Class Notes

John Hillis ’56 wrote in summer 2021, “This is the 65th anniversary of the first TAS graduation in 1956. I think most of us are still around, a little grayer and worse for wear, scattered in various parts of the globe but mostly in the U.S. Though I continue my role as an external examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organization (an annual task I’ve been doing for decades), my wife and I are retired in Istanbul, a fascinating city with wonderful historic, natural, and cultural attractions which are frustratingly mostly shut down because of the pandemic. Recently we managed to get out on a warm spring day to visit Emirgan Park overlooking the Bosphorus, the historic strait that separates Europe from Asia and up which Jason and his intrepid Argonauts sailed over 3000 years ago to the Black Sea in pursuit of the legendary Golden Fleece. The park was once a sultan’s estate but now hosts an annual tulip festival, a flower indigenous to these parts (not Holland!), a prominent Ottoman symbol, and a common motif on Turkey’s celebrated Iznik ceramic tiles. I always enjoy reading about the exploits of TAS. Little did we imagine 65 years ago that our humble academic institution would develop into the world-class international school that it is today. Keep up the good work!”

Three friends of the TAS Class of 1960 visited each other in Austin,

Texas in January 2022. Brian Hanson ’60, Jon “Butch” Hilsabeck ’60, and Tim Timmons ’60 met in Austin, Texas at the Oasis on Lake Travis. All three attended TAS in 1957-58. Tim and Jon were both hospital administrators in their professional careers, and Brian worked as a chemical engineer. Thank you to Jon for updating us!

Frances (Bowden) Affandy ’63

is still living in Indonesia. She and her family will welcome another (grand) Baby Tiger to their family in July 2022—the Year of the Tiger— to join big sister and happy parents. Congratulations to Frances’s family!

Norbert Nasuta ’71 writes, “Still alive and kickin! Living on the foothills of Mt. Hood, working at New Seasons Market in SE Portland. Deadhead but lovin’ all music. Between my wife’s two children and my two children we have 10 grandchildren! Living very modestly but happily, all things considered. Peace and love, y’all!” Thomas Hope ’73 writes, “It has been since 2013 since we have had a reunion. I have truly enjoyed these events. While celebrating my birthday, my son gave me a polo shirt with the new school logo. I couldn’t have been happier. He researched what he thought I would like and really understands what graduating from TAS means to me. Thank you all for being such a huge part of my life!”

Class Agent Elizabeth “Bette Ann” (Coluby) Molloy ’83 writes: “We are planning the TAS Alumni Reunion weekend in Seattle, WA, to take place July 28-31, 2022! Anyone from any graduating class, faculty and staff, or friends, are all welcome to join us to reminisce about your days on the ’beautiful isle’ and make more memories! Fun events are planned for Thursday through Saturday nights. As of now, we have almost 200 alumni from the classes of 1963 to 2014 attending, including a dozen former TAS faculty. For more information and regular updates, join the “TAS Reunion Summer 2022 - Seattle WA” Facebook group or email Bette Ann at 2022TASReunion@gmail.com or ecoluby@gmail.com.” Thanks to the organizers: Bill Holden ’83, Selina (Moralis) Lai ’83, and Bette Ann Molloy ’83!

Tim Brantingham ’88 and Matt Carroll ’88 are co-founders of BCI Engineering, a steel equipment contract manufacturer based in Pittsburgh, PA. The group unveiled a new solar racking product created in-house called Full Tilt in April of 2021. Tim and Matt founded BCI Engineering in 2006. Thank you to Martha Laughlin ’86 for sending in this note!

The Class of 1989 held a minireunion in Taipei in March 2022. From left to right, top row: Dan

Cooper ’89, Vera Wu ’87, Sandy Wu ’89, Steve Gee ’89, Janny

Chen ’88, and Christopher Yu ’91; bottom row: Jerri So ’89,

Maria Ting ’89, Annie Wu Su

’89, and Jonathan Su, Annie’s husband.

Alex Lin ’91 held a July Fourth barbecue at his house for TAS alumni in Shanghai.

The Class of 1992 held a minireunion in March 2022. From left to right, top row: David Chao ’92, Cheney Wang ’92, David Ko ’92, Alfred Wang ’92, and Philip Wu ’92 (top); bottom row: David’s wife Wendy Hsia, Class Agent Sherry Hsia ’92, Board Member Elizabeth Wang ’91, Alfred’s wife Vicki Liang, and Philip’s wife Patricia Huang.

Christian (Shih-Chi) Lin ’92

adopted his English name Christian after he left TAS, and later became a Christian in 1999. He lives with his wife Ada and two kids in the San Francisco Bay Area. He works at the chip design company Socionext and used to work at the microprocessor startup SiFive. Christian and his family enjoy taking train rides, exploring parks, trying new soup recipes, and going out for bike rides.

Toshiu Nakama ’92 has been back in Taiwan for over 25 years and engaged in manufacturing and selling electronic components.

Heidi Steigmann ’92 married Bill Beale in 2021 and became stepmom to Zoe in a family ceremony on her parents’ property in Amboy, Washington. Heidi and Bill are currently renovating a 1910 home in the charming little town of Ridgefield, Washington, which is nearly encircled by the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Heidi and Bill are both active in the dragon boating community and enjoy hiking and spending time taste testing local microbrews. You may recognize Judy Steigmann from the photo. She worked in the high school library. When you are in the area, Heidi would love to take you kayaking. Mika Dashman ’93 lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she is the Founding Director of Restorative Justice Initiative. Now in its sixth year, Restorative Justice Initiative is building bridges and encouraging collaboration between organizations and institutions working for criminal justice reform, educational equity, and community groups seeking to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, end mass incarceration, and create a more just and equitable city.

Sam Dogen ’95 is publishing a new book with Penguin Random House called “Buy This, Not That: How to Spend Your Way to Wealth and Freedom”. The book will launch on June 28, 2022.

Class Agent Kent Wu ’95 writes: “After having moved (back) to Taiwan in November of 2019, I’m happy to state both our kids are now at TAS in Grade 1 (Trenton) and Grade 8 (Addison). Both are adjusting very well and having a great time. We’ve all had a great time catching up with former Alumni and their families, and exploring the amazing destinations on the island. The TAS ethos and fabric remains strong. I will be heading out of town for business and pleasure for 6 months, visiting 4 countries in which Just Kitchen will be launching: Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. Then I will head to Dubai, Cambridge, and meet family in Los Angeles where we will head to the Bahamas for summer vacation. After that world tour, we will be back in Taiwan after summer. Wishing everyone a great year of the Tiger, along with health and prosperity!”

Grace Chuang ’98 has moved back to Vancouver, Canada, where she was born. Grace was brought up in Taipei, and after graduating from TAS, she moved back to Vancouver for art school and then Los Angeles to attend USC. For the past sixteen years, she lived and worked in Asia. She would love to tap into the TAS community in Vancouver, reconnect, and hopefully find a suitable job in town. Please reach out to Grace directly (grace.yt.chuang@gmail. com) if you live in Vancouver or have any leads! Zenaida Féraud-Pfisterer ’98 is a teacher and a children’s author based in Switzerland. She attended TAS from 1989 to 1994. Her book “Grandfather Tree”, a children’s picture book for pre-K to Grade 1, was published in February 2022, and it is now available through Amazon and other online bookstores. Thank you Zeny for also donating a copy to the Lower School Library at TAS!

In December 2021, Class Agent Edward Wang ’99 was reelected into the office again as the President of National Taiwan University Global MBA Alumni Association and has successfully transformed the association into an aggregate organization. In January 2022, Edward was also elected as the President of Beijing Tsinghua University Executive MBA Alumni Association Taiwan Chapter. Congratulations on your achievements!

The Classes of 1998 and 1999

held a friendly Clash of the Classes Basketball Game at Dazhi High School in March 2022.

Jonathan Liao ’00, co-founder of FutureWard, is also the Project Director of the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office under the National Development Council. The Taiwan Employment Gold Card is a qualification-based, resident work visa which allows foreign special professionals to live and work freely in Taiwan for up to three years. Under the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, the Gold Card is a key component of Taiwan’s efforts to attract and retain foreign talent. Since 2018, over 3,600 gold cards have been issued. For more information, check out goldcard.nat.gov.tw.

Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig ’01 is an Asian American playwright. Her recently published book from Bloomsbury/Methuen is Frances YaChu Cowhig’s China Trilogy: Three Parables of Global Capital. These plays explore the forces of global capital as they explode within the lives of everyday people in contemporary China. This volume collects together the three plays in the series, including her exploration of the human cost of development in China’s socialist market economy (The World of Extreme

34 CLASS NOTES

Happiness), of justice and revenge amidst ecological and economic catastrophe (Snow in Midsummer), and the tale of the trade in blood that brought the AIDS crisis to rural China (The King of Hell’s Palace).

Steve Ng ’01 writes: “Hey Tigers, I have been on an adventure in Vietnam for the past 2 years and has recently launched a F&B franchise startup. Please do message if you get a chance to visit Vietnam.”

Lela Masano Philbrook ’03

performed in “Madame Butterfly” by Puccini in the lead role with Opera West! In Santa Fe, NM from October 22-24, 2021. Lela also took part in “Suor Angelica” also by Puccini in March 2020.

Marissa Hou ’04 recently published her first book called Woke Bitch: Your Guide to WellBeing, a sassy and funny spiritual self-help book with personal stories, heartfelt lessons and a ton of easy exercises the reader can practice to improve their holistic well-being. Marissa shares: “After over a decade of working high-pressure corporate hospitality jobs and years teaching at NYU, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to make your wellness a priority. This book is here to support the readers who want to dive deeper into their inner journey and includes all the tools you need to get there.” The book is available in paperback and e-book format on Amazon.

Elbert Kou ’04 got married in September 2021 and was fortunate enough to have an in-person wedding celebration attended by some fellow TAS alumni. Congratulations to Elbert and his wife!

Christine Yew ’04 recently gave birth to a baby boy (Ronald Lawrence Ma) on February 17, 2022 in Hong Kong. Her parents flew over from Taiwan to visit. Congratulations to Christine and her family!

Diana Chang ’05 has welcomed a new addition to the family - Arthur J. Blaney, born February 1, 2022, on the first day of the Lunar New Year. He just couldn’t wait to be a Tiger Baby! Congratulations to Diana’s family!

Cindy Tsai ’06 is excited to join and serve as an Executive Board Member with the Asian Culture and Media Alliance, which provides a voice of unity, awareness, and empowerment for the AAPI community. Cindy is a boardcertified internal medicine physician, wellness expert, speaker, and life coach focused on helping high-achievers avoid burnout and live their best life with ease. As a physician, she saw the impacts of chronic stress on the body and wanted to do more than just prescribe medications as a band-aid. Her approach to healing and growth is centered on the mindbody connection - unique to each and every individual. She developed a holistic and personalized method to healing through coaching, mindfulness, and other energy healing modalities (e.g. reiki, breathwork, EFT tapping, human design, and more). Learn about Cindy’s work at www.cindytsaimd. com and say hi on social media to @cindytsaimd!

Conductor Tiffany Chang ’07 conducted the opera “Tosca” by Puccini with the Portland Opera this season. The production premiered on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

Jasmine Shao-Man Chen ’07

represented Chinese Taipei in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in summer 2021. She competed in the equestrian jumping individual event.

Family and friends of Caryn Hsu ’07 are running the campaign “Swab for Caryn.” Caryn was diagnosed with an aggressive form of adult leukemia. She is in need of a bone marrow transplant, but there are a low number of registered minority donors. Anyone in good general health between the ages of 18-40 can test for a simple cheek swab to see if they are a match, and sharing the same ethnicity (Asian) greatly increases the odds of a match. Please visit this link to get a swab and see if you can help Caryn: linktr.ee/swabforcaryn

Danny Chien ’08 is a music producer. During his time at TAS, he played the saxophone in the school wind ensemble. After TAS, he enrolled in a local music high school in Taiwan and then went to Japan to study classical music at the Musashino Musicae Academia for undergraduate and Tokyo University of the Arts for graduate school, all majoring in the saxophone. During his time at Tokyo University of the Arts, he turned away from pursuing a career in classical music since he did not want to teach. While working as a recruiter, Danny began learning how to use digital audio workstations and created his own music in his free time. He experimented with a lot of genres including EDM/ hip-hop/ trap and orchestral music. He recently collaborated on “That Taiwan Wrap” with fellow TAS alum Eric Tsai ’08. Danny is currently studying in the MBA program at National Taiwan University and is working on multiple projects including creating background music for artists and YouTubers.

Inspired by her roots in Taiwan, Lillian Lin ’08 recently came on board to Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry, a US online specialty food shop dedicated to Taiwanese gourmet items. Last year, Yun Hai launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising over $100,000 to fund a collection of Taiwanese dried fruits in support Taiwanese farmers after China banned all pineapple imports from Taiwan. Yun Hai also carries Empress Hot Sauce by Jane Chen ’08, an American style hot sauce made using Taiwanese fruits.

Eric Tsai ’08 is now working at Taiwan+. The English-language platform, which launched on August 30, aims to promote Taiwan through news and shows intended for an international audience (including subtitles and English voiceovers). Most notably, one of Taiwan’s most ambitious productions called SEQALU: Formosa 1867 aired internationally on Taiwan+. The TV series shows how a shipwrecked American crew sparked a clash between America, Indigenous, Hakka, Hoklo and the Qing Dynasty.

Stephanie Chiang ’09 opened “Intermittences of the Heart” (斷續心 斷續情), an exhibition of watercolor pieces and poetry that reflect the intricate experiences of nostalgia, disillusionment, emptiness, and love. The show was open between January 22 - February 20, 2022 at Madeleine Art Gallery (63 Yong Kang Street) in Taipei.

Karen Wang ’09 was featured as a speaker at TEDxTheBund in Shanghai, China, speaking on the topic “Do you think the dream you choose is really your choice?”

After graduating from TAS, Veronica Hsiao ’10 relocated from Taipei to Las Vegas to pursue her hotelier career and attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she obtained both her bachelor’s and executive master’s degrees. She has since taken a deep dive into the luxury hotel world. Veronica shares: “Following Las Vegas, I have worked/lived in Singapore, Palm Beach, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale and now Miami. I most recently relocated from San Francisco to South Florida during the pandemic with The Ritz-Carlton hotel company, as it is currently the busiest market for travel in the world. TAS prepared me for navigating through dynamic environments as a global citizen. The current team I have at work has over 20 nationalities and it’s part of an exciting daily life as a luxury hotelier. Taipei is always home to me no matter how many places around the world I have lived or will live in. I look forward to visiting TAS and reconnecting with old friends when I next visit Taiwan.” Natalie Lin ’10 got married in December 2021 to her coworker Jack An. They met at AppWorks and got married in Taiwan in the mountains of Xindian, with the company’s CEO as the officiator. Congratulations to Natalie and her husband Jack!”

Clifford Miu ’11 is the producer behind “American Girl” (2021), a coming-of-age story about 13-year-old Fen who relocates from Los Angeles to Taiwan during the SARS epidemic in 2003. “American Girl,” which was directed by Fiona Roan and stars current TAS student Caitlin F. ’24, is now available exclusively on Netflix worldwide (in over 190 territories and countries) as of March 2, 2022. Congratulations to Clifford, Fiona, and Caitlin! In summer 2021, Jennifer Chiang ’11 ran SPARK Accel, a 4-week virtual accelerator program designed to inspire, educate, and accelerate Taiwanese American entrepreneurs on an entrepreneurial journey. As part of the program, entrepreneurs worked alongside mentors such as Patrick Lee (Cofounder, Rotten Tomatoes), Kevin Lin (Co-founder, Twitch; Cofounder, Gold House), and Wes Kao (Cofounder, Maven).

Sara Lin ’12 works at IRCADTaiwan, a minimally invasive surgery training center located in Lugang, Taiwan, which trains over 1,000 surgeons every year. Beginning in 2020, IRCADTaiwan hosted their first successful high school medical summer camp. In 2021, their second high school medical summer camp took place July 9-11, 2021. This summer camp gives students an overview of what life is like being a doctor, surgeon, pharmacist, nurse, and much more, so it is for students who are interested in any kind of medicalrelated career.

Kevin Liou ’12 and Emily Tang ’12 held their wedding reception at the Mandarin Oriental on December 26, 2021. Many TAS friends and former teachers were in attendance. Congratulations to Kevin and Emily!

Sarah Ruggiere ’12 is living in Portland, Oregon. She teaches Grade 3 at Milwaukie El Puente Elementary School, a dual language immersion (Spanish-English) school. Sarah previously taught EAL at TAS.

Keva Bui ’13 has accepted a tenure-track position at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Asian American studies. They are graduating in 2022 with a PhD in Ethnic Studies and a graduate certificate in Critical Gender Studies from the University of California, San Diego. Congratulations Keva!

Vivian Sun ’13 was married in 2022 in California. She honeymooned in Hawaii. Congratulations to Vivian and her husband! Adrienne Hsieh ’13 has moved to Naperville just outside of Chicago, IL.

Maxine (Tu) Yip ’13 gave birth to her son Aden Parker Yip in November 2021. Class Agent Nick Yeh ’13 was fortunate to visit this new Tiger in Seattle. Congratulations to Maxine and your family!

Lily Yang ’14 held “Conscious Creatures” (意識怪獸), an art exhibition of 100 postcards exploring various reflections and meditations on everyday life. Each conscious creature is made with random scraps of recycled materials. The show was open September 4-28, 2021 at Garden City Bookstore (田園城市生活風格書店) in Zhongshan. Lily is currently applying to MFA programs in design to continue her career creating human centered experiences and visual identities. As of December 2021, she is based in North Carolina, taking on freelance graphic design and branding projects, going on long walks, and working on her next personal art project! You can see what she’s up to on her instagram @lilartlab or website www.lily-yang.com.

Owner Justus Wah ’14 and Business Development Manager Lewis Welt ’12 have opened the first F45 studio in Xinyi to inspire healthy living and a sustainable fitness program amongst us.

Seamus Boyle ’17 visited TAS during his winter break. After he finishes his senior year at Reed College in spring 2022, he will be off to Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs to continue to pursue his interests in international security policy.

Seamus is looking forward to moving back to New York to enjoy its unique atmosphere, people, and energy.

Melissa Cho ’17 graduated with a double major in News & Documentary and Theatre from Chapman University in Orange, CA. Her recent work was selected by the Society of Professional Journalists 2020 Mark of Excellence Awards, as a finalist for two award categories (“Best News Magazine” and “Podcast”). In 2020, she and her broadcast journalism peers produced a 30-minute news magazine piece regarding their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic called Corona Diaries News Magazine. Her 20-minute podcast, about representation in voice acting, which she produced as an addition to her 40-page Theatre Thesis, is called “Invisible Performances: A Crash Course on Voice Acting and Its Conversation About Representation”. She served as both International Producer and Social Media Director of her school’s Chapman News broadcast. Her team has also received SPJ awards for “Best All-Around Newscast,” “TV Breaking-News Reporting” (on Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis), and “COVID-19 Coverage.” In addition to her involvement at school, Melissa is interning for Dateline, NBC News’ crime news magazine program. Recently, Melissa has started her own podcast called “hAAPI hour”, where she interviews and highlights AAPI creatives. She is currently a freelance associate producer for Condé Nast Entertainment.

Swimmers Jessica Wegner ’18 and Shawfong Hsu ’21 continue to make a splash at Wellesley College. In November 2021, Jessica won the 100 yard backstroke and the 100 yard butterfly in their home opener. Shawfong won the 100 yard breaststroke and the 200 yard breaststroke, her first two career individual wins.

Bryan Kang ’19 has released a new music EP as DJ KANG. Check out his new music releases on Spotify.

Jacqueline Miao ’19 completed her bachelor’s degree within 2 years from the University of California, Irvine as an English major with a minor in Asian American Studies. She simultaneously obtained 2 teaching certificates: the first in Teaching English as a Second Language (University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education), and the second in Social and Emotional Learning (University of California, Riverside Extension). In addition, she volunteered at Tzu Chi Collegiate Association (慈濟大專青年聯誼會), teaching underprivileged students online during the pandemic. As a long-term teaching assistant and tutor, Jacqueline is now preparing to pursue higher education and a Victor Kao ’20 has been writing music since he was at TAS. In summer 2021, he wrote and produced nine new songs which you can listen to on Spotify. Victor is now attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.

Alice Chiang ’21 graduated from TAS in spring 2021 and began her studies at the University of Southern California in spring 2022.

Vivian Hir ’21 wrote an article for the MIT Technology Review called “Am I still Chinese enough?” in February 2022. In it, she describes her strong personal bond with Taiwan and her memories of her time at TAS as well as how she experienced reverse culture shock and adjusted to returning to the US. During her time at TAS, she was active in Orphanage Club (hi to Mr. Arnold!). Vivian is a freshman at MIT, where she plans to major in chemical biology. She also plans to do research at the Kiessling lab in the Department of Chemistry at MIT this summer.

Jason Lin ’21 was spotlighted by Cal Tech as a star swimmer in November 2021 His 2:00.99 breaststroke time was the sixth-best Division III time in the nation this season. Congratulations to Jason!

FORMER FACULTY

Former administrator DJ Condon has started in his new position as Director of the International School of Luxembourg (ISL), which is the seventh international school he has worked at. DJ talks about his international experiences, including his family’s time at TAS, in a profile published in September 2021 on Delano.lu.

Former faculty Sujen Rocovits retired in 2020 and writes: “I am doing very well. I am still in Taiwan and enjoying my retirement life in Beitou, taking Chinese painting and writing with my favorite black ink and most of all enjoying my backyard national garden, Yangmingshan Park!”