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SPRING 2014
Kristin Hansen Lagattuta ’89, Davis: After graduating from Flintridge Sacred Heart, I went to Stanford University (19891993). Although I originally entered as pre-med, I switched freshman year to psychology after taking a few courses that really piqued my interest. I ended up focusing on developmental psychology. My intense commitment to my studies paid off, and I was awarded several honors at graduation (outstanding undergraduate research, highest achievement in social sciences, Phi Beta Kappa commencement speaker), as well as two prestigious research fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the University of Michigan for graduate school. These fellowships paid for all of my tuition, health insurance and a living stipend for six years, and I only had to work as a teaching assistant one of those years. This allowed me to focus on creating an independent line of research, making me more competitive for the next step. I completed my Ph.D. in 1999 and stayed on doing a postdoc until 2001. I selected Michigan because it was the top program for my area of research — my dad also grew up in Michigan and went there as an undergraduate. Frank Lagattuta (St. Francis ’88) — who I had been dating since 1988 — accompanied me to Michigan to complete a master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering. We married in 1994, in Pasadena at the Athenaeum, and we had our first child, Kaitlyn, in 1996 (during grad school). John was born in 1999, and Sarah in 2003. So, when I finished my Ph.D., I had a 2-year-old and another one on the way! Frank and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary this August. In 2001, I accepted an assistant professor tenure-track position in Developmental Psychology at UC Davis. In 2008, I was awarded tenure and just recently was promoted to full professor rank (actually quite a feat; fewer than 20 percent of full professors nationwide at research universities are female). I teach three to four courses per year and mentor several graduate students in the Ph.D. program. I really enjoy helping to inspire and shape the future goals and decisions of so many young adults, most of them women.
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Our oldest is off to Stanford University this fall. I’m excited she is going to be so close, but we will miss her greatly. She actually went through the admissions process this past summer, prior to her senior year, because she was recruited for softball. Her other options were Harvard and Princeton. I’m so excited about the opportunities academically, athletically and socially that await her! Our son plays football and baseball, and he is hoping to follow in her footsteps in a few years — he’s looking to play sports in a D-1 school that is very academically strong. Our youngest enjoys sports, but prefers ballet, modern dance and singing. All three are intellectually curious and work hard at everything they do. They also make parenting extremely interesting and a lot of fun! I use a lot of videos of them growing up to illustrate several of the concepts I teach in my classes. I’m very appreciative of the excellent foundation I received at FSHA that allowed me to excel in undergraduate years and beyond. I did attend the 20th reunion five years ago and was amazed with the changes at FSHA—especially the addition of the field! I would have loved that “back in my day.” I grew up playing
soccer and softball, but had to quit varsity softball after freshman year because it was too difficult to get transportation so far away (soccer wasn’t even an option then at FSHA). It was fun to catch up with people I hadn’t seen for so many years! (3) Julie Fabian Haniger ’90, San Jose, was recently promoted to the title of Vice President of Legal at Google, making her one of only 150 employees to rise to that level in the company. She has worked at Google for the past 10 years. Her proud husband Matt says that she is “an incredible person, mother (of four children) and, more importantly, a fantastic female role model.” Theresa de Vera ’93, Los Angeles, was named Ms. Wheelchair California 2014 on February 1 and will compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America in August. Naoko Yoshimura ’97, Tokyo, Japan: After I graduated from FSHA, I went to Orange Coast College to finish my GE degree. At that time, I was going back and forth from L.A. to Tokyo because of my father’s illness. While I was doing that, I applied to UC Irvine for a transfer, and I got in as