Class Notes Archive 1931-2014
Class Notes are searchable back to our spring 2000 issue. You can browse the notes by decade (click on a decade to view its class notes):
Class notes from the 2000s
| 2003Megan (Chiosso) Contreras and Nabor Contreras married last September at Lake Tahoe. UC Davis alumnae who participated in the bridal party were Amy (Dutton) Gaudard '03, Asfala Arison '04, Claire Stoltz-Urch '03, Reina O'Beck '03 and Siri (Smith) Baland '03. The newlyweds live in Davis. Nabor is a DJ and student, and Megan is the program director at Explorit Science Center. (appeared in the Winter 2009 issue) • Katharine (Devany) Thrasher and her husband, Joseph, welcomed their first daughter, Claire Anne, in August. Thrasher is currently a homemaker, and her husband is the Energy Technology Laboratories vice president. They live in Oakdale. (appeared in the Winter 2009 issue) • Robert Witmeyer and Rachel Ball eloped in February, followed by a family wedding in July. Witmeyer is working in the musical instrument trade and teaches guitar, bass and banjo lessons. Ball got her master's degree in education in 2005 and has been teaching sixth grade for the last three years in San Jose. (appeared in the Winter 2009 issue) • MATT TURNER currently works for Diablo Contractors Inc., and helps manage the construction of a major underground water treatment series in North Lake Tahoe. He splits his time between Carnelian Bay and Davis. (appeared in the Summer 2009 issue) • Matthew James Laye received his Ph.D. in medical physiology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He currently works for the Center of Inflammation and Metabolism in Copenhagen, Demark. (appeared in the Fall 2009 issue) • Kaja Shonick married Benjamin Glahn last May in Salzburg, Austria. Claire Shonick ’06 was the maid of honor. Kaja Shonick received her doctorate in history in 2008 from the University of Washington, and she and her husband work at the Salzburg Global Seminar. (appeared in the Fall 2009 issue) • Gary Hess, M.B.A., was recently promoted to vice president of innovation at Lastar in Dayton, Ohio. His duties include defining products, markets and positioning for the cabling and connectivity company. He spent the past five years at Lastar in product management. (appeared in the Spring 2010 issue) • Adam Gelb by Teri Bachman Occupation: Fourth-grade teacher at Fallon School in Dublin, Calif. Rookie of the year: It’s not often that a teacher is described by a principal as “the very best of the teaching profession,” and it’s truly rare to have such an accolade applied to a brand-new teacher. But that’s what Principal Tess Thomas says about Adam Gelb ’03, Cred. ’05, M.A. ’06, who was one of only two 2006 recipients of a statewide Outstanding First Year Teacher award from the California Association for Employment in Education. It’s all about the students: Gelb’s teaching is based on student choice, because he believes that students are more successful when they play a role in deciding what and how they learn. In his class, students often work in pairs or small groups, give lots of oral presentations and even teach a lesson themselves. His recipe for success also includes a liberal use of a ukulele, singing and Samoan chants. “I’m pretty sure they have a lot of fun in my classroom,” says Gelb, “and they don’t realize they are learning at the same time.” Luau chair: Gelb’s efforts extend well beyond his classroom. He organized an all-school diversity evening and a Hawaiian hula feast, launched a “peace maker” program for peer-to-peer problem solving, is the track and basketball coach and model lab teacher for the school’s literacy and technology program. He even serves as social events coordinator for the staff. “I see my buddies at work in banks or in real estate, and it is a constant grind behind a desk or in an office. I think I have the best job in the world.” (appeared in the Winter 2007 issue) • Urijah Raber by Anna Hennings Occupation: professional mixed martial artist Birth of the “California Kid”: All the way through high school and college, Urijah Faber ’03 dominated the sport of wrestling, becoming the all-time win leader for the UC Davis team and a two-time NCAA qualifier. After graduating, Faber worked for one season as an assistant coach for the university’s team. Still coaching and only a few months out of college, he participated in his first mix martial arts fight at a local Indian casino. Faber now pursues MMA full time, a combat sport that uses various martial arts techniques in full contact and with minimal rules. Sporting a clean-cut, typical California look, Faber assumed the nickname “California Kid.” “I don’t look like an extremely tough guy. I look more like a surfer kid,” he says. Faber is now considered one of the world’s best lightweight MMA fighters and the soon-to-be face of the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) organization. At press time, he held an impressive 18-1 record, having won his most recent contest with a guillotine choke just one minute and 38 seconds into the first round. TV star: Faber was recently featured in an MSNBC documentary, Warrior Nation, that delved into the growing world of mixed martial arts. The show followed Faber through his preparations and fight with opponent Enoch “The Animal” Wilson. Faber won—and was pleased with the coverage. “I got to tell my own story. And it was a very realistic look at how my life is,” he says. “It was good for the sport and good for my career.” In addition, starting in June, Faber’s fights for the WEC organization will be aired on the Versus channel for free, going out to over 70 million homes nationwide. Local celebrity: Even amidst a heavy fighting and training schedule, Faber opened his own gym in downtown Sacramento nine months ago. Ultimate Fitness caters to both the general public and local mixed marital artists wanting to train. “I think uniqueness is part of what sets me apart from the other fighters. I’m a college graduate. I’m clean cut and I don’t’ have any tattoos.” (appeared in the Summer 2007 issue) • Carly Broaddus is a Vacaville police officer. She received a Hero Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving at the statewide DUI Law Enforcement Recognition Dinner this year. She had the most DUI arrests for all patrol officers in her department this year. (appeared in the Winter 2011 issue) • Erika Sox, D.V.M. ’05, is co-owner of Veterinary Emergency + Referral Center of Hawaii, which opened in Honolulu in January. Sox is Hawaii’s only board-certified internal veterinary medicine specialist. After earning her UC Davis degrees, she completed an internship at the Veterinary Specialty Hospital of San Diego and a residency in small animal internal medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Before moving to Hawaii, she practiced in California. (appeared in the Spring 2012 issue) • Kellie (Norton) Andersen received her doctorate in aerospace/mechanical engineering from Rutgers University. She lives in South Plainfield, N.J., with her husband, Kevin, a chemical engineer and project manager for BASF chemical company. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Sara Cook became assistant registrar for academic services at UC Santa Barbara in June. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Neda Shakoori joined the McManis Faulkner law firm in San José in July. A civil litigator, she specializes in intellectual property disputes, securities fraud claims and personal injury cases. She earned her law degree from Lincoln Law School in 2007. (appeared in the Fall 2012 issue) • Matt Silady, M.A. was recently named associate chair of California College of the Arts’ brand new MFA in Comics program. Katie (Devany) Thrasher and her husband, Joe, welcomed their third daughter, Catherine Anne, in March. Thrasher is a homemaker, and her husband is president of Resource Action Programs. They live in Reno, Nev. (appeared in the Winter 2013 issue) • Damian Horstman, M.D., died in a cycling accident near San Luis Obispo last September. He was 39. He was an anesthesiologist and vice chief of staff at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo. In addition to his medical degree, he held a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. (appeared in the Spring 2013 issue) • Eric Karlson, MBA, is a marketing and advertising analyst for dunnhumbyUSA. He lives in Roseville. (appeared in the Summer 2013 issue) • Gregory Thurston, after working three years as an electrical engineer at Boeing Satellite Systems, enrolled in UCLA’s School of Dentistry. He graduated in 2012, practices in Los Angeles and teaches part time at the UCLA dental school. (appeared in the Fall 2013 issue) • A new novel by Molly Winter, M.A., Persephone’s Orchard, written under her pen name Molly Ringle, was released in paperback and ebook by Central Avenue Publishing in June. A reworking of the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades, it is her fifth full-length novel. A Seattle resident, she won the grand prize in the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for an intentionally bad opening sentence. Read more about her books at mollyringle.com and follow her blog at lemonlye.livejournal.com. (appeared in the Fall 2013 issue) • Disneylanders, a middle-grade/young adult novel by Kate Abbott, was published last year by Theme Park Press. The coming-of-age story is set in Disneyland park. (appeared in the Spring 2014 issue) |