W&J
class notes
Peace Corps member helps artisans increase sales Peace Corps member Alex Nalin ’13 is living in the Peruvian community of Montero and working on community economic development. Through the program, Nalin has been training and providing business leaders with the skills to improve their sales. One project, working with artisans who make authentic handbags from wool and cotton, has met with great success. All of the artisans making the handbags are wives and mothers who make the bags to supplement their income and provide for their families. The effort to increase sales for these women has brought together three groups of artisans that specialize in making handbags to sell in a new market. Nalin’s role in the project, as a facilitator, is to equip the artisans to run the business themselves. After working with another volunteer to establish a connection between a shop in Cajamarca and the artisans, the business has taken off with profits rising by 300 percent. “I have taught the artisans how to account for the sales and how to deal with problems they have faced, but it is ultimately for them to be able to do it in the future without my help,” Nalin explained. “I am proud to say that there have been times when I couldn’t be at the meetings yet the artisans continued to run everything without my help. They have shown incredible dedication to the project, and I am fortunate to work with great leaders who have really taken ownership of their roles.”
2013 Joshua Habursky obtained a master’s in government from Georgetown University. Habursky served as a research assistant for Professor Hans Noel, specializing in campaign finance. He also worked for Beekeeper Group, named Boutique Public Relations Agency of the Year by PR Week, while attending graduate school. Jared Jones has received a Woodrow Wilson Ohio Teaching Fellowship. This fellowship recruits top-quality teacher candidates to teach math and science in high-need Ohio schools. Each fellow receives a $30,000 stipend while completing a rigorous master’s program at one of seven participating Ohio universities. The Fellows obtain a full year of practical experience in local classrooms and then commit to teaching for three years in Ohio’s high-need schools with ongoing mentoring and support. Jess Kostelnik completed her Master of Education in early intervention services with a specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders from the University of Pittsburgh in December 2014. Kostelnik hopes to pursue a career as a developmental therapist. Eva Pfeffer accepted a position as a private sales gallery coordinator at Christie’s, the world’s leading art business, in New York, New York.
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SPRING 2015 MAGAZINE
Alex Nalin stands with Peruvian handbag-makers. He is training the artisans to improve business skills and sales.
Though Nalin struggled to adjust at first, he credits the holistic and flexible thinking taught to him at W&J for the strides he has been able to make. “[Holistic thinking] has likely been the most important skill I took with me to Peace Corps,” said Nalin. “The only reason that my projects today have been successful is because I have approached them remembering that I am an American that must work based on the customs and traditions of Peru, and not the other way around.”
WEDDINGS
2005 Laurann Sipprell married Charlie May on Aug. 23, 2014 in Pittsburgh. W&J alumni in attendance included Lauren Capone ’04, Kamilla Grigorova Fronzaglia, Leslie Graft, Aaron Malik ’04, Cassandra Nicastro Matthews, Ph.D., James Matthews, and Jamie Harper Vitale.
2006 Carrie Nicole Betchunis married Anthony James Mooney on Nov. 17, 2012. The ceremony was held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, Mt. Lebanon, and the reception was at the Grand Concourse, Pittsburgh. Carrie has her juris doctor from Duquesne University and Anthony is the principal at Quaker Valley Middle School in Sewickley.
Andrew J. Rinefierd married his wife, Alisha, on April 5, 2014. Classmates in attendance included Michael McCarthy ’06, Michael Plumb ’06, Sree Katragadda ’06, Jamen Kurtyka ’06 and Jarred Volek ’06.
2007 Andrew Tatgenhorst and Leah Lewandowski ’08 were married on May 10, 2014 at Heinz Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh. A reception followed at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown with many friends from W&J. Alumni in the bridal party included Christopher Cannon ’07, Michael Guercio ’07 and Eric Troup ’07. The couple now resides in Austin, Texas.
2010 Katherine Jane Silvestri married Lt. James Braden Cremean on May 17, 2014 at the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. In attendance were W&J water polo teammates and sorority sisters Erica Harpur Brown ’10, Jessica Barby Krahe ’10, Kate Van Schaik ’11 and Katie Wieber ’11. Also in attendance were Joe Krahe ’08 and John Todd ’10.