alumnae Connection honored by being inducted into The Order of The Golden Fleece, one of UNC’s honorary societies. Rachel Chilcot Findley received her Master of Science in Nutrition from Meredith College. Leigh Ann Tedder Freeman received National Board Certification in teaching. Stenisha Green is a human resources advisor at Quintiles, Inc. Jennifer Harrower received her Master in Education from Meredith College. Meredith Heinisch Huie is a Critical Care Nurse at Memorial Health University Medical Center in the Medical Surgical Intermediate Unit. Lormarev Jones is a sales associate at Ecko Home Furnishings in Raleigh, N.C. Cyndi Keller received her Master in Education/Administration and Supervision from Liberty University. Whitney Lamm received National Board Certification in teaching. Allison Trask Lawhorn received her Master of Arts in Education from East Carolina University. Abby McAlister Littlefield is an advising and student services specialist at Wake Tech Community College. Carmella Blakney Melton is a diversity and inclusion consultant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Meredith Kizer Robertson is a senior bid desk specialist at Red Hat, Inc. Denice Ryan is the principal/administrator at Ambergris Caye Elementary School in San Pedro, Belize. Amanda Schardt is the director of development for Paper Crown by Lauren Conrad, and she is also a freelance consultant for fashion design development and branding. Carla Sorrell received her Master in Middle Grades Education with a mathematics concentration from East Carolina University. Renee Zelenka is a category manager at The Pantry.
’06
Jill M. Rogers graduated with an M.Ed. in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May 2011. Amanda Gupton Lancaster is the Teacher of the Year at Middlesex Elementary School.
’08
Lindsey McEvoy is working as a graphic artist at L3 in Alexandria, Va.
’09
Adrienne E. Holland recently moved to New York
City and is working as the assistant manager of a high-end clothing boutique in the Upper East Side. Aubrey Jones is working as an assistant at MKG, a marketing firm in Soho in New York City, NY. Whitney Rains graduated from East Carolina University College of Nursing in May 2011 and is working as an R.N. at Duke/Raleigh Hospital in the OR.
Balloon Art is Alumna’s Business By Melyssa Allen
B
alloons and flowers are tools of the trade for Holland Muscio, ’93, owner of Balloonacy in Atlanta, Ga. “We provide a wide range of décor, so every day is different. Some clients book up to 18 months out, but some are within three or four days,” Muscio said. “Some clients call and know exactly what they want, while others call and say ‘These are my colors, this is my space, and here’s my budget…what can you do with it?’.” Muscio has owned the company with her husband since 2005. She designs the décor, does installations, orders the supplies and preps the materials before the team leaves for the job site. “After seven years in sales and marketing at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, I was looking for a new opportunity that would give me a chance to use my creativity daily,” explained Muscio, who seems to have gotten her wish. “Balloons have taken us to some amazing places we never thought possible,” Muscio said. “The homes of celebrities, corporate headquarters of some of the largest companies in the world, the locker room of our NHL team, the unveiling of NASCAR partnerships, and even movie sets.” A challenge for her work is “that in the event industry, we work while you play” on weekends. But the response from clients makes the hard work worthwhile. Holland Muscio, ’93, with one of her “We do a lot of bar and balloon creations. bat mitzvahs, and it is pretty hard to impress a 13 year old,” Muscio said. “So when the guest of honor comes up and says ‘I love it!’ that really makes our day.” Muscio was a theatre production major at Meredith, and she got some early experience in event planning during her senior year. “I was the special event chair for our senior class, so I think that definitely helped to point me in the right direction,” she said. “Having to learn budgets and be creative at finding resources early on definitely helped me today. I just feel that the education both in and out of classroom made me the woman I am today.”
Class notes continued on page 30 M er edi t h M ag az i n e / S um m e r 2 011 /
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