Class Notes

CLASS NOTES

CLASS OF 1984

Seth Avergon runs the business and marketing consulting firm Avergon Marketing Group out of Long Beach, CA. When he is not working with companies in Orange and LA county, he is actively involved in animal rescue, helping to find homes for shelter pets. Seth is especially passionate about the bully breeds and fighting against breed-specific legislation (BSL).

CLASS OF 1986 Jen Fruehling Davis writes, “Hello to my fellow Roadrunners! We moved our family to Boise, Idaho, in 2017 after living in Seattle for the past 30 years. We are enjoying the quieter, small-town mountain lifestyle of Boise and make frequent trips to Sun Valley to hike and ski. Launched our son Henry to the University of Denver in 2019 and working on launching our daughter, May, in the fall of 2020. I work for a real estate company and my husband, Pete, started his own tree-care service in Boise last fall. Hope all are well!”

Joan Kwuon recently joined the violin faculty at the Colburn School Music Academy and Community School of Performing Arts. She is delighted to divide her time between Cleveland (Cleveland Institute of Music, violin faculty)

PABLO PEREIRA ’76

Pablo Pereira ’76 is an Emmy Awardwinning member of the American Meteorologist Society and has been forecasting weather for more than three decades. He started at Crossroads in 1972—its second year— as an eighth grader. Pablo describes his experience at Crossroads as very intimate; the classes were small then, only about 20 or so students in a grade. He credits the small class sizes for teaching him accountability— he couldn’t hide—and for helping him develop tight bonds with his classmates.

“The closeness of the small classes created everlasting friendships,” he says. “It’s hard to believe that the best friends I made then, more than 40 years ago, remain my best friends today.”

Pablo appreciates the space and opportunities for exploration that Crossroads provided students. “The vast variety of subject matters taught and the freedom to try new things created a curiosity in me that continued in college, until one day, journalism just clicked.” He also credits his drama class with helping him overcome stage fright, which he says is essential in live television news.

He puts his performance background to use regularly as a meteorologist on KTTV FOX 11, providing the weather forecast at 5 and 10 p.m. Pablo has been named Best Weathercaster by the Associated Press and the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California. Most recently, Pablo won a Television Emmy for his live coverage of the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s return to Los Angeles. Pablo passes by the 21st Street Campus almost daily on his way to work, which he describes as “a nice reminder of where I came from, and where I ended up.”

Pablo’s memories of Crossroads include trips to the Kern River and the little burrito place that used to be across from the 21st Street Campus. He also fondly remembers the teachers and courses he loved, including Art Tuller for math, Steven Morgan for English and Terri Redman for biology. Like so many Crossroads alumni, the outstanding faculty left a lasting impression on him. He says, “The dedicated teachers and personal attention I was given during my time there made me who I am today.”

and Los Angeles. This summer, she performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto at the Round Top Festival and was artist faculty at the Interlochen Violin Institute and the Montecito Music Festival.

CLASS OF 1987 Nicky Kram Rosen writes, “Still basking in fond memories of the fun and fabulous all-’80s Crossroads reunion, which I was able to attend (in June 2019). It was great to catch up with old classmates and meet some new folks, too. Looking forward to more to come!

CLASS OF 1988

Stuart Townsley writes, “Living in Las Vegas. I still have the portrait studio and am doing the same thing, so that is a blessing. Kids are both at college! Beautiful fiancee keeps me in line!”

CLASS OF 1989

Jennifer Cohen writes, “I’m currently working in palliative care at Kaiser San Jose. As a former pediatrician, I never thought I’d be interested in the geriatric population but have found myself passionate about advocating for the needs of our underserved aging

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ANTHONY CHUN ’89

Since graduating from Crossroads, Anthony Chun ’89 has taken on many roles: Emmy and Annie award-winning animation director, cartoonist, children’s book author, dedicated husband and father of two.

Anthony lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two daughters and a pug named Boba. He’s directing for “Rick and Morty,” supervising a new show for Hulu called “Solar Opposites” and developing his own ideas for shows. Anthony also sculpts giant papermache dragon-head trophies, which he hangs in his house and office. He wholeheartedly believes that his Crossroads experience influenced his career path and how he approaches his work. “Crossroads was a perfect school for me!” he says.

Entering Crossroads in seventh grade, Anthony focused on music and art. He played the violin and fondly remembers his “goofy” classmates, “who turned out to be the some of the best musicians in the world.” He recalls performing alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, André Previn and the LA Phil and getting to meet acclaimed British conductor Simon Rattle. “It was great to be a part of this group of incredible young musicians during my years at school,” he says. It was a really bright, loving community.” These days, he practices music by playing solo Bach on the streets and subway stations of Los Angeles a couple times a week.

Anthony credits his amazing teachers for promoting creative thinking and for nurturing his artistic gifts. He is particularly grateful to Mary Ann Cummins—“a true force of nature,” he says—for encouraging him to become an artist. “I always looked forward to studio art,” he shares, “because it was a space of freedom and a time for me to exercise what was to become my vocation.”

After Crossroads, Anthony studied literature at Yale, then drew superhero comics for DC and Image before transitioning to animation.

“It makes complete sense because I’ve been doing everything I was doing since I was a kid at Crossroads, pursuing what makes me happy with enthusiasm and discipline,” he shares. “Crossroads allowed me to make these unusual choices, take chances and be surprising! That’s a huge gift.”

CLASS NOTES

LESHAR MCGHEE ’94

Leshar McGhee ’94 began her Crossroads career in the ninth grade. She had attended public school up until that time; when she was accepted to Crossroads, she felt like she had won the lottery. Leshar took dance classes at Crossroads throughout high school and joined the African American Parent/Student Network at a time when “students and parents were passionately seeking to diversify the student body and the curriculum.”

“I really did walk around Crossroads for those four years feeling like I’d been handed a gift and should take advantage of it all before it disappeared,” she says. “While waiting for carpool, I would sneak into orchestra practice so I could get a glimpse of students I knew would go on to be professional musicians. I joined plays as a dancer just to be a tiny part of the chaos and brilliant

talent of the drama productions. I even spent many nights on campus in special class tutorials led by Mark Govatos for the AP calculus exams.”

Leshar received her bachelor’s from the University of Arizona, a master’s in public health from Harvard University and her medical degree from UCLA/Charles R. Drew University. Still, she says, “I don’t think there was ever a time in my life when I was more inspired to participate in my education than when I was at Crossroads.”

Leshar currently sees patients in the Olive View-UCLA Psychiatric Emergency Room. As a consultant with the UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership, she teaches county mental health workers how to more effectively treat people experiencing homelessness and mental health issues. Leshar credits Crossroads for influencing her career path and her approaches to teaching and patient care.

“Crossroads nurtured my passion for social justice,” she explained. “Every day in the county psychiatric emergency rooms of Los Angeles, I’ve advocated for the most vulnerable populations. I’ve always been proud to reject the formal hierarchy of medicine and to adopt Crossroads’ progressive model of education as I teach my medical students and residents.”

LUCIEN FRANK, 12th grade / Gold Key winner in the 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, West Art Region-at-Large program

CLASS NOTES

population. I think that after climate change, the complex challenges of addressing the health and daily care of aging boomers will be the biggest moral and economic challenge of our time. Still juggling work with single-parenting my middle schooler! I wish I had Crossroads up here in the Bay to help me!”

Alicia Kalvin writes, “I am a studio teacher with over 20 years working in the entertainment industry. I am responsible for the education and welfare of minors working on films, television shows, commercials, music videos and photo shoots. Learn more about me at studioteacher.org. I’d love to work with other Crossroads community members in film/television. Please call me for your next project with kids. I can be reached at abkalvin@ msn.com. I look forward to hearing from you!”

Adjoa Middleton writes, “This is my first year as an administrator for the public charter COVAH College-High School on the campus of Merritt College in Oakland. Students can finish high school early and take college courses concurrently. This year’s SBAC scores are a testament to our amazing team and superintendent. SBAC scores show 85.7% of our student body is proficient or advanced in English/Language Arts. Math SBAC scores increased by 120% at 50% proficient and advanced. This growth and

CAMI STARKMAN ’05

As an award-winning film editor, Cami Starkman ’05 has a unique ability to tell stories. Her own tale started at Crossroads, which she entered in kindergarten. Cami shares, “Crossroads was fun, nurturing and challenging. It shaped who I am as a human being. There’s probably not a day that goes by that I don’t think back to some sort of Crossroads memory!”

Cami’s arts training began at Crossroads. As a Middle School student, she enjoyed the arts rotation, participated in technical theater and took a film production class. In the Upper School, she took studio art for four years, wrote film and theater reviews for the newspaper and always contributed to Cabaret.

Numerous classes at Crossroads fostered Cami’s sense of creativity; it’s difficult for her to pick a favorite course or teacher. She has fond memories of her time in Jim Hosney’s Great Books class, where she made video book reports with Alanna Glassman ’05.

“We would combine classic books with current shows or music videos to make spoofs,” she says. “For example, we made ‘The Real World: Pequod’ based on ‘Moby Dick’ and a music video to Madonna and Britney Spears’ ‘Me Against the Music’ in which we replaced all the lyrics with lines from ‘Paradise Lost.’ Jim absolutely loved the combination of high brow and low brow, and it was so fun to hear his reviews.”

When asked about the influence of Crossroads on her career path, Cami says, “Crossroads always encouraged me to be as creative as I could possibly be, which prepared me for my career as a film editor, where I create every day. The curriculum also taught me the art of collaboration, a skill which helps me constantly as I work with directors, producers and other creatives.”

Cami earned an MFA in film editing from the American Film Institute in 2012. She has edited three feature films; commercials; branded content; and music videos for major acts including Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry and Nick Jonas.

In March, Cami and her husband, Moshe, welcomed their first baby, Lennon Laurence Sayada.

achievement has earned COVAH national attention.”

CLASS OF 1990 Guild Copeland writes, “Living in Venice, love seeing alums around town all the time. My digital design company, Sisu, just turned 17. It’s debating whether to take AP U.S. History, but in the meantime, we won a Webby (our fourth!) this year for our work with ‘Forks Over Knives.’”

CLASS OF 1994 Aram Goldberg was just named vice president of media strategy & public relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. He will be working on a variety of tech-focused and philanthropic ventures aimed at helping those in need and combating the spread of hate and anti-Semitism.

Erika Chau became the assistant vice chancellor, academic personnel at UCLA this past year, and also made her return to the age-group triathlon circuit. In addition, she raced as part of Team CAF at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside, and #teambalucas at Nautica Malibu Tri, where they took first place in the paratriathlon relay. Along with her partner, Rob, Erika is an active supporter of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, an organization that believes in empowering lives through sports. challengedathletes.org

CLASS OF 1998

Andrew Blotky writes, “I recently published ‘Honestly Speaking: How the Way We Communicate Transforms Leadership, Love, and Life.’ In a world with more tools and more voice than ever before, we often find it harder than ever to communicate with clarity and to connect in a polarized world. ’Honestly Speaking’ is meant to empower readers to see that we can all get better at communicating in our work lives, personal lives and online. The book is available on Amazon and some local bookstores.”

CLASS OF 1999 Brandon Gross and his brother Skyler Gross ’05 co-directed the award-winning documentary “On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi,” available through Sundance Now. Their partnership goes beyond film: Their latest endeavor, GG Coastal Living, is a real estate firm that helps clients buy, sell, renovate and design. Brandon and Skyler would love to hear from fellow Crossroads alumni (and are happy to share a link to watch their film!) Arielle Jackson writes, “With our son, Dylan, starting kindergarten in 2019, I’m back at Crossroads as a parent, which is crazy and awesome and really goes to show how time flies. We’re so happy to be part of the community in this new way—exactly 20 years since I graduated!”

Brian Stefan writes, “I’m proud to work in the field of suicide awareness, prevention and postvention (bereavement). If anyone in the Crossroads family needs any support/guidance for yourself or a loved one, please feel free to reach out to me anytime at bstefan@didihirsch.org. ‘Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.’ – St. Augustine”

CLASS OF 2004 Zelda Roland writes, “I founded and direct the Yale Prison Education Initiative, which brings rigorous, high-quality, credit-bearing Yale classes to incarcerated students in a high/maximum security prison in Connecticut. 600 people applied for our first 12-person seminar. In October 2019, CAA hosted an advanced screening of a PBS documentary about the program called “College Behind Bars,” which was attended by Jesse Zwick ’04, Michael Weintraub ’04, Annie Monroe ’04, Jeremy Powell ’04 and my sister Natasha Roland ’09. yaleprisoneducationinitiative.org.”

CLASS OF 2011

Becky Belinsky writes, “I recently became a licensed psychotherapist and just opened my practice in Santa Monica! I received my master’s degree in couple and family therapy from Adler University in Chicago and did my post-graduate training in San Francisco. In my private practice, I see adolescents, adults, couples and families with a range of issues, such as anxiety, depression and relationship issues. I also have a particular focus in disordered eating, eating disorders and body-image concerns.”

CLASS OF 2013

Sam Hakim writes, “Hello, Crossroads friends! I wrote a short novel. It is titled ‘Ashta,’ available now on Amazon and Kindle. It is a coming-of-age

CLASS NOTES

story that deals with food, indulgence, eating disorders and early Ottoman food criticism. Enjoy, and let’s talk about it!”

Cherokee Washington is leaving Crossroads after two wonderful years serving as the administrative assistant of diversity initiatives and varsity volleyball assistant coach. She is also the assistant coach for Marymount California University’s indoor and beach women’s volleyball programs. In the fall, Cherokee will attend McGill University to complete her master’s degree. She will pursue research in cultural sport psychology, focusing on “cultural competency” and “cultural humility” within the field and the psychological effects on athletes who participate in various forms of protest.

CLASS OF 2019 Carolina Bonini writes, “I recently graduated Crossroads after being a lifer and am studying at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After being in school for over a month, I decided to make a big move. I have joined the United States Army through my school’s Army ROTC program. I believe Crossroads has taught me the leadership roles to tackle this new expedition in my life. I’d like to thank Crossroads for being such an influence on my future endeavors through the military.”

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NATALIE ARNOLDI ’08

True to her alma mater’s name, Natalie Arnoldi ’08 has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to arts and sciences. She is currently a Ph.D. student in marine biology at Stanford University—where she also received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees— studying the role of mobile marine predators in fostering ecosystem connectivity. She is also an accomplished visual artist known for her large-scale oil paintings, which often feature an environmental narrative. Her work has shown at galleries throughout the country, including numerous exhibitions with her father, the artist Charles Arnoldi, and an exhibition at the Bakersfield Museum of Art that ran September 2019 to January 2020. “Crossroads’ equal emphasis on the arts and sciences in part enabled me to pursue simultaneous careers as a biologist and artist,” she shares.

Natalie’s passion for both disciplines was nurtured at Crossroads, which she entered as a kindergartner. “I particularly remember loving art and music classes in Elementary School,” she notes. In Upper School, she gravitated to the ceramics class taught by Leslie Rosdol. Another one of her favorite courses was marine biology, taught by Frank Baele. She pursued her passion for the ocean outside of School, as well, volunteering weekly at Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica as an aquarist intern and competing in surf contests.

While a dual focus in marine biology and visual arts kept her plenty busy, Natalie made time to explore other interests as well. An avid swimmer, she was a member of the swim team throughout Middle and Upper School. She studied Spanish with Ana Maria Floyd (“One of the best teachers I’ve ever had”) and enjoyed the legendary course Great Books with Jim Hosney.

Natalie describes her time at Crossroads as formative and enriching. “The older I get, the more I particularly appreciate how unique and holistic the Elementary School curriculum was,” she says. “From kindergarten, we were immersed in a hugely interdisciplinary style of teaching and taught from the outset how to communicate our feelings. I definitely think that Crossroads students graduate with a level of emotional intelligence that many people never achieve.”