Class Note 2009
Hello, class of 2009! I hope all is well as we head into the fall. Congratulations to our classmates growing their families and starting new adventures.
Michael Bamberger and his wife, Melissa, joyfully welcomed son Jace to the world on April 24. They recently moved from N.Y.C. to south Florida to be near family. Josh and Elyssa (Campbell) Benedikt welcomed Aden Samuel Benedikt into their home on February 2. Elyssa shared, “We are so lucky to have a beautiful baby son. Also, Diana Dinescu, Alice Kogan, and Mike Belinsky ’08 had children in April and May.” Caroline Brandt moves to Geneva, Switzerland, in November. If any alums are in the city she hopes they’ll get in touch. Georgina Emerson recently started a not-for-profit organization called Teach About Women, which brings gender-inclusive resources and practices into schools. Its mission is to change the stories we tell about women, gender, and power in classrooms and beyond. Casey Diehl and his wife, Karen, Tu’13, welcomed daughter Eleanor on November 27, 2017. They are enjoying the wonders of being new parents, while also gearing up for a large renovation to their house. Never a dull moment! Alexandra Gortchilova recently got a position as an attorney at Bose McKinney & Evans and had her first child, a girl named Elena. Vanessa Hurley will join the Washington, D.C., alumni this August when she starts as an assistant professor in the department of health systems administration at Georgetown University. A.J. Jangalapalli and Medha Raj ’13 are engaged! He wrote, “We first connected over the phone as I was about to graduate in 2009, and Medha was about to enter Dartmouth as a freshman. It wasn’t until 2017 that we reconnected and immediately clicked. Though ’round the girdled earth I roamed, her spell on me remained (with apologies to the alma mater).” Virginia Ryan and C.J. Ryan moved from Nashville, Tennessee, to Rhode Island in May, where C.J. started a new job as an associate professor of law at Roger Williams University School of Law. Virginia continues to work in a remote capacity as the competitive intelligence senior analyst at Butler Snow LLP. Their toddler, Ames, is 18-months-old and loves his new life by the beach. They are expecting baby No. 2 in January. In their “spare” time Virginia and C.J. are renovating a 1950s colonial in Barrington, Rhode Island. They are happy to be closer to Dartmouth and to Northeast friends and would love to have visitors! Carl Sciacchitano has signed a publishing deal with Simon and Schuster/Gallery 13 to publish a graphic memoir that he’s writing and illustrating titled R.E.M.F., which tells the story of his father, a Vietnam veteran, and their relationship. It’s currently due for release in 2020. Jen Stebbins Thomas was recently back in Lebanon, New Hampshire, opening the new Hilton Garden Inn right off of exit 10 on I-89. She wrote, “It was so fun to be back in the Upper Valley, and I hope our classmates can check out the hotel when they are back to visit!” Katy (Whisenhunt) Townsend and her husband, Bruce, welcomed their first child, Reid Kenneth Townsend, on November 17, 2017. Layne Zhao had a baby on January 21, a day before her birthday (January 22). Baby Paul weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces.
—Liz (Doolittle) Kahane, 7 Chatmoss Road, Henderson, NV 89052; (617) 909-7669; elizabeth.d.kahane@gmail.com
