Class Notes
Name: Ethan Feldman
Class Year(s): 2007
Note: Ethan Feldman BS ’07 and his wife welcomed their second daughter, Bexleigh.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: CJ Wurster
Class Year(s): 2000
Note: Dr. CJ Wurster BS ’00 was recently appointed as president of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, which is a part of the Maricopa County Community College District in the Greater Phoenix Metro area. CJ is the fifth college president to lead the institution, which serves over 19,000 students per year.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Robert Stone
Class Year(s): 2021
Note: Robert Stone MFA ’21 was hired as a photography instructor at CT State Manchester in Manchester, CT, USA. This is a full-time tenure-track position! Robert will be starting Fall 2025, and he couldn’t be more excited. A dream come true, and a journey a decade in the making.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Rose Blanchard
Class Year(s): 2023
Note: Rose Blanchard MS ’23 started a new job as an EO/IR engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in May 2025.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Ron Flicker
Class Year(s): 1964
Note: Ron Flicker MS ’64 enjoys building thousands of Bluebird Houses. Ron is in his 15th year playing Duplicate Bridge at the Lynchburg Virginia. He attends the Duplicate Bridge Club three times a week.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Renzo Vizarreta
Class Year(s): 2022
Note: Physics Ph.D. student, Renzo Vizarreta BS ’22, has been awarded the Donald M. and Janet C. Barnard Fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year at the University of Rochester. The fellowship recognizes Vizarreta’s work on the DUNE and ICARUS neutrino experiments as well as his commitment to mentoring undergraduate students in Peru as they prepare for graduate school.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Bill Truran
Class Year(s): 1975
Note: Bill Truran BS ’75 is still shooting images for clients, not because he has to, but because he loves it! Ever since Bill left RIT for NYC back in 1975, he has loved trading images for checks. Bill loves all of his faithful clients, even though he has not ever met many of them face to face. RIT had a big hand in Bill’s success. During his 15 years in NYC, he didn’t think so, but his degree helped him land 15 years as a head photographer for Nabisco and Kraft food, and he still shoots for many people that he met during his years at Nabisco. Think about it: This autistic ADD person found a career that is still going after 50 years. Thank you RIT.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Terry Ann (Hayes) Fernando
Class Year(s): 2009
Note: Last year, Terry Ann (Hayes) Fernando MFA ’09 published a memoir about training her vizsla, Zara, to be a hunting dog. It’s called The Accidental Bird Dog: My Journey with an Extraordinary Vizsla. The memoir is about how her life transformed after getting Zara as a pet and then discovering Zara’s talent for hunting birds. What began as a mild interest evolved into a passionate pursuit, as Terry Ann embraced training Zara for competitions and discovered a newfound love for dog training and dog sports. Terry Ann used her graphic design skills developed at RIT to design the cover and layout for the book. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form: https://a.co/d/g4w1DOp
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Arianna Valentini
Class Year(s): 2010, 2012
Note: Arianna (Valentini) Huffield CT ’09, BFA ’10, MS ’12 was recently featured in Precisely’s “Women in Technology” series, where she shared her insights on career growth, mentorship, and the power of diversity in tech. This October, she will speak at Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) Boston, contributing her expertise on innovation and leadership in product marketing.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025
Name: Wilfredo Alvarez
Class Year(s): 2002
Note: Dr. Wilfredo Alvarez BS ’02 was promoted to associate professor of Communication Studies with tenure at Metropolitan State University in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Alvarez is a graduate of the Professional and Technical Communication program.
Submitted on: July 8, 2025