What Are They Doing Now?

We are so proud of our alumni and look forward to hearing from them.

Alumni, send us your news––so we don't have to Google you!

News We Have Heard

News from Early TPS Pioneers: We recently  heard from Diana Williamson, whose children, Rob and Alexander, were among the very first TPS students. Rob, who graduated from Penn with a degree in the Biological Basis of Behavior, is living in the Colorado mountains, where is works as a massage therapist in Aspen. Al, also a Penn graduate, lives in Laguna Beach and is a financial analyst; he is still in touch with Jake Tapper and Peter Simmons.

College, Ho! Here are some of the colleges and universities that will be so fortunate to enroll members of the TPS Class of 2006 next fall: Brandeis University (2), Camden County College, Columbia College (Chicago), Drexel University, George Washington University, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (a Conservatory in London), New York University,  Penn State, Pratt Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Skidmore College (2), University of Delaware, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Miami, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania (5), and University of Pittsburgh.

Watch Out, World! Oliver Backes '04 has officially declared himself an International Relations and History double Major at the University of Pennsylvania.  This summer, Oliver is working as research assistant to Dr. James McGann, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Assistant Director of the International Relations Program at University of Pennsylvania.

Orienteering Champ News. This from Alison Campbell '06: This summer I will be in Europe for five weeks. I have been named to the US Junior orienteering team and will be competing with the team in the Junior World Orienteering Championships in Denmark starting the 4th of July. Then in July I will be competing with the US University team in the World University Orienteering Championships in Sweden. The week after I will be racing in the biggest orienteering competition in the world called O-ringen, where 30,000 people register in all ability levels. In the fall, I will be going to University of Colorado in Boulder to start a Chemical Engineering degree with a focus on alternative energy.

News from New Zealand. Zev Fishman '01 recently sent us this email: "Life is great here in NZ, and I have just taken on a new challenge and am in the middle of my Teacher's Training year.  I am currently on my first Placement at a Catholic all-girls high-school in Auckland.  It couldnt be more different to my TPS experience, but it is a great school, and I am having an absolute ball!  I am studying to be a middle/highschool science and biology teacher, and I am loving it!  I have drawn a lot of my inspiration from the ways of Steve, Judith, Marco, Emily, Marty, and Chris used to teach us and make it fun while learning.  If you could pass on my HELLO! as well as a big THANK YOU to all of the team who are still there and let them know that they played a major role in my decision to pursue teaching.  Hopefully I will be able to visit in the relatively near future to come back and possibly sit in on some classes for old time's sake, (perhaps next year sometime).  I am very excited about my current career/life path and I honestly believe TPS played a major, positive role!"

Congratulations, President Lefevre! Mike Lefevre '03, a junior at Duke University, was elected president of Duke Student Government for the 2010-2011 academic year.Listen to a post-election interview:

Princeton in Africa: Callie Lefevre '01 is a 2009-10 Princeton in Africa fellow. She is working with the World Food Program in Senegal.

A Good Sport: Haverford College senior and men's soccer co-captain Brian Pepe-Mooney '02 was selected as the men's 2010 Centennial Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Sportsmanship Award winner. Brian was selected from a pool of student-athletes nominated by the Conference's 11 member institutions and will represent the league on the NCAA Division III national sportsmanship award ballot.

Best Paper: Somehow it comes as no surprise to those of us who read his theme reports when he was a student at TPS that Mac Marston '93 was selected as the winner of the Graduate Student Paper Award by the Archaeological Institute of America. Mac received his Ph.D. in archaeology this spring from UCLA and will be a Postdoc at Brown University next year.

And It's Another Boy for the Class of 1992: Meredith Lissack '92 and husband, Matt, are the proud parents of Liam Bennett Goldstein, born on January 2.

It's a Movie: NY Times movie reviewer A.O.Scott recently reviewed, Dare, a movie written and co-produced by David Brind '91. According to Scott, "this high school semi-romance, which blends comic and tearful moods, is at once more provocative and more contemplative than most of its big-screen counterparts." Watch an interview of David and Dare director Adam Salky.

It's a Boy: Zach Klehr '92 and wife Deborah Gordon are the proud parents of son Noah Gordon Klehr, born during the World Series.

Scholar in Greece: Julia Feighan '03 spent fall semester studying in Athens. A classics major at Skidmore College, she stopped by TPS over her winter break to speak to Junior Unit A students about her trip since they are studying Greece this year.

Brilliant Acclaim: Gabe Procaccino '02 received a glowing review of his performance at a recent festival of student-written and -directed short plays at Muhlenberg College. According to the Lehigh Valley INSITE in its review of the play "Sweet Sulfur," "it was the impish puppet master Devil character, brilliantly played by Gabe Procaccino, that brought this play to life."

Blogging: Alicia West '97, who works in the Mayor's Office in New York City, invites you to read her blog, The Urban Forest.  Alicia is capital project manager for the Public Design Commission of NYC.

In Seville: Grace Honik '03 spent her summer in Philly taking classes at Penn so she can go to Seville for second semester of her junior year and still be able to graduate with all the pre-med requirements.  She's a junior at the University of Michigan.

In Shanghai: Daniel Harlan '03 ihas returned from Shanghai, where he spent fall semester studying at The Shanghai Theater Academy (partnering with Tisch) in a program called East Acts West:  An Eastern Approach to Western Performance.

Eagles Reward Student Athletes for High GPAs: Barron Johnston '05 and Sam Weinstock '05 were among the 83 Philadelphia-region scholastic football players who were honored for their excellence in the classroom at the 13th annual Eagles Top Achievers Awards ceremony in May. Eagles head coach Andy Reid and running back Kyle Eckel presented awards to the players.

Presidential Campaign: We've heard that many of our alumni were active during last year's presidential campaign, but two of them – Zach Marks '01 and Audrey Huntington '03 – were among five Yale students who gave an entire semester to the campaign. Read more.

A Dream Comes True: Alison Campbell '06 has qualified and was selected for the USA Junior Orienteering Team. She participated at the World Cup races in Italy this summer. Congratulations, Alison!

West Coast Stylist: April Roomet '89 has worked as a professional celebrity stylist and has been in the entertainment industry for ten years, having worked her magic on more than 100 music videos for such big names as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Bow-Wow.

Alumnus Honored for Bravery: Seated next to Mrs. Obama during the president's speech to Congress was Philadelphia police officer Richard DeCoatsworth '00, who was invited to attend the historic occasion, according to the official White House press release, to honor his demonstration of "courage above and beyond the call of duty" during a fall 2007 incident that left him seriously injured. For his courage and determination, Richie was honored by the National Association of Police Organizations with its 2008 TOP COPS Award. Here's a photo from the Huffington Post. UPDATE: On May 12, Richie received the police department's Medal of Valor Award. Highway Patrol Capt. Michael Cochran said, "It speaks for the caliber of person he is. I remember telling him that day. He's just a good all-around person, besides being an outstanding policeman."

Kudos for Black Metal Band: Colin Marston '96 was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered program, "Viking's Choice: A Year Of Beautiful Noise" on 12/29/08. NPR music producer Lars Gotrich named Colin's newest project, Krallice (a black metal band for whom Colin plays guitar), his pick for number one album of the year. Listen to the podcast. Colin, who majored in music technology at NYU, owns and manages a recording studio in Queens.

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