USD Magazine Fall 2006

[ 2 0 0 5 ] NICHOLAS BELLANCA (B.A.) has been working since August 2005 as a group benefits coordinator in the La Jolla office of Unum Provident. JOHN BOWE (B.A.) recently grad- uated from The Basic School in Quan- tico, Va., where he received the Gung Ho Award for esprit de corps and motivation. His new assignment is at a military police school in Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. ERIN BURKE (B.A.) is earning a master’s in social work at Colorado State University. She also is working toward a certification in school social work and working as a sub- stance abuse counselor. She was planning to be a bridesmaid in her USD roommate Sandy Phantha- sone’s wedding over the summer in Anchorage, Alaska. MELANIE DURIAN (B.A.) moved to Washington, D.C., to pursue a career in politics and lobbying. She is working as a legal assistant at a law firm next to the White House. The firm specializes in nonprofit clients and lobbying for interest groups and trade associations. “I attribute a lot of my happiness and success so far in this amazing city to the wonderful professors in the USD Political Science Department.” MONICA GRANDE (B.A.) is a special education teacher at Cherokee Point Elementary School. STEPHANIE HOWE (B.A.) teaches high school English in Las Vegas through the Teach for America program, while also completing a master’s degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. JENISE KARCHER (B.A.) teaches at an elementary charter school in Chula Vista. CANDICE KIM (J.D. ) is an associate in Miller Nash’s business department and will focus her practice on business and commer- cial finance. Before joining Miller Nash as a summer associate in 2004, Candice was an intern at both the San Diego County’s Alternative Public Defender and the USD’s Entrepreneurship Clinic.

in 2006, with a master’s degree in international affairs. She also works part time at a small financial firm, J.C. Davis Financial, but eventually plans to work in the arena of international affairs and political sciences. KATIE (LEBENS) SAGRERO (B.A.) and husband Miguel Sagrero had a baby boy, Joseph Jeffrey, on Sept. 13, 2005. He was 7 pounds, 14 ounces, and 20 inches long. ARDELLE (LIBBY) SEELY (B.A.) married Jon Seely in August 2005 in Fiji. Jon works for Intel, and Ardelle is in her third year of pharmacy school at the University of California, San Francisco. ELLIE (REENDERS) SERVAIS (B.A.) married her favorite Torero in July 2005. AARON TUBBS (B.B.A.) says for the past year he’s been traveling around the world — from South America to Europe to South Africa to Southeast Asia to Indonesia to Aus- tralia to New Zealand. “I have no intentions of slowing down,” he writes, “Donations accepted!” [ 2 0 0 4 ] MIKE DISTANO (B.B.A.) , who graduated from the Game Face Sports Executive Academy, accepted a full-time account executive posi- tion in March with the Wichita Falls Wildcats of Texas, part of the North American Hockey League. After graduating from USD, Mike was an assistant athletic director at a high school in Reno, Nev. LINDSEY JOHNSON (B.A.) recently finished her first year in the tax industry with firm J.H. Cohn. She and alumnus Rob Renovales purchased their first home in August 2005. MARISSA LYFTOGT (B.B.A.) works part time as a legal assistant, while attending the School of Law at USD. AMBER MADSEN (B.A.) has been teaching kindergarten and first grade. She’s also working on a master’s degree in teaching, learning and leadership. BROOKE MARADA (B.A.) has been accepted into the physician’s assistant program at Stanford’s

School of Medicine. She plans to begin classes this fall.

DIANA VLASOVA (B.A.) works for a law firm and is awaiting responses from law schools. She hoped to start attending law school in Los Angeles this fall. LEEANNE DUCOT (B.A. ’96) passed away on Oct. 24, 2005 at age 31. She previously was a critical care nurse at UCLA Medical Center, and had relocated to Menlo Park, Calif., to accept a nursing position at Stan- ford Medical Center. In Memoriam

JOSEPH MCARTHUR (B.A.) lives in Japan where he works as a teacher for NOVA. He teaches English to people from four to 75 years old. LEANDRA SALLES-CUNHA (B.A.) says that since graduating, her life “has been filled with adven- ture after adventure.” She initially was a substitute teacher in Jack- sonville, Fla., and then began travel- ing around the world as a stress reliever. She spent three months in Europe, one month of that walking across Spain on a religious pilgrim- age, “El Camino de Santiago,” or the Path of St. James. “I thank God for the opportunity to be able to experi- ence such an amazing spiritual jour- ney,” she says. “My soul still thirsting for more, I traveled to Argentina to experience its charismatic culture and people. There I taught English to many appreciative citizens. The adventure continues …” (Leandra’s documentation of part of her pil- grimage to Spain earned her the grand prize in USD Magazine’s photo contest. See her prize-winning photo on the inside front cover). CASEY (GONCALVES) SAN- FILIPPO (B.A.) married in April 2005. She and her husband wel- comed their first son, Luca Salvatore, on March 22, 2006. Casey had been working as an office assistant to a well-known neurologist in San Diego, but now plans to concentrate on raising her son. She also has been thinking about returning to school to get a teaching credential, if time permits. KEITH SCOTT (B.S.) , an ensign with the Navy, is assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur, which made a port visit to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, while on a deployment. The primary mis- sion of Scott’s ship is to provide offensive and defensive capabilities. KRISTEN (LUEBBERT) WICK (B.A.) married JoshWick on July 3, 2004. She taught for a year at ActionQuest, a nonprofit company that offers teen-agers adventure- training programs in various water sports and other activities. She moved to the Corpus Christi, Texas, area where she teaches biology and physics.

GERVASE EISEL (B.A. ’75) passed away on March 27, 2006.

LEANN (MAHONEY) HOWARD (B.A. ’56) passed away on Nov. 13, 2005, of cancer. She was described as a wonderful leader of her USD class.

GAEL (KEENE) RALPH (B.A. ’58) passed away on March 20, 2006.

HERB SULLIVAN (B.B.A. ’63) passed away on March 7, 2006.

TERESA MEGOFNA ZIELINSKI (B.B.A. ’84) passed away on April 4, 2004.

Send class notes to one of the following addresses and we’ll get them in USD Magazine as soon as possible. Class notes may be edited for space. Engagements, pregnancies, personal Send Class Notes E-mail: classnotes@sandiego.edu Web site: www.sandiego.edu/usdmag U.S. Mail: USD Magazine Class Notes, Department of University Marketing and Creative Services, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110. Please note that Class Notes submitted after Sept. 1, 2006 will appear in the Spring 2007 issue of USD Magazine . e-mail addresses and telephone numbers cannot be published.

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