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JUL./AUG. 2005 VOLUME 108 NUMBER 1 Class Notes

2000 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05

00 | Hey, Class of 2000! Look for a complete report on Reunion 2005 in the Sept/Oct issue of this magazine, and thanks so much to all those who had a hand in the planning and execution of such a fantastic weekend. Since I have so much news to report, I'll get right to it. Let's start with several exciting nuptial accounts. Alison Moed married Andrew Gilbert on August 7, 2004 at the Mark Hotel in Manhattan. The happy couple met in Pittsburgh, where Alison is a PhD student in clinical psychology at the U. of Pittsburgh and conducts neuroscience research. Andrew is a child psychiatrist and post-doctoral research fellow at the U. of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Erica Streit was a maid of honor at the wedding.

Earlier in the year, Anne Mattice married Christian Strauch on January 3, 2004. Anne writes that they moved into their new home, a Cape Cod modular located on her father's vegetable farm. Adam Gandwetter and BrookeWheeler married on June 28, 2003 in Rhinebeck, NY. Adam is on the law review at Villanova Law School while Brooke teaches art to children at a community art center. Lisa Turner and Rion Weideman got married on August 7, 2004 in Denver, CO, and then honeymooned in Italy and Croatia. Upon return, the pair moved to Bartlett, IL, in the Chicago area. Lisa teaches kindergarten while Rion is working full time and earning his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

Michael Munoz and Lizabeth Kate Nolan were married on October 23, 2004.Michael received his law degree from New York U. and is currently an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Lizabeth is a pediatric resident at NYU Medical Center. She earned her degree from New York Medical College. Last but not least, Kerri Kusza writes that she married John Cahoy in August 2004 at Choate Rosemary Hall (her alma mater) in Wallingford, CT. The two met at graduate school in Stanford, where Kerri is in her fifth year of a PhD program in electrical engineering studying the Mars atmosphere. Kerri also reports that she is "surrounded" by Cornellians at Stanford. She sees Amy Droitcour, Fayaz Onn, Avi Lissack, and the Gibby twins! Good luck to all of you in your respective programs!

As always, we have happy news on the baby front! Nicholas, ME '91, and Jenelle Berrien Piscitelli announced the birth of their newest family member. Jordan Elizabeth came into the world on July 1, 2004. Chris, PhD '03, and Kalinka Hughes Cihlar welcomed Shay Andrew on December 14, 2004.

In other Class of 2000 news, Allie Wesson reports that she works for the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. She is "thrilled to be a non-practicing attorney." She adds that Dave Lesser is clerking and "practicing his mediation skills." Lindsay Hower Jordan is a CAAAN member in the D.C. area. She is working in politics, with environmental legislation as her main focus, while finishing a master's in global environmental politics.

Elisabeth Frankel Reed reports that she completed the operations training program at Bear Stearns in New York City. She has now accepted a new position with the Business Continuity group within that firm. She also just returned from watching spring training games in Florida and is looking forward to baseball season and playing softball with the Cornell alumni team this summer. Also on the working front, Christopher Buckstein works at his own business, Creative Cameras Inc. He and wife Marie reside in Orange, CA. David Pearce and his wife Josée make Washington State their home. David has also started a new business, Abyss Pump Service LLC. Vanessa Richlin reports that she is still in medical school in Ohio, while James Pieri writes that he works at JPMorgan in NYC as an associate in Structured Credit Derivatives. Congratulations to Scott Crabtree, who was recently promoted to manager in the claims organization of Progressive Auto Insurance. He also plays competitive tennis.

Kristin Morris also deserves kudos for her promotion to senior meeting planner at Corbett Accel Healthcare Group. Philip Ballard resigned his commission from the Navy on August 2 and began work at the Missile Defense Agency--the next day! He is a defense contractor in charge of security training and writing security policy.He also volunteered for the President's reelection campaign. Philip is active in the Cornell Club, and his fraternity recently elected him to their Alumni Board.

Well, that's all for now. As for me? Well, I'm still running marathons and enjoying teaching in the Westchester 'burbs. -- Sarah Striffler, sjs34@cornell.edu; and Andrea Chan, amc32@cornell.edu.

01 | Happy summer, Class of 2001! We hope the summer has been relaxing and treating all of you well. Here's some exciting news from your classmates. On September 20, 2003, Carter Wilding-White married Tiffany Winslow '00 at the Elm Court Estate in Lenox, MA, with ushers Brian Donohue, Rob O'Neill, Andy Seaman '02, and Mike Ivan '00, and bridesmaids Julie Pranikoff '00, Rebecca Dubansky, and Ingrid Frank '02, ME '03. Other Cornellians in attendance were Jenny Burns, Melissa Packer '02, Katie Evans, DVM '05, Abby Kornfeld '02, Wayne Van Gemert '00, Michelle Lee Choy '98, and Clark Sanders '74, DVM '77. The happy couple honeymooned in Fiji, sailing around the islands, scuba diving, hiking, kayaking, and relaxing for one month. They even ran into a Fijian wearing an "Ithaca is Gorges" shirt! They just bought their first home, an 1840 Colonial with a big porch and tired old barn. Carter is now working as an account manager for Solar Works, selling, designing, and managing the installation of residential and commercial solar electric and solar hot water systems throughout the Northeast. They caught up with members of the Cornell ski team in March for a ski trip to Utah, including those mentioned above and Mark Horton '02.

Antoinette Olivares and Jason Terrana, JD '04, are happy to announce their marriage on September 18, 2004. The ILR alums wed at Sage Chapel, followed by a reception at the Statler Hotel. Several Cornellians attended the wedding, including the bride's maid of honor Francesca Pedemonti and groomsman David Unger '02. Among the many Cornell friends were classmates Kelly Moson, Elizabeth Sperman, Christy Bensen,Matthew Cheldelin, Benjamin Park, David Teigman, Dmitriy Shamrakov, JD '04, and Michelle Wankmuller. Antoinette currently works as a compensation associate at the insurance brokerage firm Marsh & McLennan, and Jason is a corporate attorney at the law firm Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP. The Terranas have made their home in the Murray Hill section of New York City.

Congratulations to Julie Bassett on her wedding. She married Patrick M. Kelly on January 1, 2005 in Biddeford Pool, ME, where the happy couple currently resides. A number of Cornellians gathered recently in Las Vegas, NV, to celebrate Steve McBrady's bachelor party. The group included Peter Bowen, James McBrady III '99, James Carmody, MPA '02, Andrew Sachs, Jake Kramer, and Adam Sills '02.While they enjoyed mild success at the tables (very mild), the highlight of the trip was taking in Cornell's victory over Ohio State in the NCAA Hockey Tournament.

Ryan Sarsfield checks in to let us know that he couldn't keep away from Cornell. He spent a lovely summer in 2004 at Cornell, working for Cornell's Adult University. From there, he spent a couple of months in Cuba, and then some time in Costa Rica updating a guidebook for Fodor's Guides. This spring he was teaching Spanish on a Japanese NGO cruise ship called the Peace Boat as it sailed around the world. The nomadic life continues . . . Go Ryan!

Laura Rubinate is currently in her first year of medical school at Nova Southeastern U. College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Class of 2008. For Laura, it was a hard change going back to school after three years, during which time she worked full time as a pharmaceutical research scientist at GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceuticals in King of Prussia, PA. She moved to Fort Lauderdale in late July 2004 and loves it--the weather is 80 degrees in February, a nice change from what we went through in undergrad! She is looking forward to being a physician (eventually) at 28 years old. Laura is still riding horses, after being the co-captain of the varsity equestrian team her senior year at Cornell. She even donated her old horse to Cornell for the current team to use. Happily, her coach is taking good care of him in Ithaca.

Elora Basu is an RVP in charge of client solutions on the retail side with Morgan Stanley in New Jersey, and she assists the sales force tremendously. Her boss said, "I can tell you first hand that she has been an invaluable asset to my business, and we're glad to have her on our team." Congratulations to Marco Boyce, who passed his professional exam and is now a registered landscape architect practicing in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland and living in Delaware. He switched firms to work at Morris & Ritchie Associates Inc., where he's involved in the design and planning of mixed-use residential communities throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Amy Palmieri Cohen matched for her pediatrics residency at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She and husband Scott will be making Philadelphia their new home starting in June. Baker & Hostetler LLP welcomed Jack Fitzgerald to their law firm in New York City. Jack had graduated magna cum laude and continued to New York U. School of Law, where he was a member of the NYU Law Review. Congrats, Jack!

Do you have any news for your fellow classmates? Let us know so we can write about it! E-mail us at classof2001@cornell.edu. Have a great summer! -- Lauren Wallach, lew15@cornell.edu; Trina Lee, TKL6@cornell.edu.

02 | Well, the Yankees are off to their worst start since '91, but something tells me that by the time you read this they'll have bounced back. New Yorkers are not too forgiving, though; they expect a lot from their Bombers. This summer I decided to work as a staff member on a tour for teenagers that goes through Alaska, the Northwest coast, and Hawaii--rather than obtain one of those "practical" internships. I say travel is highly practical, especially now.Who's with me?

I will be up in Ithaca in two weeks for our annual Taekwondo Alumni Weekend, and again end of May for the wedding celebration of Alice Tu and Han Dan Cho '89. The reception is at the same place as several of my Theta formals, the Lake Watch Inn, though I will behave myself and resist the temptation to regress to my sorority days. I plan to stock up on desserts from Madeline's and candy from Wegmans. The Martha Stewart Internship in their Training & Development Division has been a trip this semester. Haven't met Martha yet, but, well, it's tough to pin her down these days.

Let's start with those of you currently pursuing graduate degrees."Hello to the Class of 2002!"writes Korey Jaben. "I hope this issue finds everyone well and happy, and a little bit closer to accomplishing their goals. I am finishing up my first year at the U. of Miami School of Medicine, where I have joined A Chi O sisters Jane Fishler '03 and Jessica Kulak '01. Jane and I had a blast spending our spring break in the Dominican Republic working with Medical Students in Action.With only 20 first- and secondyear medical students and two physicians, we treated over 700 patients in four days! I miss Ithaca, as always, and I look forward to making the ambitious trek up there sometime soon."

Korey also stays in touch with Heather Groeger, who she tells us is finishing up her first year of nursing school at the U. of Pennsylvania. Ilyse Gerson Cody writes that she is moving from Seattle to Boston this summer to begin her MBA at the Sloan School of Management at MIT. Husband Brian '00, ME '01, will be starting a new job at The Mathworks this summer as well. Kristin Sunderdick is in her third year of veterinary school at the Maryland-Virginia Tech Regional Veterinary College.

Some of you are heading for completion of your advanced degrees. Corinne McGown wrote in to tell us about boyfriend and classmate Graham Meli, who will graduate from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Graham has accepted a position at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York starting this fall. Congratulations to Graham and thanks to Corinne for sending in his update! "I am finishing up my final year at Suffolk University Law School with a concentration in international law,"writes Jason Wiener. "My third law review article has been accepted for publication at the Wisconsin Journal of International Law." Congratulations, Jason! Jocelyne Slepyan is finishing up her master's in theology at Ref. Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. She graduates in May 2005. She also told us about sister Dorothy Slepyan '99, who is now Mrs. Richard Furberg and working on a second master's degree in environmental engineering. Their father, David Slepyan '64, MD '68, is practicing plastic surgery in Whidbey Is.,WA.

Many of us have opted to stay in or around Ithaca since graduation. For the past three years, Nicole Boosembark has been working at the Statler Hotel as the senior banquets and conference services manager. Starting in January she will be a catering/sales manager focusing on social functions such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, holiday parties, and recruiters. "I am looking forward to working more normal hours," she writes. Nicole also updated us on classmates Josh Debottis, who is working at the Statler as Front Desk Manager, and Ruthie Levy, who is heading back over to Iraq in January for 12-18 months. Andrew Russell is in his second year teaching Latin at a rural high school near Loudonville, NY, and plans to begin a master's program in Latin.

Forbes Online recently gave awards to CustomGolfVacations.com, created by Sitation LLC, a Web development firm owned by Samuel Bradford and Steven Engelbrecht '01. CustomGolfVacations.com won "Best of the Web Pick" for the Golf Travel category and was named a "Forbes Favorite" alongside travel giants Expedia, Priceline, and Orbitz. Sam and Steve first joined forces as undergraduates, when they created and managed the first European singing tour for the Hangovers (source: Forbes Online, January 25, 2005).

Brace yourselves, '02ers: the time has finally arrived for a baby section! Elisabeth Carlin Fritz welcomed new baby Grant Edward on July 7, 2004. He was born in Ft. Stewart, GA, where his father Jason is stationed."My husband will leave in early 2005 for his second tour of duty in Iraq," Elisabeth writes. Elena Drakos is currently serving in the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan. John Hill, ME '03, writes that he frequently sees Ethan Auerback, Ben Yurman-Glaser, Jason Brauth, and many, many other fellow Cornellians here in the Big Apple. Keep the updates coming! Send news to:-- Carolyn Deckinger, cmd35@cornell.edu; or Elizabeth Richards, elizabethlauren_richards@yahoo.com.

03 | Well, it's been a busy spring for many of us, so there's a lot of exciting news to share. Melissa McMillan continues to work for Dine Murphy Wood LLC, an architectural firm in downtown Manhattan. Megan Dorn is in Manhattan too, but that's Manhatttan, KS (she tells us it's the "Little Apple"). She's busy in her second year at the Kansas State U. College of Veterinary Medicine. And speaking of vet school, congratulations to Beth Nelms on her acceptance to the U. of Pennsylvania veterinary school. She'll be starting there in the fall after she completes her master's at Drexel U. I got to meet up with Matt Norton for lunch in Amherst, MA, and he told me that he will be going to the U. of Glasgow vet school in the fall. The pets of the Class of 2003 will certainly be well taken care of!

Solani Kantaria is already abroad in Australia at the U. of Sydney Law School. She has finished her second year and will have completed her degree by next November. Adrianne Kroepsch, meanwhile, has left the snowy slopes of Colorado and writes, "I moved back to the East Coast! I'm doing science policy work for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and trying to figure out how to live in a bustling metropolis after being a ski/mountain bike instructor for the past year in Colorado and Utah, respectively. I already miss Aline Speeckaert, my housemate from Park City, UT." Carla Winston has also returned to the East Coast, although she had to cross an ocean. Carla wrote, "I'm back from my Fulbright year in Switzerland and am readjusting to the US by throwing myself headfirst into life in Washington, DC. I work 40 hours a week as a research assistant for two different think tanks, as well as pursuing full-time graduate study in international affairs at George Washington U." Sounds exciting!

Also on the east coast, Ellen Devine is a teaching fellow in the English dept. at Philips Academy in Andover, MA. She is coaching three sports and is a resident counselor. Close by is Jen Weston, who is finishing up her MS in human nutrition at Tufts U. She is doing a dietetic internship at the New England Medical Center.

Meryl Conant is also doing some exciting things. She wrote, "I'm going into my third month as a television reporter for the ABC affiliate in Staunton, VA. I am out in the field reporting every day and going live almost every night. After finishing Cornell, I received a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern U. I am doing my dream job in an adorable town that is only a little more than two hours away from my home near Washington, DC. I still miss Cornell, but I keep in touch with tons of my college friends." Daniel Lenski is nearby as a physics graduate student at the U. of Maryland. Rachel Scher has moved to Maryland after getting her MSW from the U. of Michigan in December of 2004.

We've been a bit behind on sharing some of our updates, so here is some older but very exciting news! Adrienne Dutt ran the Chicago Marathon back in October. Justin Morehead, ME '04, wrote, "Since finishing my master's in Engineering Management at Cornell, I have been working as a financial analyst for Bank of America in San Francisco, CA. In February 2004 I married Emilee Thoner '04.We live in Concord, where we are involved with our local church and are having a great time exploring California's mountains and beaches." Elizabeth Quezada is also in California and is a PhD student at UC Berkeley.

Matt Haistings is back in Iraq and wrote to say, "I'm back in Iraq for 'round two' and have been extremely busy since arriving in Kuwait in early March. Right now I'm located at a base that's part of Baghdad International Airport. Our living conditions are pretty good.We have real toilets (as opposed to porta-johns), which is a key factor in how we've been judging the living conditions.We only have to leave the base on convoy every fourth day and the routes are very short.Most of our time is being spent fixing all of the equipment that broke on the ship or on the trip here." Our thoughts are with you,Matt, for your safe return!

I, meanwhile, graduated from Green Corps in the fall of 2004 and moved to Seattle for a new job as an organizer with Corporate Accountability Int'l (formerly Infact). I'm doing work I love, challenging corporations on their abusive actions for long-term systemic change. And, of course, Seattle is great. I also get to travel a lot, so perhaps I'll see some of you on my trips around the US. Looking forward to the hearing your stories! Send your news to -- Sudha Nandagopal, sn58@cornell.edu; or Samantha Buckingham, sbw9@cornell.edu.

04 | Can you believe we've been out of college for more than a year? By now, I know all of you are curious about what your old classmates are doing, and I have a bunch of updates for you. But what about you? Have you sent something in? You may be wondering what that cute guy or girl who sat next to you in Wines is doing, and someone is wondering what you're up to, too! So send me an update! ASAP.My e-mail address is at the bottom of this column.

Kris Ann Brady is a junior account executive at Hunter Public Relations. Justin Schoenberg is working in the I-Banking division of Citigroup in New York City. Another Justin is also in NYC. Justin Koser has decided to put off graduate school indefinitely, and is working for Epana Networks, a telecom firm in Manhattan. Justin adds, "Harlan Crystal is still living it up in Ithaca as he works toward a master's in Engineering in Computer Science."

Sage Nagai is into Chinese kickboxing and is currently getting a master's degree at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, LA. Sage is enrolled in the Master's Internationalist Program in Public Health and is working with the Peace Corps. The South is now home to Darren Rumack, who is in Nashville, TN, studying at Vanderbilt Law. Another future attorney,Matthew Muns has just completed his first year of law school at St. Thomas U.

Michelle Findley lives in Las Vegas and works as a concierge and front desk agent at the Venezia Tower of the Venetian Hotel. She also teaches at Gymboree Play and Music. Hannah Levine began a new job as development coordinator at the Harris School of Public Policy in December. She writes that she is "learning lots and loving it!" In March, she was in Armenia to give a presentation and work out a deal, and in May, she is off to Dubai.Hannah also wants to let us know that Leslie Fink is loving Columbia Medical School!

Send in your updates and join the Cornell 2004 group on both friendster.com and thefacebook.com. Enjoy the warm weather!-- Vanessa Matsis, vgm3@cornell.edu

05 | July and August 2005.Many of us are winding down from our last summer of hoo-rah, while others have already taken that step into the working world or graduate school. I myself am finishing up my first summer here in beautiful Ithaca. As most of you know, one day of warm weather in Ithaca makes you forget how cold you might have been just the day before--imagine three months' worth. I can take long runs, relax in the Plantations, and walk down in the gorges . . . all without worrying about when I'll have to get back to a paper.

In June I also got to clerk for Reunion Weekend for the first time, which involves assisting various classes with the logistics of their reunion. After spending a long weekend with passionate Cornell alumni, I've gained a renewed appreciation for Cornell. It's finally setting in how much I'll miss the Big Red and all the people I've met over the years.

As expected, many of our classmates have found their way to New York City. John Keh enjoys living in NYC as he finishes up his training program at JPMorgan.He says that he would love to meet up with Cornellians in the city, so please look him up and contact him. Dave Zhou is also at JPMorgan, working in the Dept. of Fixed Income Research. After a nice family reunion in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Jaymie Brill '04 is working in Morgan Stanley's fixed income department. Ariam Mogos is living it up while working in the development department of an independent film company. Joanne Barken is finishing up her real estate job in Ithaca before relocating to NYC in August.

Liliana Diaz-Hidalgo writes, "I just got into 'Manchester's Who's Who of Executives and Professionals,' so I will use this network to strengthen my community group, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican People (AAMP). From September till May, I will be participating in the NYC Urban Fellows Program, where I will be employed at a NYC government agency and attend workshops for professional development. In Fall 2006 I will attend NYU's Robert F.Wagner School of Public Service." Briana Rogers traveled to France and Italy for three weeks in June before starting her orientation for the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division, where she'll be working full time for the next two years. Also in NYC, Kim Glassman began work in June as a product assistant for Federated Merchandising Group, the private-label division of Federated Department Stores that includes Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Between graduation and starting her new job, Kim traveled to Florida and Puerto Rico so she could get some sun before working inside behind a desk.

Some classmates are continuing their post-college lives elsewhere, but not Bina Lokchander. She is at Cornell doing research on the kinetics of glutamate receptors in the Dept. of Molecular Medicine. The receptors are connected to a rare form of epilepsy called Rasmusen's encephalitis, and this research marks the beginning of Bina's Biomedical Master of Engineering program at Cornell. Beginning in August, Lauren Briglia will be part of Lincoln Financial Group's Professional Development Program. This three-year centralized leadership development program allows participants to understand their business, gain exposure to business leaders, and deal with technical and compliance issues. During her first year, Lauren looks forward to working in Philadelphia with Lincoln Financial Distributors in the Marketing and Business Development department. Allison Betof is finishing up traveling and working for her mother's company. In August she will begin an MD/PhD program at Duke U. She would like to focus on spinal cord injuries in the future, so she will most likely earn her degrees in the area of neuroscience.

I would now like to thank personally all those who participated in the Senior Class Campaign. As you may recall, our class gift to Cornell was the Class of 2005 Endowed Scholarship. For every gift of at least $5, Trustee Emerita Laura Clark '85 pledged $25 toward the scholarship fund. Your generosity will help first-year Cornellians for years to come enjoy all the things we now miss as alumni. This being said, please remain active Cornellians, even as young alumni. Participate in any way you can, whether it's through monetary support, sitting on a career panel, or interviewing Cornell applicants. Your alumni experience will be so much more fulfilling if you stay in touch.

On that note, make sure you visit our class website, http://classof2005.cornell.edu, to stay updated with alumni messages and events.Here are some more links you might find helpful: Cornell Alumni Directory, https://directory.alumni.cornell.edu/; Alumni e-mail forwarding (this one is extremely important!), http://www.cuconnect. cornell.edu/index.cfm; Career Contact Network (if you have a job, please share the love with other Cornell students), http://www.career.cornell.edu/alumni/shareExperiences.html; regional Cornell Clubs (make sure we Cornellians always remember how to have a good time), http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/regional_clubs.htm); supporting Cornell financially, http://www.alumni.cornell.edu/giving.htm; and general alumni information, http://alumni.cornell.edu.-- Michelle Wong, mrw29@cornell.edu; and Matthew Janiga, mwj3@cornell.edu.

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