Class Notes

Winter 2024

"I joined the announcer staff at KUOW in September 2023, and I'm currently doing fill-in slots as needed. Class of '84: I'm thrilled to be the contact rep for our upcoming 40-year reunion in Seattle! Please reach out so I have your latest contact info: me@cathyfaulkner.com."

Summer 2024

"My daughter and I followed the Mariners from Baltimore to NYC to DC this May. Along the way, I was able to share time with both Florian Miedel '85 and Bryan Wong '85, as well as a few friends from college and law school. I'm still greatly enjoying working for myself, conducting workplace investigations. The work is rewarding, and my boss is very understanding about my need to travel to watch the Mariners."

Summer 2024

"In May of 2024, I was appointed to be the government relations director for the American Motorcyclist Association. In personal news, we moved back to Seattle two years ago, and we are enjoying time with family and friends after 20 years in Northern California."

Summer 2024

"I am excited to share that I was promoted to chief risk officer at Sterling Bank & Trust FSB on April 1, 2024."

Summer 2024

"I recently published my first book Street Trees of Seattle: An Illustrated Walking Guide (Sasquatch Books/ Penguin Random House, 2024), which shows readers where to find the widest and oldest trees in 30 plus Seattle neighborhoods, based on publicly available city data that goes back to 1950. It’s currently a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association bestseller! To learn more or purchase your own copy, visit tahaebrahimi.com."

Winter 2024

"Despite the craziness in the world, the last few years have been the happiest of my life. In 2020, I met the love of my life, Betty. (Thank you, OkCupid!) We bought a house together in Shoreline in April 2022, and got engaged in August of the same year. In July 2023, we got married in a small ceremony in Georgetown with close friends and family. Also in attendance were my siblings: Christopher '03 and Taylor '09. Looking forward to many happy adventures to come!"

Winter 2024

"After 10 years as a public school counselor in Seattle schools, I have branched out to mental health counseling in both group and private practice settings. I began my private practice, Root to Rise Counseling, last year. I specialize in working with kids, teens, young adults, and families to support their mental health and well-being. I'm proud to say that Ms. Friedman, our retired UPrep school counselor, was a major inspiration for my passion to work with teens and my career choice overall. If I can be of support to your family or friends, please be in touch! Visit www.root2risecounseling.com."

Summer 2024

"My wife, Caroline, and our 11-month-old son, Chandler, just visited Seville in Spain for a much-needed vacation!"

Winter 2024

"I live in Seattle with my husband, Sam Finkelman. We got married in March 2023. Although we did not know each other growing up, I remember taking the Puma bus to basketball games at Charles Wright, where Sam attended high school. It also happens that Sam played tennis against many of my UPrep classmates. In addition to getting married this year, I became an assistant attorney general with the Washington State Office of the Attorney General and Sam became a partner at Northcut Orthodontics in Northeast Seattle."

Winter 2024

"2023 has been an exciting year for me and my family! My wife, Inga, and I are expecting our first child. This year has also been eventful professionally for me. The architecture firm I started in 2021, Studio Nocturne, has completed the construction of our first few projects. We have been fortunate to receive recognition for our work from Dwell magazine and the U.S. Department of Energy. We are looking forward to delivering more projects in 2024."

Summer 2024

"Earlier this year, I was named a Distinguished Teaching Award recipient by the UCLA Department of Theater! Awardees are selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees by the UCLA Academic Senate and the Teaching and Learning Center. The Distinguished Teaching Award signifies exceptional teaching and commitment to student success."

Winter 2024

"I've been volunteering for MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Camp since I was a junior at UPrep, and the experience impacted the trajectory of my life for the better. MDA Camp is a weeklong overnight summer camp for kids with neuromuscular diseases where every activity is fully accessible so no kid feels left out. Camp is an absolute blast with fun activities like wheelchair soccer, laser tag, swimming, rock climbing, camp songs, talent shows, and zip-lining. We are always looking for more volunteers to make Washington MDA Camp the best week of the year for our campers!"

Summer 2024

"In April 2021, I was paddle boarding at Green Lake when a teenage boy went under water and didn’t resurface. I did not see him go under but while searching on my paddle board, I noticed bubbles rising from the murky water. I figured if those bubbles were from the boy, I was the only person who knew how to find him. I dove in and pulled the boy’s body up from the bottom of the lake. Another paddleboarder intercepted us on the surface and we were able to return to shore where lifesaving efforts began for the boy. He made a full recovery. At the end of 2023, my actions were recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (CHFC), and I became the 184th Washington state resident to receive the Carnegie Medal, the highest civilian honor for heroism. The CHFC was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1904 to recognize outstanding acts of selfless heroism performed in the United States and Canada."

Winter 2024

"In August 2023, I returned to the USA from France, where I spent 15 months working on an online master's in public health, playing tennis on the local team, and helping my mother with her new business. Since Boat Street Kitchen & Bistro closed in 2020, we have been working on a new venture, Boat Street in France, which offers weeklong cooking classes for Americans in the beautiful southwest of France. Despite my love for France, I am excited to have moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to work as an electrophysiologist in the Kaczorowski Lab, using the method of patch-sequencing to study Alzheimer's disease and cognitive resilience in mouse models. I'd love to connect with any UPrep alumni in the area!"

Winter 2024

"After earning my BA from Loyola Marymount University in the spring, I was awarded a yearlong grant to work as an Auxilar de Conversacion in Cadiz, a coastal city in the Andalucia region of Spain. I work at an official language school (called an Escuela Oficial de Idiomas), where I assist adult English learners in improving their language skills and facilitate cultural exchange opportunities. It has been an incredible experience so far, and I have been fortunate to meet amazing people, significantly improve my Spanish language skills, and immerse myself in a lifestyle that differs greatly from that of the United States."

Winter 2024

"During fall 2023, I was an intern in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), which is a competitive internship program that provides leadership, public service, and policy experiences to outstanding Latine students and young professionals. My highlights were meeting civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, actor Eugenio Derbez, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden. I am a sophomore at George Washington University, and I encourage all Latine students from the UPrep community to look to CHCI for internship opportunities. The network and experience are invaluable."