 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
CLASS NOTES
Ana S. Salper
Only a bit of news to report this time, after an all too short but restful summer. On a recent evening in the West Village, I was happily surprised to run into Sala Patterson, who is working as an associate editor for Condé Nast Traveler. Leila Kazemi has returned to Columbia to get her Ph.D. in political science, and Melissa Gajarsa, who recently got engaged, is beginning a master's program at NYU. Congratulations on your engagement, Melissa! Unfortunately that's the only news I have for you — now that CCT is publishing six issues per year, it is especially important that you keep the news flowing! But even more importantly, remember this: "It is better to be hated for what you are, than loved for what you are not." — Andre Gide
Sarah Katz Jessica Burlingame started at the Business School after an eventful three-week trip to Mexico to learn yet another romance language. Meredith Safran is joining Nick Rynearson in Princeton's Ph.D. program in classics. Hamilton Boardman quit his job at women.com and will be traveling in Asia and then South Africa this fall. Shivali Shah won an award from the Duke women's studies department for her work with KIRAN, an organization she co-founded that provides domestic violence and crisis services for South Asian women in North Carolina. In addition to pursuing her ceritficate in women's studies while attending Duke Law School, Shivali was married in April. Raji Kalra started the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins. During one of her many trips to NYC, Raji put together a Carman 11 mini-reunion — reuniting me, her and Rob Quatrone, who's enjoying life in NYC. Mike Pignatello has moved to Chicago and is pursuing a marketing career focused on China. Orli Shaham debuted at Avery Fisher Hall this past May. The concert was the end of a tour with her brother, Gil Shaham '93. Orli on piano and Gil on violin wowed The New York Times, which gave them a strong review. Rachel Goldenberg and Jim Talbott '98 were married August 12 at Hebrew Union College in New York. Rachel is in her fourth year of rabbinical school and Jim works as the production manager for the Frommer's Web site. At the wedding, Maggie Osdoby-Katz enjoyed chatting with Sarah Benor and Mark (Bunin) Benor. Sarah is continuing her studies in linguistics at Stanford, while Mark is surviving Hahnaman Medical School in Philadelphia. Maggie is back in NYC after several years in the Republic of Georgia. Also at the wedding was Sharon Gourdji, who's living in Queens and working in computers. Robert Cole is living in Manhattan and doing marketing research in Connecticut. Hannah Trooboff and Brian McCollum '97E are engaged. Matt Morningstar took the New York bar exam and is back in NYC. Rickie Sonpal is back in NYC having completed a year at Cambridge studying linguistics and is starting his first year of law school at Fordham. Hans Chen has left Vault.com and also will be at Fordham Law School this fall. Nathaniel Bryant Mayfield was married to Ulrike Melanie Steck of Germany, in Rödersheim-Gronau, Germany, on August 24. They will return to Austin, Texas next year where Nathaniel will continue his career as a professional trumpet player. Ulrike will be an elementary school teacher. Ana Kono has started the M.B.A. program at Wharton. Mike Gorman was married in August to Audrey Falk, a graduate of Northwestern. After a honeymoon in Hawaii, he and his wife will both be attending Wharton. As for me, I enjoyed a summer back in New York while working at Legal Aid — Juvenile Rights Division. Now I'm back in Philadelphia beginning my second year at of Penn Law School. Thanks to all of you who wrote in. For those of you who have yet to write, please drop me a line — we'd all love to hear what you and your friends are up to!
Sandra P. Angulo Chen As I write these words, I look out my Brooklyn window to a skyline irrevocably changed. My husband, Hans, and I watched from our living room as the World Trade Center's two towers collapsed, and with a heavy heart I wondered if any of our classmates were injured or lost in the disaster. Ben Gardner, a first-year associate in the litigation department at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, escaped safely from his office in the financial district, only four blocks east of the Twin Towers. My only piece of news comes from Jackie Vo, my sophomore roommate. She and her college sweetheart, Jeff Tse, are engaged and planning a June 2002 wedding. Congratulations, Jackie and Jeff. Jackie is a stressed but happy third year at Baylor College of Dentistry in her hometown, Dallas. "Clinic has been keeping my schedule pretty packed... but i love it," she wrote in an e-mail. "I don't think I could've picked a better profession for myself." Sorry about the short update. Hopefully many of you will have news to report for the next column. Once again, my prayers go out to any in the Columbia community who are mourning for family and friends.
Charles S. Leykum As a class, we want to extend our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to everyone who lost friends or family members in the attacks on September 11. We are extremely thankful for those who survived and mourn those who did not. We have learned that Joseph Della Pietra was among those who did not survive the attack. Once again, to Joseph's friends and family, we can only express our extreme sorrow for their loss. It remains important to provide information on and for classmates scattered throughout the country, so please keep sending in updates. Ian Kell and his wife, Amanda, recently celebrated one year of marriage. Ian and Amanda moved from Philadelphia to Seattle, where Ian is working for DLR Group, an architectural and engineering firm, and Amanda is working for Quorum Review, a medical review firm. In other west coast relocation news, Pete Younkin started his first year as a Ph.D student in sociology at Berkeley. Pete sends information regarding two other '99ers who are also first-year Berkeley Ph.D students: Rafi Mazor in environmental science and Jesse Sanford in anthropology. Amy Spencer is teaching English, from language acquisition to literature, to seventh and eighth grade students at Franklin Middle School, an inner city school in Long Beach, Calif. She also began a performing arts program at the school, which she continues to run. Congratulations to Natasha Johnson-Lashley, who was married on August 12 to her college sweetheart, John. Natasha began law school last summer at CUNY, pursuing public interest law. After earning a master's in the social sciences at the University of Chicago in 2000, Christopher Ferris entered the financial derivatives trading business. He has earned a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and is currently a trader for KC-CO, L.L.C. in the S&P 500 group at the Merc and a registered futures broker. Christopher primarily trades S&P options and hedges with S&P futures. Sahil Godiwala is now helping with our class notes column; you can send information to Charlie at the above address or Sahil at 4501 Connecticut Ave. NW #609, Washington, D.C. 20008, e-mail stg@law.georgetown.edu.
Prisca Bae Usually, this column is dedicated to those who e-mail me to tell me what you're up to. For this issue, however, allow let me take the time to address the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. What happened on September 11 was beyond the scope of anything I could ever have imagined, and I'm sure this was the case for most of us. As Columbians, I know we took the events of that day personally. After all, many of us chose Columbia largely because it was "Columbia University in the City of New York." As alumni of an institution in New York City, we have been uniquely affected by the attacks on the World Trade Center. My fondest memories in life thus far have been from college and therefore from New York. I'm sure on September 11 we thought about our city, each other and our classmates, and wondered who was downtown, on those flights or in the Pentagon, and if we were all OK. Our class was known for its ability to not give a damn about anything. We were never the flag-waving, patriotic kind; instead, we rolled our eyes and got involved in other ways. It gives me pride to know that we are doing our part right now by donating blood, volunteering and challenging the racist and violent backlash against innocent Arab Americans, South Asians, Muslims and many others. I know we are taking a step back, thinking critically about the events of September 11 and debating what it is our country needs to do next. This atrocity has challenged our class and our generation to face issues we never thought we'd face. In addition, I imagine the events of September 11 have challenged us to feel more connected to New York, Washington, D.C., the rest of the nation, and each other. If that day has taught us anything, please let it be this: We are all a part of a community. Though we no longer pass each other on College Walk, we still wonder about each other. We wonder where we are, what we're doing, and if we are well. So please let me know how you are, so others can know as well. You'd be surprised at how many of us actually do read class notes, and how much fun it is to receive e-mails from you. Honestly, I love it. If you ever thought this was insignificant or silly, know that there are many of us who read this column and it keeps us tapped into each other's lives and therefore connected. Sadly, I must report that among those lost at the World Trade
Center was our classmate Brooke Jackman. She had just begun
a job as an assistant bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald after having
worked for a year in publishing, but was making plans to pursue a
master's in social work. A memorial service was held in her
hometown, Oyster Bay, L.I., on September 23. Our condolences go to
Brooke's family and friends. Please take good care. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jonathan Gordin In the wake of the tragedies that occurred in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, we must all consider what is most important to us. In my case, I choose to keep this message short and to the point. I join my classmates in mourning the tragic death of Tyler Ugolyn, a victim of the World Trade Center attack of September 11. Tyler's memory was honored on September 22 in a memorial Mass held in his hometown of Ridgefield, Conn., that was attended by more than 1,000 people, including two busloads of students and alumni who came from the Morningside Heights campus. Those who knew Tyler will always remember his commitment and dedication to his friends and to sports. His classmates remember his warmth, his laugh and his smile. May Tyler Ugolyn rest in peace. As recent alums, we had become very accustomed to the community afforded by the Columbia campus. All of our classmates who were affected in some way by these horrific events may miss the safety and security provided by the Morningside campus. I am writing this column to tell you that this community still exists — it is just spread out across the country and around the globe. If you have comments to share about classmates, or you'd like to tell me that you're safe, please write to me. I will resume with the traditional format of these notes in the next issue. Meanwhile, stay strong and stay in touch with your Columbia classmates. They can be a source of strength during difficult times.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
