50 UNDER 50
Brandi Anderson Bates ’92
Full-time mother • Romania Recently started a children’s library-in-a-box
Dana and Brandi Bates’ foundational work with youth in Lupeni, Romania, is well known to the Gordon community. Less well known: the ongoing story of their family (pictured here in one of the famous wooden churches in the Murameres region of Transylvania). Having kids in their late 30s changed life for both of them, and Brandi shifted from full-time ministry to being a full-time mother, a calling she adores. “Creating a vibrant homelife takes time in a place that has so much, but also lacks so much,” she says. She keeps a children’s ballet class going, and has run VBS programs and other activities. In their firstborn’s early years she created a mother-to-mother support group within the community (something previously unheard of) that concentrates on natural parenting and on breastfeeding support (in a town where breastfeeding is rare). The group is thriving, and bearing much fruit for young families who are trying to make healthy and countercultural choices, empowered by mutual support. danabrandi@new-horizons.ro
Irene Idicheria ’08
Elementary music teacher • Greater Boston Favorite music: Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, and anything by Patty Griffin
In her first year as a music teacher at Guilmette Elementary School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Irene Idicheria was nominated for the “Rising Star Teacher of the Year” award. In 2013, her talent and dedication to Lawrence students was recognized with the Sontag Award in Urban Education, which recognizes outstanding teaching. As part of the award, Irene will lead classes at the LPS Acceleration Academy, which provides more small-group support for students. She shares her passion for music beyond the Lawrence city line; she teaches at the Boston Conservatory, and is on the Boston Children’s Chorus staff. At Gordon, Irene was most often found in the corridors of Phillips, between rehearsals and independent practice times. Now, she travels widely, and the greater Boston community is glad that her talents go with her. irene.idicheria@gmail.com
SPRING 2014 | STILLPOINT 32