Bulletin Board

Ken Abbott '78 lives in Chatham with his wife Kathy and three daughters, one of whom is applying to the NJSP this year. He works for Morgan Stanley in NYC and would love to hear from any scholar classmates: abbottk@post.harvard.edu

Noemi Giszpenc '93 got married on September 4 of 2005, to Paul Fitzpatrick, and on October 9 2007 gave birth to their son, Leo Chaim Fitzpatrick.

Kelly Keenan Trumpbour '95 is the author of the book Questions Answered on Interest Group Advocacy, Laurel Lane Press, 2006.

Joy Turnheim Smith '81 has moved to Elizabeth City, NC and is an Associate Professor of Management and Marketing in the Walter R. Davis School of Business and Economics at Elizabeth City State University.

Heather Wahl Saylor '83 is a Counselor, Class of 2008, at the Queen of Peace High School in Burbank, IL.

Congratulations to NJSP's Class of 2005! These are the outstanding colleges and universities they are attending: Dartmouth, Harvard, Fordham, University of Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Rutgers, Northeastern, Brown, Northwestern, Yale, University of Notre Dame, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Barnard, Amherst, Stanford, American University, Kenyon, Bryn Mawr, Colgate, Georgetown, George Washington, Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia.

Philip Ballard '95 says: I'm a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen, a management consulting firm. I work with the Navy on transformation issues in their Modeling, Simulation, Wargaming, and Analysis office. Friends and/or alumni from other class years can reach me in Arlington, VA at ballard_philip@bah.com. I can show anyone around the Pentagon if they're interested. A private tour from someone with access is a lot more fun than following a tour guide!

Joshua Mathew '04 says: I hope all my friends from NJSP 04 are doing well and have had a pleasant summer. I recently returned from Egypt where I had received a scholarship from the International Language Institute to study Arabic. I'll be returning to Columbia University soon, and I look forward to seeing the other '04 Scholars there again as well as all the '05 Scholars entering their freshman year. I plan to major in political science and Middle Eastern studies, and I hope to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern studies. I felt I should follow up on Thomas Manganaro's message and note that the Scholars Program definitely had a tremendous impact on my life and career goals. I'd like to thank my fellow scholars and the faculty, especially Dr. Yoav Di-Capua who has offered his advice to me on several occasions. Thanks again. I can be contacted at jtm2115@columbia.edu

Joseph L. Bader '92 graduated from West Point in 1997. He served in the U.S. Air Force active duty until 12/04. He is now a Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and works in aerospace engineering for Boos Allen Hamilton. He is very busy and continues the tradition of learning that the Scholars Program supports. Keep up the good work!

Harish M. Sehdev '82 writes: I am a physician in High Risk Obstetrics with the University of Pennsylvania (all training at Penn). If Scholars need advice, they can contact me through NJSP.

Rolake Omoregie '01 graduated from Smith College in June 2006 and in August, will join the Johnson Intern Program in Chapel Hill, NC.

Congratulations to Alice Hodgkins '05 for being elected by her Fifth Form classmates at The Lawrenceville School to be the Aurelian Speaker at school's 2006 Commencement. The award is given to that member of the graduating class who is outstanding in sterling character, high scholarship, and forceful leadership -- qualities upon which the Aurelian Honor Society was founded at Yale University in 1919. The Society provides the Fifth Form with an opportunity to select one of their own number whom they hold in the highest esteem. Alice was also elected by her NJSP classmates to be a speaker at their graduation in July 2005.

Thomas Salem Manganaro '04 writes: College [University of Chicago] is going great for me, I have already taken a course by a friend of Yoav Dicapua's. The course was titled, "The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Literature and Film" taught by Orit Bashkin who received her doctorate with Yoav at Princeton. [Yoav DiCapua was the History and Politics teacher in the 2004 and 2005 programs Jerusalem and the Middle East: Historical Crossroads, Religious Roots, Contemporary Perspectives.] I'm looking to be doing Philosophy and English, minoring in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. I'm also taking Arabic, and after two years and a summer program in Beirut, I hope to be fluent. Clearly, NJSP has done well. I know that a good number of us NJSP '04 scholars have taken up serious devotions to the Middle East, Jay Thornton and Josh Mathew coming immediately to mind. Josh is also taking Arabic, and Lee Hofrichter and Gabi Wertman are taking Hebrew. I'm sure the list goes on.

After spending a few crazy years in the Dot Com world, Tim Shea '97 is back in school pursuing his PsyD. in Clinical Psychology. Currently he is working with teenagers, and doing research involving eating disorders and sexual abuse. Last year he started a non-profit called Struggling With Food Inc. (www.strugglingwithfood.com).

Any scholars past or present who are interested in the field of psychology can contact him at: timshea35@gmail.com

Dina E. Agrapides '96 is a Product Development Engineer for Johnson & Johnson. If any alumni are interested in the medical device field, pharmaceutical field or Johnson & Johnson she would love to speak with you; please contact her at dagrapid@crdus.jnj.com.

Toby Wahl '88 is an academic book editor with Palgrave Macmillan in New York. Should any alumni be interested in learning about the publishing industry, he'd be happy to speak with them.

John Rockoff '87 would be happy to provide career advice for Scholars interested in working in newspapering or, more generally, journalism.

Carolyn M. Zelop, M.D. '78 writes: any Scholars, past or present, who require career guidance in the field of medicine can feel free to contact me at CZelop@stfranciscare.org

Lauren Mehler '99 now works for General Mills in Minneapolis Minnesota in Marketing. She would love to provide guidance on getting into the business world, marketing, and even moving to the midwest. She can be reached at lauren.mehler@gmail.com

Janis Rodgers '04 was a Rutgers University Poetry Winner and many '04 Scholars were in the audience to hear her read her poetry at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival in late-September. Here are some pictures of the event!

Alison Gardy '82 writes:
It is a pleasure to offer to be a mentor to any of the 2004 New Jersey Scholars, whom I very much enjoyed meeting on July 22, as well as to other NJSP alumni who have a particular interest in international relations. Please do not hesitate to call me at work at 212.415.5473 or drop me an email at agardy@92y.org. My complete contact information is below.

It is my privilege to serve as Director of International Relations at the 92nd Street Y. In that capacity, I have two main responsibilities:

1) to direct the Ford Motor Company International Fellowship Program of the 92nd Street Y, which brings together non-profit and public sector leaders from all over the world. The Fellows stay at the 92nd Street Y's residence, take tailored classes at Columbia University, and enjoy visits with the executive directors and staff of model non-profits and socially-minded businesses in New York. Each year, we bring together leaders from countries that might not have diplomatic relations with one another, such as India and Pakistan. And each year, we make sure to bring together Israelis and Palestinians. In 2005, we shall have fellows from Afghanistan and Viet Nam, among other countries. For more information about the program, please see: www.92y.org/content/ford_fellowship.asp.

2) to conduct outreach to the diplomatic community on behalf of the 92nd Street Y, which means creating forums for dialogue among the ambassadors, consuls general, 92nd Street Y leadership and NYC government leadership. I also work with the diplomats to bring talent from their countries to the 92nd Street Y stage.

In a volunteer capacity, I am honored to serve as Membership Chair of the Fulbright Association Board of Directors. Our purpose is to build the community of Fulbright alumni. To learn more about the alumni community, please see www.fulbright.org. The Fulbright Program is the largest and oldest federally-funded international educational exchange program in the United States. Now more than ever, we need opportunities for greater mutual understanding across cultures. There are many kinds of Fulbrght grants: student, research, and teaching, to name a few. I was lucky to have a Fulbright grant to Mexico upon graduating college. As NJSP alumni, you should definitely consider applying for the grant once you are a junior in college, or any time after than point. For more information on the Fulbright Program, please visit www.iie.org.

The past 22 years since my summer at the NJSP have brought me in contact with countless extraordinary people from all walks of life. As much as I treasure the experiences I have had since the NJSP, I must also say that the NJSP remains a standard of comparison for all other communities I encounter. Even though at the time I knew that the NJSP was a transformative experience, it has stayed with me and guided me in more ways than I could have imagined. NJSP alumni, please don't be shy and give me a call or drop me an email. My complete contact information is below. I'd love to hear from you.

All best,
Alison

Alison Gardy
Director of International Relations
92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10128
phone 212.415.5473
fax 212.415.5798
email agardy@92y.org

Erika Dreifus '86 is a writer and teacher in Cambridge, MA. Visit her website at http://www.practicing-writer.com

Jason Drake '89: Took a BA from Rutgers College in 1994 with Honors in English. Took some time off. Then came to NYU, matriculating in an MA/PhD program (took my MA in 2000). I've been teaching courses in Irish literature and Essay writing for almost six years now. If all goes according to plan, I'll be defending in December of this year. It may get put off until May 2005, depending on a variety of factors yet to be determined (jobs, possible Fulbright travel, etc.). In the dissertation I'm looking at Irish novelists (both modern and post-modern) and their uses of 'the fantastic,' a topic that I'm sure stems from our study of the 'sublime' back in my summer at NJSP ('89). So, I must say, I'm immeasurably grateful for my experience in the program.

Christopher Silva '89: I obtained a BA in Latin American Studies from New York University in 1994. In 2002, I graduated Beta Phi Mu with an MLS from the School of Information and Library Science, Pratt Institute, in 2002. For over a year-and-a-half I have been employed as a video tape librarian at an animation production company in Manhattan. I have lived in New York City for over thirteen years and have lived in Park Slope, Brooklyn, since 1995. Feel free to contact me at chriswsilva@yahoo.com

Luke Somers '96 writes: This year has been very big for me! I got married in June, to Ekaterina Shatalova. Also, I will be starting in UPenn's Physics PhD program this September.

Kris Kleutghen '98 graduated from Dartmouth in 2003. She is now a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University in Art History, where she focuses on Chinese art and is currently studying 18th-century works created under Western influence at the court of Emperor Qianlong.

Isabel de Koninck '99 graduated from Brandeis with the class of 2004 and was awarded a Wexner Fellowship to study at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia in the fall to pursue a career in the rabbinate.

Jonathan Wallach '99 will graduate from Johns Hopkins University in 2004, receiving degrees in Biology and French. He can be reached at jbw2001@aol.com