Class notes
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Erin Gayle Thatcher ‘05 and Robert Andrew Amaty, Jr. exchanged vows May 22 in the Kirkpatrick Chapel at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ. A reception followed at The Imperia in Somerset, NJ. Thatcher is enrolled in a master’s program in Corporate Communications at Baruch College and is a public affairs administrator at Sony Corporation of America in Manhattan. Landon Ross Swaim ‘05 and Jessica Erin Carpenter were married at St. Matthew the Apostle Church in Randolph with a reception held at Meadow Wood Manor. The couple will have a Caribbean cruise honeymoon and will reside in Mount Arlington. Swaim is an associate manager with Solix Inc. Heather Marie (Twardy) Baillie ‘05 and Robert Baillie were married August 29 in Sergeantsville, NJ. The couple resides in Piscataway, NJ.
Doris De Jesus ‘06 graduated from Fordham University in May with a master’s in Social Work.
Tameka Teal ‘06 announced her engagement to Michael Yearwood. The couple plans an October wedding in New Jersey.
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Patrick Stickles ‘08 is the lead singer and songwriter of an independent rock band, Titus Andronicus. Stickles was recently featured in The New York Times. The band’s first CD, “The Airing of Grievances” was favorably reviewed in Spin and Blender. “The Monitor” is the band’s latest release.
Richard C. Newbery ‘06 and Heather Lynne Smith ‘07 announced their engagement and planned an August 2012 wedding. Newbery is a social studies teacher at Madison Public Schools, while Smith is a high school earth science teacher at Randolph Township Public Schools. Katelyn Mulligan ‘07 was promoted to dossier manager at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Lawrenceville, NJ.
Melissa Rose ‘07 and Michael Whalen announced their engagement; the couple planned a September wedding.
Allyson Renee Bylskal ‘07 and Richard Joseph Burggraf III announced their engagement. Bylskal is attending Seton Hall University pursuing a bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.
Ted McLoof ‘07 is a student in the Creative Writing master of Fine Arts program at the University of Arizona. He has published stories in Short Story America and Melusine. He was selected as a finalist for Glimmer Train’s Family Matters contest and received the University of Arizona’s Tilly Warnock Fellowship.
Laura (Greene) Savio ‘07 and William Savio II were married May 1 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help R.C. Church in Highlands, NJ. A reception followed at The Shadowbrook in Shrewsbury, NJ. Greene is a marketing coordinator with CSI International in Red Bank, NJ. The couple honeymooned in Costa Rica and resides in Matawan, NJ.
Courts and fields
Michael La Porta ‘07 and Maria Baricelli announced their engagement. La Porta currently works at Ramapo College of NJ. The couple is planning a winter 2011 wedding.
Hsu-nami, a band composed of Ramapo alumni and students Brent Bergholm ‘07, Jack Hsu ‘07, John Manna ‘12 and Derril Sellers ‘08 performed at Webster Hall in NYC on May 16 as part of Summit NY’s second J-Rock Festival, a Japanese pop culture festival covering music, fashion and general Japanese culture. The band played last in the setlist, rocking fans with their unique mixture of punk, pop and traditional Japanese music, and performed an unreleased song for the first time.
Elizabeth Roe ‘08 was named to Creative Marketing Alliance as coordinator for the Association for Convention Operations Management, the International Card Manufacturers Association and the Rental and Staging Network.
Danielle M. Mancini ‘08 and Martin Valerio, Jr. announced their engagement. Both are employed as teachers in Waldwick. Mancini returned to Ramapo and is currently enrolled in the master’s of Science in Educational Technology program. The couple will wed on July 9, 2011.
Jordanna Suriani ‘09 graduated in May from Columbia University’s Teachers College with a master’s in Higher Education Administration. Elizabeth Timpone ‘09 and Anthony Manzella announced their engagement. Timpone teaches technology education at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, NJ. A summer 2011 wedding is planned.
Spotlight on: Ashley Cornett
Ashley Cornett ‘08 quickly made a name for herself at Ramapo College when she stepped on the campus as a freshman in 2004. The former Presidential Scholarship recipient, successful student and talented volleyball athlete continues those trends, thriving both academically and athletically since she graduated from Ramapo with honors and a degree in biochemistry in 2008.
Cornett visited campus in April as a key speaker at the Chi Alpha Sigma Induction Ceremony, a ceremony she attended for the first time in the spring of 2007 when she was inducted. After reflecting on her days at Ramapo, Cornett assisted in honoring 17 student-athletes as new members of the National Student-Athlete Athletic Honors Society. “Ramapo offered a realm of endless opportunities to guide me in the right direction towards a great future,” she said at the event. Now, she is living that great future.
Cornett recently completed her second year of graduate school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry School of New Jersey 28
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and holds a 3.87 GPA and is currently a doctoral candidate. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is considering a career in higher education. She dreams of combining her passion for academics and athletics and becoming a college professor and collegiate volleyball coach.
As dynamic and as successful as Cornett has remained in the classroom, she is also active on the volleyball court. She continues to participate in many regional volleyball leagues and has spent the last few years making the transition from player to coach. She is in her fifth year as a coach for an elite Bergen county volleyball club, Cut Shot.
At Ramapo, a place Cornett referred to as her second home, she was extremely active outside of her classroom and volleyball responsibilities and activities. She was a member of Theta Phi Alpha, serving as the sorority’s president for two years, while at the same time serving as president of Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She also was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and the Chemistry Club and maintained a 3.9 GPA.
Cornett received many awards and honors both athletically and academically. She quickly earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2004, before wrapping up her collegiate athletic career with honors including Most Valuable player, Most Improved Player, and New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics award for Women Female Athlete of the Year. She remains the career assist leader at the College accumulating 2,874 assists in her four-year stellar career, while ranking number three among the top New Jersey Athletic Conference players for assists per game. With her success in the classroom, Cornett received The New Jersey Athletic Conference’s First Team All-Academic honors, Ramapo College Athletic Director’s First Team All-Academic honors, and Second Team CoSida All-Academic honors.
“Ramapo was an important and essential stepping stone in my life to obtain my longterm life goals,” says Cornett. “I am eternally grateful to all faculty and peers alike that made my college experience as amazing as it was.”
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