R Connections

Class Agents:

Lindsey Kreye Heil

[email protected]

Adam Krueger

[email protected]

Stacy Krusa Teachout

[email protected]

Liz Leach Morrell

[email protected]

 

Spring 2018

Greetings Class of 2007!

 

We hope you are enjoying the beginning of the new year and that 2018 has been good to you thus far! We love hearing about your life updates including new jobs, marriage celebrations, children, career changes and any other information you’d like to share with your peers. Below are some updates that we’d like to share with you. As always, thanks for supporting your alma mater.

 

Keep in touch, 

          

Adam, Liz, Lindsey, and Stacy

 

Class Notes:

KATY GRIFFITHS ANDERSON ’07 of West Lafayette, Indiana, is working as a Registered Nurse at Indiana University Health Urgent Care in Lafayette. Her husband Tim completed his PhD in Entomology in August 2017 from Purdue University. They welcomed a son, Jorin Timothy, on December 2, 2017.  

 

BRYANT BEDNAREK ’07, of Berlin, Wisconsin, will be Assistant Principal of Wautoma High School starting the 2018-2019 school year.  

TYLER OTTO ’07 and ALISON KRINGS OTTO ’08 of Winneconne, Wisconsin, had a baby boy, Gordon Marshall Otto, on November 30, 2017. He weighed 2lbs, 13oz and measured 15 inches long.  Everyone is healthy and happy.  

 

REBECCA PERK BRUSCH ’07 of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a stay at home mom but recently joined Mamma Can Do It, a company that designs and sells PDF sewing patterns, as their head of marketing. She has been able to combine her passion for sewing while still staying home with her daughter.  

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

​2008

Stephanie Sommer Faulds

608-630-3369 / [email protected]

Leah Hover-Preiss

608-432-2399 / [email protected]

Zac Schwandt

920-291-5685 / [email protected]

 

Greeting Class of 2008!

As you read this letter, another class of freshmen are getting ready to embark on their Ripon College journey. Packing up their belongings along with their new, extra-long bed sheets and new computers. Trying to enjoy what’s left of summer before they settle into their dorm rooms, partake in “Welcome Week” and attend their first golden hour.

 

While we just celebrated our 10-year reunion this summer, it seems like just yesterday we were right there moving into Tri-Dorms, Johnson, or Scott Hall, organizing our entire lives in those cramped dorm rooms, and beginning what would turn into lasting friendships far beyond the boundaries of Ripon College.

 

Even though much has changed at the college since then, many of the hang-outs, beautiful campus locations, and traditions have stayed the same. If you have not gone back to visit, this fall would be a great time.

 

Since the last class letter, many members of the Class of 2008 have experienced major life changes such as new babies, continuing education, or new jobs. Check out the class notes section to see what your classmates have been up to. Thank you to everyone who have donated to Ripon College. Your gifts help to make sure that the excellent education we received will be available to future Red Hawks!

 

Finally, if you would like to include any updates in future Ripon Magazines (births, new businesses, promotions, continuing education, marriages, etc.), please contact any of the Class Agents using the contact information listed above or the Office of Constituent Engagement ([email protected]) directly. Additionally, if you are not a member of the Class of 2008 Facebook page and would like to be, send a message to a Class Agent.

 

Go Red Hawks!

 

LEAH, STEPHANIE, and ZAC

 

LEAH HOVER-PREISS ’08 of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is in the final stages of writing her dissertation for her doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University. She is expecting to graduate this summer. She is in her ninth year of teaching high school mathematics. Leah and her husband Zach have two children, Aiden who is 6 and Harper who is almost 1.

 

TRISHA SHAFER ‘08 and her fiancé, Bill welcomed a daughter, Olivia Rae Moore, on June 11, 2018.

 

JOE HENTZ ‘08 and his wife, Megan welcomed a new baby girl, Emmylou Ruth Hentz on November 16, 2017. Joe recently became a partner at Swendson Hentz Law Ltd., a general practice law firm in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

 

BRANDON PARROTT-SHEFFER ’08 of Palatine, Illinois, is Vice President at Edelman in Chicago. He is also engaged to be married in October of this year.”

 

RYAN MANIS ’08 of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, transitioned from Director of Brand Operations with United One Credit Union to Chief Operating Officer for Roydan Enterprises Inc. in Manitowoc.

 

AMANDA BEERS WOJTANOWSKI ’08 of Oregon, Wisconsin, welcomed a baby boy, Jacob Daniel, on June 27, 2017. She also began working at the Vet Center in Madison as a Readjustment Counselor.

 

ERIN OAKLEY KOLTES ’08 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin married Mike Koltes on September 30, 2017.

 

JESSICA CHATMON BEDNAREK ’08 of Berlin, Wisconsin wrote “my husband, BRYANT BEDNAREK ’07, will be Assistant Principal of Wautoma High School starting this 2018-2019 school year.”

 

SARA KUSSMANN SCHMITT ’08 of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin said “I left the lab at the end of 2017 and am now working from home as a Medical Writer for Avant Healthcare Marketing. CURTIS SCHMITT

’09 also works from home as a Solutions Consultant for Tyler Technologies. We’re so lucky to have such accommodating jobs, because it allows us to stay home with our newest addition, our baby boy, Finley John, who we welcomed on October 18, 2017.”

 

PAMELA SCHUMACHER MUMM ’08 of Ripon, Wisconsin, transitioned from teaching high school for the past seven years to being the K-8 Media Specialist at the Rosendale Primary and Intermediate Schools this past fall.

 

CHELSEA DWYER ’08 of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a Chief Stewardess on a private mega yacht, sailing primarily through the Caribbean, New England, and Mediterranean.”

 

SARAH TIMM ’08 of Cloquet, Minnesota wants to share the news of the birth of her son Emmett Michael, on June 16, 2018.

 

JORDAN ANDERSON ’08 and DAVE CZARNECKI ’08 of Waukesha, Wisconsin, report “we are still living in Waukesha, Wisconsin with their 4 year old Eadalie and 1 year old Enoch. Dave is a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company since 2017 and Jordan continues to work for a private practice doing clinical trial research. Jordan has also recently accepted a Wisconsin state leader position with The Well Armed Woman shooting groups and also as Vice President of Badger IDPA, a local competitive shooting group.”

 

ERIN RUTH MAGUIRE ’08 is employed as lead social worker for three separate dialysis clinics for Davita Dialysis. She recently bought a home in Hot Springs Village, a gated community near Hot Springs, Arkansas and is the proud Mama of two rescue fur babies “Coco and Carlee”

 

ALISON KRINGS OTTO ’08 of Winneconne, Wisconsin, and TYLER OTTO ’07 had a baby boy, Gordon Marshall Otto, on November 30, 2017. Gordon weighed 2 lbs, 13 oz and measured 15 inches long. Everyone is healthy and happy!

 

MATTHEW BIRSCHBACH ’08 of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, writes, “I got married to Kourtney in 2016 in Ripon. I work at Holiday Automotive as a product specialist. I started the band, “Driftwood” 7 years ago and now playing every other week (including Country USA this year and last)…see www.facebook.com/driftwoodwi for pictures.”

 

STEFANIE BOSTEDT ’08 of Pahoa, Hawaii, wrote “I have my eyes set on attending the International Conference for Community Psychology happening in October in Santiago, Chile to bring back knowledge for my new consulting involvement with a youth-owned worker cooperative in Pahoa, Hawaii. To find out more about the cooperative, visit: www.yopac.org.”

 

RUTH LAWRENCE ’08 of Germantown, Wisconsin, reported “I graduated from UW Milwaukee with a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in August 2017. I am working as a Speech-Language Pathologist for Aegis Therapies in the Milwaukee area. And I had a baby in  December, her name is Alice.”

 

LESLIE REINKE LUEDTKE ’08 of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, welcomed their second baby, Rory Thomas Allen Luedtke, in October 2017.

 

REBECCA DULEY ’08 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, received her masters degree in psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis. She moved back to Wisconsin and got married in 2015 and had a daughter in 2016.

 

JUSTIN YONKIE ’08 of Portage, Wisconsin, is now working as a Medical Coding Specialist in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, Wisconsin.

 

AMY DORMAN ’08 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was promoted to Director of Development at Milwaukee Repertory Theater on January 1.

 

ARLENE TORRES ’08 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, became Chair of the Southeastern Wisconsin Educational Consortium on January 1.

 

COLLETTE UNGER NAKIELSKI ‘08 shares, “Big news in the Nakielski household – our son, Finnegan is a year old, Chris graduated from the University of Iowa with his Doctorate in Choral Conducting, and our family will be moving to Washington State in July.”

 

KYLE UNGER ‘08 recently finished 10 years of service in the US Army. He is continuing his service in the US Coast Guard as a HC-144 pilot stationed in Miami.

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Stephanie Sommer Faulds 608-630-3369 / [email protected]

Leah Hover-Preiss 608-432-2399 / [email protected]

Zac Schwandt 920-291-5685 / [email protected]

Spring 2018

Greetings Class of 2008!

It is hard to believe, but it is true. Our tenth reunion is right around the corner. While it seems like just yesterday we were having late night study sessions at Lane Library, grabbing a snack at The Pub, or playing intramural sports at the field or in the gym, it has been almost a decade since we walked across the stage and received our diplomas.

With that being said, planning for the reunion this summer is well underway. If you have not already done so, mark your calendars for the 2018 Reunion Weekend, June 21-24. There are a variety of activities planned for all reunion participants ranging from the golf scramble, campus tours, a boat cruise, a morning fun walk/run, and much more. There are also events planned specially for the class of 2008 including the class gathering at Knuth Brewing Company on Friday, June 22, and our Tenth Anniversary Party at J’s BBQ on Saturday, June 23. More details will be mailed out in the near future and can also be found online at www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend/. If you have any questions or suggestions about the reunion, feel free to contact us. We look forward to seeing you all this summer!

In the meantime, make sure to check out the class updates provided by some of the wonderful members of the Class of 2008. If you would like to have your information included in upcoming publications, contact your Class Agents or visit the Ripon College Class of 2008 Facebook page. We would love to hear about any engagements, marriages, births, advanced degrees, new jobs, moves, and so on. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Go Red Hawks!

Your Class Agents-

Leah, Stephanie, and Zac

Spring 2018

Class Updates:

JORDAN ANDERSON ’08 and DAVE CZARNECKI ’08 of Waukesha, Wisconsin, report, “We are still living in Waukesha with their children, Eadalie (4) and Enoch (1). Dave has been a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company since 2017 and Jordan continues to work for a private practice doing clinical trial research. Jordan has also recently accepted a Wisconsin state leader position with The Well-Armed Woman shooting groups and also as Vice President of Badger IDPA, a local competitive shooting group.”

AMANDA BEERS WOJTANOWSKI ’08 of Oregon, Wisconsin, welcomed a baby boy, Jacob Daniel, on June 27, 2017. She also began working at the Vet Center in Madison as a Readjustment Counselor.

STEFANIE BOSTEDT ’08 of Pahoa, Hawaii, wrote “I have my eyes set on attending the International Conference for Community Psychology happening in October in Santiago, Chile in order to bring back knowledge for my new consulting involvement with a youth- owned worker cooperative in Pahoa, Hawaii. To find out more about the cooperative, visit www.yopac.org.”

JESSICA CHATMON BEDNAREK ’08 of Berlin, Wisconsin, wrote “my husband, BRYANT BEDNAREK ’07, will be Assistant Principal of Wautoma High School starting this 2018-19 school year.”

AMY DORMAN ’08 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was promoted to Director of Development at Milwaukee Repertory Theater on January 1.

CHELSEA DWYER ’08 of Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a Chief Stewardess on a private mega yacht, sailing primarily through the Caribbean, New England, and Mediterranean.

REBECCA DULEY MEGAHAN ’08 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin received her master’s degree in psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis. She moved back to Wisconsin and got married in 2015 and had a daughter in 2016.

LEAH HOVER-PREISS ’08 of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin is in the final stages of writing her dissertation for her doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University. She is expecting to graduate this summer. She is in her ninth year of teaching high school mathematics. Leah and her husband Zach have two children, Aiden who is 6 and Harper who is almost 1.

ALISON KRINGS OTTO ’08 of Larsen, Wisconsin, and TYLER OTTO ’07 had a baby boy, Gordon Marshall Otto, on November 30, 2017. Gordon weighed 2 lbs, 13 oz and measured 15 inches long. Everyone is healthy and happy!

SARA KUSSMANN SCHMITT ’08 of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, said, “I left the lab at the end of 2017 and am now working from home as a Medical Writer for Avant Healthcare Marketing. CURTIS SCHMITT ’09 also works from home as a Solutions Consultant for Tyler Technologies. We’re so lucky to have such accommodating jobs, because it allows us to stay home with our newest addition: a baby boy named Finley John, who we welcomed on October 18, 2017.”

RUTH LAWRENCE ’08 of Germantown, Wisconsin, reported, “I graduated from UW Milwaukee with a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders in August 2017. I am working as a Speech-Language Pathologist for Aegis Therapies in the Milwaukee area. I had a baby in December, her name is Alice.”

TYLOR LOEST ’08 of Ripon, Wisconsin, wrote, “After 8 years, I will be leaving Ripon College and heading to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. There I will become the next Corporate Relations Coordinator.”

ERIN MAGUIRE ‘08 of Hot Springs, Arkansas, is employed as a social worker for Davita Dialysis, a Fortune 500 healthcare company. She oversees three different dialysis clinics in the area. Erin’s father, Kenneth Maguire, passed away May 15, 2017. He was an avid supporter of the Ripon College Fine Arts program and a close friend of Thomas E. Caestecker.

RYAN MANIS ’08 of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, transitioned from Director of Brand Operations with United One Credit Union to Chief Operating Officer for Roydan Enterprises Inc. in Manitowoc.

ARLENE TORRES ’08 of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, became Chair of the Southeastern Wisconsin Educational Consortium on January 1.

ERIN OAKLEY KOLTES ’08 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, married Mike Koltes on September 30, 2017.

BRANDON PARROTT-SHEFFER ’08 of Palatine, Illinois, is Vice President at Edelman in Chicago. He is also engaged to be married in October of this year.

LESLIE REINKE LUEDTKE ’08 and RYAN LUEDTKE ’08 of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, welcomed their second baby, Rory Thomas Allen Luedtke, in October 2017.

PAMELA SCHUMACHER MUMM ’08 of Ripon, Wisconsin, transitioned from teaching high school for the past seven years to being the K-8 Media Specialist at the Rosendale Primary and Intermediate Schools this past fall.

SARAH TIMM HARTER ’08 of Proctor, Minnesota, reported, “I moved to Minnesota in June 2015 to start a new job as a psychologist. I recently married on September 30, 2017 and am expecting a baby on July 4, 2018!”

JUSTIN YONKIE ’08 of Portage, Wisconsin, is now working as a Medical Coding Specialist in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin.

JULIE NELSON KUKOWSKI ’08 and BRUCE KUKOWSKI ’10 of El Paso, Texas, write “we recently moved to El Paso, Texas in August. Bruce has taken command of the 734th OD CO (EOD) rear detachment. Julie works for MOPS in El Paso. Our son Travis is preparing to attend kindergarten next year.”

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

​2009

Emily A. Meyer

[email protected]

Angela Olivas Peña

[email protected]

Hello Class of 2009!

It is that time of year when you get a lovely letter from me with updates! Stephen and I are coming up on our 1 year anniversary of moving to Moorhead and we continue to love it here. We just got back from our annual trip to Ripon for Alumni Weekend, where we celebrated Stephen’s class reunion. It is hard to believe that next year will be our 10th reunion!  I find it hard to believe we’ve been out of undergrad for that long; it feels like we just graduated a few years ago. That being said, the planning for our 10th reunion will commence soon! I’ve volunteered to help plan it (along with a few other classmates). If you have suggestions on where our reunion should be, please let me know!  I may also post a poll in our Facebook group (if you don’t have Facebook, please feel free to email me and I’ll get in touch with you that way!).

While we were in Ripon, I had the opportunity to stop and visit ELIZA CHERRY STEPHENSON ’09 and her new baby daughter, Vivian! Some other updates from our classmates include one from AMANDA KNUTSON ’09 who is currently working on her Master’s in Education through St. Mary’s University in Minnesota and teaching 4K-5th grade at an alternate school at the same time! BRITTANY KAUFMAN PRATT ’09 was the recipient of the Missouri Psychological Association Early Career Psychologist of the Year award; congratulations Brittany!  

Other updates include one from CURTIS SCHMITT ’09 and his wife SARA KUSSMANN SCHMITT ’08, who welcomed a baby boy (Finley John) on October 18, 2017! Curtis and Sara both work from home, which allows them to spend lots of time with Finley. TIFFANY WALKER KINAS ’09 and her husband Ben also welcomed a baby this past year; daughter Callie Kinas was born on August 26, 2017. Their son, Cameron, is very excited to be a big brother! BRYAN NELL ’09 and his wife, Kara, also welcomed a daughter, Annabeth, in July, 2017. Bryan is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota, Morris.

From the other side of the pond, JUSTIN HOKE ’09 is working for the Gene and Cell Therapy Group after working as a senior research technician of gene and cell therapies at University College of London in the Institute of Ophthalmology. Justin conducts experiments, collects tissues, processes samples, trains new staff members, and conducts gene therapy treatments as part of this position. Justin also participates in weekly meetings where new research is shared and critiqued and new ideas are generated to help projects continue to advance. Justin, it sounds like you are doing great things!

Well, I think that is everything for now! Be on the lookout for more information regarding our 10 year reunion; hope to see you there!

EMILY

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Class Agents:

Angela Olivas Peña, [email protected]

Emily Meyer, [email protected]

Spring 2018

Dear Class of 2009,

I hope, as always, that this letter finds you all well. I’ll be brief since I have a tiny human to go catch before he gets into a kitchen cabinet or eats the dog food. Jett James is now 10 months old and loving life. He enjoys bath time, the outdoors, his dog Ollie, and eating everything. I enjoy his laughs and chubby cheeks. He sure has taught me some perspective about life- including not taking myself too seriously and enjoying each moment. I hope that life after Ripon has given you all of that too.

This spring, please enjoy this letter and any available updates and news via email and Facebook. You can look out for the magazine and more news and updates again in the fall. Message me, Emily or the College anytime. Thank you all for taking time to read and reconnect. Happy spring!

 

Sincerely,

Angela Peña

806-319-0409

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

​2012

Katlyn Lee Schumacher

608-558-9073 / [email protected]

Erin Schaick

603-513-9965 / [email protected]

Brandon Taylor

406-274-4708 / [email protected]

Greetings, friends!

Even though we graduated 6 years ago, it is such a joy reading everyone’s life updates! We are physically located all over the country, we have been travelling all over the world, and how cool is it to be able to call each other classmates. Like Erin, I get asked quite frequently where I went to college and I always start with, “Ripon…Ripon College. It’s a small, private, D3, liberal arts school in the Midwest…” and then go on explaining where it is and how it is smaller than most people’s high schools! And although Rippin’ Good Cookies may be closed, and our Alumni Weekend is all wrapped up, I think it’s safe to say Ripon will always be in my thoughts.

 

I know you have all been waiting to find out what we have been up to, so here we go!

 

ARIEL DICKINSON ’12 of Madison, Wisconsin got married to Casey Schenkel last summer and bought a house. She works at Epic, a software company in Verona, Wisconsin.

 

SHARON KLAPPERICH DOLL ’12 of Oconto, Wisconsin graduated from Concordia University, Wisconsin with her teaching certification and a Masters in Education – Teaching and Learning. She is finishing up her year as a Long Term Sub at Preble High School in Green Bay.

 

KATHARINE SHADLE GAILS ’12 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and RYAN GAILS ’13 bought a house.

 

KURT HARDY ’12 of Minneapolis, Minnesota is a Digital Project Manager at Ackmann & Dickenson. He also serves on the board for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America – Minnesota Chapter. He also enjoys writing music with fellow alumnus CARLOS SOTO ’11.

 

EMILY SHEEKS INGEMANN ’12 of Sussex, Wisconsin got married to JOHN INGEMANN ’12 on May 26th at Ripon, in beautiful 95 degree May weather.

 

AURORA POLLEI LAMEKA ’12 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is living with SPENCER LAMEKA ’12 and they just bought their first house. Aurora finished her first year teaching at the Notre Dame School of Milwaukee and Spencer is working for My Choice Family Care.

 

MEGAN MCGEE NORRIS ’12 of Kenosha, Wisconsin and her husband, Adam, are expecting their first child – a baby boy due October 12th. They are super excited and she really enjoys being her own boss as an attorney. They have four rescue dogs and Megan loves volunteering on the board of directors for Wish Upon A Rescue – an amazing animal rescue started by our classmate, STEPHANIE JENISCH RHEINGRUBER ’12 of Lockport, Illinois.

 

ERIN SCHAICK ’12 of Concord, New Hampshire graduated from the Leadership Greater Concord program, affiliated with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce.

 

BRANDON TAYLOR ’12 of Arlee, Montana celebrated his five-year anniversary with Accenture as a Technology Consultant. He recently traveled to Bali, Indonesia and various cities in Australia, and will be moving into San Francisco in the coming weeks.

 

KATRINA SCHAULAND WATKINS ’12 of Hertford, North Carolina moved to Kodiak, Alaska for the next 3-4 years.

 

ANDREA ZAK ’12 of Ripon, Wisconsin got engaged last summer and will get married to Brian Kamin on October 27th. They got a new puppy and she is also starting a new role as Athletic Director (while also teaching) in Princeton, Wisconsin.

 

Thank you to everyone who shared these updates! Feel free to send those to us via email or our Facebook group anytime. Here’s to another great year!

ERIN, KATLYN, & BRANDON

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

2013

Alexandra Peltier

[email protected]

Travis Bitters

[email protected]

Charlotte E. S. Lee

[email protected]

Lauren Ott  

[email protected]

Class of 2013,

We had our 5-year reunion this past summer. Our classmates are doing amazing things! They are attending graduate schools, becoming doctors, having families, buying homes, getting married, adopting pets, and overall pretty much running the world. I think it is safe to say that although we feel a little old, we totally own this adulting thing.

Meanwhile, the class of 2022 has moved into their first year housing and begun their adventure. There are many changes including highway 23 between Fond du Lac and Rosendale being closed (will they never understand the need to set their cruise control to 24 mph?), fire pits outside the union, The Pub they now call The Spot, and an amazing Willmore Center. Things just keep improving at Ripon, and I hope to see you on campus sometime soon!  

Signed,

ALI PELTIER

Class Notes:

SARAH MOEHRKE ’13 of Lake Forest Park, Washington, traveled to 12 states in 2017, including a road trip across the Southwest and the Midwest, but her favorite place to go is Los Angeles, where she visited eight times in 2017.

KATE AMELL FEHRENBACH ’13 and ANDY FEHRENBACH ’13 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, welcomed their third child (first girl!), Emma Louise Fehrenbach on November 20. The family is also in the process of purchasing their first house!

WALESKA HERNANDEZ RUSS ’13 of Shawano, Wisconsin, is a high school Spanish teacher in Shawano and just had a baby boy.

KATIE WILLIAMS ’13 of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, is working towards a Master’s degree in Education with the University of Saint Mary’s in Minnesota while teaching 5th grade in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

AMANDA VIRTUE ’13 of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, bought a house!

TREVOR WARREN LYNN ’13 of Warrensburg, Missouri, left active duty Air Force in December, then joined the Air National Guard. He is also currently student teaching at Knob Noster High School in Missouri and will be graduating with his MAT from the University of Central Missouri in May.

ELLIE HEDBERG ’13 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently started a new position as a Nursing Station Technician at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. And has applied to a few nursing programs.

CHRISTINA MOONEY ’13 of Chicago, Illinois, writes, “I adopted a corgi puppy and named him after Italian WWII spy Pino Lella.” Christina is just waiting for the day that she wake up and is magically Chrissy Teigen (Lauren thinks it will happen soon).

MEGHAN RAEBEL ’13 of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, graduated, got a real job, and was recently blessed with the arrival of two beautiful kittens.

ZACHARY WIELAND ’13 of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and his wife had their son on January 2. He saved up enough vacation to take 4 weeks off from work when she returns to work from maternity leave.

OLIVIA WETZEL ’13 of Watertown, Wisconsin, writes, “Olivia has her MSE in Professional School Counseling. She is the K-5 School Counselor at Rossman Elementary School in Hartford, Wisconsin.

CHRISTINA MOONEY ’13 of Chicago, Illinois, is just waiting for the day that she wake up and is magically Chrissy Teigen. (Lauren thinks it will happen soon)

STEPHANIE WILL ’13 of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, adopted an 8 year old Jack Russell Terrier name Sophie last July. She is also still the school psychologist in Wild Rose.

KEELIN MEESE PETROUSKI ’13 of Columbus, Wisconsin, just had a baby girl in January!

LISA AGUILAR ’13 of Bismarck, North Dakota, writes, “I’m currently completing my dissertation research in North Dakota and in June I’ll start my terminal doctoral internship in Alaska for the 2018-2019 school year.”

TOM ALBRECHT ’13 of Holmen, Wisconsin, went to the dentist for the first time in 10 years. Had 11 fillings done.”

BREANA BUTT FELLINGER ’13 of Omro, Wisconsin, has graduated medical school and begun residency in Family Medicine in Appleton, Wisconsin. She and her husband have purchased a house and are expecting their first child!

ALI PELTIER ’13 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin has accepted a new position as the Channel Marketing Manager for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board) promoting Wisconsin Cheese in national retail outlets. She and her boyfriend, Jonathan have moved into a new house in May.

MATTHEW ROHRBECK ’13 of Portage, Wisconsin was reelected to the Columbia County Board of Supervisors as the District 8 Supervisor and accepted a new position in the Wisconsin State Assembly for Representative Joel Kitchens as his research assistant. Matthew was assigned to be the committee clerk for the Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding. In May 2018, he graduated with a Master’s in Public Affairs (MPA) degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs.

LAUREN OTT ’13 of Minneapolis, Minnesota writes, “We (KYLE GREENE ’15) bought a condo in Downtown Minneapolis. It has three bedrooms and LOTS of space for visitors. (CHARLOTTE LEE WAHLE ’13 can attest!) We also spent a week visiting Seattle with SARAH MOEHRKE ’13 and ROBERTA MARTIN ’12, in March. Highly recommend hanging out with both of them as often as possible. AND made it to the reunion and had a great time hanging out with our class.” Lauren also has an adorable dog with his own instagram account, @theofoxdog and Ali likes every. Single. Photo.

CHARLETTE LEE WAHLE ’13 and her husband Marty are expecting an addition to their family, due in January 2019!

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Travis Bitters [email protected]

Charlotte Lee Wahle [email protected]

Lauren Ott [email protected]

Alexandra Peltier [email protected]

Spring 2018

Hello class of 2013. We graduated five years ago in May.

Does anyone else feel old? After reading your updates with all of your exciting accomplishments and life events, I certainly do. If you told me when we graduated that today I would be living in Downtown Minneapolis with KYLE GREENE ’15 (still open for visitors BTW), in my third year full time at the YMCA, and that I would have adopted the cutest dog ever (who you can follow on Instagram @theofoxdog), I would not have believed it.

It always feels overwhelming to look back to our time at Ripon, and compare it to where we are now. How in retrospect, things that were daunting or stressful then are barely remembered now. Now, all I can remember are the nights up late either studying or “studying,” Derby Days in the quad, excursions to the prairie….the best times.

This time, the overwhelming feelings are excitement to relive these memories this summer at our five-year reunion! Alumni Weekend (June 21-24) has a packed agenda, including lawn games in the quad for just our class. The whole weekend of activities is up online at www.ripon.edu/alumni-weekend and you can even stay on campus if you want to.

Anyway, thank you all for continuing to put up with our pestering. We like hearing where you are and what you’re up to. And Ripon does too! See our class news notes below. Hope to see you in June!

LAUREN OTT ’13

Spring 2018

News from classmates:

SARAH MOEHRKE ’13 of Lake Forest Park, Washington, traveled to 12 states in 2017, including a road trip across the Southwest and the Midwest, but her favorite place to go is Los Angeles, which she visited eight times in 2017.

CHARLOTTE LEE WAHLE ’13 of Conway, Arkansas, married Marty Wahle in Kansas on July 29, 2017.

LISA AGUILAR ’13 of Bismarck, North Dakota, writes, “I’m currently completing my dissertation research in North Dakota and in June I’ll start my terminal doctoral internship in Alaska for the 2018-2019 school year.”

AMANDA VIRTUE ’13 of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, bought a house!

ANDY ’13 and KATE AMELL FEHRENBACH ’13 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, welcomed their third child (first girl!), Emma Louise Fehrenbach on November 20. The family is also in the process of purchasing their first house!

STEPHANIE WILL ’13 of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, adopted an 8 year old Jack Russell Terrier named Sophie last July. She is also still the school psychologist in Wild Rose.

WALESKA RUSS ’13 of Shawano, Wisconsin, is a high school Spanish teacher in Shawano and just had a baby boy.

ZACHARY WIELAND ’13 of Green Bay, Wisconsin and his wife had their son on January 2nd. He saved up enough vacation to take 4 weeks off from work when she returns to work from maternity leave.

TINA MOONEY ’13 of Chicago, Illinois, is just waiting for the day that she wakes up and is magically Chrissy Teigen. (Lauren thinks it will happen soon).

ELLIE HEDBERG ’13 of Minneapolis, Minnesota recently started a new position as a Nursing Station Technician at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, and has applied to a few nursing programs.

MEGHAN RAEBEL ’13 of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, graduated, got a real job, and was recently blessed with the arrival of two beautiful kittens!

TOM ALBRECHT ’13 of Holmen, Wisconsin, went to the dentist for the first time in 10 years. Had 11 filings done.

KEELIN MEESE PETROUSKI ’13 of Columbus, Wisconsin, just had a baby girl in January!

TREVOR LYNN ’13 of Warrensburg, Missouri, left active duty Air Force in December, then joined the AIr National Guard. He is also currently student teaching at Knob Noster High School in Missouri and will be graduating with my MAT from the University of Central Missouri in May.

2

Spring 2018

KATIE WILLIAMS ’13 of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, is working towards a Master’s degree in Education with the University of Saint Mary’s in Minnesota while teaching 5th grade in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

CHRIS CHASE ‘13 recently accepted a new position as a management consultant with Brooks International.

BREANA BUTT FELLINGER ’13 got married in October and graduating medical school this spring.

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

​2014

Tim Holme

608.333.9526 / [email protected]

Mara Jensen Poullette

952.412.1420. / [email protected]

Naomi Jahn Skulan

920.342.7288 / [email protected]

Hey y’all!

As always, it’s been so fun getting to hear all of the amazing things that all of our classmates have been up to since the last updated. New jobs, new marriages, new children (and fur children!) – When did we become such full-blown adults? And can you believe that next year is our 5 year reunion already? I swear it was just yesterday that we were all chatting between classes in the pub (which is now “The Spot”… still not used to that), or hanging out together on our senior pub crawl for senior week.

 

I had the chance to get back to campus for Alumni Weekend this year, and I was amazed at how quickly all of the memories of time spent there came flooding back. I can only imagine all the fun we’ll have swapping stories at our reunion next year (get ready to be super annoyed with how much we push you all to come to Alumni Weekend 2019 (June 27-30) ☺)!

 

Keep killin’ it, class of 2014!

 

Sincerely,

MARA JENSEN POULLETTE

 

TIM HOLME

 

NAOMI JAHN SKULAN

 

 

• JEREMY BROUWER ’14 got a job as a lighting artist at MPC – a major VFX studio in Montreal. He is currently working on a film for Disney that comes out in November.

 

• EMILY DOZIER ’14 started a new position in March of this year. She is the Adult Education Transition Coordinator at John Wood Community College in Quincy, Illinois. She and her husband do not have kids yet, so they have made travel a priority. They went to India last year and South Africa this year.

 

• SAMANTHA ANGELL ’14 got married to Josh Eastberg on June 2nd in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

 

• BENJAMIN FIRGENS ’14 of State College, Pennsylvania, wrote a “Top Student Paper” titled “Medicating Nature: aldo Communication division of the National Communication Association.”

 

• AMANDA FINN HAGGERTY ’14 and her husband Kyle purchased a condo in Chicago and moved down in April. Amanda is now the Illinois editor and venue relations coordinator for Footlights Magazine and freelance writing.

 

• MADELINE SOCKNESS HERRMANN ’14 and MAX HERRMANN ’13 both graduated with their Master’s degrees in Quality Instruction this past May.

 

• KARLYE WEHNER ’14 got married to Marcus Krien on May 19th.

 

• AMANDA SPATCHEK ’14 started a new position in May as a Travel and Expense Specialist with the same company. Her husband and she adopted a kitten in the beginning of June.

 

• CAM PLANTZ ’14 writes that he “went to the moon and back. NBD.”

 

• MARA JENSEN POULLETTE ’14 and SAM POULLETTE ’13 both continue to work at Lakeland University in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in the student life and admission departments, respectively.  Mara continues to work towards her Master’s in counseling with her emphasis in higher education counseling. They rescued their first dog, Arnie, in June and he is keeping them very busy.
• LINDSEY RIDLEY ’14 got married and had a baby boy.

 

• MAX ROY ’14 is now the Director of Operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington County. His wife, Cetonia, now works for Susan G. Komen as a Program Coordinator. Their son, Xavier, starts Junior Kindergarten in the fall. They are excited to spend their first summer in their new home in Wauwatosa.

 

• SUNNY STROEDE ’14 got engaged to Chaz Rufo in October of 2017 and moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma this past March. She is currently the Boutique Team Leader for the Lake View Pointe Francesca’s and is working to get her associates degree in accounting. She is still riding and showing APHA/AQHA horses as well.

 

• ELIZABETH WALSH ’14 is now a Ph.D. candidate in Entomology. She is still at Texas A&M University and is still into honey bees.

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Class Agents:

Mara Poullette, [email protected]

Naomi Skulan, [email protected]

Tim Holme, [email protected]

 

Spring 2018

My fellow classmates!

The time has flown by since we graduated from Ripon. This is why we challenge you to make the most of your time and keep writing the awesome story we call adulthood. Cherish your college memories but make new ones. Come by sometime to visit the campus and check out what is new. We thank you for the updates on your lives and careers and we look forward to hearing more from you.

 

Best Regards,

     

Mara, Naomi, and Tim

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

2015

Sam Kay

[email protected]

Kaylie Longley

[email protected]

 

I’ve been thinking about the differences between being busy and being productive a lot lately, and so I thought I’d share some things I’ve learned.

 

During college, as many of you know, I carried a 35-pound backpack, camera equipment, and multiple grab and go meals with me. I hustled between multiple jobs, internships, clubs, and classes.

 

I was productive because I had to be: if I didn’t get my homework done between 11:30am and 1pm, I wouldn’t have time again until 5-5:30pm, or even later at 9pm (later, this was my time to host club meetings, so my papers and projects were pushed back even further until 11pm).

 

I didn’t let myself forget meals, even if it meant another sandwich or pastry from We Probably Brew Starbucks. I sacrificed sleep, and clubs were my social life.

 

But since then, I have seemingly infinite time. And it’s up to me how I use it. My typical schedule is simply work, sleep, workout, eat, volunteer or read, sleep. I might nap before working out, and I’ve been known to have dinner after I’ve exercised.

 

This is an adjusted schedule. I used to be simply busy: after work, I’d bus to the gym. Then, I might run rampant with obligations and errands, ultimately eating dinner at 10pm. It was a lot of eggs or pasta because that’s all I felt like preparing.

 

With this physical change comes a mental one, so I’ve shifted my mindset. I have decided what’s essential, my priorities. Here’s some things I’ve learned by honing in on what I value:

 

1. You have to give yourself the time to work on what you truly want. In other words, if it is important to you, you have to create the space for it. Sometimes, it’s a physical space. My volunteer work is often digital. That means I need a computer, internet connection, and a quieter environment. Sometimes, that space is emotional or mental: you love that thing? You want to love it? Jump over the hurdle and work on it. Only you can make it happen. Use that as your motivation.

 

2. Being productive means doing a lot of things behind the scenes. A lot of people just go full force into an idea, but they may have forgotten about the whys, the greater context, or the bigger picture. Some forget the little details. Remember, there’s a lot of sweat involved. Maybe coding or another Youtube how-to (if cat videos follow, I understand). Maybe you have to write endless to-do lists. Whatever it is, you have to set a structure that you (and maybe an accountabilibuddy) know, so you can get the work done for it. You might have to go it alone for a while. Which leads to my hardest point on being productive…

 

3. You might have to say NO. Being productive in reaching your goals means disregarding irrelevant data points and assignments. Sometimes even the to-do list has to go. What do I mean? Saying “no” results in a better use of life’s greatest resource, time. Most of us work for someone or something, and these responsibilities guide how we spend our days. If you really want to achieve your goal, or make productive steps to it, you have to start. That means saying “bye” to time-suckers. With my new phone, I’ve deleted social media apps. My social life too has been reduced to the weekend (this might be a feedback loop). By spending less time socializing, online and off, I have the freedom to choose ME more.

 

So, how do you want to be productive? What’s your vision? If you want to own your own business and write at coffee shops to pay off student loans, then sign me up, friend. Whatever your goals are, don’t led social media, naysayers, or your physical or mental hurdles stop you. Just start. Use this letter to set your direction!

 

Best,

 

Kaylie and Sam

 

JAMES ALLEN ’15 of Rochester, Minnesota is working at the Mayo Clinic on HIV research.

 

MICHAEL ANDERSON ’15 of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is currently in the process of commissioning with the US Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

 

ETHAN BEMOWSKI ’15 of Green Bay, Wisconsin started working as a Sales Executive with Schneider National in June.

 

KATIE BIEDLER ’15 of Saint Cloud, Minnesota has transitioned to working full time on her Master’s in Strategic Media Communications at Saint Cloud State University.

 

CAT CARBAJAL ’15 graduated from DePaul University College of Law in May with a tax law certificate. She’ll be taking the Massachusetts bar exam in July. Before moving to Boston in September, she’ll be celebrating the end of summer in Chicago.

 

ANDREW CARBALLO ’15 of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, graduated from St. Thomas Law School in May. He is working as a judicial clerk with the Hennepin County District Court.

 

KYLE CRESS ’15 of Bloomington, Minnesota will be graduating in November 2018 as a Doctor of Chiropractic.

 

ZACH CONNERS ‘15 of Rockford, Illinois continues to work on home remodeling projects with his boyfriend, Weston Dixon in their new home.

 

ELLE DAVIS ‘15 moved to the Madison area with her boyfriend. She now works in HR as the Talent Acquisition Specialist for Caravel Autism Health, which provides individuals with autism with quality services like 1:1 therapy.

 

EMELIA ERICKSON ‘15 is celebrating one year as Assistant Supervisor at a retirement community in Cincinnati. She just adopted a beautiful black labradane named Stella.

 

PETER HAYES ‘15 of Chicago, Illinois was promoted at Envestnet to the Portfolio Management Consultant team as a Investment Product management specialist. Peter is enjoying life in Chicago where he still eats Domino’s Pizza because Ripon habits are hard to stop.

 

JULIA HASHEIDER ‘15 is moving to Miami with her husband. She’ll be starting a new career adventure.

 

HANNAH HERZOG ‘15 of Appleton, Wisconsin moved to Nashville at the end of July and will be attending Belmont University to get her Masters in Sports Administration. She will also be a graduate teaching assistant there.

 

JORDAN HIBBARD ‘15 of Sugar Camp, Wisconsin is doing accounting work in the insurance department of the Forest County Potawatomi.

 

SAM KAY ‘15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is working as a Project Manager for the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. She manages educational programming in the form of three full day workshops and the society newsletter. She has decided to take the next logical step as a liberal feminist and shave her head. Sam continues to hold her elected officials accountable by calling Sen. Johnson frequently, while also supporting the re-election of Sen. Baldwin.

 

CHRISTIAN KRUEGER ‘15 finished the first year of her PhD in Early American History at Marquette University. She’s currently interning at the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear. She’ll be travelling to Kentucky in July on a Casper Research Grant.

 

HOLLY KORTEMEIER ‘15 of Whitewater, Wisconsin moved to Edgerton, Wisconsin. She completed her masters in school counseling at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater in May. Holly will be starting a new job as a school counselor at an elementary school in Edgerton, Wisconsin this fall!

 

MICHAEL LANPHIER ‘15 and JOHANNA BURTON ‘13 moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. He has a new job as a Technical Applications Specialist, and she works at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.

 

ARIEL LEE ‘15 is loving her recent promotion to marketing manager of Heidel House.

 

EMILY FISCHER LENSMIRE ‘15 of Reedsville, Wisconsin, is loving life with her baby girl, Charlotte who is growing up very quickly! Emily is excited for her upcoming girls’ weekend in Door County with EMMA BRONSON ‘17, JENNIFER NIGGEMEIER ‘16, and SAM KAY ‘15.

 

MARK LISOWSKI ‘15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is going into his second year of graduate school at Marquette. He has a summer internship doing editorial work for a publisher that publishes seven different magazines for the agriculture industry. For his second year of school, he’s interning for a journalist. They are reporting on Mississippi River water quality and state legislation intended to improve environmental health around the river. Mark is enjoying his busy but fun summer spent hanging out with a bunch of other Ripon alumni!

 

KAYLIE LONGLEY ‘15 is still slaying marketing dragons in a dungeon, tackling one of her latest monsters called Google Ads. Though she’s finally in the process of buying her first car, she thinks Uber drivers provide the cheapest therapy at about $1.50/minute. She’s considering adding a segment on the shared humanity of fellow bus folks, bikers, and Uber users to her upcoming website.

 

RAQUEL MACSWAIN ‘15 of Stillwater, Minnesota is moving from California to Portland, Oregon to attend Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School of Education and Counseling this fall. She is hoping to tie in a ecopsychology certificate into the school counseling field too.

 

KATIE JO MCGEE ‘15 of Ripon, Wisconsin will be traveling to Nanjing, China with an after school program, called First Leap, to teach English to children.

 

NICOLE MALLI ‘15 of Washington, DC is still working for the Slave Wrecks Project. Her current fieldwork takes her to Biscayne, Florida and next she will be traveling to St. Croix for scuba shipwreck surveying training. Additionally, she has been working with an organization called Kaleidoscopio in Mozambique. This group helps find local artisans to create pieces that depict the story of the slave trade and the diaspora that it caused. Nicole’s cats are living their best lives, largely due to the new addition to their kitty condo.

 

EMILY MENGERT ‘15 of Phoenix, Arizona is building a house in Maricopa, Arizona. She expects to complete this project by early next year.

 

CODY MESSERSCHMIDT ‘15 of Madison, Wisconsin has been working as a Project Manager at Epic since summer of 2015. A few months ago Cody separated from his long time friend and roommate ZACH SPACIEL ‘15. Zach and Cody continue to speak, although the distance has been difficult for their relationship. Recently, the pair was contacted by the Disney Channel to star in a remake of one of their old shows. Cody is weighing his options.

 

CONNOR MESSERSCHMIDT ‘15 married Megan Messerschmidt on June 2, 2018.

 

KATRINA O’NEILL ’15 of Minocqua, Wisconsin, is working as a manager for the Minocqua Sherwin Williams Store.

 

BRIANNE MILROY ‘15 of Shorewood, Wisconsin is in her second year at Marquette University for her masters in School Counseling, she will graduate in May 2019.

 

JESSICA SKIBA MORGAN ‘15 of Cedarburg, Wisconsin in enjoying married life with LUKE MORGAN ‘14. They spend Friday nights at Summer Sounds, a live concert series in Cedarburg where they enjoy wine and trying out the food trucks.

 

ZAC NELL ‘15 of Minneapolis, Minnesota married ERIKA RIEBE NELL ‘16 on June 9. They will be seeing Hamilton together in September.

 

JONATHAN NEWBERY ‘15 of Oak Park, Illinois is living in Pensacola, Florida. He was recently promoted to lieutenant junior grade.

 

KORRINE PETERSON ‘15 of Burlington, Wisconsin, is working as a customer service representative at Wisconsin Vision Associates. She will be marrying STEPHEN COVALT’ 17 on September 28, 2019.

 

JAY PETTENGILL ‘15 of Medicine Lake, Minnesota proposed to his girlfriend, Taylor Rush on May 26.

 

CHLOE PIEPHO ‘15 of Rochester, Minnesota is living in Los Angeles, California and attending graduate school at USC. She will be completing her M.A. in Strategic Public Relations in December. She works for the LA Galaxy as a Digital Media Associate.

 

MEG RAY ‘15 of Delafield, Wisconsin works as a studio assistant at Kara Reese Photography and a bookseller at Books & Company Independent Bookstore.

 

BRISTOLE RYFF ‘15 recently moved back to Orland Park, Illinois. She spends her free time with her adorable rescue dog Dante. She loves her walks to see his quirky personality in action. Professionally, she enjoys subbing in special education classrooms.

 

CLARENCE SANON ‘15 is working as an Account Executive at a startup called Indigo Fair.

 

LAURA SAVALL ‘15 of Ridgeland, Wisconsin is now a graduate of Vermont Law School. She is studying hard for the Vermont Bar. She will be staying in the North East and looks forward to the fall colors!

 

KARENA SCHROEDER ‘15 of Lakeville, Minnesota is happy to announce that her baby boy, Aiden Sawyer Brenny joined her loving little family June 15th, at 8 lbs 3 oz and 21 ½ inches. He is the greatest gift she could have ever imagined and the center of her entire existence. She is on maternity leave through the end of September so this incredible summer has been, and will continue to be, spent driving to Wisconsin to visit family and friends, enjoying sunny trips up north relaxing by the lake, and fitting as many snuggles in as humanly possible. Recently, Karena had the opportunity to catch up with one of Ripon College’s former Track and Field Assistant Coaches, Jenna Rengo, when she took Aiden’s newborn pictures! Karena highly recommends Jenna’s studio, Joysong Photography.

 

BRIAN SCHUMACHER ‘15 has recently moved back to the Milwaukee area and 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.

 

KARLYN SCHUMACHER ‘15 received her Master’s in Library and Information Studies in December of 2017. She is now working as an academic librarian at South Dakota State University.

 

LAURA SHIVELY ‘15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is still working at Premier Real Estate, LLC. She is now  in charge of notice to vacates. She works closely with the in-house attorney and the expansion of the online leasing and payment system. She is also helping to design and pick out art and furniture for the corporate office, as well as new properties they acquire and rehab. In her free time, Laura enjoys yoga and spin class, and she has been trying a new restaurant every month. She has set a goal to have a zero waste kitchen by composting and cutting out/being mindful of her plastic usage.

 

ELIZABETH SILVA ‘15 of Catalina Island, California is now living in San Francisco, California. She is working for Yelp as an account executive.

 

JENELLE SIMON ‘15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin just completed her second term of service with the College Possible Program at Milwaukee High School of the Arts. She is looking for a job in college admissions.

 

NATE SIUDAK ‘15 of Shorewood, Wisconsin started a new job as an Outside Sales Representative at Paycom in downtown Milwaukee.

 

JOHN SPADONI ‘15 and KRISTY OGLESBY ‘15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin are getting married in November. Kristy works at a law firm in Menomonee Falls. John works at SurfaceWorks as an Account Administrator, helping company clients design custom office and work spaces. They are enjoying life on the East side of Milwaukee with their two dogs, Izzy and Bruce.

 

ANTHONY TAUSIG ‘15 of Chicago, Illinois is working at Broadspire, a Crawford company mostly doing project management. His career allows him to travel the country. Anthony and his girlfriend, ALLISON MACKNICK ‘17 recently got their condo renovated and adopted a puppy named Tula.

 

ALEX THILLMAN ‘15 of Minneapolis, Minnesota graduated in May from law school at St. Thomas University.

 

AMEL TOPIC ‘15 moved back to the Denver area. He is executive director of a skilled nursing/rehab center. Amel is always happy to help other Ripon alumni connect with a career in healthcare.

 

CASEY VERCAUTEREN ‘15 of Chicago, Illinois is working as a management consulting analyst at Accelerated Growth Advisors. Casey is strongly considering a career change to game show hosting but is patiently waiting for Steve Harvey to retire.

 

KAMELLE VAN DER LEEST WATERS ‘15 and ROB WATERS ‘15 are living in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Their Weimaraner, Jake is keeping them busy, and Rob is training for the Madison Ironman in September. Their weekends are filled with Rob’s bike rides, trail runs, and the Wisconsin Tri Series. They will be spending a long weekend in Benton Harbor, Michigan in mid August for a half Ironman as well. They look forward to meeting up with other Ripon alumni this summer!

 

KAITLYN WELZEN ‘15 moved to Seattle and just finished her first year at the Woodland Park Zoo. She loves playing with her dog!

 

DANIELLE ZAYIA ‘15 and AJ ZAYIA ‘15 of Bloomington, Illinois recently married and adopted a chocolate lab puppy named Walle.

 

COLIN UTHE ‘15 is beginning his second year of medical school at Des Moines University.

 

SYDNEY CHURCH ‘15 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin will be marrying AUSTIN VAN TREECK ‘14 in October. She will be starting her final year of my MBA through Marquette University while still working for Johnsonville.

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Class Agents:

Samantha Kay ’15

[email protected]

Kaylie Longley ’15
[email protected]

Spring 2018

New Year, New Format. This one’s sent straight to your email inbox. The next class letter? You’ll receive it via good old fashioned snail mail.

 

We get bombarded with notifications: your phone perches on your desk or in your pocket, buzzing, waiting. Your inbox is flooded with emails, and you hope you remember to reply to that email from Great Aunt Barb… before it inevitably gets lost in the abyss with the likes of emails from old magazine subscriptions asking for you to come back with a “one time only” special (that you will likely receive 5 more times before finally hitting “unsubscribe”, or worse, “buy now”).

 

Does anyone struggle with this? Or is it just me?

 

Admittedly, I work in digital marketing. I know that this hypothetical “buy now” button could convert more sales with a turn of phrase, or even a hyperlinked image might suffice. I know that most emails aren’t read, they’re scanned (and that’s if they’re opened at all!). I know the future of this industry rests on understanding these rapidly evolving technologies and the people who can’t help but use them. Whether it’s turning away from or to the technologies, everyone is a consumer.

 

But I also know that these virtual communications can create connections. They may not replace the day-to-day interactions with the physical landscape. Rather, the two worlds interlap. In fact, the internet was the foundation for relationships with people I haven’t seen (and, at times, met) in years. It’s how I reconnected with people who shared my last name but little memories after age 10. Facebook acted as my mediator when I discovered my grandfather lived within a few miles of my old house. I share only a portion of these stories as I grapple with the implications of this shared virtual and physical world, my past and present experiences, colliding.

 

I’m not a grumpy want-to-be-minimalist-marketer who so happens to stare at a screen 8-10 hours a day. I’m someone who is simply asking you, dear reader, to put down the cell phone at the coffee shop. Have a conversation. Use this email to remind you to actually talk to people. See how they’re doing. Really ask them the whys and the hows of their life. What lights them up? How are they disappointed, motivated?

 

Admittedly, in my first draft of this letter, I asked people to play a modern game of I Spy: see how many people resort to their phone in a public place, whether it’s waiting for the bathroom or in line for a hot beverage. Anyone who uses their device loses.

 

But now I realize how shallow that game is. Phones provide an escape into other people’s lives, but the conversations and connections can also surpass distance and time. Use your devices as you will. But recognize, appreciate, and savor the people in your life. Embrace the mess, the pauses, the snorts of laughter. Visit people and don’t worry about taking another selfie with just the right lighting.

 

Thanks for your attention.

 

Until next time,

   

Kaylie and Sam

 

JAMES ALLEN ’15 of Rochester, Minnesota, is working at the Mayo Clinic, mainly in HIV research.

 

MICHAEL ANDERSON ’15 of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is finishing up his last semester of law school at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is anxiously looking forward to his coming unemployment.

 

CHELSEA GRAHN ANDREWS ’15 of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, will be heading to Amsterdam to present her research at an international psychology conference in May. It’s a collaborative project with Ripon’s own Professor Kristine Kovack-Lesh and Becky Leuenberger on attention in preschool aged kids.

 

LORETTE BEECHY ’15 of Marion, Wisconsin, is living in Ripon, Wisconsin and working as the Lead Teacher in the toddler room at Ripon Children’s Learning Center.

 

ZACHERY BEEK ’15 and NIKKI BEEK ’12 of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, are happily married.  Zach is working at the United States Post Office.

 

ETHAN BEMOWSKI ’15 of Appleton, Wisconsin, is working as a Technical Recruiter for Aerotek Scientific.

 

MITCHEL BEILFUSS ’15 of Fremont, Wisconsin, has been working as a project executive at Bayland Buildings in Green Bay since March of 2016.

 

KATIE BIEDLER ’15 of Saint Cloud, Minnesota, is looking forward to her upcoming trip to see ALI LAPIDUS ’15 and ABBY CHIN ’15 in Boston this May. She enjoys designing marketing campaigns for her Master’s in Strategic Media Communications at Saint Cloud State University, though it can be difficult to manage with full-time work. She spends her free time judging Saint Cloud State University and Minnesota State’s forensics & debate tournaments.

 

CAT CARBAJAL ’15 is graduating from law school in May. She will be taking the Massachusetts bar exam in July and then moving to Boston in August.

 

ANDREW CARBALLO ’15 of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, will be graduating from St. Thomas Law School in May. This year, Andrew had the opportunity to argue before the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

 

SYDNEY CHURCH ’15 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, is working for Jonsonville as a BI Developer. She is getting her MBA through Marquette University. She is marrying Austin Van Treek ‘14 in October.

 

KYLE CRESS ’15 of Bloomington, Minnesota, will be graduating from chiropractic school in December 2018.

 

ZACH CONNERS ’15 of Madison, Wisconsin, recently purchased a home with his boyfriend, Weston Dixon in Rockford. He is looking forward to having a yard big enough for his giant dog to play in.

BRANDON DZUBA ’15 of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, is pursuing his PhD in Physics at Purdue University. He no longer works for Theta Chi house. Brandon has started a new hobby, brewing his own beer.

 

CHRISTIAN ERTEL ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is continuing his career with the Milwaukee Bucks as an account executive.

 

DANIELLE GIESCHEN ’15 of Bloomington, Illinois, will earn her master’s degree in Psychology in May. She plans to continue in the program to get her PhD in School Psychology.

 

ALLIE HAEN ’15 of Madison, Wisconsin, is working for the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and working on her MBA at University of Wisconsin Whitewater.

 

JULIA HASHEIDER ‘15 of Ripon, Wisconsin, started her own blog last March, https://www.julesjournal.info. She still works in marketing with Alliance Laundry Systems. Her husband Victor was promoted, and they will be moving to the Miami, Florida area later this year. With deep sorrow and sympathy, Julia and her husband lost their first child to a miscarriage. She says it’s been a journey of both joy and heartache. We hope Ripon provides a sense of family, and we respect her courage in sharing her story so openly.

 

PETER HAYES ’15 of River Forest, Illinois, is working as a Platform Consultant at Envestnet, a trading proprietary/financial services firm in Chicago.

 

HANNAH HERZOG ‘15 of Appleton, Wisconsin, will be moving to Nashville this summer and attending Belmont University in the fall to get her Masters in Sports Administration.

 

HAYDEN HOERDEMANN ’15 of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, will be completing his master’s program at Illinois State in Sports Management. As a men’s basketball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University, his team just clinched a share for the conference title this season. They play in the CCIW.

 

SAMANTHA KAY ‘15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is working as a Project Manager for the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. She manages a variety of projects including legislative tracking, outreach and communications, and the newsletter. Currently, she is planning three full day educational workshops for the Society’s Annual Meeting in Chicago this May. She has recently become a vegetarian because other than bacon, what’s the point? Sam enjoys leaving lengthy voicemails for Senator Ron Johnson about his terrible voting record.

 

SAMANTHA KLEIN ’15 of Baraboo, Wisconsin, has moved to Denver, Colorado. She is now a licensed massage therapist in both Wisconsin and Colorado. Sam started and owns her own therapeutic massage practice, Holistic Healing, LLC, based in Denver. Additionally, she is an independent contractor for a chiropractic office and an integrative health clinic, as an LMT. She also became a Registered Behavior Technician conducting Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy in the homes of families impacted by autism spectrum disorder through a West coast organization called Intercare Therapy. Sam is still doing wellness coaching through a global health organization. She is raising sugar gliders, enjoying delicious food, and playing board and video games.

 

ANDREW KLINE ‘15 of Chicago, Illinois, started working at a logistics tech company called FourKites last summer.

 

HOLLY KORTEMEIER ’15 of Whitewater, Wisconsin, will complete her masters in school counseling at UW-Whitewater this May. She is looking forward to new career opportunities!

 

CHRISTIAN KRUEGER ’15 of Winneconne, Wisconsin, completed her Masters of Medieval Studies in April at Western Michigan University. This fall, she started her PhD in Early American History at Marquette University where she is a teaching assistant.

 

KARISA SIMONSEN KRUEGER ’15 of Redgranite, Wisconsin, is working at Aurora Medical Center in Wautoma as a patient service representative. She married ANDY KRUEGER ’14 on December 9, 2017. They enjoy playing with their pup Benelli together.

 

MICHAEL LANPHIER ’15 or Waterloo, Wisconsin, married JOHANNA BURTON LANPHIER ’13 in June 2017. They will be honeymooning in Scotland this April.

 

ALI KEHL LAPIDUS ’15 of Glencoe, Illinois, is living in Boston, Massachusetts and attending Boston University of Public Health. She is pursuing her MPH in Epidemiology with a focus on Infectious Disease. She recently started an internship at Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Program on Therapeutics, Regulation, and Law.

 

ARIEL LEE ’15 of Ripon, Wisconsin, has been promoted to Marketing Manager of Heidel House.

 

EMILY FISCHER LENSMIRE ’15 of Reedsville, Wisconsin, earned her master’s degree in December 2017. Her baby girl Charlotte now has three teeth and is beginning to walk short distances.

 

TAIHUA “RAY” LI ’15 of Chicago, Illinois, works for CCC Information Services as a data scientist, building AI products.

 

SKYLAR LIEBZEIT ’15 of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, is the Athletic Director at the School District of Manawa.

 

MARK LISOWSKI ’15 of Chicago, Illinois, is in his first year if graduate school at Marquette University. He is studying Communication and pursuing opportunities in journalism. Recently, he’s been volunteering as a reporter for Marquette’s campus news, called the Marquette Wire and for Milwaukee’s Neighborhood News Service. Mark is studying piano in his spare time. He looks forward to the warmer spring weather so he can spend more time outdoors and on his bicycle.

 

KAYLIE LONGLEY ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is attempting a depth year by focusing on the projects she loves and wants to get better at, instead of starting something new. Namely, she’s finally reading everything from her overflowing bookshelf, lifting weights and running every day after her job as a marketing manager, and volunteering regularly at a food pantry.

 

KYLE LOUGHRIN ’15 of Fremont, Wisconsin is working as a sales representative at Badger Sporting Goods.

 

RAQUEL MACSWAIN ‘15 of Stillwater, Minnesota, is living in Sonoma, California. She is working at the Sierra Outdoor School as a Naturalist Intern.

 

KATIE JO MCGEE ’15 of Ripon, Wisconsin, was promoted to Sales Director at BrownBoots Interactive in Fond Du Lac.

 

NICOLE MALLI ’15 of Washington, DC, is living near the DC Zoo where her cats have attempted to escape her apartment to join the big cats. She is still working for the Slave Wrecks Project and will be traveling to Mobile, Alabama to work on the site for the possible finding of the Clotilda. Nicole has cut her hair and dyed it black to reflect her true feelings.

 

EMILY MENGERT ‘15 of Phoenix, Arizona, is working as a recruiter for Southwest Airlines through Aerotek.

 

CODY MESSERSCHMIDT ’15 of Madison, Wisconsin, has been working as a Project Manager at Epic since summer of 2015. He recently ate an entire large pizza by himself, but otherwise he’s doing well.

 

BRI MILROY ’15 of Shorewood, Wisconsin, is attending Marquette University for her masters in School Counseling. She continues to work in the Purchasing Department at Children’s Hospital.

 

JESSICA SKIBA MORGAN ‘15 of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, married LUKE MORGAN ‘14 on November 10, 2017. Jessica is working with orgSource.

 

ZAC NELL ’15 of Saint Germain, Wisconsin moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and is now working at Sporttrader. Zac enjoys playing with his dog, Rodgers.

 

JONATHAN NEWBERY ’15 of Oak Park, Illinois, is living in Pensacola, Florida. He is in advanced jet training with the US Navy.

 

KYLE NOVACK ’15 of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, is still with the Manitowoc Police Department. He enjoys spending time with his Siberian Husky, Tundra. Kyle is also coaching football at Denmark High School and coaching track and field at Mishicot High School.

 

ALEXANDRA PATZA PAULSON ’15 of Ripon, Wisconsin, is working as the Choir Director for Ripon Middle School.

 

KORRIN PETERSON ‘15 of Burlington, Wisconsin, will be marrying Stephen Covalt on September 28, 2019.

 

JAY PETTENGILL ’15 of Medicine Lake, Minnesota, is attending law school at Mitchell Hamline School of Law this fall.

 

CHLOE PIEPHO ’15 of Rochester, Minnesota, is living in Los Angeles, California and attending graduate school at USC. She will be completing her M.A. in Strategic Public Relations in December.

 

MEG RAY ’15 of Wales, Wisconsin, has moved to Delafield and works for Books & Company, an independent bookstore in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

 

KATIE RODENKIRCH ’15 of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, was promoted to lead psychiatric social worker at SaintA. She is in grad school for clinical mental health counseling with a trauma focus and clinical rehab counseling.

 

BRISTOLE RYFF ’15 of Tinley Park, Illinois, rescued a 5-year-old dog, Dante. He is a Bichon Mix. They’re having fun learning each other’s personalities. She says he loves to drink out of people’s water cups and sits at the kitchen table.

 

LAURA SAVALL ’15 of Ridgeland, Wisconsin, will be graduating from Vermont Law this May with a focus on Environmental Justice and Water Quality. Laura works for the Vermont Human Rights Commission which focuses on public accommodation, employment, and housing discrimination. She looks forward to continuing to work in social justice issues after graduating.

 

DEREK AND KAITY LUECK SAXON ’15 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, are happily married. Derek is working on his PhD in chemistry at the University of Minnesota. They recently adopted a dog named Mowgli.

 

KARENA SCHROEDER ’15 of Clintonville, Wisconsin, is excited to finally move back to the Twin Cities area. She is currently living in Burnsville, Minnesota and working in the same position as the Member Services Assistant Manager in a new location, the Shakopee Sam’s Club. Her cat, Bambi is doing great with the move and Karena is excited to say that Bambi will be getting a little brother soon! (She hopes this won’t make Bambi any crazier) In early June, Karena and her boyfriend Andrew are expecting a little boy and couldn’t be more excited for this upcoming adventure! 

 

KARLYN SCHUMACHER ’15 of River Falls, Wisconsin, graduated with her Master’s in Library & Information Studies in December of 2017. She is now working as a Research & Instruction Librarian at South Dakota State University.

 

SAMANTHA and ERIC SEILER ’15 will be married on May 5, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

 

LAURA SHIVELY ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been with Premier Real Estate Management LLC for one year in March. She has been spending more time on her hobbies, morning yoga and spin classes.

 

ELIZABETH SILVA ’15 of Catalina Island, California, left Chicago in December and is now living in San Francisco, California. She is working for Yelp as an account executive.

 

JENELLE SIMON ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is working as a senior high school coach with the College Possible Program at Milwaukee High School of the Arts.

 

NATE SIUDAK ’15 of Shorewood, Wisconsin, recently started a new job in downtown Milwaukee at Paycom.

 

JOHN SPADONI ’15 and KRISTY OGLESBY ’15 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are getting married in November of 2018. Kristy now works at a law firm in Menomonee Falls. John works at SurfaceWorks as an Account Administrator, helping company clients design custom office and work spaces. He is the lead of SurfaceWorks’ university and school project design division and helps to create custom common areas and work spaces in schools and universities across the country.

 

MARA STAEDT ’15 of Appleton, Wisconsin is working as a project manager for HawkPoint Technologies.

 

SHAUNNA  BAUMHARDT STEGGALL ’15 and KYLUN STEGGALL ’14 of Watertown, Wisconsin, are happily married with three boys!

 

ANTHONY TAUSIG ’15 of Chicago, Illinois is working at Broadspire, a Crawford company, with TIM SINKOVITZ ’13. Anthony lives with his girlfriend of 3 years, ALLISON MACKNICK ’17 and about a dozen mice.

 

ALISON THIEL ’15 of Ripon, Wisconsin, married JIMMY NIESCIER ’14 on August 19, 2017.

 

ALEX THILLMAN ’15 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be graduating in May from law school at St. Thomas University. He is taking the bar exam in July.

 

CASEY VERCAUTEREN ’15 of Chicago, Illinois, is working as a management consulting analyst at Accelerated Growth Advisors.

 

KAMELLE VAN DER LEEST ’15 and ROB WATERS ’15 are living in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Rob is working at Saris Cycling Group, and Kamelle is working at Dean Health Plan. At the end of January, they adopted a year and a half old Weimaraner named Jake from an Animal Shelter.

 

KAITLYN WELZEN ’15 of Ripon, Wisconsin, moved to Seattle, Washington, last year and is working as the Recycling & Compost Coordinator at the Woodland Park Zoo.

 

KEVIN WHITENEIR ’15 of Chicago, Illinois, is now working as an exhibit designer for the Chicago Public Library.

 

DANNY WOHLFERT ’15 of Middleton, Wisconsin, is working as a pharmaceutical analyst for Pharmaceutical Product Development.

 

RAQUEL MACSWAIN ’15 and ELIZABETH SILVA ’15 were reunited in California after two years apart. They lived together on 3rd floor Johnson Hall and now they both live in the same sate!

 

(Left to right) SAM KAY ’15, BRI MILROY ’15, KRISTY OGLESBY ’15, MARA POULETTE ’14, JEN KELLER ’16, and ALI NEMECEK ’14 attended the Anniversary Women’s March in Milwaukee this January.

 

(Left to right) AMANDA CLARK ’14, KARISA KRUEGER ’15, NIKKI ATHANASIOU ’16, COURTNEY BLOOMER ’16, BAILEY BODEEN ’14, TESSA DILLENBECK ’17, JESSICA MORGA ’15, SARAH CARBALLO ’13, WALESKA RUSS ’13, BRI MILROY ’15, KARENA SCHROEDER ’15, MADDIE POULETTE ’15, AND SAM KAY ’15 celebrate their sorority sisters wedding in Cedarburg. Jessica was happy to share her big day with the many friends she made at Ripon.

 

JENELLE SIMON ’15, ALLISON THIEL ’15, and KATIE RODENKIRCH ’15 celebrate Allison’s wedding last summer. These three ladies were all part of the Ripon Dance Team and continue to be close friends after graduation.

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Class Agents:

Sara Driebel

[email protected]

Zachary Peterson

[email protected]

Elizabeth Yamat

[email protected]

Spring 2018

Hello Ripon Class of 2016!

 

Spring has arrived again, and it is hard to believe that we are coming up on two years since graduation! I’ll never forget the feeling of springtime at Ripon College. The snow slowly melts leaving muddy hills behind, the tables, chairs and umbrellas return to their places outside of the Commons and the Pub, and there is the unmistakable feeling of excitement mixed with the stress of finals as summer break approaches. These are the memories, among many others, that as a class, we will always cherish and share together, regardless of the time that passes since our graduation.

 

Keeping in touch through these class letters is one way that we are able to continue to share our lives with each other, an extension of the memories of our alma mater that connect us all, no matter where our lives after Ripon College take us.

 

This is why it is so wonderful to hear about all of the successes, life events, changes, and updates from those of our class. Only two years have passed, but the accomplishments have been many! Please continue to send your class agents any updates that you would like to be included in the next edition of our class letter, or send them to [email protected]. We want to hear about it all; everything that is happening in your life, whether it be big or small, that you are looking to share with your class!

 

Sara, Zachary, and Elizabeth

 

Here is what the class of 2016 has been up to recently:

 

ALISON LEAVER ’16 is finishing up her second year at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

 

ALLISON BARNES ’16 has accepted a new position at Direct Supply as a Capital Sales Consultant.

 

ALYSSA KENNEDY ’16 will be finishing up her medical school didactics and will be starting her 3rd and 4th year Medical Rotations at BroMenn Medical Center in June!

 

ALYSSA NYCZ ’16 is over halfway through medical school at the medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin-Green Bay, which means she has survived thus far! Just so no one is confused about where her loyalties are, she still proudly wears her Ripon gear around the St. Norbert campus where her classes are currently held.

 

AMY FELS ’16 is attending graduate school at UW-Milwaukee, where she is working towards two master’s degrees, one in History, and the other in Library and Information Studies. She is also working as a research assistant in the history department fo the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee.

 

ELIZABETH YAMAT ’16 has been enjoying spending time with her new husband, Brady, and their Beagle, Charlie. They like taking walks together, and watching Netflix.

 

EMILY GARY ’16 works for BMO Harris. She is living in Milwaukee and is coaching volleyball for 12-year-olds at Midwest Penguins!

 

FRANK STELTER – HOGH ’16 is teaching Physical Education and Health at St. Athanasius School in Evanston, IL. He is coaching football and track at his Alma Mater, Evanston Township High School. He has also finished his driver’s education certification and is working hard towards his personal training certification as well.

 

GARRISON ANDERSON ’16 was recently named as a finalist for a Presidential Management Fellowship by the United States Office of Personnel Management.

 

HOPE BELL ’16 is headed to South Korea to teach World History!

 

JAMES-MARK OOKO-OMBAKA ’16 may have completed his Sociology major and Politics minor when he walked with the Ripon College Class of 2016, but he was technically not a full graduate yet. With the help from two great advisors (Professors Shatzinger and Eaton), James was able to complete his last few credits studying International Law & Organizations with the Washington Semester Abroad program over the fall semester. During this program he also interned at the National District Attorney’s Association (NDAA) and got to attend congressional hearings and play an integral role in researching and analyzing potential ways to reform the criminal justice system. James then moved to New York in January and was able to find a position working for a startup advertising firm as a Marketing Associate. Today his job is helping local businesses in the White Collar industry grow by using advertising to increase their online presence to boost their clientele!

 

As most college students leave college trying to decide what mark they want to leave on the world, it helps to have a liberal arts education that makes you applicable to all kinds of professions and trades. Wisconsin, to DC, to NY, James’ journey after walking with his class in 2016, has brought him so many different experiences and challenges. He is not sure what surprises and obstacles are ahead, but one thing he does know is his Ripon College education has him well prepared

 

JEN KELLER ’16 has had a crazy exciting year! Living in Milwaukee with EMILY GARY ’16 and alongside so many Ripon friends has been the biggest blessing. She began full time work as the Administrative Services Coordinator for the Villiage of Richfield in conjunction with her continuation to pursue her Master’s Degree in Public Administration. In May, she anticipates graduating with her MPA degree at UW-Milwaukee!

 

JORDAN POLK ’16 is working for Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC) as an Event Manager at Lucus Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. He helps run and organize major events, such as Colts games, the NFL Combine, Big 10 Championship, and Monster Jam!

 

JOSH LUNA ’16 is still fly.

 

JENNIFER NIGGEMEIER ’16 is looking for a great new job! If you have any leads, hit her up!

 

KATHERINE TREDINNICK ’16 is currently interning in the Cincinnati Zoo’s Africa department and gets kisses from superstar hippo, Fiona, on the daily. She is thoroughly enjoying working with and learning more about animals that she observed frolicking on the Tanzanian savannahs a few years ago. She will soon be attending a National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association conference soon in preparation for a paid position at Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in Sycamore, Illinois this summer. She is living the dream as she works on her application for the 2019-2020 school year for a DVM/MPH dual degree.

 

KAY LULING ’16 is working for a marketing firm and was recently promoted from Marketing Assistant to Account Coordinator. This has led her to taking on more responsibility with non-profit clients that work with her company to develop direct mail fundraising programs. In September of 2017, Kay and her boyfriend of five years got engaged and could not be more excited to take the next step and celebrate with their family and friends!

 

KELLI WALSH ’16 is living the dream!

 

MAGGIE BREEN-LYLES ’16 is working at the Mayo Clinic. She coordinates clinical trials in Gastroenterology and is working on a community health study.

 

MAGGIE DYKSTRA ’16 is teaching elementary art in Ripon, Wisconsin.

 

MATTHEW SCHULTZ ’16 has decided to pursue a career in the nursing field due to a prolonged illness in the family. He is looking forward to help other patients and families through hard times! Matthew is currently working toward a certification as a nursing assistant with plans to return to school for a nursing degree down the road. This year, Matthew will be finishing up his term as Special Graduate Trustee to the College and is looking forward to finding new ways to stay involved with Ripon

 

NICK LUEDKE ’16 became co-first author of a review article published in Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics titled “Flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase: N5 of flavin as a methylene carrier”. He presented his research on this topic at the Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference at Loyola University in October 2017 and will continue his research as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) predoctoral trainee in biotechnology. To professionally develop other students and advance the University of Iowa as a premier research institution, Nick was elected onto the executive committee of the University of Iowa’s Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. His athletic career at Ripon College means Nick still has a place his heart for running and completed his first week running more than 100 miles in August 2017.

 

NIKKI ATHANASIOU ’16 and TONY KAATZ ’16 are celebrating their marriage as of February 3, 2018. They have moved to a home in Waukesha together!

 

RACHEL ROKUSEK ’16 is working as a legal assistant for a law firm in Wheeling, IL.

 

RAE BRIXIUS ’16 is working for former Ambassador Chris Hill and wading through mountains of readings for graduate school! In her rare moments of free time, she climbs as many real mountains and tries as many new craft beers as possible.

 

SARA DRIEBEL ’16 has taken a career change and is now the Community Relations/Human Resources Associate for the City of New Berlin. She loves the creativity involved in running the employee Wellness program and getting to work with local businesses to promote growth.

She is also exploring her love of exploring with a trip to visit KATHERINE TREDINNICK ’16 in Cincinnati and ERIKA RIEBE ’16 in Minnesota!

 

SAMANTHA DEY ’16 is teaching high school students. She has recently started teaching Forensic Science as well, which is an interesting and neat addition to her lineup!

 

STEPHANIE ROSENOW ’16 is in a new position now with Oshkosh Corporate! She got a promotion and is now a Communications Specialist. She still coaches cheer, is in the search for a new car, and is catching up with friends as time keeps flying by!

 

TY KETZ ’16 is teaching elementary physical education in the Baldwin-Woodville School District. He is an assistant coach on the football, basketball, and baseball teams at the high school. He just finished up the basketball season and will be heading in to the baseball season soon. Teaching the little kiddos has been incredible!

 

ZACH BRAYER ’16 is living in Ripon and working in Oshkosh!

 

ZACH MUENCH ’16 is still in PA school at Marquette working toward his Master’s Degree.

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Class Agents:

Konner Feldhus ’17

303-280-5835 / [email protected]

Winona Holmes Robbins ’17

650-274-9231 / [email protected]

Erin Canon ’17

414-469-5945 / [email protected]

Spring 2018

Greetings, Class of 2017!

 

January through April always seem to be terrible months. Snowstorms weekly, school and work ramping back up after the holidays, and wind that feels like it is ripping your skin away are not exactly a dream combination. But if I learned anything from Professor Joe Hatcher’s introductory psychology class, it’s that humans can frameshift and distract themselves from bad situations. That’s why, whenever I think about how bad this winter is going for me, I think to June 21st. June 21st is not only the first day of summer this year, but it is also the start of alumni weekend at Ripon College. We hope all of you can make it and that this letter helps you keep something positive in mind throughout the rest of this winter!

 

It’s been close to a year since we graduated, many of us are settled into our jobs or graduate school and are realizing that adult life isn’t as hard as we thought it would be. So naturally, the next item on people’s to do list was getting engaged… It was fun to finally experience engagement season, I’ve always heard of it but until this year never really believed in it. But it is true as we can see from many of our classmates. And to all of them CONGRATS! We are all rooting for your happiness and success for your future family. Also, congrats to all the single classmates as well, dealing with engagement season takes a lot of self-reflection. Whatever stage of post-graduation feels you’re at…remember that your Ripon family is always here for you. Whether you have found happiness and success or you’re currently searching for them both, we are here, rooting for you.

Konnor, Winona, and Erin

 

Class Notes:

 

JORDAN BRABAND ’17 of Bolingbrook, Illinois, recently took a much-needed vacation in Mexico, moved to an apartment in Batavia, Illinois, and still loves her job.

 

EMMA BRONSON ’17 of Harrow, United Kingdom, is working on her dissertation on public relations crisis communication and is slated to finish her master’s program this September. Keep it up, Emma!

 

NOAH DEBRUYN ’17 of Appleton, Wisconsin, got accepted to Adler University’s PsyD program in Clinical Psychology and will be attending in the fall. Congratulations!

 

RYAN EDQUIST ’17 of Phoenix, Arizona, has since graduation moved to Arizona. He’s adopted a German shepherd named Athena. He started a career in business operations with a staffing firm and is up for promotion at the end of the quarter. When not at work he takes his dog on camping adventures out of the back of his car.

 

ELIZABETH ERDMANN ’17 of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and NICHOLAS JULIAN ‘17 of Woodstock, Illinois got engaged to be married in November of 2017 and are planning a wedding for October of 2019. Congratulations to them!

 

KONNER FELDHUS ’17 of Madison, Wisconsin, has recently committed to Des Moines University, where he begins medical school in July of this year.

 

WINONA HOLMES ROBBINS ’17 of Conway, Arkansas, just completed her first season as the Assistant Swimming & Diving Coach at Hendrix College. She is also continuing her work with SAAC as the advisor at Hendrix.

 

BRENDEN MCCOY ’17 of Ripon, Wisconsin, is working as the Assistant Director of Annual Giving at Ripon and getting married to MADDIE VANDENHOUTEN ‘17  in the fall of 2018.

 

HANNAH METZ ’17 of Naperville, Illinois, is in her second semester at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology working on her Ed.S degree for School Psychology! She is working part time at a local cafe as a barista on the side. She is insanely busy, but loves every minute of it. Ripon prepared her well for her graduate work.

 

MHERETE MHERETE ’17 of Silver Springs, Maryland, works as a financial professional at Transamerica Agency Network in Northern Virginia.

 

ZACH RINEHART ’17 of Grand Haven, Michigan, is currently working at Grand Haven High School working with children with Autism. He is coaching wrestling and the Offensive Coordinator for freshman football.

 

TARA SCHULTZ ’17 of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, is currently the Curator & Arts Education Coordinator at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. This fall she will be moving to Washington, D.C. to start working on her master’s degree in Arts Management from American University.

 

DANAE TESCH ’17 of Seattle, Washington, recently moved to Seattle from California

 

ALLY WILBER ’17 of Appleton, Wisconsin, has an artist residency at The Refuge Foundation for the Arts in Appleton, Wisconsin. She also works at The Draw, a local gallery in Appleton where she organizes a twice-monthly, invite-only non-traditional figure drawing session with amazing local artists, among other things.

Since graduation she’s been in two shows, with four upcoming opportunities to publicly display her work coming in the next three months. She’s curated a Refuge Arts show at the Feather and Bone gallery in Appleton, and was featured in the Fox Cities’ Magazine 2018 Artists to watch issue. Recently she was invited to Lawrence University to talk to a senior art class about being an artist post-graduation. www.allywilber.com insta: smokenouveau

 

ALLISON MACKNICK ’17 of Chicago, Illinois, is a professional actor in Chicago, performing in productions all over the city and has been featured in several music videos. When she has the time she and ANTHONY TAUSIG ’15 hunt for the best burgers in the city!

 

JUSTIN WIERSMA ’17 of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, recently moved to Rice Lake and works for Bank of the West as a relationship banker.

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

2016

Sara Driebel

[email protected]

Elizabeth Konieczny

[email protected]

Zachary Peterson

[email protected]

June, 25 2018

Dear Classmates,

As I pen this letter to you all a trip that has taught me many things is coming to a close. TYLER SHIMEK ’16 and myself, over a week ago embarked on a road trip cross country, seeing sights in the upper northeast including Niagara Falls, New York; Portland, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. We have seen how diversely different parts of our county truly can be and yet how we still  all share common bonds that make us who we are as a nation. There have been moments that have made us laugh and ones that have made us use are our “liberal arts” knowledge discussing how they affect who we are as Americans and individuals.

 

Stopping to see Tyler’s great aunt on the way out of Boston in rural Massachusetts, she imparted a few pieces of wisdom on us. “What I think you two are doing is great,” she stated, going on to say that this is the time in your lives that you make some crucial decisions that affects the rest of your life. Through the many differentiating life adventures that we are all currently experiencing and have been since we left our “little nest” that is Ripon College, we have to do everything we can to continue to break the  boundaries of comfort zones, to be the best version of ourselves.

 

An unexpected stop put this all into perspective. Yesterday we were on our way to Fremont, Ohio, the final resting place of our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes, and his home, Spiegel Grove. After a long tiring drive through the unforgiving  mountains of southwest Pennsylvania, a travel plaza with a Starbucks was god sent, it just happened to be right out of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Longing for that extra strength cold brew, something caught my attention immediately as I went for the plaza door: a plaque saying “Flight 93 National Memorial-15 miles.” I knew about it well as all of us from our generation do, being the plane that was headed for Washington D.C on 9/11 that went down in a rural Pennsylvania farm field, but it never crossed my mind that we would be close to it. I guess the rawness of the event still contributes to us not seeking out sites like these.

 

Grabbing our caffeine we exited the interstate and made the 30 minute detour to visit the memorial in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Upon arriving you wind along a over 3 miles prairie like road, as if you’re entering the most peaceful place you could ever imagine. It down poured as we entered the grounds, and clearing only when we reached the site, a bisque sunny just like any other day that 9/11 started out as. From the visitors center, a trail snakes down into the common farm field which become the site of  unbound-able courage, marked now by a marble memorial wall, to the forty victims. The diverse group of flight crew and passengers did what they had to do that day to protect the values of country, so that each and everyone of us are able to take advantage of every opportunity. Our country may have it’s but we need to do our best to be the best person we can, valuing the gifts that those who have come before us have given us.

 

All My Best,

 

ZACHARY PETERSON ’16

 

Class Notes:

 

GARRISON ANDERSON ’16 graduated from Colorado State University with a Masters in Communication Studies.

 

HOPE BELL ’16 is a certified English as a Second Language teacher in South Korea.

 

COURTNEY BLOOMER ’16 is moving to Toledo, Ohio to get her Masters in nursing at the University of Toledo!

 

KARI BROWN ’16 has adopted her second dog: a Shepard/Husky mix named Bailey! She is going into her third year as an area coordinator at St. Norbert.

 

CONNOR CUMMINSKEY ’16 married CARLY LUNDT ’16.

 

JANEMARIE ERICKSON ’16 is currently touring with the Hampstead Stage Company, performing Treasure Island and American Folk Tales and Songs. Next she will be performing with the National Theatre for Children.

 

SIDNEY BLODGETT DEMASTER ’16 has gotten married since college and became a teacher. She is currently teaching second grade in Waupun, Wisconsin and lives in Ripon. During the summers she and her husband have been traveling the United States in their van camper!

 

SAMANTHA DEY ’16 has a new turtle named Ollie and is looking to get a pet hedgehog as well!

 

SARA DRIEBEL ’16 is settling in to her new job with the City of New Berlin and has been searching for a job for the weekends to save up for her own place where she can have chickens and other creatures! Her dog Archy just celebrated his tenth birthday with some pina colada puppy treats and a long game of fetch.

 

MINH DO ’16 is currently in Vietnam working as a sale executive for a Japanese company.

 

ALI FINKEN ERBES ’16 got married on July 7th, 2017 – coming up on one year! She is currently half way done with her Master’s in Social Work from University of Wisconsin – Madison. (As she writes this, she is at an International Social Work Conference in Linz, Austria). She also has a sassy 8 month old kitty named Winnie.

 

LAUREN GOTTSHALL ’16 is in medical school at Penn State College of Medicine and recently presented an abstract at Digestive Disease Week in Washington D.C. She will be traveling to Amsterdam in August to present at the Federation of Neurogastroenterology and Motility Conference.

 

JAYDEE KELLOGG ’15 and AKASH SEN ’16 are engaged and both moved to Oklahoma City with jobs at Boeing. Their dog, Apollo, turned two this year!

 

JEN KELLER ’16 has had a bit of a beserk past six months, but life will stay crazy from here on out because things are not slowing down! This past May Jen graduated from the Public Administration Master’s program at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and has continued working full-time as an Administrative Staff Member for the Village of Richfield. She has moved to her new home in Mequon, Wisconsin. So far, there have been several life lessons regarding home maintenance, and there are likely many more to come. Luckily, a little Youtube and forty trips to Menards can fix most things. For now, she is staying dog-free but y’all have been inspirational this last year with dogs of insta, so who knows, maybe she’ll have an update about that next time!

 

ALYSSA KENNEDY ’16 has moved to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois and has started her third year medical rotations at Advocate BroMenn hospital.

 

TY KETZ ’16 has had a few changes. He was named the head girls basketball coach at St. Croix Central High School and is still teaching in Baldwin at the same elementary school. He has moved to Baldwin as well.

 

KAY LULING ’16 celebrated her two year anniversary at the end of May working for ABD Direct, a direct mail marketing agency geared toward fundraising for national non-profits and progressive advocacy groups. Earlier this year, just months before the two-year mark, she was promoted from assistant to Account Coordinator – as she have been taking on larger clients and responsibilities within the company.  In January 2017 Kay started Irish dancing again, joining the Milwaukee Irish Dance Company at the invitation of an old friend. Performing for various venues across the Midwest, it has been so great to be dancing again, and with such wonderful and talented women. And, saving the best for last, in September, Kay became engaged to her long-term boyfriend Kyle Senglaub – not a Ripon grad, but they met thanks to a friend during her time at Ripon. Their wedding will be held with close friends and family in January 2019.  Kay’s summer will be spent hiking around state and county parks in the Southeastern Wisconsin region and traveling to visit family, including a trip to Boston in late July!

 

JOSHUA LUNA ’16 is in graduate school for occupational therapy and is traveling to Ecuador in July to volunteer at a clinic for a couple of weeks.

 

NICK LUEDTKE ’16 has successfully completed the oral PhD candidacy exam as part of the University of Iowa’s chemistry doctoral program. He has been granted an outstanding teaching award for his efforts as a graduate teaching assistant for organic laboratory. Additionally, he was fortunate to receive a fellowship from The University of Iowa’s Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. This is important to help fund his studies in answering the scientific question: what protein features are found in the human version of the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, but are absent or changed in the phylogenetically ancestral E. coli version of the enzyme? In his free time, he has been running competitively and qualified and competed at The University of Iowa Musco Twilight Track and Field meet in the 800m run with fellow Ripon College Track and Field Alum and training partner, MIKEY ALLEN ’17 (see photo).

 

MEGAN MAREMA ’16 started her orthotic residency in Milwaukee for prosthetics and orthotics. She will spend the next two years there learning from clinicians and preparing to take her certification exams.

 

ALEX MORIARTY ’16 moved out into her own apartment in January and has begun her third year at her job in the insurance field. She had a Ripon roommate live with her for a few months and is doing well!

 

ZACH MUENCH ’16 is still in PA school at Marquette.

 

JENNIFER NIGGEMEIER ’16 is still looking for a job that utilizes all the skills she gained at Ripon. She has a winning personality that would benefit any company. Help a fella alumna achieve her dream!!

 

ALYSSA NYCZ ’16 is a year away from hopefully finishing med school, which means one year away from the “real world.” Her goal? Learning to cook something besides scrambled eggs for dinner.

 

ELIZABETH PETERS ’16 substitute teaches in six school districts during the school year, teaching swim lessons and lifeguarding. She is considering going back to school for American Sign Language and possibly becoming an ASL Interpreter – she’s looking for some classes in her area! This summer Lizzie is co-teaching Elementary Woodshop at Horizon’s Elementary in Appleton, Wisconsin. It’s been an amazing experience with a great co-teacher and kids that love the class. She also manages, lifeguards, and teaches swim lessons at Plamann Lake, manages swim lessons at East High School through Appleton Parks & Recreation, and teaches swim lessons at the local Y on Saturday mornings. She donated 13 inches of her hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths for cancer patients as well!

 

ZACHARY PETERSON ’16 is currently finishing his last academic year in the Masters in English Writing Program: Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with a thesis focus on rhetorics of institutional mental health.  He is currently applying for Ph.d programs in rhetoric and composition and will be presenting at with colleagues at from UWEC at the International Writing Center Association Conference this fall in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

JORDAN POLK ’16 is working for Contemporary Services Corporation as an Event Manager at Lucus Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. He helps run and organize major events, such as Colts games, the NFL Combine, Big 10 Championship, and Monster Jam!

 

PERRY POULOS ’16 is currently in the Master of Biomedical Sciences program at Midwestern University.

 

ERIKA RIEBE ’16 married ZAC NELL ’15 on June 10th. They are loving the dog parent life and are exploring the dog-friendly Twin Cities.

 

STEPHANIE ROSENOW ’16 has been busy at work, but is enjoying the summer by going to the zoo and hitting up high cliff – working on that exercise!!

 

MATTHEW SCHULTZ ’16 just returned from two and a half weeks in Ecuador and Peru and is very excited about finally having seen Kuzcotopia or Machu Picchu as it’s more commonly known. He is still living in Madison as a Certified Nursing Assistant and is trying to resist getting a dog. Matthew is stoked for a summer of concerts including Kesha, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Queen Lizzo, and Florence and the Machine. He is also looking forward to planning a trip to Europe to see a friend in Germany.

 

TYLER SHIMEK ’16 went on a cross country road trip with ZACHARY PETERSON ’16 in June to the the upper east coast including stops in Niagara Falls, New York (Ontario, Canada);  Portland, Maine; Massachusetts’ North Shore; Boston, Massachusetts; and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

 

LIZ SIGSWORTH ’16 finished up her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy program this August and  moved back to the Minnesota/Wisconsin area after that, and is planning a wedding for next spring.

 

KELLI WALSH ’16 is still living the dream.

 

AMY FELS’S ’16 Ripon senior seminar paper (Beyond the Pines: The Socioeconomic Development of Oconto: 1850-1950) was published in the Winter/Spring 2018 issue of Voyageur Magazine. She also had an article (Oshkosh on the Home Front: Activities and Attitudes During WWI) published in the spring 2018 issue of The Muse, the Oshkosh Public Museum quarterly magazine.

 

Submitted by: Olivia Heck

Konner Feldhus ’17

303-280-5835 / [email protected]

Winona Holmes Robbins ’17

650-274-9231  / [email protected]

Erin Canon ’17

414-469-5945 / [email protected]

Class Letter:

Being over a year removed from Ripon, we may not think about Ripon every day anymore, but the college is always thinking about the class of 2017! Back in April, on #OneDayRally, President Messitte matched all of the donations from our class. He even keeps in contact with some alumni from our class. This is not something to take lightly; at a lot of big schools, it’s a rarity for any member of administration to give much thought to the most recent class of alumni after graduation day. It was fun seeing all of the social media posts on #OneDayRally. I hope everyone had a great time reminiscing on some fun days in college and maybe you even reached out to someone you hadn’t spoken with for awhile.

 

When people ask what school I went to and I have to explain that there was only 800 students, their reactions are always PRICELESS. The look of shock on their faces that a college is so small makes me laugh, every time. I’m sure many of you have had the same reaction.  We’re very happy that there is going to be such a large incoming class, apparently, it’s going to be the largest since 2010 with over 270 new students! I’m sure they won’t be as fun as our class… but they can try to live up to us.

We hope that you are all doing well and living your best life, as always, keep in touch!

 

Class Notes:

HANNAH DAVIDSON ’17 of Mundelein, Illinois has been taking culinary and hospitality classes for the last year to receive her Pastry Chef Assistant certification through the culinary and hospitality program at the College of Lake County and is currently a froster at the Nothing Bundt Cakes franchise in Kildeer, Illinois. She claims that she has been mostly fueled by wine and bundt cake for the past year.

 

MARIAH EVERTS ’17 of Watertown, Wisconsin is finishing half a year of teaching English in Taiwan and will be heading back to the States to start her journey towards her Naturopathic Doctorate this coming fall.

 

KONNER FELDHUS ’17 of Des Moines, Iowa began studying medicine at Des Moines University in late July and is enjoying exploring a new city.

 

MASON STANGL ’17 and NICKIE ZEMAN ’17 of St. Paul, Minnesota got engaged on Christmas Eve and have a new black lab/chihuahua puppy named Lucy. Mason works at Equality as a job coach for individuals with mental barriers. Nickie just finished up her first year of law school and is working at Waldeck Law Firm P.A as a law clerk for the summer.

Submitted by: Konner Feldhus

Ripon College alumna – Stephanie Lopez ’17 – recently started attending the University of Chicago in order to receive her Master of Arts degree. The degree will be in social work, which is a passion of Stephanie’s.

Submitted by: Yvonne Nicklaus