Class Notes

Name: Kelly Petersen

Class Year(s): 2003

Note: Kelly (Schottler) Petersen ’03 (CIAS) and her husband, Brent, welcomed a new addition in April 2021. Their son, Wally, joins big brother Bernie. He is a curly-haired ball of fire and has been such a light in their lives!

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Daniel Holmes

Class Year(s): 1982

Note: Daniel Holmes ’82 (GAP) has recently moved to Roswell, N.M. where he has taken a position as senior trial attorney in the 5th Judicial District District Attorney’s office. He is shown with two intergalactic residents who moved to Roswell in 1947.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: James TABBI

Class Year(s): 89, 97

Note: James Tabbi ’89 (COS), MS ’97 (SCB) shares that The Heroic Enthusiasts’ Fits and Fashions—the first of their two EPs to be released this year on Meridian/ECR Music Group—arrived June 24, 2022 on the heels of multiple successes for the celebrated duo. “Fits and Fashions is primarily about the personal and social dichotomies of the world we’re living in,” singer and songwriter, Tabbi, explains. “We all want to try to fix what we’re witnessing and experiencing, to fit it all together better, to fashion a better world regardless of the inherent challenges.” The two singles already released from this new EP have quickly become the most successful singles of The Heroic Enthusiasts’ career. “The Fits and Fashions EP is tantamount to ‘Side 1’ of our new album,” says guitarist and songwriter Thomas Ferrara. “And ‘Side 2’ will be coming later this year. The five songs on Fits and Fashions provide an opportunity to glimpse who we are as a band: one that pulls from 80’s-based nostalgia and turns it into something modern, new, and refreshing.” Co-produced and mixed by Post-Punk and New Wave studio legend Stephen Hague (New Order, Peter Gabriel, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys), Fits and Fashions harks back to the synth-and-guitar driven hits of the 1980’s which helped shape the duo’s own musical landscape. The Heroic Enthusiasts’ now well-established musical partnership with Hague began with an auspicious introduction. “So much of what I’m sent these days is basically beats with hooks, but the Heroic’s stuff was a breath of fresh air,” says Hague. “When I first heard their demos, I was taken by their song-craft and musicality. After a couple of introductory phone conversations with Thomas and James, I knew and said, ‘Buckle up boys, I’m joining the team.’” Hague, who has produced and recorded some of the most iconic pop music of the past half-century with Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Peter Gabriel, and Erasure, did, in fact, join the team—comprised of James Tabbi and Thomas Ferrara—to forge the collection of tracks on Fits and Fashions. Tabbi and Ferrara’s shared influences of Brit-pop, New Wave, and Post-Punk brought the duo together following celebrated solo efforts as recording artists, producers, composers, and multi-instrumentalists. Educated in computational mathematics and mathematical statistics, respectively, Tabbi and Ferrara’s creative collaborations deftly combine the intellectual and emotional, a dichotomy that has now caught the attention of listeners around the globe. Fits and Fashions dropped on June 24th on Meridan/ECR Music Group.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Susan Cohen

Class Year(s): 1980

Note: Susan Cohen ’80 (CLA) retired from Montgomery County Public Libraries on October 1, 2020. As a public librarian, she served as the head of adult services and services for the Deaf and hard of hearing for 36 years. She also served as the first coordinator of the Maryland Deaf Culture Digital Library for the last five years. In February 2021, she was elected the president of the Jewish Deaf Resource Center, a national 501C3 nonprofit that serves as a bridge between Jewish Deaf and hard of hearing individuals (including DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, LBGQTi+, BIPOC) and individuals and organizations in the wider Jewish community through advocacy, communication access solutions, inclusive public policy, partnerships, resources, and training. She and her husband have relocated to Florida and often travel north to spend time with their grandchildren and family. They have taken up pickle ball, swimming, hiking, and other activities to fill our days.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Mark Sanza

Class Year(s): 86,88

Note: Mark D. Sanza ’88 (CLA) has been appointed as deputy general counsel at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany, N.Y. He oversees a broad number of attorneys responsible for administering important environmental programs, such as climate change, air resources, and energy projects including renewable sources and transmission facilities.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Amanda Lasicki

Class Year(s): 2009

Note: Amanda Lasicki ’09 (CIAS) and Ryan Kilmartin welcomed twins, Chris and Sean, on May 5, 2021.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Cristophorus Budidharma

Class Year(s): 2016

Note: Cristophorus Badidharma ’16 (CHST) shares that he has worked at Silang.id in the Education Division for two years. Silang.id is an EduTech startup company, focused on empowering Deaf Indonesians and spreading awareness about Deaf culture in Indonesia. He has been developing the Indonesian sign language curriculum, pedagogical skills, and overall standards in teaching. His dream is to work as a college professor, especially in anatomy education. He feels that working at Silang.id is the beginning of his journey to be an educator.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Gary S. Avratin

Class Year(s): 1989

Note: Gary S. Avratin ’89 (SCB) shares that his son, Max S. Avratin BS ’22, graduated. He wishes Emma R. Avratin BS ’24 great success for the upcoming year.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Michael Fuszara

Class Year(s): 1999

Note: Michael Fuszara ’99 (KGCOE) has accepted a new position working for Moog Aircraft Group. It’s been his dream company to work for and he’s looking forward to many more years working for a fantastic company. His son was accepted into the RIT MET program in Robotics and Automation and the MS/BS program; he move in during August 2022.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022

Name: Michael Sperling

Class Year(s): 2005

Note: Michael Sperling ’05 (CIAS) owns Sperling Interactive, a marketing agency, which has been named on the Inc 5000 list as one of the 5000 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies in the United States.

Submitted on: July 29, 2022