I (Paul Bradford) thought I’d feel like a biographer of sorts, but I actually ended up with a more photographer-like role. A photographer who uses MS Word to cut and paste the quickly-typed voices of many an ACE 6er. This was a pretty easy update – most of you wrote ready-to-go responses which addressed the group, not me. Great! I made a few alterations. I excluded notes written just to me, and have not included contact information. (Hopefully the info is available via the ACE online directory.) I have also monkeyed with format a bit, and ignored a request made by Wes.
I hope this update format is alright by you guys. Apologies in advance for whatever I goofed up. Thanks for the e-mails. It was really great to hear from so many of you!
Niki (Hill) Hooker: Josh and I celebrated our first anniversary in October. I've quickly adjusted to life as a "Hooker" although giving up "Hill" was harder than I expected! We are both currently working at Loyola Academy in Chicago, he teaches Theology and I'm still teaching Math. We were asked to lead a group of students on an immersion trip to Kenya this summer - so if any of you have spent time in Kenya, let me know, I'd love to pick your brain!! We're very excited about the opportunity! Otherwise, I'm still taking classes at Loyola University. I'll have the coursework for a Type 75 and my Ed.D. completed this spring. Of course that leaves comps and dissertation, so the process is not nearly over, but finishing the coursework is exciting!! All in all, I'm happy, healthy, and of course BUSY!!
Mike Olsen: My wife Amanda and I had our second child (Jacob Michael) in August. His older sister (Anna Christine-2 years old) basically runs our household. Amanda stepped away from elementary education to nanny this past year, and then with the birth of Jacob in August, she moved to a full-time stay at home mom. We just finished building a home in St. Paul, MN, and have moved in just this past week.
Scott Thomas: I'm still teaching at Bishop Kenny here in beautiful Jacksonville Florida. I'm teaching physics and chemistry. I'm the head girls soccer coach. This coming weekend (Nov 19th) I will be celebrating my 1 year anniversary with my wife Stephanie. We've purchased a home and are going nuts trying to decorate it.
Christine and Ryan Blaney: We got married this summer (June 24) on Long Island. We are living in Princeton, NJ, where Ryan works for the law firm, Morgan Lewis.
Joe Waln: I recently adopted a six year old townhouse. Slowly, I have been coating its white walls with bright colors to offset Portland's winter skies. After almost four years as a water resources engineer, I can sit for my professional engineers (PE) exam next spring. Studying for the eight-hour exam will be a good excuse for transitioning out of my president role for the Portland Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (www.ewbportland.org). EWB has been the focus of much of my passion and energy for the past two years and my involvement will continue for years to come I am sure. After Chile, my goal was to make Portland home for at least five years. It appears that will be cut short. There is talk of a trip to China next summer, followed by a transition to Saint Paul, MN, while Stacy finishes up law school. Unfortunately that means the new house will probably have to be put into foster care for a few years. I can't believe they ever let me adopt.”
Mary Westervelt: “I moved to Arlington, VA over the summer. I teach 5th-8th grade science at a Catholic School, Blessed Sacrament, in Alexandria, VA. I'm engaged to another double domer and am planning a wedding at the Bascilia of the Sacred Heart on June 9, 2007!”
Katie Naughton: “I am currently in my third year at Notre Dame Law School, graduating in May and hoping to move back to the east coast to be closer to family! I am looking to work in public interest, perhaps using my background in education to work with children and families. One of the highlights of my time here at ND, running into ACE alums at football weekends, like Paul Bradford!
Jess Fries-Gaither: “Still in Alaska, teaching 4th grade this year instead of 6h. We're planning a move back to Ohio, which will hopefully happen in Fall 2007. I'm not sure if I will continue teaching after this year, and I'm equally unsure as to what I will do if I'm not in the classroom. But I hope to figure this out soon! Other than my dog eating my student's homework last year (YES, this IS true!!).”
Kevin Kiefer: ”I am currently an assistant principal at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, GA, where I have been teaching/"administrating" since the end of ACE 6 in 2001. My wife Jennifer and I bought our first house in April. Two people have recently pointed out seeing gray hairs on my head - I told them I didn't have them before I went into administration. This past weekend, I was the PA Announcer for the Women's Super Bowl - the championship game of the Women's Professional Football League - very special. I am hoping to return to ND in the summer of 2007 to complete the MA of the ACE Leadership Program. Life is good in Hotlanta overall!”
Clare Deckelman Roach (written with three year-old hanging on leg!): I am now utterly outnumbered in my household. We had a second boy, Jude Edmund, in March of this year. (His name sake is St. Jude, my ACE school in Montgomery.) Within weeks of Jude's birth, Brandon was offered a job as the executive assistant to ND's provost, Tom Burish. So, we packed up in July, said goodbye to Houston and headed to South Bend, which we now call home. The best part of living in The Bend, other than getting to run into Tony DeSapio around campus, is an abundance of houseguests. Among the ACErs who crashed at Casa Roach during football season were Ryan Carlin, Brian O'Brien, Scott Bishop, Max, Beth & baby Martha Engel, Katie Bennett, Marjorie Hill, and Brian, Melissa, and Maeve Green. The attached picture is of our boys, J.R. and Jude, and Maeve during their visit. Oh, and another random ACE connection, apparently we live down the street from Elizabeth McAdams, Brightman's sister's fiancé's family in Granger. Small world.”
Benny Morten: “I am in my second year as principal of Saint Ann Catholic School in Chicago (www.stanncrusaders.org). I really enjoy being back in Chicago with my family, close friends, and a shorter trip for ND football games.”
Katelyn Rosa: “My updates include a lot of "stills": still loving Washington, DC and working in International Admissions at GW. Just got back from a whirlwind trip to Asia for work which included 10 countries in about 4 weeks--phew! Still working on my doctorate in Higher Education Administration (with a focus on international education) and am set to sit for my comps this spring. Still no engagements or babies of my own to report (!), but enjoying being apart of everyone else's for now! Still remember my Brownsville roommates so fondly (awe!) and enjoy keeping in touch with them and knowing how they are.”
Gina Navoa-Svarovsky: “Mike and I now live in Eagan , MN , just south of St. Paul . He finished grad school in May and took a job with 3M up here and hence, the move. Things are wrapping up for me in grad school as well. I got a job as an ACE Faculty Supervisor (think Rachel Moreno/Pat Daunt from our time there). I officially started this summer and am supervising ACE teachers in the Atlanta, Jackson, Baton Rouge, Plaquemine (LA), Denver, and St. Petersburg communities! We got a dog. Her name is Charlotte, and she is a 2-year old chocolate lab mix.”
Brian Green: “Update for the Greens: We are still in St. Paul, MN. I am coordinating a program calling Beyond Career to Calling in the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas. I am also about to shift some responsibilities to include development work as well for the center. Of course there are always other things but that is neither here nor there. We bought a lovely home in August that we are finally settling into just in time for winter. Our daughter Maeve is now almost 17 months old. We are also expecting our second green bean in May.
Matt Johnson: Well, I am currently living in Bangkok, Thailand where I teach middle school Humanities and Drama. I have wandered down the road of IBO and International Education for the last four years. In addition to teaching and coaching I play soccer on the weekends, pool at the local pubs, and have become the Community and Service Coordinator for our school. This teaching assignment will probably be my last (at least for some time) as I am looking forward to getting back to the states for a couple of years before hopefully moving overseas again (South America) to take on a different career path...Ideally, I'd love to open up an orphanage in Ecuador or Venezuela.
Ryan Loots: “My wife and I bought a house last year in Omaha, NE. I am currently teaching Government at Thomas Jefferson High in Council Bluffs, IA (where I've been the last 4 years) and coaching basketball. My wife, Mikhael, is a Physician Assistant at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha where she specializes in Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine. No kids yet, but we do have a tuxedo cat named Peanut. Other than that, we have taken a few trips this past year. We spent a week in Playa de Carmen, Mexico, a week in New York, a and few days in Vegas with Joe Olegario.”
Maria Loebig: “2.5 years ago, I moved from South Texas (teaching in public high school) to Philadelphia, teaching in Catholic school. I work in Southwest Philly--part time teaching 8th grade ILA and part time as a Development Director (on a team of people--for the same school, of course). I help run a coffee house: 5th street Coffee...has cool, live, local, black urban, indie music (total non-profit that helps benefit St. Paul's Lutheran church--I'm still Catholic). Last year, I was arrested handing out flyers on South Street, promoting this coffee house. Irony: had to perform 24 hours of community service work. I'm engaged to be married this spring and will move to the burbs. And then, I will switch back to public school. Once I tire of that gig, I will win the lottery, take over a small island, lounge on coconuts, bananas, and Pennsylvania wine.”
Bob King: Here is the 411, I am teaching Middle School, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral School, Norwich, CT. This is my fourth year here. I got married to Kamla Rampersaud on July of 2003, no kids yet. I coach girls basketball, and hope to go back to school for some further education (looking into a Masters in History) as I want to teach High School
History. Still root for the Irish and stay in touch with some of my former ACE 6 class.
Jenny Burt: “I live in Omaha, NE and commute to Lincoln for graduate school. I am in my fifth and final year of a school psychology doctoral program (kind of still in education) and I am currently working on my dissertation and applying for internship. Most importantly I am mom to Charlie (age 3 on Dec 18) and Addison (age 4 months) Burt. They are my pride and joy and ensure that there is never a dull moment around our home!”
Wes Richardson: I got engaged last weekend (Oct. 28) to Amanda, a flaming red-head that I've been dating here in the KC suburbs for a year. Still teaching junior high math (what the hell is wrong with me?!) Still swim coaching. Still running around in a speedo. OK, that's not true, don't print that.
Mike Brennan: “As for me, I've remained in Education, but I've finally made the switch to high school...St. Rita High School in Chicago. At Rita, I coach varsity basketball, teach Visual Basic and Algebra 1. I also work with another computer teacher as the school's webmaster. So as you can tell that philosophy and psychology degree is being put to great use. Anyway, I love my new school! I also, as a matter of fact, love my girlfriend who I met this summer while returning to ND for the ACE Leadership Program. She is a grade school principal in Savannah, Georgia. So far the long distance relationship is working out well, but the air miles are already starting to pile up. Anyway, I love my job, love my girlfriend and feel very blessed to have completed both ACE Classic and now ACE Leadership. Go MUSTANGS!!! St. Rita, Pray for Us!
John and Colleen Duggan: “We are doing great. John is working in sales for an industrial gas company called Air Liquide and he's enjoying it. We both retired from teaching and John went to work in the corporate world so I can be a stay at home mom. We are still in Baton Rouge and we are busy with three children under the age of three. Patrick, our oldest, is almost 3, Meaghan, just turned two (since they are only 11 months apart, they both are two years old for one month) and our newest addition to the family is Mary Bernadette, two months old. I am enjoying them and staying at home but I must confess that this profession is much harder than any other that I have tackled...but it's a lot more rewarding.”
Mark Leen: “Kate (my wife) and I had a son on May 28, 2006. His name is Samuel James Leen. The Leen clan is now living in a condo/town home in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle. I am working as a lawyer for the firm Foster Pepper PLLC in Seattle. Kate has her hands full with Sam and singing in the Cathedral Choir and a local professional choir called Choral Arts.”
Katie (Pytlak) Spillman: “Brief update - still living in Beantown - but have moved out to the 'burbs. Living in Natick, MA with husband Jim Spillman and our spoiled black lab puppy, Thurman. We're eagerly awaiting the arrival of lil' Spill in January 2007, so currently sporting quite a belly. I work at Boston College as a Campus Minister, although my true heart will always be with the Irish.
Marcia Del Rios: I too have forsaken education (of others at least) and am in the process of finally finishing up law school. I graduate from NYU in May (thank goodness!) I still don't have a job lined up, but hopefully some public interest organization in Newark, NJ (home town) will benevolently bestow upon me some form of employment sometime soon. I currently live in Manhattan with my husband Keagan, a pathology resident at NY Presbyterian hospital, and our foster min-pin Lily (who returns to her rightful owner, my sister-in-law, in April).
Bob Lud: “I am teaching still. I teach English and Spanish at a high school in Kansas City. Emily (ACE 7) and I have two sons, Oscar and Edgar. They are the coolest people on Earth, and we spend our non-working time loving them.”
Stephanie Senteno: “I know for a while I was totally out of the loop with the ACE world. So anyway, since ACE.... I stayed for one more year in Kansas City and lived with Christy Caron. I thought at the time that I was going to marry an Army Captain that I had met while living there who was stationed in Fort Hood, but that didn't work out.. I broke up with him on New Year's Eve in 2003 and instead I partied it up with Marisa Limon while in Austin. Back to California I went where I was teaching at St. Paul of the Cross Elementary School. I loved my fifth graders, but after two years, I needed another change...so, I went to St. Paul High School where I taught Religion and was Head Coach of the Varsity Softball team. I spent two years there as well, but was quite dissatisfied with administration and I needed a pay raise so.... I decided to go public where I now teach English and continue to coach softball at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera. The kids are a challenge, but they are real...a little too real sometimes, but I love my work nonetheless. I enjoy hanging out with my family and my boyfriend, Miguel Tapia, who also graduated from Notre Dame in 1999. We look to get married in the next couple of years. As I get closer to the big 30 I can't believe that I can actually say that I am content. I have kept in contact with a few ACErs like Bob King, Marisa Limon, Lisa Rodriguez, and Dr. Moreno- friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life. So, despite the fact that those years in ACE were the craziest years of my life, I know that I am a better person now for having engaged in this experience. I look forward to hearing from all of you and wish you all the best.
Tricia Sevilla: “I left teaching only to come back. After working as the Customer Relations Manager of a local Honda dealership, I read a church bulletin advertising a new job and decided to go for it. So now I'm the principal of Resurrection Parish School, still in Jacksonville, FL. I get to see Scott Thomas sometimes with his new wife. He's still in teaching, still at Bishop Kenny High School. And there's the ACE community--they're always a fun bunch. I'm also on the board for the North Florida Notre Dame Club and a regional director for the Asian Pacific Alumni Board. Life right now is pretty good--I hang out with bunches of kids, have great work hours (usually), and get great alumni perks! If anyone wants to come down to Jacksonville, give me a buzz!”
Katie Eagan: “Still working as a School Librarian in Medford, NJ. I love my job a great deal. It is the perfect blend of teaching (500 kids in my elementary school) but non of the hassle of the classroom. There is the nitty-gritty of managing the library, but I never have to take picture money or do lunch count again! Seriously, I read stories and answer interesting questions for a living. It is the best. I am applying to go back for my PhD. in the spring so that someday I can shake up the library field. I married Tim Casale in 2005, and last year we just married a 85 year old house right across from Philadelphia in the Collingswood area. I am learning how to garden and hopefully remove years of ugly paint from the woodwork!”
Jennie Ehren: “I'm in my 4th (of 5) year of graduate school at Stanford. I'm researching/ working on developing an oral therapeutic for the disease Celiac Sprue. I have one kid (actually a dog) who has some emotional problems (shelter dog), but she's no more neurotic than some of my students were! I still am involved in music...singing, piano, & guitar. Thanks for doing this!”
Kelli Hart: “I don't have any major new news to report, but here's an update anyway.:) My husband, Brian, and I just celebrated our 2nd anniversary last August. We are loving married life! I'm still teaching 5th grade at St. Matthew School, where I've been teaching since I moved out here to Seattle after ACE. I love what I'm doing! Brian is still doing consulting work for a small company here and is mostly staffed out at Microsoft. We live with our cat, Tyrone Willingham, in North Seattle. (I had the real Ty come and visit our school last year and one of my students shared, in front of the whole school, that I had named my cat after him. He proceeded to say that he didn't really like cats all that much but his wife might get a kick out of it. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed. :) Anyway, we're starting the search for a new house and are hoping that by some stroke of luck we find something that we love in the next few months. Exciting and daunting. Anyway, to sum it all up: things are great out here in Seattle. It's a fabulous place to live and visit, so if you're ever out this way, get in touch!”
Malin Johnson: “I am living in Montana, graduated law school at U of M in 2004 and clerked for a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2004-2005. I got married August 27, 2005 to C.J. Johnson a Colorado native and CU grad, who is also a lawyer here in Missoula. ACErs Katie Eagen-Casale and Tim Casale, Clare Roach, Jennie Ehren, Ryan and Christine Blaney all made it out to the wedding. Now I'm practicing law in Missoula, mostly civil defense litigation, at a 30-lawyer firm with a bunch of wonderful people. Hmm.. let's see... I have no kids, but I do have a needy and somewhat crazy mutt named Misha. We'd love to have visitors to beautiful Montana anytime!”
Greg Hine: “I am currrently teaching in my home city of Perth, Western Australia, after having served the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas for 5 enjoyable years. I'll be returning to ND next year briefly to finish off 2 units for the program offering the Master's in Catholic School Administration. I teach high school mathematics, and am pursuing my doctorate as well.”
Tony DeSapio: “Well, if you’re reading this, you’re connected to what I do day to day – gossip about ACE grads. I’ve been hanging around ACE long enough that I’m now paid to keep up with you all and every other grad, 728 in total. I’m helping to run this ACE Fellowship along with a team of other ACE grads – I’ve been working on this project for a little over 2 years now. The Fellowship is basically an alumni association with a very specific mission to engage graduates in lasting support of ACE and Catholic education. My work involves hosting conferences at ND, putting on regional retreat weekends, coordinating our international programs, offering grants opportunities to grads, and making an occasional appearance at the Backer.
South Bend offers the unique blessing of ND football weekends, enabling me to hone my ticket agent, tour guide, and butler skills. I recently moved to a more legit neighborhood and no longer have student residents of Turtle Creek Apartments relieving themselves in my shrubbery. I’ve been able to see several of our classmates this year, some through work, some for fun. I spent Easter in Phoenix with Bob, Emily, and lil’ Oscar Lud, James and Elizabeth Brightman, and Kathy Steinlage (ACE 7). Just a week or so before that Michael Olson, Jenny Hendrix, Jess Fries-Gaither and I witnessed our ACE roommate Celia Antonini get married in Washington. I also get to see Benny Morten on occasion who’s been keeping an eye on my little sister in Chicago – and in return, I’ve got a couple of uncles keeping an eye on him.”
James Brightman has been International Education Coordinator at La Salle University for the past three years where he has developed study abroad programs in Italy, Ireland, Mexico, and Australia as well as coordinated several faculty-led trips around the world. His latest adventure was an 11-day tour of Japan with 14 students and Elizabeth as chaperone. In August, he completed his Master's in World History from La Salle and also teaches adjunct English classes at Camden County College in Camden, New Jersey. He and Elizabeth live in a quaint, gentrifying borough 15 minutes east of center city Philadelphia in Collingswood, New Jersey, recently voted "Best Restaurant Neighborhood" in Philadelphia Magazine. James and/or Elizabeth are often walked by their two beagles, Momoka and Schatzi, around town.
Elizabeth Brightman has been transformed into Frau Brightman over the past four years and just received tenure with profuse praise from the Haddonfield School District in Haddonfield, New Jersey. She loves teaching middle school German and has led two trips to Germany with students and is planning a third this summer. She has also been pursuing her Master's degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology at La Salle University along with attending workshops and retreats in the northeast centered around spiritual and emotional development in and out of the classroom. In the near future, she plans on completing her Master's, becoming a licensed therapist and pursuing her Ph.D in an area of psychology where she can research the mental and emotional health of teachers. This past summer, she came up with the idea of buying a house near Notre Dame's campus and turing it into a rental for football weekends. It has been a smashing success, and we are already booking reservations for next se! ason. Check out Dharma Deluxe Rentals at http://www.dharmadeluxe.com and Stay Like A Champion Today!
Paul Bradford: I have forsaken education to become a physician assistant: a profession that just celebrated its 39th birthday on October 6 (National PA day). I work at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in orthopedic surgery, managing a surgical program for infants/children with some crazy chest-wall deformities. I also practice general pediatric orthopedics. I live in Philly's Chestnut Hill neighborhood, and I get to hang around Philly with James and Elizabeth Brightman sometimes. I just married a 116 y/o house (this transaction caused the delayed writing/sending of this e-mail) and have lots of kids (mostly patients).
Finally, I’ve heard from or seen a few others recently. Marjorie Hill is teaching in Chicago at the school where Benny Morten is principal. Katie Bennett, also in Chicago, is continuing in her research and completed her Master’s degree in sociology last spring.