CLASS NOTES

1960

Joseph Siefke is a retired geologist. He and his wife Sandy have three grown children, reside in Yucaipa and are enjoying retirement.

1967

John Huntley is self-employed as a broadcast engineer and lives in Rockford, Illinois.

1969

Peter Lindley moved from the Bay Area to Anaheim in 2020 and is ramping up a family business. He and his wife have been married for 35 years and have two grown sons. for Dell before transitioning to Hewlitt Packard as Vice President, Global Logistics in 2007. William retired in January 2020. He and his wife have been married for 30 years, have three daughters and reside in The Woodlands, TX, just north of Houston.

The Kohorst Family including Bob ’71, Kevin ’03 and Matt ’07 were together in Zagreb, Croatia this summer where Kevin’s son Will (7) had the chance to train at the Croatian football team’s Robbery Team Sergeant, Special stadium. Bob served as the United States Ambassador to Croatia from 2017-2020.

1970

Don Olender has started a new position as executive director at The Children’s Advocacy Center - serving Covina/Los Alamitos.

1976

William Long spent 40 years working in engineering, supply chain management and logistics. He and his family moved from Orange County in 2000 to Austin, where he served as the head of logistics for the Americas Region Events Sergeant and Real Time Crime Center Sergeant. Arnel and his wife have moved to Texas where he hopes to coach basketball at the high school level again as a retirement hobby before deciding what his next career move will be.

1985

Arnel Aquino retired in July as a Sergeant for the Sacramento Police Department after 25 years of service. During his career, he was blessed to have had the opportunity to work many assignments including: Field Training Officer, SWAT Officer, Narcotics/Vice Detective, Felony Assaults Detective, Homicide Detective, Patrol Sergeant, Events Sergeant and Real Time Crime Center Sargeant. Arnel and his wife have moved to Texas where he hopes to coach basketball at the high school level again as a retirement hobby before deciding what his next career move will be.

1987

Jorge Garibay has been in the hospitality Industry since 1997 and for the past four years, he has been working for HS HOTSSON HOTELS AND RESORTS a Mexican hotel chain based in Guanajuato, Mexico. He currently serves as the general manager of the HS HOTSSON LEON Hotel, the First HOTSSON HOTEL. With the challenges of the pandemic the hotel chain created their own Covid-19 Protocol, named HS HOTSSON CARES which comprises more than 150 strategic actions to keep guests and vendors safe. Their protocol is now considered a reference for different governmental entities within the Guanajuato and surrounding states.

George Garber '87

1988

Stephen Smith is the plant manager for 48Forty Solutions and resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

1997

Kerry Donoghue wrote a children’s book during quarantine titled The Loudest Voice of All to inspire little girls to get comfortable with civic engagement and eventually vote. The book can be purchased online at www.kmimagine.com/ the-loudest-voice-of-all and proceeds are being donated to Black Lives Matter and Vote Like a Woman.

2001

Andrew Packer started at Southwestern Law School in June participating in their SCALE Two-Year Accelerated Program.

Julian Harmon ’01 and Matt Henderson ’01 are co-owners of the North American Aluminum Stretcher Company (NAASCO), a fabrication company that supports the art industry with offices in Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA. They fabricate aluminum supported canvases for professional painters and work with professional visual artists all over the country. The two started the company in 2014 and to this day they are the two cutting and producing every order by hand. Julian is married to Iris Schmalix ’01 and Matt recently wed Laura Robertson on August 8, 2020. Julian maintains the Los Angeles based office while Matt heads up the Brooklyn location. Check them out online at naasco.us or on Instagram @ naasco_usa.

Brent Pattison '01 and Andrew Nicholson '04 were both on a Strike Team helping to battle the Santa Cruz fire back in August. Brent is with San Gabriel Fire and Drew is with the City of Alhambra.

2002

Tamara Bryant has published her first book An Inkling, A Backpack and All the Time in the World- Traveling on a Whim, which is currently available on Amazon.

2003

Zach Ramirez is an animator for Rick and Morty, an animated series on adult-swim.

2004

Marites Yao worked within the entertainment industry including serving as a research assistant at ABC News and CNN before she pivoted to work on political campaigns. She got her start on Eric Garcetti’s first mayoral campaign and worked on several other winning political campaigns within the Los Angeles area. Eventually she decided on a career in healthcare and recently assisted with implementing testing procedures and leading a team who helped diagnose and treat high acuity patients at the start of the pandemic at Keck Medicine of USC. Marites is excited to announce that she has been accepted into USC's Physician Assistant Program (Class of 2024). Additionally as an avid cyclist, she has started a sustainable and inclusive cycling brand called Adventurish. Check out adventurish.co for more info.

2005

Kristen Garris moved back to Los Angeles from New York and is working as an assistant editor with Netflix on the first season of the animated series The Cuphead Show!

Justin Barker opened his independent psychotherapy practice for adolescents and adults in Culver City serving the greater Los Angeles area. Before opening his practice, Justin received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers, completing his clinical internship at the University of Southern California and his postdoctoral fellowship at Loyola Marymount University.

Justin Barker '05

Monet Hurst-Mendoza is a writer on Law & Order: SVU. One of her episodes last season (“Redemption in her Corner”) garnered two Imagen Awards out of four nominations for SVU: Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actress. The Imagen Awards are for positive depictions of Latinos in media, and this is the first time SVU has ever been nominated. Benjamin Clyde is a Strategic Marketing Partnership Manager, for Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser’s Klay Thompson Above the Waves documentary that Ben oversaw the creative and production for has been awarded a Bronze Award from Clio Sports under the “Film” category. Clio Sports, founded in 2014, honors the best in sports advertising and marketing around the world. Annually, the foremost sports business influencers— marketing executives, commissioners, broadcasters and athletes alike— convene to select and celebrate the breakthrough communications that propel the industry forward, inspire a competitive marketplace of ideas and foster meaningful connections within the creative community.

Benjamin Clyde is a Strategic Marketing Partnership Manager, for Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser’s Klay Thompson Above the Waves documentary that Ben oversaw the creative and production for has been awarded a Bronze Award from Clio Sports under the “Film” category. Clio Sports, founded in 2014, honors the best in sports advertising and marketing around the world. Annually, the foremost sports business influencers— marketing executives, commissioners, broadcasters and athletes alike— convene to select and celebrate the breakthrough communications that propel the industry forward, inspire a competitive marketplace of ideas and foster meaningful connections within the creative community.

2007

Saro Paparian, Ray Hawthorne and System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian have formed North Kingsley, a new musical collaboration, that recently released its first debut single and parent three-track EP, “Vol. 1”.

2008

James Haro is the programs manager for Theatre Philadelphia while producing and writing plays as well.

Jacqueline (Adams) Carey was a recipient of the 2020 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Ten Outstanding Young Leaders award. Jacqui is a recruiter at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. She currently leads the recruiting strategy at three universities where she recruits business analysts from undergraduate institutions to McKinsey offices globally.

Jacqueline (Adams) Carey '08

2009

Alexandra Don has been chosen by her peers to be a 2020 CARW Commercial Association of REALTORS Wisconsin Champion. The award is given in recognition of thoughtful, forward-thinking leadership in the commercial real estate industry. Award winners are chosen by their peers as standout leaders who help to carry CARW and the real estate industry to the next level through their commitment to excellence. Alexandra is an associate attorney for AVK Law, LLC in Milwaukee where she focuses on commercial and residential real estate.

2010

Matthew Adame graduated from Keck School of Medicine of USC in May 2020. He is currently a first year internal medicine resident at LAC+USC Medical Center.

Matthew Adame '10

2011

Rachel Yelinek spent 2019-2020 working at Anamon Studios on Let’s Eat an animated short about an immigrant mother and her daughter as they navigate through the beauty and challenges of life. Despite the difficulties they face, the warmth and love of family provides comfort and closeness, and cooking becomes a symbol of their unconditional love for one another. Let’s Eat has played at the San Diego International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Animation Festival, and is hoping to be Oscar nominated in 2022. You can view the short online at https://www.letseatshortfilm.com/. Rachel worked a number of roles at Anamon including VFX Production Coordinator and Marketing Coordinator. She is currently working at Wild Canary on the Disney Jr. show Mira, Royal Detective.

2012

Keith Ton has taken a manufacturing engineer position with the Newport Corporation in Irvine.

Nathan Bautista graduated from UCLA with a BA in English in 2016 and then attended Charles R. Drew University Enhanced Post Baccalaureate Program and completed the EPB Certification. Nathan is now in his first year at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Mariana Henry has started her first year at Dartmouth Medical School.

2013

Ryan Hubert started Pepperdine University's MBA program in January.

2014

Nicolas Nino is working as a development associate at Red Hen Press in Pasadena.

Michael Sweetland graduated from the University of Michigan with a BS in Data Science in 2019 and is now working as a software engineer for Amazon in Austin, TX.

2015

Kimberly Mejia started her first year of law school in August at UC Berkeley.

Kimberly Mejia '15

2016

Johnson Yeung graduated with a bachelor’s in political science from Boston University and is now attending graduate school at John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Sky Garcilaso de la Vega is currently attending the California Institute of Integral Study for counseling psychology with an emphasis in community mental health to earn the MFT License.

Thea McKay graduated Summa Cum Laude from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in history and theatre and received an award for achieving the highest GPA in the history department.

2017

Sarah Adams has accepted a returning offer with Goldman Sachs to work as an Operations Analyst starting in July 2021 after successfully completing a five week remote internship in the Operational Risk Management Subdivision last August. Sarah is currently in her senior year at UC Riverside where she is majoring in mathematics, concentrating in economics and minoring in finance.

Sarah Adams '17

Meghan Pelayo has accepted a full-time position with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as a financial institution specialist in the division of risk management supervision following her graduation from the University of San Francisco this year. Meghan is majoring in finance with a minor in economics.

2018

Hunter Newell has transferred to Middlebury College.

Gabriela Rico has joined the organization Race to Better Health. Their mission is to educate, empower, and inspire health care providers, scientists, and institutions to actively engage with and combat racism within the field of medicine and beyond. Gabi authored her first article with the two founders of this project which was published on STAT news online. Gabi is a junior at Florida Atlantic University where she is majoring in neuroscience and behavior studies and continues to participate in cancer research through the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

2020

Lauren Tapert and Lainey Morales have settled in at Arizona State University where they are roommates.

Lauren Tapert and Lainey Morales '20

FAMILY

Nicole Allison ’04 and Jonathan Weiss were engaged on June 5, 2020 in Pacific Palisades. Nicole is an account director at Murphy O’Brien.

Katie Murphy ’11

and Jacob Thomas were engaged on December 11, 2020 in Oahu. Katie is a special education teacher and Jacob is a college football coach.

Jena Umfress ’09

married Daman Starring at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach on September 10, 2020 in a small ceremony with immediate family and close friends.

Claudia (Vazquez) Hampton ’13

married Heath W. Hampton II on December 28, 2019 in Houston, Texas. Members of the Bridal Party included bridesmaids Desiree Bruno ’13 and Victoria (Mandigo) Akin ’13, as well as groomsman Ian Quinn ’13. The couple lives in Manhattan, New York.

Sara (Rad) Dickey ’97

and her husband Corey welcomed their son, Mason Gray Dickey, on October 8, 2020 in Plano, TX.

Stefanie (Garcia) Burke ’00 and her husband, Keith, welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Layla, on July 21, 2020. Layla joins big brother Richard (3). Stefanie and Keith can’t wait for the many fun adventures to come with their family of four!

Lauren (Gibbs) Isola ’00

Andrew Amour Isola

and her husband Chris welcomed Andrew “Andy” Armour Isola on December 6, 2019.

Jill (Trousdale) Barr ’01

her husband Brian and their first son, Kirkwood, welcomed Franklin Edwin Barr at 1:51am on May 23, 2020, weighing in at 7lbs., 13oz. and measuring 21.65in.

Amanda (Gonzalez) Richardson ’01

and her family welcomed their son, Isaiah, into the world on October 23, 2020. His arrival promoted their 6 year old daughter, Malia, to big sister and she’s been a tremendous help! Amanda and her family reside in Arcadia, where they are reliving all the newborn milestones.

Sudheer Anne ’02

and his wife Amanjeet welcomed their son, Dilan Singh Anne, on November 20, 2020 at Northridge Hospital. They are grateful for their little bundle of joy during these crazy times.

Shandee (Fraser) Ciulla ’05

and her husband Patrick welcomed their daughter, Cecilia Mae Ciulla, on November 14, 2020. Big brother Vincent adores his baby sister!

Samantha (Voorhees) Scobbie ’06

and her husband Dave welcomed their daughter, Emersyn Sue Scobbie, on December 9, 2020 at 10:17pm weighing 8lbs., 4oz. and 20in. long. Mom and dad are loving every minute with her. Their 2 dogs haven’t decided what to do with her but they now prefer sleeping in the living room instead of hearing her wake in the middle of the night.

Harkamal (Nijjar) Wahla ’02

welcomed a daughter, Sach Wahla, on October 16, 2020.

Shirstan (Pekerol) Barragan ’94

and her husband Arthur welcomed their daughter, London Miñe Barragan, on September 29, 2020 at 4:27pm weighing 7lbs., 11oz. and 21.5 in. long.

John Bottala ’08

and his wife Kylie welcomed their daughter, Annabelle Rhea, on September 18, 2020 weighing in at 5lbs., 6oz. John and his family reside in Sierra Madre.

Megan (Chisholm) Remo ’07

and her husband Matt welcomed their sec ond daughter, Lainey. Big sister Millie is loving her new role. Megan and her family reside in Montrose.

ALUMNI CLOSE-UP

JOEY MESSINA-DOERNING ’15

Joey Messina-Doerning ’15 studied Music Production and Engineering at the USC Thornton School of Music and graduated in 2019. During his last year of college he worked full time as a staff engineer at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood. Some of his clients included Chloe x Halle, 5SOS, Trippie Redd and Common. After he left NRG, he began his current job working as the full time engineer for producer Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend and current producer for artists such as Haim, Clairo, Maggie Rogers and Frank Ocean. In his free time, Joey works as a freelance producer and mixing engineer for artists such as Kate Bollinger, Junior Mesa and Trousdale. In addition, he has enjoyed the beginnings of a career in composing, with some of his productions being placed in TV shows such as “Queer Eye” and “Impractical Jokers.” Most exciting is that Joey was recently nominated for a GRAMMY for his work as an engineer/mixer on the HAIM album Women In Music Pt. III.

JONATHAN ESHOM ’16

Jonathan Eshom ’16 transitioned from racing go-karts to racing cars following his graduation from La Salle. 2020 was supposed to be his debut season in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series, however those plans were pushed back due to the pandemic. In support of the Operation Strong COVID-19 Relief Project, Jonathan and his racing team teamed up with the Pasadena Jaycees to raffle off a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the thrill of riding in a Lamborghini Super Trofeo race car. Jonathan created the raffle as a way to give back to the community. He also wanted to draw attention to the issue that Black Communities were being hit much harder by the COVID-19 pandemic than other communities in Los Angeles.

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