Live Theater is Back

New York Alumni Night

March 27, 2022, Castell Rooftop Lounge

On March 27, more than 25 alumni gathered at the Castell Rooftop Lounge for the New York Alumni Event. This was the first time the New York alumni were able to get together since 2016 and they had a great time!

After two years of the pandemic impacting our plans, it was great to be able to gather together on campus for Alumni Day 2022. We look forward to seeing the Viewpoint community at Alumni Day 2023.

From left to right, Top row: Daniel Cashdan ’19, Mark McKee; Alex Granaroli ’18, Mohammed Yusufali ’20, Jake Levin ’17, Alison Steelberg Corneau ’97, Lizzie Scott ’20, Carson Gilford ’19 Middle row: Persia Fardad-Finn ’18, Max Bern ’18, Alex Granaroli '18; guest, Katherine Cutler ’16, Gregory Schare ’19, guest, Samanta Salo ’16, Emily McKee ’16 Bottom row: Greg Murray, Mark McKee, Beth Westerman ’08, Kate Dworkoski Scudese ’98, Alison Steelberg Corneau ’97; Lizzie Scott ’20, Mohammed Yusufali ’20, Jake Levin ’20

Alumni Day 2022

Celebrating 60 Years of Viewpoint June 4, 2022, Viewpoint School Campus

These notes were received between March 30-April 13.

If you would like to submit a class note or share any news, please email Monica Case, Director of Content Strategy, at monica.case@viewpoint.org.

1979

David Lyons writes, “I retired in March and am now living in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca Mexico. I just built ‘Casa Laureles’ to be operated as an Airbnb. I welcome all alumni to this growing beach resort with excellent surfing!”

1988

Asha Sethi writes, “I have been living in Northern California where I teach Sixth Grade, inspired by Mrs. Ellen Bresnick, my Seventh and Eighth Grade English teacher at Viewpoint. I have been married for 25 years, and my son and daughter are off to college. My son is a sophomore studying Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona, and my daughter is a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majoring in Public Health. I cherish the friends I made at Viewpoint, especially my 40-year friendship with Bianca Moura ’88, seen here enjoying a day together at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.”

1996

Nazbanoo Pahlavi writes, “After changing careers and graduating from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019, I now practice small animal medicine locally at The Pet Doctors of Sherman Oaks.”

2003

Jessica Dyer writes, “After earning a PhD in math at UIC in Chicago and then teaching at Tufts in Boston for a few years, I moved back out here with my husband and we are now living in Calabasas with our one-year-old daughter!”

2004

Ashley Mellinger writes, “Traveling as a family to see a total of 16 National Parks has been the highlight for the last few years and most definitely got us through COVID! Daughter Brynley (13), sons Xander (12) and Landon (5) have made our now 14-year marriage all the more fun and exciting.”

2005

David Sheftell just finished shooting a movie in Los Angeles opposite Isla Fisher and Greg Kinnear called The Present, as well as a Guest Starring role on the Disney + show Doogie Kamealohoa, M.D.

Matt Kurzweil was hired by Learfield as Senior Manager, Business Development overseeing UCLA & Rose Bowl Stadium partnerships.

Olumide Fajolu will attend the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Olumide has been working at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for the past two years. Here is a photo with his parents and his brother, Olugbolahan Fajolu ’16, at his White Coat Ceremony on July 29, 2022.

Jonathan Star graduated with his Master’s degree from UC Irvine in Entrepreneurship and was able to play D1 tennis for the university while in graduate school. He currently holds a position as a Financial Analyst for the Irvine Company and resides in Newport Beach. Jonathan continues to help with the family non-profit: The Pete Brown Jr. Tennis Program for underserved minority youth. Viewpoint Upper School volunteers have been very helpful as well with community service work for the program over the past few years.

2018

Elijah Lindgren graduated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS in Environmental Management and Protection. He also graduated CAL FIRE cadet training, serving as an on-call firefighter, and earned his Emergency Medical Technician Certificate and Commercial Driver's License in addition to college degree. "Learn by doing" is more than a motto at Cal Poly!

Ryan Singsank recently graduated from The George Washington University with a BA in History and International Affairs. In the fall, Ryan will begin to pursue graduate studies in history as part of the dual master’s program in International and World History at Columbia University and the London School of Economics. Before he begins at Columbia, Ryan will be spending part of his summer in England and France participating in a staff ride retracing the Normandy Campaign of World War II.

Trey Spellman graduated cum laude from USC in May ’22 with a BS from Marshall Business School and an emphasis in Cinematic Arts.

Parent Welcome Speech

Remarks made to new incoming families on May 18, 2022

by Bianca Richmond ’22

HELLO! MY NAME IS Bianca Richmond and I am a senior this year. I have been at Viewpoint since Kindergarten and have grown up immersed in a school that is passionate, driven, and encouraging. I want you all to know that you made an excellent choice of having your children become a part of Viewpoint. This school has engaging and top-tier education, cutting-edge technology, and a diverse student body from over 75 countries. Students have opportunities to pursue various artforms and athletics in all four school divisions. For the past 13 years, I have been genuinely excited to wake up and come to Viewpoint to see my friends and teachers, and learn more about the world around me. But in my opinion, the most important piece to my Viewpoint story is the community that has supported every single student. The staff, teachers, and students that your children will be surrounded by will care and uplift them to make sure their voice is heard. Truly, the community that Viewpoint creates will be able to lift you up to your highest highs and be there to pick you up at your lowest lows. Let me share how Viewpoint uplifted me during my lowest low– my mom’s passing when I was in Eighth Grade. When we first got the news that she had breast cancer, we were stunned. “Stage 1” we were told. Even though I was young, I knew that had to be good. She received chemotherapy, radiation, and two surgeries. However, her triple-negative form of cancer made it impossible for the doctors to discern the strand and implement the proper chemotherapy treatment; she passed away within a matter of weeks. Other than home with my family, I felt most supported on Viewpoint’s campus. I came back to school a couple days after her passing because I knew I would feel loved and appreciated on campus like I did in my own home. I had my own close circle of support – best friends I had made in Kindergarten, Sixth Grade, and Seventh Grade, as well as teachers that I had throughout my first nine years at Viewpoint. Needless to say, my healing process is far from over, and the journey to grow up without a mom has always continued. With time, I navigated through some of the most important lessons I learned from her while she was with us: change your circumstances to change your opportunities, and be vulnerable to be courageous. My healing process began with poetry. As I wrote, my thoughts were left on the page, leaving my mind unfogged. I tried to turn something so terrible into something I could call beautiful. I showed my favorite poem to my Eighth Grade English teacher as I felt proud and accomplished for the piece. He prompted me to submit my piece to the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. I submitted it, and won a Gold Key – the most prestigious award for our regional area. Viewpoint helped me slowly but steadily start to find my voice. I keep my mom alive by envisioning the many cherished memories I have of her. I can picture her holding my hand as I walked into my first ballet class. I have never stopped dancing. I began dancing with Ms. Brown, my ballet teacher at Viewpoint, when I was in First Grade. She helped me discover my love for dance and find the art form that helps me express myself best. After my mom’s passing, I realized that dance was a powerful way to work through my grief. I was able to focus on one of my biggest passions and have the support, both in ballet and my personal life, that I needed. Ms. Brown has become my inspiration and the person on campus I can go to when I need anything at all. After being on the Viewpoint Dance Company throughout high school, this year I led the Company as Captain, where I was able to share and inspire others to pursue their goals. My Company Coach, Mrs. Bahnuik, gave me the opportunity to dedicate a dance performance to my mom; she helped turn the sadness of loss into a dedication of love. Being surrounded by a community at Viewpoint of staff and friends with a shared passion of dance had the ability to lift me out of the lowest moments. Ms. Brown and Mrs. Bahnuik helped me realize that dance is so much more than a hobby to me, it has become a part of my own identity. My mom was the strongest woman I know – she taught me to be confident and fight for what I believe in. This year in my Environmental Science class, I was able to work on a year-long project focused on a topic of my choice. I researched information about poor water equity and sanitation in Malawi. I learned about this issue using primary sources provided by the librarians and contacted a non-profit organization in Los Angeles that works hand-in-hand with communities in Malawi to build wells that provide clean, safe water. At the Environmental Science Fair, I shared information with my peers about the issue and provided the contact to the non-profit to help make positive change. Viewpoint has given me the platform to express what matters to me and share topics that need to be discussed in the community. Using the resources around me at Viewpoint, I was able to use my voice to create an impact on a community 10,200 miles away. This fall, I will be attending UCLA to study communication and digital humanities. Viewpoint’s contributions, combined with the remembrance of my mother, has helped me find my voice. I am so excited to see where my passions take me in the future, and I am planning on continuing to write, dance, and expand my activism on the UCLA campus. I truly believe that Viewpoint is the foundation of all of my next steps in college and beyond. I have so much gratitude and appreciation for this school as it has provided me with constant support, best friends, and true role models. There is no way that I could be as strong, secure, and confident about myself if Viewpoint hadn't been there for me over the past 13 years, especially during some of the hardest years of my life. Thank you.