Class Notes
Name: Michelle Mary Schaefer
Class Year(s): 2013
Note: Award-Winning filmmaker and actor, Michelle Mary Schaefer MS ’13, has established Annabelle Louise Productions, an Award-Winning Production Company, a grassroots company that values authentic stories where representation matters. The company is dedicated to bringing diverse and compelling narratives to audiences worldwide. https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylrobinson/2025/02/13/the-inclusivity-conversation-needs-to-include-the-deaf-community-especially-in-hollywood/ https://www.annabellelouiseproductions.com
Submitted on: July 16, 2025
Name: Celia Mercovich
Class Year(s): 2021
Note: Celia Mercovich BS ’21 and Gabriel von Kessel BS ’21, both Physics majors, were married in January 2024 after meeting in the Honors Program.
Submitted on: July 15, 2025
Name: Omkar and Apeksha Bhalekar
Class Year(s): 2020
Note: Same course, same house, same endless deadlines, RIT was the backdrop to the best year of the lives of Omkar Bhalekar MS ’20 and Apeksha Bamniya MS ’22 . They started as friends, survived group projects and late-night study marathons, and somewhere along the way, love sneaked in. RIT molded them, not just as professionals, but as partners ready to face the world together. What began as classmates and housemates turned into a marriage built on friendship, respect, and shared dreams.
Submitted on: July 15, 2025
Name: Michael Glenn
Class Year(s): 1970
Note: Michael Glenn BS ’70 retired after 55 years of printing sales in the Capital District of NYS.
Submitted on: July 14, 2025
Name: Ronald Klimley
Class Year(s): 1983
Note: Ronald Klimley BS ’86 was named one of three vice presidents on the Board of Directors of the American Philatelic Society.
Submitted on: July 14, 2025
Name: Deb Peluso
Class Year(s): 2004
Note: Deb Peluso BFA ’04 and Karen Rhodes BS ’91 won 1st place in the 2025 National Federation of Press Women Professional Communications Contest. They won for the Communications Programs and Campaigns award for their crisis communications submission, Converse University Hurricane Helene Response.
Submitted on: July 14, 2025
Name: Maryah Glover
Class Year(s): 2019
Note: Maryah Glover BS ’19 joined the University of Minnesota’s MICaB program in 2023 and recently passed her qualifying exam to become a Ph.D. candidate in Immunology!
Submitted on: July 14, 2025
Name: Donald Campbell
Class Year(s): 1981
Note: Don Campbell BS ’81 (cross country and track and field), hiked up and down Mt. Whitney (California), at 14,505 feet, the highest peak in the continental 48 states (reached summit on July 10, 2025), while at the peak, took a moment and looked southeast towards the Mojave desert with thought of the 1979 RIT Coast-to-Coast Relay Run and their record setting team, and their inspirational coach and runner, Peter J. Todd (passed away last November); it may have been his age or the altitude but he would be lying if he said he didn’t shed a tear.
Submitted on: July 13, 2025
Name: Richard Cavallaro
Class Year(s): 2001, 2004
Note: Command Computing, founded by Richard Cavallaro BS ’01, MS ’04, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. They specialize in Microsoft 365 migrations, DNS configurations, and data backup solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Based in Rochester, NY, they proudly serve clients across the United States. Command Computing is also a proud sponsor of the Phi Delta Theta Kevin Smith Scholarship Foundation.
Submitted on: July 13, 2025
Name: Frances Drew
Class Year(s): 1993, 1994
Note: Fran Drew MFA ’94 and the Lucky Strikes Debut CD were nominated in the New Artist Debut Album category by Blues Blast Magazine. Voting begins July 14, 2025.
Submitted on: July 12, 2025