Jan/Feb 1999

I'll delve right into the news for this column, since there is a lot to share about our adventures, and more news is trickling in to Alumni House by way of the update postcards included in the fall 1998 newsletter. Take a moment to sit down and fill us in on happenings in your life by completing the postcard and popping it in the mail. Our dues will cover the postage back to Ithaca.

Matt Hartman (mshst40+@pitt.edu) completed a year of volunteer work at a homeless shelter in California and is one of eight Cornellians in his medical school class at U. of Pittsburgh. Matt, who was a top finisher in two open-water swim competitions in California, said that he, "could not be happier in Pittsburgh." After working in MetLife's management associate program, Fred Mahakian (fmahakian@hotmail.com) took a position as project manager with On-Link Technologies, a hi-tech start-up company that specializes in developing e-commerce applications for companies that have complex product configurations. Fred is living in Mountain View, CA, with Matt Scheffer and next door to Martin Snyder '95 and Sam Yen '95, all Scorpion TKE brothers. David Lai (david@pixeltribe.com) is working in Los Angeles for a company called Cow (like the animal), with clients including Disney, Kahlua, and Mustang Jeans. David is also teaching a class on web design at the Art Center College of Design. Joanna Rosenberg (joannar@educaide.com) works at a software company in San Francisco and encouraged folks visiting the area to get in touch.

Before accepting a public relations position with Latorra, Paul and McCann in Syracuse, NY, Julie Berry spent the summer of 1997 working as a park ranger at Grand Teton National Park. In early 1998, Ramsey Frazier (rrf1@earthlink.net) was working in San Diego for the National Civilian Community Corps, a division of AmeriCorps. Ramsey reported that she caught up with several friends, including Sarah Collins and Hillary Baron '96, for New Year's 1998 and hoped to do the same in 1999. Valerie Waye settled into an apartment just six blocks from the beach with her longtime roommate Laura Baressi. Valerie wrote in March that she really enjoys her job working in the education department of the San Diego Aerospace Museum and is contemplating a master's in education in the future.

Stacey Battisti (stayseallee@aol.com) started a career in veterinary pharmaceutical sales in the Albany, NY, area with Pen Veterinary Supply Inc. Kristi Doman (ksdoman@juno.com) is enjoying her work for IBM Global Services as software engineer in White Plains, NY. Jay Marland (jmmarlan@ecs.syr.edu) worked as a mechanical engineer with Lockheed Martin Ocean, Radar & Sensor Systems in Syracuse. In February, Jay wrote he was pursuing a master's in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech, via correspondence, volunteering part-time as a staff volunteer for Campus Crusade for Christ at Syracuse U., and, "paying visits to good ol' Lynah Rink whenever possible!" Susannah Elwyn (elwyn@uharacc.rochester.edu), working toward her PhD in biology at the U. of Rochester, shared some news: Soo J. Choi, Michele Lam and Nancy Lee relocated to New York City. Helen "Elena" Haliasos is at SUNY, Stony Brook for medical school, while Visakha Goonewardena is at New York medical school and Alice Fong '96 is at the Medical College of Ohio.

A big update came from Steve Long (Steven_Long@notes.pw.com) in March 1998. Both Steve and Sharon Coy are staff accountants with Price Waterhouse in NYC; Tien-Chieh "John" Wang has a similar position with Coopers & Lybrand. Chanviet "Viet" Vo, Yi-Nei Chen, and August Al-Uqdah II are employees of Andersen Consulting. Udai Tambar (utambar@aol.com) is teaching at the United Nations International School (UNIS) and Abhinar "Anshu" Prasad is rumored to spend time pondering the ramifications of Chasing Amy at Tigris Consulting. Peter Chiu is working at Bloomberg, Jackson Eng (jackson_eng@ibm.com) is at Chase, and Nina Moy is at Macy's. On the academic front, Helen Moon is attending Columbia's Teachers' College and Florence Yee is enrolled in a post-bach program at Hunter College. Finally, Steve reports that although Rose Lum (rlum2@csc.com) has been working hard at CSC Consulting, he has also seen her working as the "fry-girl" in the Chinatown McDonalds.

Larry Feinblum (larry.m.feinblum@arthurandersen.com) is working in the financial markets group of accounting division at Arthur Andersen's Manhattan office and sharing an apartment with Zeta Beta Tau brother Andrew Schultz. Emin Ozgur, MS C '98, (eso1@cornell.edu) took a position as a systems analyst in Deloitte & Touche's NYC office. Eric Rosenthal (erosenthal@loan pricing.com) is an assistant editor at Loan Pricing Corp., a Reuters Co. Sabine Smith (sabine_smith@interconti.com) completed a management training and executive development program at Hotel Inter Continental Toronto and was serving as an assistant manager at the front desk. She sends her best regards to the Hotel school faculty and staff, whose advice has proven to be most valuable in her work.

Suzann Gallagher (skg23@cornell.edu) was enrolled in a master's program in social studies education at Columbia's teachers college; also at Columbia, David Kahn (dak4@cornell.edu) completed a one-year master's program in industrial engineering. In March, Valerie Makarick (marakv01@popmail.med.nyu.edu), a member of New York U. medical school class of 2001, shared this list of other '97ers in her class: Brett Ferdinand, Stephanie Shaps, Daniel Resnick (drd1@cornell.edu), Maria Lisi and Virna Lisi, Jeffrey Shaari, and Eric Uyguanco. Frank Noschese, MAT '98, (fpn1@cornell.edu) hoped to find job as high school physics or earth science teacher. Frank shared the news that Robert Pattison (rnp1@cornell.edu) and Beth Kellerman were married in April 1998.

Philip Hwang (pkh8@columbia.edu), president of Columbia's School of Dental and Oral Surgery's class of 2001, shared this caveat for pre-dental/pre-med students: "It is much easier getting in than staying in--think hard and well before deciding to enter the health field." Nonetheless, Iván Irizarry (porfin@coqui.net) doesn't have it so bad; he's a second-year medical student at the U. of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus in Rio Piedras. Noting the 90-degree weather in January 1997, Ivan was pleased to be attending "med school in paradise."

In March 1998, Chris Black wrote that he had soloed in the T-37, the US Air Force's primary jet trainer, and planned on earning his wings in December 1998. Chris is stationed at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. Mark Canlis is a maintenance officer for Air Force Special Operations. In January 1998, Matt Willer (NavyFO@aol.com) was continuing naval navigation training at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio and shared updates on the following folks, who are all in different stages of naval flight school: Sandy Clary, Dave Rueter , Beth Forland, Jon Frazier, and Sean Mentus. Luis Garcia (nyluis@hotmail.com) married Treva Smith, (Brigham Young U. '95) in San Diego in December 1997. She joined him at Ft. Rucker, AL, in January 1998, where he was attending Army Helicopter Flight School.

Finally, as indicated correctly in the September/October 1998 issue, Grace (Sundaram) and Anil Chaddha, JD '95, were married in April 1998. The news snippet that appeared in the fall 1998 "Trendsetters" newsletter incorrectly reported an April 1997 marriage. Please continue to stay in touch by using our website, www.classof97.cornell.edu.--Erica Broennle, 1678 N. 21st St., Apt. 1, Arlington, VA 22209; e-mail, ejb4@cornell.edu.