ALUMNI CLASS NOTES UPDATES Don “Donny” Vaughn ’04 gave a TEDx talk at UCLA in May 2015 on exploiting neuroplasticity to overcome mental illness and deafness. You can watch his speech at https://youtu.be/xzbHtIrb14s. Vaughn is a neuroscience graduate student at UCLA, a drummer and a part-time DJ. 1 | James Kakos ’90 writes, “The Parker Reunion weekend provided a very special opportunity to reconnect with friends and Parker faculty.” Members of the Class of 1990 had dinner at George’s at the Cove in May. Pictured left to right are James Kakos, Lynde Selden, Jimmy Adelizzi, Sean Harrison, Paul Buie, Brant Crenshaw and Brian Khoury. 2 | A group of past and present Parker photography students gathered in June 2014 in San Diego’s Little Italy to celebrate 10 years of AP Photo. Back row: Camille Considine ’15, Michael Armstrong ’11, Kate Biel ’11, Kathy Dominguez ’11, Lauren Juskelis ’11, Mr. Byrne, Lauren Lynch ’11, Parker Zimmerman ’15, Olivia Fidler ’15, Natalie Greenberg ’15, Sharni Smith ’15. Front row: Hanna Lettington ’15, Jona Plevin ’15, Anna Wilson ’15, Alex Trimm ’10, Eric Kanegaye ’15.
Jamie Bock ’08 made her network television debut on CBS’ “Criminal Minds” in April 2015. She graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts where she studied with The Atlantic Theater Company. Bock recently moved to L.A. from New York, where she was a member of the downtown theater company The Flea, founded by Sigourney Weaver and Jim Simpson. 42
3 | In October 2014, Patrick Riley ’14, Kim Svatos ’14, Torri Johnson ’14 and Audrey Yang ’14 enjoyed a football game during their freshman year at UCLA. 4 | Mike Copans ’96, his wife, Jayme, daughter, Hazel, and son, Riley, recently moved back to San Diego after living in New York City for eight years. He shared, “We forgot how nice the weather is!” Check out the photo of Riley in his first Parker shirt. 5 | Sean Szeles ’99 was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing in an Animated TV/ Broadcast Production for the “Regular Show” in 2014. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program for the “Regular Show.” Szeles won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual in Animation for “Long Live the Royals.” Tammy Pham ’11, former Parker Koppel Scholar, was a speaker at the 2015 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center in May. She presented findings from her research on risk factors associated with adolescent depression and suicide. Jamal Edwards ’12 was one of 10 undergraduate students nationwide named a 2015 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Edwards attends Duke University.
6 | Devan Diwanji ’11 received a Wallace Sterling Award at Stanford for being one of the top 25 students in the humanities and sciences. He will be attending UCSF on an NIH-funded eightyear combined Ph.D. and medical school program. He is pictured with Ms. Hanscom and Kristi Bohl ’09, a Stanford graduate now working for Google, and her sister, Emily Bohl ’12, a junior at Stanford majoring in mechanical engineering. 7 | Vanessa Mitchell ’01, owner of Vanessa Nicole Jewels, is author of a new book, “The Perfect Custom Engagement Ring,” which has become an Amazon bestseller. She is enjoying each day with her husband, Joe, and their twin boys, Jack and Mason. 8 | Tyler Bernardini ’07 is in his second season with the Leicester Riders after becoming club MVP in his first season. He and his fiancée, Emily Hunt, moved to the U.K. in 2014 when Bernardini joined the British Basketball League. He is also studying for his master’s degree with a concentration in international management at the Loughborough School of Business and Economics. Estelle Wong ’14 was named the Atlantic 10 womens tennis Rookie of the Week for matches from Jan. 27 - Feb. 2 representing Fordham University. It was the second consecutive Rookie of the Week award for Wong.