BROWN '02

Class Notes - May 2011

2011-05-14T09:14:00.029-04:00

Aaron Leiderman '02 - In the fall of 2010, I moved back home to San Francisco and am now practicing law as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.

Amanda K. Metskas '02 - I am the executive director of Camp Quest (www.campquest.org), a network of summer camps aimed at children from atheist, agnostic, and humanist families. Camp Quest is about fun, friends, and free thought. We're launching new camps in Virginia, South Carolina, and Montana this year, bringing us to 10 Camp Quest camps in North America. It's awesome to have a job that involves going to summer camp!

I also am the co-author of a book called "Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief," which gives practical advice for non-religious parents on topics like engaging with religious extended family members, instilling curiosity and wonder, talking about death, and finding community. I know many 2002 alums who are starting families, so I figured this update might be of particular interest to our classmates at this time in our lives!

Corinna Chun '02 – After analyzing global apparel companies in NYC, Corinna recently moved back to California and launched her own women’s activewear line, ANONYA. The San Francisco-made brand is inspired by her experiences as a trained dancer, yoga, and spin instructor. She is offering 15% off to fellow Brown alumni through May 25th (use code BRUNONIAN at checkout). You can see the capsule collection here.

Deepak Thomas '02 and his wife, Mareen, completed their medical residencies last summer at Yale and continued as faculty for the year. In July, they will begin their fellowships at Washington University School of Medicine, located in St. Louis. Deepak will study cardiology while Mareen will specialize in pediatric endocrinology.

Elaine Loh '02 has been working as an actress in Los Angeles for the last 5 years. She's been on shows such as "It's Always Sunny...", "Californication", "Chuck", and is currently recurring on "All My Children". She is also working as a writer for the CBS Sketch Comedy Diversity Showcase. On a totally separate note, her work with Professor Jin Li of the Education Department at Brown was recently published in various academic journals. You can find more details of her acting work on IMDB or at www.elaineloh.com.

Glenn Wong '02 - My wife and I backpacked around the world last year, have a blog about it (www.vagabondcouple.com) and also recently launched my photography portfolio (www.gwongphotography.com).

Jon Martin '02 - I am now employed as a developer at Wireless Generation in Brooklyn, NY. Wireless Generation makes software/hardware systems for K-12 educators to manage enrollment and student performance assessment. Shockingly, technology sometimes CAN help education!

Lauren Gaffney Lucarelli '02 - I was married on October 2, 2010 to John Lucarelli at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. We were so lucky to have so many of our dear friends from the Class of 2002 in attendance to celebrate with us: Meredith Nelson Mormile, Richard Mormile, Justine Woodfield Groarke, Sarah O'Dea, Maya Wadleigh May, Amanda Forte Barash, Michael Talis, Elizabeth Quadros Betten, Buck Betten, Sara Slovin Tsay, Orli Sharaby LeWinter, Alexandria Sica, Caroline Burnett, Danielle Levy, Shannon Price Albarelli, Mike Albarelli, Bevin Butler, Katie Austin, and Meredith Bowen Waterman. After almost nine years of living in NYC and working at HBO Sports, my husband and I just recently moved to Los Angeles where I am now a freelance sports television producer. My contact information is available in the alumni directory.

Maria Witt '02 is moving to Portland, OR, and would love to connect with other alumni there. Her contact information is available in the alumni directory.

Monica Lucero '02 - I was married on Feb. 5th in San Antonio to Evan Richardson. Felicia Kuo Wong '01 MD '06 was my maid of honor and both Kristan Diaz '02 MD '07 and Shannon Connolly '03 were my bridesmaids. I will be finishing up my Ob/Gyn residency @ UMASS this summer and starting my fellowship in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at Stanford on July 1st.

Nigel Cordeiro '02 graduated from Wharton and was selected to be his class graduation speaker. He is excited to move back to San Francisco in the fall.

Peter Sample '02 - This past year, I married Jessica Schwartzberg '05 and we both moved from NYC to LA!

Rebecca Whitten '02 - I'd like to belatedly announce the birth of my twin sons, Benjamin and Asher. They were born March 26, 2010, and are now 13 months old. They are full of personality, and my husband Eric and I are having a wonderful time!

Ryan Charles '02 recently founded Consmr, a social site where users can share their thoughts and experiences on everyday grocery and drug store products. You can sign up and learn more at www.consmr.com.

Tammy Stolz Solitro '02 - I'm living in southern New Jersey outside Philadelphia. I'm working part-time as an internal medicine physician, and in my free time, I chase around my adorable and energetic son, Thomas, with my husband Matt who did his medicine residency at Brown. I've attached a picture of Thomas and I, sporting our Brown University sweatshirts with pride.

Class Notes - December 2009

2009-12-04T08:12:00.002-05:00

Abhas Gupta '02 and Shaily Kapur '04 were married in sunny and beautiful Huntington Beach on June 27, 2009. The couple was fortunate enough to have fellow alum groomsmen, bridesmaids, and dear friends share the celebration with them: Akash Srivastava '02, Alison Lee '02, Anuj Patel '02, Ari Kaufman '02, Cass Sapir '01, Darrin Lee '02, Elana Feldman '01, Elizabeth Cho '01, Eric Marshall '02, Evan Scott '02, Hector Ortiz '97, Moshe Adesnik '02, Mumi Hemrajani '03, Jennifer Bain '04, Jessica Gonzalez '02, Jessica Radow '03, Priya Pradhan '02, Rashmi Kudesia '05, Sam Osterman '01, Saritha Peruri '02, Tara Ramchandani '05, Timothy Correia '02, and Zoe Tarshis '04. Their wedding festivities are briefly captured in this video.

Emilie Troupe '02 - I married Dr. Matthew Del Mastro '05 and completed dental school and orthodontic residency at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. I am working as an orthodontist in Newton, Massachusetts and my husband is finishing his endodontic residency at Tufts in Boston.

Evan Scott '02 - I completed my PhD in Biomedical Engineering this year from Washington University in St. Louis. I am now embarking on a three year post-doc in Lausanne, Switzerland to investigate breast cancer vaccines at one of the Swiss Federal institutes of Technology, the Ècole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). If you're in the Geneva/Lausanne area or traveling through Europe, feel free to reach out to me. I would love to catch up with fellow alums on this side of the world.

Kristina Arvanitis Gasson '02 - I recently opened my own law office in Medford, Massachusetts, focused primarily in immigration and nationality law and I've already helped some alumni with visas and citizenship. More details and contact information may be found at www.gassonlaw.com.

Nigel Cordeiro '02 is lucky to have his Brown friends in good times and in bad. Dad died of lung cancer this past June and over these past two years, Brown friends have acted as medical/research resources, logistical superstars, and moral support. Mom, Alison and I are so thankful for all of you. I moved back to the east coast to be close to the family and just started business school at Wharton, majoring in Health Care Management and Entrepreneurship.

Olga Argyros '02 - My husband, Christos Ioannou, and I had our first child, Stelios Ioannou, on September 19th, 2009. I have been working at the Hotel Poseidon Resort which has run by our family since 1975, but has gone many changes in the last five years. You can read about them at here.

Rachel Gershenson '02 - On the left is a photo of me and '02 friends who attended my wedding on June 28. From left-to-right: Rose Kowel Durbin, Elizabeth Geddes, Alastair Agcaoili, Miranda Chen, me, Kristin Ohaus, and Meryl Marr. I met my husband, Justin Gates, in Seattle and we now live in Chicago (where we were married). It was so great to have my Brown friends there to celebrate with us on our big day!

Rolland Janairo '02 and Dianne Le just celebrated their second wedding anniversary in October. Rolland is currently working for Project Joy (www.projectjoy.com) as their Director of Operations and is loving every minute of it. He currently lives in Cambridge, MA and of course, keeps in touch with his good buddy Steve Telesmanic '02, who is living with Rolland's brother and working at Gelfand Partners Architects way over in San Francisco (picture to right) - like you ever saw them apart at Brown??

Quick Questions - Marc Altman '02

2009-12-02T22:37:00.003-05:00

So now that you're all grown up are you doing what you thought you'd be doing?
"All grown up" has such a formal, finalized ring to it. Now as much as ever, my life is a work in progress. After Brown, I followed the expected route of an Applied Math - Economics major and landed a consulting job in Chicago, doing corporate fraud investigations and computer forensics. After three years of trying to make it stick, my wife and I quit our jobs and spent seven months traveling around the world. It was an awe-inspiring and life-perspective-changing experience.

I used the travel images from our trip to jump-start a transition into professional photography. Having loved photography since junior high, I was thrilled to finally take the leap of faith necessary to abandon the comforts of consulting and try to make a career out of my passion. I spent two years taking classes at Arizona State University and assisting photographers in Phoenix. Back in Chicago, I'm now establishing myself as a freelance commercial photographer with a documentary style. I'm learning something new every day, whether it's how to shoot in a new environment, how to incorporate a new technology, how to market myself to target clients, or how to run a small business.

So, to answer the question: I can't imagine that I actually "thought" I'd be earning a living from my photography, although perhaps I might have dreamt it. And I certainly didn't think that the seven years after Brown would take the path that they did.

What are you working on now?
I'm currently editing my latest documentary project. I collaborated with a Chicago-based organization call Range of Motion Project ("ROMP") to document a trip of American volunteers helping Guatemalan amputees receive prosthetic and orthotic services that they otherwise wouldn't have had access to. It was a fascinating project, and a sample of the images can be seen at http://marcaltman.com/gallery/romp2009/

Recent projects include:
In May I was hired to document life at a grade school in St. Louis for their brochure and a coffee table book celebrating their 40th anniversary. In April, I spent a week in Israel photographing American ultimate frisbee coaches (including a few Brown alums!) teaching the sport to underprivileged Israeli and Palestinian kids in an effort to encourage cross-cultural understanding. And last winter I documented a 10-day summer camp in South Africa for kids affected with HIV/AIDS. I've also spent the last few summers as staff photographer at an overnight summer camp in Wisconsin. All in all, they've been amazing projects, leaving me with fantastic images and life-changing experiences. Some of the images can be found on my website, www.marcaltman.com, or blog, marcaltman.wordpress.com.

In January, I'm putting together my first solo gallery show, at the Bonsack Gallery in St. Louis. It's titled "Explorations" and will showcase my travel photography.

How did Brown help you get where you are?
In an important but indirect sense, Brown encouraged my general sense of independence and exploration. My degree cultivated the analytical skills that have helped me problem-solve my way to where I am now. My semester abroad at Goldsmiths College in London showed me how amazing a life of photography could be, and implanted the travel bug deep in my personality. And my Brown friends continue to inspire me to follow my dreams and use my photography to do good.

Businesses and Non-Profits - Katherine Boas '02

2009-12-01T18:01:00.000-05:00

Inspired by a meeting with the founder of Thailand's largest NGO, Katherine Boas '02 and Stanford business school classmate Scott Raymond created the Barefoot MBA, an adaptable tool to teach basic business to anyone, anywhere.

Microlending is hot these days. It's relatively easy to give and, increasingly, easy to get a small-scale loan to jump-start a business. But despite all that available financial capital, access to intellectual capital isn't as easy to come by. Or wasn't.

About four years ago, while on a business school trip to Thailand and Cambodia, Mechai Viravaidya, the founder of Thailand's largest NGO and a pioneer in microfinance, challenged us to find a better way. Wouldn't it be great, he wondered aloud to room full of Stanford MBAs, if we had a business curriculum that anybody could learn so people who receive these loans could use them wisely?

Over dinner that night, the Barefoot MBA was born. We spent the next few months creating the 16 lessons that would become the Barefoot MBA, working with experts in education and development to devise an elegant way to teach a common set of concepts to a range of people. Our solution? Stories.

Each Barefoot MBA lesson contains a pair of contrasting stories, each with a protagonist facing a business decision. The stories in each lesson are identical, except the protagonist in the second understands the lesson at hand and makes a different, better business decision as a result. The lesson is the difference between the stories. The format is simple – and requires no literacy or props, allowing the Barefoot MBA to go truly anywhere. And it has.

After a successful pilot on a return trip to Thailand in 2007, we've successfully adapted the Barefoot MBA with partners in places as far as Guatemala, India and the Philippines. Our latest adaptation is closer to home: Providence. We're working with Brown students and alumni at the Capital Good Fund on a basic business education workshop for immigrants and other prospective borrowers.
We're excited about future partnerships, near and far, and would be happy to talk with anyone interested in learning more. We encourage anyone to express more passive interest by following our blog, becoming a fan on Facebook and/or following us on Twitter.

For more information, please visit http://www.barefootmba.org.

Class Notes - March 2009

2009-03-11T10:42:00.007-04:00

Alex Kruglov and Alia Zaharudin had a baby daughter Zadie on January 6th. At two months now, she's an absolute delight to her lucky parents as she's starting to smile, coo, and develop a personality. Picture attached (in front of our new home).

Dan Restuccia '02 and his wife Alissa Farber had a baby girl, Eva Jane Restuccia on February 7, 2009. Eva Jane weighed 8lbs 6 oz.

David Billings - My son Theodore Dewei Billings ('20) was born on August 28, 2008, weighing 8 lbs 4 oz. I am now working at Parsons, Behle & Latimer, the largest law firm in my home town of Salt Lake City, Utah. I do commercial litigation, especially chapter 11 bankruptcies.

Jennifer Beckmann '02 is in the middle of her MBA at the University of Cambridge (England) - but perhaps more exciting is that she got engaged at the beginning of February! Jen will marry Michael Butler (Cornell '98) in September 2009 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Providence had to be a part of the festivities, so the rehearsal dinner will be at 3 Steeple Street! (Photos from the day we got engaged are attached - they were taken at the British Museum, London)

Jess Lopez continues to work full-time at New York Cares. On top of that she recently launched norahvincent.net and diamondbelles.com. She also just began working as an Instructor of Physical Computing at the Institute for Schools of the Future.

Kathleen Corriveau Bird '02 and Jacy Bird '03 welcomed Elena Rose Bird into the world on February 8, 2009 at 5lbs 15oz. She is absolutely perfect. Kathleen Corriveau's email is now kcorriveau@gmail.com.

Lauren Hale '02 continues to dance and choreograph for Lauren Hale Dance. She recently relocated her company to the Hudson Valley, NY. She is really excited about her new concert, Turn: Return at the Philipstown Depot Theatre in Garrison, New York on April 3rd. For more information on Lauren's work, visit her website at http://www.laurenhaledance.com/

Mark Dembitz - For the past 2.5 years I’ve been in China working in Environmental Finance. Specifically, I produce carbon credits by financing and developing projects that reduce the emissions of greenhouse gasses. It’s been great, but time for new challenges is around the corner as I’m off to Paris to get my MBA at INSEAD. I plan on leaving China slightly unconventionally: riding a motorcycle overland with a friend, from Beijing to Istanbul (Turkey). We are using this opportunity to raise funds for a new charitable organization aimed at fighting climate change and help educate and inspire people along the way that each and every one of us can make a difference by trying to minimize our impact on the environment. It will take 80 days to cover the 16,000 kilometers that separate both cities, and we will cross 8 countries as we ride along the silk road. We will be sharing our impressions and photos on a dedicated blog that people can find on www.gglobal.org and on facebook. If anyone from OH DEUCE is somewhere along the way, it would be fantastic to meet up. Any comments, encouragements, funds etc are also happily received.

Rebecca Spielfogel Polivy and Tammy Stolz Solitro met Rachel Weinstein Petterson in San Francisco to grab a bite to eat in Chinatown after her wedding in July '08. It was a great chance to catch up since Rebecca is in Seattle working at Boeing and Tammy is out in Philly saving lives as a resident. In addition, to getting married, Rachel also started a new job at Google where she can catch up with several Brown grads on a daily basis. So if you're in the Bay Area, Seattle or Philly--say hi!

Sandeep Parikh couldn't be more thrilled that his web series The Legend of Neil was nominated for 4 Streamy Awards! But he needs your help to win the Audience Choice award which requires votes to win. Please head over to http://vote.streamy.org and cast your vote, no registration necessary just a quick click. In case you need more incentive one, of the nominees is a Harvard grad, and we can't let that dude win right? Thanks for the support!

Shareef Jackson - I'm currently living in West Philly and working with Shire Pharmaceuticals. I manage databases as well as perform data analysis and product assessments. I've been married for about 3.5 years. I still love to do spoken word / rap, but haven't had much time to record.

Jessica Gonzalez Ortiz, Toni Karbe, Maria Pelaez, Ivania Perez, Divya Eapen, and Alison Lee escaped to Miami for the weekend!

Scrapbook - March 2009

2009-03-10T11:14:00.001-04:00

Businesses and Non-Profits – Katherine Chon '02 and Derek Ellerman ‘02

2009-03-10T09:20:00.001-04:00

Sparked by a local case of human trafficking involving the enslavement of six Asian women in a Providence, RI brothel disguised as a massage parlor, Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman founded Polaris Project to combat modern-day slavery in the spirit of a 21st century Underground Railroad.

The trade in humans is the third largest criminal industry in the world, growing faster than the trade in arms and drugs. The United Nations projects that human trafficking will only worsen with the state of the global economy. The UN’s most recent research estimates that there are 2.5 million victims at any given time. As overwhelming and as foreign as this may sound, the face of human trafficking was personal and local when we started Polaris Project. It was six women, enslaved two miles from the Brown University campus.

When we started Polaris Project during our senior year, our mission was simple: find the victims, shape policy, and build a movement. Seven years later, we have directly served more than 250 victims through our local programs in Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Tokyo and created one of a small number of shelter programs for victims of trafficking in the U.S. Our labor slavery clients have ranged from domestic servants of diplomats locked in closets for failing to work around the clock to victims of peddling rings physically beaten and starved if they did not meet their magazine sale quotas. Sex trafficking survivors have ranged from Asian, Latina, and Eastern European women forced into prostitution in residential brothels and strip clubs to American children advertised online and tortured by pimps preventing their escape.

Our direct work with survivors have helped to pass landmark legislation at the federal and state levels. Polaris Project has testified before Congress four times and worked in coalition with other organizations to successfully pass two major bills at the federal level and anti-trafficking legislation In more than 20 states. Over the last year, Polaris Project has partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to run the national 24-hour hotline and information center on human trafficking. Calls have increased by 200%, identifying 2,300 potential victims across the country.

While Polaris Project has grown from 2 to 35 staff since its founding, what continues to fuel us is the movement that is broader than just one organization – and that movement has very much been shaped by our experiences at Brown. Brown’s values for freedom, innovation, and social justice may have given us the courage to create Polaris Project, but the continued support from the Brown community has helped to sustain our efforts. Professors continue to advise with thoughts and feedback on our strategies and alum from every decade dating back to the 1960’s have supported our work over the years. Recent graduates such as Elizabeth Rhodes ’06, CJ Adams ’07, and Sarah Grenzeback ’07 have joined our staff to help keep the founding spirit alive.

We invite our friends and classmates to join us in the growing movement against modern-day slavery. To learn more and take action, please visit us at www.PolarisProject.org.

Quick Questions - Stephen Karam '02

2009-03-10T00:37:00.000-04:00

By Sarah Coogan

So now that you're all grown up are you doing what you thought you'd be doing?

I am. But only just recently! At Brown, I was engaged in lots of theater and writing plays, but I had no clue how I would pay off all those gorgeous Brown student loans by working in a field that doesn't really offer any steady pay. So it took me a lot of years working as a paralegal, a temp, an editorial assistant (shout out to Free Press at Simon & Schuster), a few weeks wearing a blue jump suit and handing out raffle tickets in a Fleet Bank in Chinatown (it paid so well, for real!) and writing whenever I had time. I managed to start getting some of my plays produced in D.C. and in Portland, OR, where some '02 classmates had set up shop and finally landed an honest to God professional New York production in 2006 of a play I co-wrote called "columbinus", at New York Theatre Workshop. From there my next play, Speech & Debate got picked up for the inaugural production of Roundabout Theater Company's "Underground" initiative. Both plays are now published and being performed all over the country.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on the screen adaptation of Speech & Debate for Overture Films and a new play commissioned by Roundabout. I also just returned from a little research trip to Utah and Colorado City (yes, land of the mysterious FLDS) for the libretto of a chamber opera I'm working on, currently titled "Dark Sisters".

How did Brown help you get where you are?

Lowry Marshall (Theatre, Speech & Dance Department) believed in me and brought me back to Brown in the summers of 2005 and 2006 where she directed two productions of my work for the Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep. Her great production of Speech & Debate in Leeds Theater kicked things into high gear by getting the show on its feet and in front of audiences and critics. That production also allowed my agent to see and understand the play in a way he might not have on paper and thus market it in New York really effectively.

My Brown connections are really what helped me stay focused and made me believe I could be a writer, even when I was getting rejected by pretty much everyone else. Darius Pierce, Sam Kusnetz and Kerry Silva welcomed my work at their theatre company in Portland and Darius came to Brown to perform in my shows in both 2005 and 2006. Sarah Coogan came and choreographed Speech & Debate at Brown and along with Anne Reilly read early drafts and encouraged me to keep going.

Wait a minute, I forgot Brownbrokers. Oh yes, I wrote a full length musical while at Brown. I love everyone who brought that massive beast of a musical to life. A great group. That's what was so humbling and fantastic about Brown--not only was the school crazy enough to produce a mainstage production of a student written show, but all of the amazing undergrad talent (actors, designers, musicians) climbed on board to make it possible. That was special.

Also, big shoutouts to Chicken William, Chocolate Seduction Cake, and the Sundae Bar at the Ratty and V-Dub. If not for the insane amounts of calories consumed at Brown, I might not have had the energy to write anything at all.

Quick Questions - Greg Machlin '02

2009-03-08T16:45:00.003-04:00

Q: Now that you're all grown up, are you doing what you thought you'd be doing?
A: I don't know if I'd describe myself as "fully grown up" yet, but... Yes and no. I always thought (since I first caught the acting bug at age 12) I'd be involved in theatre & film in some way, but I didn't know I'd be pursuing playwriting to the extent I have, since I didn't really get involved in the writing side of things until my junior year at Brown, and I wouldn't have guessed I'd be able to meet and work with so many cool people while getting my work produced. And I couldn't have predicted teaching chess to K-5th graders--a very enjoyable side job. When the kindergartners aren't trying to eat the pieces.

Q. What are you working on now?
A: Most recently, my play "7 Days: A Fantasia on the Life of Miles Davis" had a sold-out run at the University of Iowa in January of this year. In May of 2008, I received my MFA from Iowa, and in August moved out to LA. to continue playwriting and pursue TV writing; last year I was commissioned to adapt a cult classic film from the 1960s for the stage. My short play "Family Portrait" was a Heideman Finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2008, and "Bloody Lies" was produced in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2007, where it was a finalist for "Best New Script." My work has been published by Smith & Kraus ("60 Seconds to Shine IV") and broadcast on NPR (his radio play "Who Killed Harry Park?") I have a spec TV pilot called "Greg Machlin's Absurdities" I'm currently submitting to places, about a writer who works in a bookstore; his fictional characters keep coming to life and wreaking havoc on his life, including the mad scientist supervillain he created a few years back. Also at Iowa, I would perform dementedly funny monologues by a writer named Jake Gontero; you can watch one of them, "Litterbox Greg," here. And I recently put a website up where you can download some of my plays: http://homepage.mac.com/gregmachlin.

Q: How did Brown help you get where you are?
A: It was at Brown where I had the chance to take writing classes with great instructors--Laura Zam, Ruth Margraff, Aishah Rahman--and hone my storytelling in great film and video classes with Tony Cokes and Lodge Kerrigan. The theatre department was a very welcome home, I learned an immense amount from Spencer, Lowry, and John; I learned the importance of hard work and discipline while still having space to express my creativity. And I made some connections with people I'm still friends with and have worked with since Brown, among them Kent Roberts '01.5: we collaborated on a TV pilot called "The Kent Show." (You can watch part of it here) I'm always looking to connect with fellow Brown alums; drop me a line at gregmachlin@gmail.com.

584 alums from 257 cities and 29 countries...

2009-03-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

... that's how many alums read the last newsletter!

Top 10 Cities: New York, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Washington DC, Seattle, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cambridge, Hoboken, and Los Angeles

Yes, Hoboken is a more attractive alumni destination than LA. To the alums in Africa, South America, and the Far East, please send us a quick update to share with the class--we'd love to know more about your exciting lives and work abroad.

If you didn't receive a newsletter announcement in your email, click here to update your alumni email preferences. Under the e-newsletters menu, make sure "Undergraduate Class News and/or Events" is checked.

Class Notes - January 2009

2009-01-02T09:39:00.010-05:00

Jessica Gonzalez Ortiz - Jessica obtained her Masters in Public Health and is currently working for the City of Newark's Department of Child and Family Well-Being. She is delighted to report that in August 2008 she tied the knot and is happily married to Hector A. Ortiz '97.

Nigel Cordeiro - Nigel spent his early post-Brown years in operational management in New York and LA -- running departments in finance, sales and distribution. Now at a Bay area marketing agency, he's abusing his sleep-patterns managing client relationships by day and a Bangalore team by night. Though he's enjoying the fun and sun and snowboarding in San Francisco, he forever maintains his staunch Jersey pride.

Taka Harada - Since graduating from Brown, Taka has worked for different I-banks as a system engineer. In 2008, he decided to take a break from the grind and do what he wanted to do for many years: to backpack around the world. He visited South America, Africa and the middle-east so far, and plans to visit India, south-east Asia and many other yet-to-be-decided destinations.

Tamara Chestna - Since graduating Brown, Tamara has been working in the film business at various production companies in Los Angeles. Currently, she is a Creative Executive at Laurence Mark Productions, based on the Sony Pictures lot.

To submit a note for the next newsletter, please contact Jenny Lester Moffitt.

Scrapbook - January 2009

2009-01-02T09:38:00.002-05:00

Click here or the images above to view the complete scrapbook!

Businesses and Non-Profits - Sandeep Parikh '02

2009-01-02T09:30:00.004-05:00

New Hampshire native, Sandeep Parikh, was awarded the Capstone Honors in Creative Writing at Brown and graduated with a degree in Computer Science. Sandeep lives in Los Angeles and is the founder of Effinfunny.com at which he works alongside several Brown graduates and the director/creator of Comedy Central's most successful web series "The Legend of Neil." Sandeep loves to make his friends laugh and his parents wince, which seem to go hand in hand.

As an improviser and a writer myself, it's always been a struggle to get my material out there and prove that I’m qualified to play the Hollywood game. I wanted to create a mechanism for myself and other talented people to get their voices heard, and provide them opportunities to get them in the game. Streaming video content seemed like the way to go and I figured if we focused on quality rather than quantity we'd be able to differentiate ourselves with the many user generated video sites out there. So I started Effinfunny.com.

Effinfunny.com is a stand up comedy content site that produces and features video clips of top comedians as well as the hottest up and comers. We also produce hit original webseries with our talented group of comedians with various production partners including Comedy Central and Machinima.com. Our first series, "The Legend of Neil," was a viral sensation with views numbering in the millions, a TV debut on Comedy Central, and a mention in the Hollywood Reporter as a top 10 web series to watch. Basically we find stand up talent, show them off online, and produce series with the best of the best.

My inner circle out in LA is 90 percent Brown Alums and they provide tremendous support. Leah Mann '03.5, Mat Greenleaf '02, Elaine Loh '02 are all Brown grads that I've worked with in various capacities on this project. Also without Brown I'd likely not be in the entertainment biz at all. After graduating from high school, I was pretty much dead set on doing something in the hard sciences or computer science but then I created a short film with Sarovar Banka '02, Mat Greenleaf and Ben Finkel '03, the summer of my junior year. I absolutely fell in love with the filmmaking process and never looked back. Thanks to the Brown I am able to apply my sciency/logical brain in a creative endeavors. I'm like a Terminator who can paint landscapes or sculpt (see, that's a web series right there).

Businesses and Non-Profits - Marlon Ramirez '02

2009-01-02T09:01:00.008-05:00

Colombian native, Marlon Ramirez had several leadership roles in Brown's Latin American Student's Organization (LASO) and. Today, Marlon travels back and forth between São Paulo, Brazil and New York. He sits on the Board of BrightSteps – Languages for Little Ones and is also a Founder of Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, David Neeleman's new startup airline in Brazil.

BrightSteps was launched in September 2005 as a Saturday Spanish program for 3-6 year old children in New York's Upper West Side. Since then the language program has expanded to Spanish, Mandarin, French and Italian and now enrolls children as young as 6 months old. In early 2005 Marlon met with his parents Carmenza and Gildardo and his brother Cesar to discuss education business ideas. Given Carmenza and Gildardo's early childhood education background and Marlon and Cesar's business backgrounds, it didn't take very long for the family to realize the need for foreign language education at the early childhood level. The question was, “How do we address this need?”

Through a fun hands-on approach to learning, individualized attention, and a focus on culture, BrightSteps has performed well and has reached as many as 70 enrollments in its current location.

Brown was instrumental in helping Marlon gain an international perspective of the world, through the diversity of friendships he established and his experience studying abroad in Brazil he quickly realized the extent of interdependencies between economies and global institutions. And with the growing Spanish speaking population in the United States and the growth of Asia, it became clear to Marlon that Americans need to learn other languages and cultures to remain competitive in today's ever changing global landscape.

Quick Questions - Monica Herrera '02

2009-01-02T08:56:00.009-05:00

by Leta Malloy '02

Where are you working now? What is your title? What does your job entail?
I am an Online Editor for Latina.com, the leading web destination for acculturated Latinas. Along with one other colleague of mine, I'm responsible for writing about 50-60% of the content that we publish online--which runs the gamut from entertainment, fashion and beauty to politics, food and travel--and editing the rest, which is written by staffers and freelancers. We update the site with approximately 18-20 stories per day, so it moves quickly! And my primary focus is on music and entertainment - I do Q&As with celebrities, write our bigger packages (holiday movie guides, fashion week packages) etc., and update my own music blog on the site twice a week. I also write for the entertainment section of the magazine pretty often, and I did my first cover story in the summer of '08.

Tell me a perk or highlight of your job
I'm a big fan of live music, so one of the best perks for me is the chance to see concerts for free. No matter how big or small the artist is, if they're Latino and playing in NYC you'll probably see me there, because I need to constantly keep tabs on the whole scene. And yes, I do get to interview and meet celebs...though the thrill of that has mostly faded. The biggest perk, though, is definitely seeing my byline in print and on our website and getting feedback from our readers. Nothing beats that.

How did you come to Latina magazine? What has your career path looked like?
Actually, my first full-time job was as a publicist. I was hired following a post-grad internship that I landed after attending, of all things, a Learning Annex seminar about PR. I worked at a pretty well-known agency in NYC that handles the media campaigns for music artists and executives, nightclubs, restaurants, non profit organizations, etc. After spending two years pitching my story ideas to writers and producers, I realized that what I really wanted was to be on the other side of the media industry. So through a friend at MTV who had previously worked at Latina, I was able to land an interview for a job as an Editorial Assistant. I had to take a pretty big step back in order to switch careers, but it was completely worth it. Even though I work just as hard as I did in publicity, I'm much more gratified by what I do, so it hardly even feels like work most days.

What experiences at Brown helped you to get to where you are today?
Well I did take advantage of the career counseling services at Brown--they truly go above and beyond there to help you--so that came in handy when I was trying to make my resume stand out from the rest. But really, I'm defined by my experience at Brown in ways that I think I'm still realizing to this day. The most valuable thing for me was my network of classmates and friends, many of whom are now working in NY and have always provided me with a support system. And with its open curriculum, liberal arts roots and just overall independent spirit, Brown gave me the courage to take an unconventional path towards discovering what's become my dream job. Not many people would think that doing a post-grad internship--or attending a Learning Annex seminar in order to get it--would be the smartest way to get started on a career in media. But I figured, why not? That spirit and sense of fearlessness is something I definitely discovered in myself while at Brown

Quick Questions - Annie Shapiro '02

2009-01-02T08:48:00.003-05:00

by Jenny Lester Moffitt '02

Where do you work? What do you do?
I work at Fuse, a cable music channel that’s in about 70 million households across the US. I program the music videos and help book the music guests that make appearances on the channel. I split my time doing programming work and spending time in our studio during tapings. I have been at Fuse since graduating in 2002. Presently, I live in Greenpoint Brooklyn and work in midtown Manhattan.

What is the most crazy/memorable occurrence that has happened through work?
I am fortunate in that I get to see a lot of live music as a part of my job. But I think the most memorable experience so far was seeing Green Day play in our studio for less than 100 people.

Do you see any other 02'ers?
I see Becky Bass, who also works in the music industry. I also see Becca Shapiro fairly often. She and I were roommates in NYC.

Ratty food?
The first meal I would have upon returning to Providence would be a chicken pocket at East Side Pockets. But if I was forced to return to the Ratty, they better have chicken fingers and magic bars readily available.

Looking back, what was your favorite course at Brown and what course do you wish you had taken?
My favorite course at Brown was City Politics. That was the class that made me decide to concentrate in Political Science. If I could go back for one other class, it would either be the second half of Basic Architecture (it was never offered after I took the 1st class) or photo at RISD. I always regret not taking one class at RISD during my time in Providence.