the 2000s
Pictured: Back row: Jessica Geist ’00, Elizabeth Stomski ’00,
Nicole Hendrickson ’00, Stacy Damaso ’00, Jami DeNigris
’00, Heather Donoghue ’00, Margie Laub ’00, Elmer
Moore ’00 and Jen Baldwin ’02. Front row: Larry Bloomstein
’00, Holbrook Kohrt ’00, Jennifer (Abel) Kohrt ’00
and Bryan Klarman ’98. |
| ’00 | Jennifer Lynn
Abel sends some exciting personal and career news. She and
Holbrook Edwin Kohrt were married at the Corinthian
Yacht Club of Philadelphia, Pa., on June 29, 2002. The wedding party
was as follows: Brandon Kohrt, best man; Stacy Damaso, maid of honor;
Jim Abel and Barret Kohrt, groomsmen; and Kim Faul and Brie Kohrt, bridesmaids.
Jennifer recently changed jobs and is now an executive assistant/scheduler
for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who represents the 16th District of California.
Holbrook is a third-year medical student at Stanford University doing
rotations at Stanford Hospital. The happy couple lives in Palo Alto,
Calif. 
Louis Alloro is climbing the corporate ladder as a
marketing and sales associate for technology integrators at Leveraged
Technology in New York, N.Y. He is living in New York.
Todd C. Bielen announces his marriage to Elizabeth
Haggerty, a ’99 Bucknell graduate, on Aug. 10, 2002. The wedding
party included fellow ’00 ATO brothers Adam Brenner, Dan
Nobleman, Ron Russo and Mark Shnorhokian.
Todd and his new bride honeymooned at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua, Maui
for two weeks. Todd works as vice president of sales at Papertec Inc.
in Hawthorne, N.J. His company sells a variety of specialty papers and
films used mainly for industrial purposes. Papertec also sells a product
called plugboard to many of the top paintbrush manufacturers in the
country. On the side, Todd is the running backs coach for the William
Paterson University football team in Wayne, N.J.
Kathryn B. Collins is currently a fifth-grade teacher
for Lynn Public Schools in Lynn, Mass. She also keeps herself busy as
a field hockey coach for the middle school. Kathryn lives in Boston.
Deirdre R. Macrino is working her magic in Culver City,
Calif., as an associate producer of Travel Channel Secrets, featured
on the Travel Channel. She left the E! Entertainment Channel after two
years producing the E! True Hollywood story to work for Van Ness films.
Deirdre also became a student again at Cal State - Dominguez Hills and
plans to earn her teaching credentials within the next year. She resides
in Torrance, Calif.
Carly Mendelssohn is currently working at the Hirshhorn
Museum of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. She is also
applying to graduate school for the fall of 2003 to further study architectural
history.
Christine Murphy and Michael Peterson ’99
were married on June 29, 2002, in the chapel on the Muhlenberg campus.
Elizabeth Murphy ’04 was the maid of honor, and
Evan Babcock, Chris Foulds and Andrew Wurzer
served as groomsmen. Former Muhlenberg Chaplain Don King officiated.
Other ’Berg alumni in attendance were father of the groom John
Peterson ’72, Jennie Love, Megan Titus, Mike Moir, Joshua Schwartz,
Lindi Wilhelm ’01 and Katie Pierce ’02.
Jean Pivetz and Pete Barry ’97
are pleased to announce their engagement. The happy couple became engaged
in May and is planning a September 2003 wedding.
Kate Richmond will travel abroad this summer to Madrid,
Spain to study the Battered Women Syndrome in a sample of 30 hospitalized
women. Kate writes she will “evaluate the efficacy of feminist
empowerment techniques for treatment of BWS.” In news that will
hit closer to home, she will teach Introduction to Psychology and the
Psychology of Gender. She writes, “There is no doubt that I will
pursue a career in academia after this is all done.”
Edrena Smith sends the following update: “I have
moved from Brooklyn to Philadelphia. I am an administrative assistant
with the Children’s Aid Society by day, groovy writer by night,
and I will have my first novel completed by June (or at least that’s
what I keep telling myself).”
Bryan Steele announces his marriage to Erin (Stefancin),
which took place Aug. 24, 2001. He is a senior investment accountant
for PFPC Inc. in Wilmington, Del. Bryan and his new bride live in Bear,
Del.
Monica Stufft is making a name for herself at University
of California—Berkeley Campus as a PhD student in performance
studies. She lives in Oakland, Calif.
Ayala Younger is taking education a step, and a few
states further, by studying for a master’s in arts in education
at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
Alum and Truman
Scholar
shares her insights with current ’Berg undergrads
Moving on doesn’t necessarily mean never looking back, something
exemplified by Kate Bartkus ’00. Bartkus, who
has the distinction of being the first Muhlenberg student to be selected
as a Truman Scholar, recently returned to campus to speak to current
sophomores and juniors about postgraduate awards.
 The
Truman Scholarship Foundation, established by Congress in 1975 to honor
our 33rd president, awards scholarships for college students to attend
graduate school in preparation for careers in the government and the
not-for-profit sector. Each scholarship provides up to $30,000, and
scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial
aid at some premier institutions, as well as leadership training, career
and graduate school counseling and special internship opportunities
within the federal government. Recipients must be in the top quarter
of their class and demonstrate outstanding communication skills.
A double major in political science and economics while at Muhlenberg,
Bartkus plans to pursue a career in social policy and with the help
of her Truman award is now beginning doctoral studies in public policy
at Princeton University.
Bartkus, who was one of 65 students from 56 colleges and universities
to be awarded the scholarship in 1999, knows first-hand how competitive
the race for postgraduate awards can be. Students receiving the Truman
Scholarship in 1999 were elected by 19 independent selection panels
on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability and the likelihood
of “making a difference.” That year, 657 candidates nominated
by 332 institutions were vying for the scholarship.
As a result, Bartkus clearly is no stranger to the tight competition
that ‘Berg undergraduates will face in seeking financial support
for graduate study. And she also knows how important such outside support
can be in helping students to achieve their ultimate career goals.
That’s why Bartkus was so excited to return to campus this fall
to speak to students about her experiences and the graduate funding
opportunities available to them. The Truman Scholarship, she pointed
out, is just one of many of those opportunities.
|
• Winter 2003
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