Class Notes
Name: Kelly Cheatle
Class Year(s): 1999
Note: Kelly Cheatle BFA ’99 is excited to announce her candidacy for Rochester City Council in 2025! With over two decades of experience as artistic director at Airigami (www.airigami.com), Kelly has led large-scale community artistic installations worldwide, showcasing the power of collaborative creation. The foundation of her skills was formed as a graphic design undergrad at RIT, giving her a unique perspective as an artist and problem-solver. After years of advocating for equitable arts funding and leading a successful David vs. Goliath campaign to prevent the privatization of public space in downtown Rochester, Kelly is ready to bring her collaborative approach to local government. Supporters can follow and support her campaign by visiting her official website: www.VoteforKelly.com.
Submitted on: January 10, 2025
Name: MIchael Sciotti
Class Year(s): 1988
Note: Michael Sciotti BS ’88 is practicing law at Barclay Damon LLP. In December 2024, Michael was awarded the Honorable George Lowe Pro Bono Service Award by the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. This is only the second time the award has been given out in the history of the Court.
Submitted on: January 5, 2025
Name: Branden Jaquays
Class Year(s): 95, 12
Note: Branden Jaquays BFA ’12 became a NYS licensed Funeral Director, Fall 2024, and works at Frary Funeral Home in Tupper Lake, NY.
Submitted on: January 1, 2025
Name: Mehwish Nasir
Class Year(s): 2008, 2010
Note: Mehwish Nasir MBA ’10 was recognized for Expertise in Business Technology and Consulting on July 15, 2024. (Ref: https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/513832/mehwish-nasir-mba-recognized-for-expertise-in-business-technology-and-consulting). Mehwish, an executive board member at OPEN (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs) Global (San Jose, CA) is a Pakistani Canadian American and a former Fulbright Scholar (2008-2010) to the U.S.A. Mehwish was inducted as Marquis Who’s Who-Honored Listee in America (2024-2025); and as Marquis Who’s Who of Professional Women, Professional Women Honoree (October 2024) and Honoree, Distinguished Worldwide Humanitarian (August 2024). Ref: https://whoswhoofprofessionalwomen.com/mehwish-nasir/ and https://worldwidehumanitarian.com/2024/08/28/mehwish-nasir/
Submitted on: January 1, 2025
Name: Taylor Rakocy
Class Year(s): 2018
Note: Conor McKaig BS ’19 and Taylor Rakocy BFA ’18 met at RIT in April 2016 and were married in Rochester in April 2024. They were surrounded by incredible friends from school as they celebrated their long awaited union at the Harro East Ballroom.
Submitted on: December 29, 2024
Name: Kate Gunderson
Class Year(s): 2015
Note: Kate Gunderson BS ’16 graduated from the National Test Pilot School’s rigorous year-long Flight Test Engineer Professional course on December 13, 2024, as the only female student in her class. In addition to an EASA Cat I Lead FTE certification, she also earned an MS in Flight Test Engineering. In the new year, Kate will begin working as an FTE in developmental flight test at Northrop Grumman.
Submitted on: December 18, 2024
Name: Norma Moran
Class Year(s): 2000
Note: Norma Morán BS ’00 is one of 54 participants selected for the Enlace Mid-level Leadership Program of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), a prestigious national organization representing more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, and Spain. Norma is the first known Deaf participant in the six-month program with a focus on leadership development for mid-level college and university professionals of Hispanic/Latine backgrounds. Currently serving as the associate director of the Center for Latine Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, Norma fondly reflects on her Liberal Arts concentration in latin american studies in the College of Liberal Arts.
Submitted on: December 10, 2024
Name: Thomas Harvey
Class Year(s): 1975, 1987
Note: Tom Harvey BS ’87 won a Best of Category award and a Best of Show 1st Runner-Up award at the 2023 Image City Photography Gallery Exhibit titled, Photographers Journey. The photo was of a young Orthodox Jewish boy walking two Cheder in the Ultra-Orthodox section of Jerusalem. The photo was taken on Tom’s 2022 tour of Israel.
Submitted on: December 10, 2024
Name: Felicia Jefferson
Class Year(s): 2001
Note: Dr. Felicia Jefferson BS ’01 was inducted as an elected fellow of AAAS on September 21, 2024. She was selected as a 2023 fellow of AAAS. See Science Magazine announcement: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp9613. See AAAS Announcement: https://www.aaas.org/fellows/2023-fellows.
Submitted on: December 9, 2024
Name: Stephen VanDeWater
Class Year(s): 1970
Note: Stephen Vandewater ’70 (CIAS), photojournalist, has been in contact with many famous people during his career. He has met and photographed, most notably, President John F. Kennedy shortly before his assassination. Other celebrities are George Jessel, Kenny Rogers, Charlton Heston and President George H. W. Bush. He was also in the Vietnam War as a photographic reconnaissance photographer. He was awarded The Commendation Medal and Conspicuous Service Medal for outstanding work there. He joined Eastman Kodak Company as a photojournalist and covered a wide range of assignments. One of interest was the making of a Gene Hackman movie, where one of the characters crashed through the Kodak Colorama display in Grand Central Terminal. Steve has received several awards from Eastman Kodak Company for his photography. Steve met his wife, Susan (Young) Vandewater AAS ’68, while at RIT and they were married in 1969. Sue is a 1968 graduate and his forever partner giving him much needed support. Steve retired in 2005 and they are currently enjoying life in Bristol, New York. Steve’s photographs and history are archived at Rochester Institute of Technology and The University of Rochester.
Submitted on: December 6, 2024