOMISSSA PORATH FREISLEBEN ’10 and DAVE FREISLEBEN ’07 welcomed their son, Charlie, this spring. They are trying to get some sleep in between chasing Henry and Charlie around their house.

LINDSAY KUEHL LAMB ’10 and her kids are welcoming her boyfriend, Christian, and his son to McFarland, WI. Christian will be working as master IT for UW Hospitals and Clinics and his son, Noah, is starting high school.

ANDY WELLS-BEAN ’10 is serving as the Executive Director of Audubon of the Western Everglades.

Tomissa ‘10

Submitted by: Tomissa Porath Friesleben

MERRANDA SCHMID ’18 of Ripon, Wisconsin, started a new job as a chemistry laboratory instructor and interim director of math and science services at Marian University.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

HAILEY MATTHEISEN ’18 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, graduated from her two masters programs: clinical and health informatics from the University of Wisconsin and biomedical sciences from Nova Southeastern University. She just started her first year of medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She’s also taken on a leadership role with the Association of Women Surgeons and the admissions committee.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

DREW HETZ ’18 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is working as a physician associate at an ears, nose, and throat clinic. He is also continuing renovations on his house which is a never ending, but still rewarding project.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

EVE GREEN ’18 of Sydney, Australia, started a new job as a rights manager for a children’s publishing imprint. In addition to the new job, Eve and her partner purchased their first house together.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

BEN FOLGER ’18 of Norman, Oklahoma, is finishing his PhD program at the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, LAURISSA JOHNSON FOLGER ’19 welcomed their daughter, Kennedy, into the world in August. Laurissa is also wrapping up her masters program in psychology.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

ABBEY FLOWER ’18 of Waukesha, Wisconsin, recently married the love of her life, Wayne Guenther, surrounded by family and friends including fellow alumni SAMANTHA BETHEL ’18 and HANNAH BRODNER ’18.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

DAVID FIRARI ’18 of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, completed their northbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. They started on February 21 in Georgia and after hiking over 2,200 miles, arrived at the northern terminus in Maine on August 29.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

COLLEEN ELZINGA ’18 of Gainesville, Florida, finished her rotating internship in veterinary medicine and surgery this summer at Louisiana State University. She recently moved to Florida to start her residency in veterinary anesthesia and analgesia at the University of Florida.

Submitted by: Lauren Hince

Dear Ripon College Class of 2011:

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. It truly is the best time of year in Wisconsin – so much so that I feel like the whole state tries to pack in as much as they can while we have those short months of blissful warmth. I had a busy summer knocking a few things off my bucket list, traveling (both for work and for pleasure) and generally trying to stay afloat. As much as I dread winter, I’m looking forward to a slower pace of life for a bit.

There have been both exciting and sorrowful things going on at Ripon, recently. Hopp Stadium had its soft opening on September 30 when the Ripon football team hosted Cornell College. The grand opening celebration is scheduled for October 21, 2023. In other construction related news, the renovation of the Franzen Science Center began in early August and is scheduled to be complete in December of 2024.

As I’m sure you remember hearing, Professor Vance Cope-Kasten passed away in March of this year. He had a major impact on me, personally, and from reading the memories and tributes shared on social media I can tell that he impacted the Ripon Community at large in a way that is hard to put into words. However, his family did their absolute best to capture something incredibly complex; you can read his obituary here.

On a happier note, I’d like to remind everyone that Alumni Weekend 2024 is scheduled for June 20th to the 23rd. It would be great to see as many people as possible. Along those same lines, if you have any suggestions on the best way to capture class updates, I’m all ears – the more updates I’m provided the less of my writing you have to read through. Please reach out on social media or via email. Thanks to those that provided updates!

Shane ’11

Submitted by: Shane Roeber

KRISTIN MERKER GREENBERG ’11 is expecting baby #2 in early March 2024!

Submitted by: Shane Roeber

CALLEN MARX ’11 continues to train for an Iron Man. He also binge watched all the Fast and Furious movies and wants everyone to remember the importance of family.

Submitted by: Shane Roeber