Alumnae Notes

10 Year Reunion

CLASS OF 2002

Submitted by Class Representative Helen Vera ’02

This has been quite a year for the Class of 2002. True to the pioneering spirit of Archer, several of the creative and tenacious members of our class run their own businesses. Elana Schwarzman Besserman’s kettle-corn company, PopGram, can be found at farmers’ markets around LA or booked for any event (www.popgramkettlecorn.com). Elana married Adam Besserman in a beautiful ceremony in Malibu last July. Congrats to the newlyweds! Meghan Muntean left her Wall Street job in 2010 to run her own company, ChickRx, full-time. An online health and wellness community for young women, ChickRx invites users to share insights, ask questions and get answers from experts and peers. Check it out and sign up for the new private beta at ChickRx.com. Ashley Sawtelle recently left her job in the financial industry to run her own photography business specializing in portraiture, events, and live music (www.ashleysawtellephoto.com). Ashley traces her passion for photography back to Mr. Hartsfield’s class at Archer. “Mr. Hartsfield is such an amazing teacher and mentor,” Ashley writes. Ashley lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her fiancé, Joey Kietzmann; they are planning a Colorado wedding in June, a few weeks after our ten-year reunion on April 21 (stay tuned for updates on that!).

Congratulations to Korinne Mitchell Hinderliter and her husband, Victor, who were married last May. Korinne, a fabric manager at Taylor Scott furniture, recently started a book club with other Archer alumnae—what a great way to keep in touch! Alisha Bunch Perry and her husband of a year and a half, D’Juan, live in England. Alisha is enjoying her job as a first-grade teacher, as well as the opportunity to travel around Europe—the Perrys spent Thanksgiving in Spain and New Year’s in Ireland. Julia Gazdag lives in L.A.

and edits a blog, Women Working To Do Good, in partnership with the White House Office of Public Engagement. Julia is also a photographer; you can check out her work at www.juliagazdag. com. Ivy Weinglass lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works as an assistant stylist at the online home-furnishings retailer, One Kings Lane. Ever the world traveler, she recently vacationed in Paris. Natalia Serrano lives in Seville, Spain, and teaches English in a local public school. She will marry Alejandro Sanchez Dominguez next summer. Samantha Estrada quit her job at Juicy Couture last year to pursue freelance fashion design. Sam, who enjoys figure drawing, is excited to report that she is remodeling a studio space in the LA home she shares with her fiancé and their two pit bulls. Our very own Casey LaBow played Kate Denali, a beautiful vampire, in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” Part 1, and reprised the role in Part 2. Congrats on the breakout role, Casey! I’m sure scores of current Archer girls are painfully envious.

I want to extend the warmest wishes to Rebecca Emshwiller, who has been fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma; it is currently in remission. Rebecca has been spending quality time with family and friends and focusing on getting better. We are all thinking of you, Rebecca, and wishing you a full and relaxing recovery.

Some of us have gone back to school in recent years. Cailey Hall left New York City last summer and is now working on a PhD in English at UCLA. She plans to focus on women writers and female fan groups. Hazella Bowmani left her job as a software trainer last year to start law school at Santa Clara University. She is interested in social justice work. Helen Vera (that’s me! --Ed.) is a second-year student at Yale Law School, and is interested in the rather divergent areas of prisoners’ rights and intellectual property. She will work in the New York office of the law firm Ropes & Gray next summer.

Well, that’s it for now! It has been so much fun corresponding with many of you and hearing your latest news. Please never hesitate to get in touch with updates, questions, or just a quick hello. We may not be able to return to our Archer days—lunches in the courtyard, Spice Girls impersonations, overnight trips to Joshua Tree for “outdoor credit”—but keeping in touch is definitely the next best thing.

Photos (clockwise from left): Adam and Elana Besserman ’02 on their wedding day, July 9, 2011; Alisha Perry ’02 snorkeling in the Canary Islands in 2010; Korinne Hinderliter ’02, Natalia Serrano ’02, and Helen Vera ’02 at Adam and Elana Besserman’s ’02 wedding

CLASS OF 2003

Submitted by Class Representative Devon Dunlap ’03

From opening their own businesses to continuing their studies to creating art, the alumnae of the Class of 2003 have proven themselves to be women of passion. For the past four years, Isabelle Edwards has lived in London, where she works for a prestigious impressionist and modern art gallery in Mayfair and oversees the collection’s exhibition loans to museums around the world, such as Tate, MOMA, and the Getty. Recently, she has been instrumental in the private collection’s first public museum show, “Miro, Monet, Matisse – The Nahmad Collection” currently on view at Kunsthaus Zurich Museum for Modern Art in Zurich, Switzerland. Chloe Clifford will be graduating from Columbia Law School in May and will start work as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York City next fall. Jacqueline Mention has been living a pastoral life in Port Townsend, WA, where she wears many hats as a freelance writer for the local paper, is a volunteer coordinator for a local arts non-profit, Centrum, and hosts a radio show on the community radio station called “Meet My Friend,” on which she interviews local artists, writers, and eccentrics. She and her fiancé are also planning their wedding in Southern Baja, Mexico for this April. Marissa Bass graduated from chiropractic school last December and opened her own chiropractic center in Los Angeles called “Bass Chiropractic” in January. Certified in pediatric adjusting, she is also certified in Crossfit. Laura Kadner recently wrote, co-directed, produced and starred in a comedic play titled “Dinner” for an evening of dinner theatre in San Francisco. The event was part of a project she helped produce called “100 Days of Spring” at a community space she helps run called The Schoolhouse. Perla Trejo Carlson returned to college and will graduate from San Jose State University this spring with a BA in Child and Adolescent Development.

ALUMNAE NOTES

Laura Korman recently graduated from New York University with a master’s degree in Childhood Education and Special Education. After pursuing her love of teaching at UCLA Lab School for two years, she decided to also pursue her passion for art and animation, and enrolled at the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles with a focus in Media Arts and Animation. In addition, Laura is working as an Art Gallery Assistant at TAG Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, and writing as a news editor and film critic for an international film website (www.cinemawithoutborders. com). Gavin Frank is living in Los Angeles and working at E! as Coordinator of Program Planning and Acquisitions. Kaulin Gracie was married to Graham Snyder in an August ceremony on the Big Wood River in Idaho with the blessing of their 3-year-old son, Wheeler. In addition to running their own restaurant in Los Angeles, Osteria La Buca, and opening a brewery, Kaulin has recently returned to training and competing in Jiu-Jitsu at her brother, Kron Gracie’s, jiu-jitsu academy in Culver City. After spending three years living and working in New York, Sophie Wasson is now living in Berkeley while studying to get her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Wright Institute. Freddi Zeiler graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 and moved back to Los Angeles to start her own small business, FSTOP Promotions LLC, specializing in graphic design, printing and promotions. She works mostly with non-profits, including charities such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and The Pet Adoption Fund. Her book, “A Kid’s Guide to Giving” was published in 2006 and in 2007, and was mentioned in Bill Clinton’s book “Giving.”

Almie Rose Vazzano is a blogger who writes for “Hello Giggles,” the comedy site for girls founded by Zooey Deschanel; Apocalypstick, her own blog which focuses on dating and Los Angeles; and many others. She has her own relationship column in “Genlux” magazine. Almie just took on a new position as Web Producer for BCBGeneration. She is also working

on a book, even if it kills her. You can follow her on twitter at twitter.com/ apocalypstick, watch her web series at youtube.com/theapocalypstick, or read her blog at www.apocalypstick.com. Or you can do none of those things and she’ll totally understand. Above is a fashion spread she was featured in about LA bloggers. Devon Dunlap has been working as a television producer for the last three years and moved to New York last winter for a change of scenery. She has spent the past year traveling around the country working on a variety of shows and recently completed her first 5k on Thanksgiving Day.

Photos above: Laura Kadner ’03 and the cast of the comedy “Dinner” in San Francisco; Almie Rose Vazzanno ’03 (second from the left) featured in a fashion magazine for her cutting-edge blogging

ALUMNAE NOTES

CLASS OF 2004

Submitted by Class Representative Maria Vera ’04

The ladies of the class of 2004 are thriving all across the country – making their mark in industries ranging from media to entertainment to fashion, and doing a great deal of good while they’re at it. In LA, Hillary Newman works for GOOD – a community of individuals, businesses, and non-profits whose goal is “to push the world forward.” She also recently joined the Archer Board of Trustees. Hannah Zeiler Hodgden got married last year. She and her husband Wiley live in Topanga Canyon where Hannah works as a realtor for Snyder Sutton Real Estate. Leylie Aghili earned her master’s degree in journalism from USC and is now making it big in the LA fashion scene. She currently runs a boutique in Santa Monica, Tribute, where she acts as the creative director for what is quickly becoming one of LA’s hottest new shops. Liza Epps is an artist working in the background design department at Bento Box Entertainment on the new animated Fox series “Bob’s Burgers.” When she isn’t drawing backgrounds for the series, Liza continues to develop her own art (displayed above at left) by focusing on a new series of portraiture using a range of mediums from oil paint to paper collage. Back east, Erika Johansson is thriving in New York City, where she was promoted to Senior Strategist at Purpose, whose mission is to harness the collective power of millions of citizens and consumers to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Lately, she has been working on Van Jones’ Rebuild the Dream, All Out - the largest international LGBT rights organization, and community strategy for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She also recently won the Open IDEO Maternal Health Challenge with a project called mBaby—personal SMS health reporting for expectant moms in developing countries. Based in Washington, D.C., Maria Vera works for the national headquarters of PBS. She was recently promoted to Assistant Director of Publicity for PBS KIDS, spearheading efforts to promote the organization’s children’s content across platforms and furthering its mission to leverage the power of media to help all children succeed in school and in life. She also chaired the 2011 Yale Day of Service for the D.C. region (and is gearing up to coordinate the 2012 Day of Service now!).

CLASS OF 2005

Submitted by Class Representative Rachael Rebujio ’05

The girls of the Archer Class of 2005 are far and wide these days. After graduating from Penn State in 2009—and receiving the KCACTF National Sound Design Award while at it—Patricia Cardona is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Sound Design at UC Irvine. Quinci Land also found her way back to Southern California. Since graduating from Sarah Lawrence and spending some extra time in New York, Quinci got engaged to a nice fellow named Chris and they now reside in Los Angeles with their brood—their dog Gus, and Charley, their cat. She now works in the event industry at a company called Amazing Grace Designs and very much loving her career path! Rachael Rebujio has stayed true to her Los Angeles roots. Since graduating from UCLA in Art History (shout out to Dr. Friedman!), she is pursuing a career in the health care field and works as a medical assistant for a private practice in the area. New York has been the city of choice for many college grads. May Herskovitz received her degree from NYU and is now living in Brooklyn. She most recently finished working as a project manager

for a federally funded research project at NYU, which looks at positive parenting in low-income families living in the New York City area. Also on the east coast is Beth Nabel, who is finishing up her master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. Beth’s future plans include finding a career in the field of re-entry, helping ex-offenders assimilate more successfully into society after serving a prison sentence. Kaci Taylor is studying abroad a second time around —as a graduate student in the Masters of Architecture program at Tulane University in New Orleans—in the magical city of Rome. When she returns to New Orleans in the spring, she will be working on a series of design/build projects that foster community interaction.

CLASS OF 2008

Submitted by Class Representative Callan Coles ’08

The class of 2008 has really been making moves since their graduation almost four years ago. Alyssa Lanz studied abroad in Florence, Italy last fall and spent the summer in New York City interning in the public relations department at Chanel. Rebecca Dersh recently interned in Washington, D.C. with Heather Freeman Media & Public Relations and plans to move to New York following graduation in May 2012. Zoe Ravich and Tilly Reniers are both graduating early this year. Tilly plans to move back to Los Angeles while Zoe is moving to Washington D.C. Courtney Joe is looking to further her higher education and plans to obtain her master’s degree in bioengineering in the fall.

CLASS OF 2010

Submitted by Class Representative Georgina Stage ’10

As Beyoncé so articulately put it: “Who run the world? GIRLS!” Archer girls that is! And the class of 2010 is living up to this precedent in more ways than one as we conquer the world as college sophomores. Sarah Durrer currently attends Allegheny College, majoring in English on the creative writing track and minoring

ALUMNAE NOTES

in Economics. She has continued her passion for athletics on the equestrian team at Allegheny College (her team placed second out of fourteen teams last year--you go girl!) She also works at the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center where she cares for injured and sick birds such as bald eagles, barred owls, great horned owls, screech owls, hawks, falcons, song birds, etc., as well as handling the education birds.

Sophie Sargent loved Archer so much that she decided to go to the “college version” of it. (well, almost...) She is majoring in psychology and minoring in art at Mount Saint Mary’s College. She’s completing her pre-med requirements there so she can be a pediatrician one day...good work!!

Shade Quintanilla is keeping it funky at Barnard College where she co-hosts her own radio show called Tu Madre on Barnard’s radio station WBAR (www.wbar.org) She also writes for Barnard’s magazine, The Bulletin, in the politics and opinion section. She is also part of Community Impact with Columbia University as a reading tutor for first and second graders at an elementary school in Harlem...girlfriend is rocking at life (of course, she’s an Archer girl). Courtney Teller is doing big things on The Ellen DeGeneres show and absolutely loving it. She’s at Chapman, where she majors in Narrative TV Production, with a minor in advertising. For the third year, she also co-chaired the “Literature and...” conference this February with Dr. Morgan. Courtney is literally RUNNING the world as she prepares for her second marathon to raise money for cancer research. She is pictured above on-set for a TV pilot; Courtney served as Executive Producer.

Elisa Glubok is working as a women peer counselor (woo woo girl power!) in one of the first-year dorms and volunteers for an organization called Health Leads, which aims to help low-

income families achieve better health through helping them attain resources like food stamps, clothing, adult education, child care, utilities assistance, better housing, etc. She also started playing ultimate Frisbee this semester (so collegetypical) and other than that, she’s just enjoying the Brown lifestyle! Our old pal Ari Cohen is still at the University of Pennsylvania and studies history with a concentration in culture. She is also getting certified to be a yoga instructor in a really intensive program at Dhyana Yoga in West Philadelphia. Namaste, Ari! So, as you can tell, Beyoncé would be quite pleased with Archer’s class of 2010... we’re running the world AND THEN SOME!

CLASS OF 2011

Submitted by Class Representative Kandace London ’11

The women of 2011 have been spending the last few months getting adjusted to their new life as college students.

Chelsea Montgomery-Duban

is currently at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. She sings in the choir, performs on the dance team, auditions for shows and takes some really incredible classes like “religion and violence.” Mary Chavarria is studying at Duke University where she is involved with the Duke Undergraduate Bioethics Society (DUBS) and Duke University Culinary Society (DUCS). She is also applying for an intensive summer Spanish language program in Alicante, Spain. Molly Wylie is living in one of the coldest parts of the country -- in a small town in Maine called Waterville. Their biggest shop is Walmart, so no more city life for her. She writes for the school newspaper, serves on the equestrian team, stays active in the salsa dancing club, and volunteers rehabilitating dogs at the humane society.

ALUMNAE NOTES

Kimberly Horn is a member of the Internal Vice President (IVP) Fellowship at UCLA, where she and 18 fellow students serve and support the UCLA campus through the Undergraduate Student Association Council (USAC), UCLA’s student government. In the fall she underwent IVP training. Beginning winter quarter she will be assigned to several clubs to help them find sources of funding to ensure their organizations are successful. She is also active with One Step Ahead (OSA) Mentorship under the huge Filipino organization Samahan Pilipino, and the Alumni-Student Mentorship. In both of these programs, she has mentors (very similar to Archer’s new family program) who guide her with her academic endeavors and social life. Additionally, with the help of her alumni mentor, she will have the opportunity to intern at the LA District Attorney’s office this summer.

Maddie Cane is living in DC where she describes the city as being,

“incredible--the atmosphere is political and vibrant, there are so many things to see and do when I get out.” She is pledging the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma along with fellow alumnae Sarah Shatz and Megan Loughman, and joining the gang of Archer girls that make up a huge part of KKG. Caitlin Topkis is a business major at the University of Rochester in New York. She joined the rugby team and is currently a hall representative for her dorm. She also has begun to take Lyra (aerial art with a hoop suspended from the ceiling, pictured at left), and plans to do a study abroad internship this summer in England.

Kandace London is currently studying at the University of Southern California. She joined the student council where she works with a select group of members to increase diversity on campus. She is also a part of Ladies Striving for Unity, a group of women who give back to the community and help others in any way possible. Kandace is also planning a weeklong event on campus titled “Taking Back the Night” which encourages safe sex practices in relationships and aids in the prevention of violence in domestic relationships. She also mentors youth who need guidance on the college process. Kandace plans to study abroad this summer in Japan.

SUBMIT YOUR ALUMNAE NOTES!

Every February, alumnae notes will be featured in “Artemis.” Share the latest news with your fellow alumnae and the Archer community by sending in your note to your class representative.

Lauren Hochberg Class of 2001 Lauren.Hochberg@fox.com

Helen Vera Class of 2002 helenvera@gmail.com

Devon Dunlap Class of 2003 devon.dunlap@gmail.com

Maria Vera Class of 2004 mariavera27@gmail.com Rachael Rebujio Class of 2005 rachael.rebujio@gmail.com

Marisa Guterman Class of 2006 marisaguterman@aol.com

Natalie Babcock Class of 2007 natalie.babcock@googlemail.com

Callan Coles Class of 2008 ccoles@berkeley.edu Chloe Makhani Class of 2009 cmakhani@wisc.edu

Georgina Stage Class of 2010 gstage@usc.edu

Kandace London Class of 2011 kandacelondon6@gmail.com

If you would like to learn how you can become more involved in the Archer Alumnae Association, contact Evelyn Ramirez-Schultz, Associate Director of Advancement, at 310-873-7062 or eramirez-schultz@archer.org.

ALUMNAE social 1.3.12

Members of Archer’s graduating classes returned to campus in early January for the annual Alumnae Social. The event was casual and fun— complete with sushi, sliders and sundaes! Alumnae enjoyed viewing the alumnae art exhibit in The Gallery and were excited to catch up with their favorite teachers and former classmates. They also heard from Head of School Elizabeth English about Archer’s future campus plans.

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parent social 12.13.11

Alumnae parents were welcomed back to campus on the evening of December 13 for an Archer update as well as an evening of conversation and reunions with friends. The main focus of the event, which was held downstairs in the library, was a presentation about Archer’s Campus Preservation and Improvement Plan. Alumnae parents were thrilled to see the vision for the future of Archer’s campus and were happy to become supporters of the project. Alumnae parents are an important part of the Archer community; not only do they provide current parents with words of wisdom and advice, they support the school by volunteering their time and supporting our fundraising efforts. If you are a parent of an Archer alumna and would like to get involved, please contact Evelyn Ramirez-Schultz in the Advancement Office at 310-873-7062 or eramirez-schultz@archer.org.