Welcome Back Cougars!

Emily Spikes ’17 attended ACDS from Begindergarten through 8th grade. Upon graduation from Leland High School she enrolled at Portland State University where she obtained a BFA Art Practice degree. She also earned a Certificate in Graphic Design from UC Berkeley.

Emily is hoping to build a career in publishing and book illustration — combining her love of storytelling, drawing, and design. At present she is continuing her Marketing and Design internship at ACDS with Cathy Shin. Emily states, “Being able to contribute to the ACDS community in a creative way has been a full-circle moment, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to give back.”

Catie Weston '06 attended ACDS from kindergarten through 8th grade and is a member of the class of 2006. Upon graduation from Notre Dame High School, she next enrolled at the University of Puget Sound where she obtained a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Teaching.

According to Catie, the moments that have meant the most to her professionally “are the ones in which a student who has always struggled in math tells me that I have helped shift their perception of math to be more positive.”

Amiya Bansal ‘21 started her high school career planning to focus on STEM classes, but she soon found her calling working with public policy and local government. By the end of her freshman year in June 2022 she was serving as both the District 6 Youth Commissioner for the City of San Jose and was working as an intern for Matt Mahan’s campaign for Mayor of San Jose, where she worked on his communication team. After the election, she then worked as a summer intern in the Office of the Mayor where her work focused on homelessness, transportation and public safety.  

Emmett Griffith '08 attended ACDS from Begindergarten through 8th grade and is a member of the class of 2008. Upon graduation from Presentation High School, he next enrolled at Chapman University, where he pursued and obtained a double BA in Integrated Educational Studies and English Literature. Emmett went on to obtain his M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs at New York University.

After graduating cum laude from Seattle University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a minor in philosophy, Anya is currently the Lifestyles Coordinator at Parkshore Senior Living in Seattle, Washington. She shares that working at an incredibly rewarding job, living in a beautiful city, and having wonderful friends and family makes her happy and is more than a person can ask for.

We've been following Tucker (Lisa) Ricchio '04 very closely these past few months, and Chef Tucker has written in to keep us up to date. Read on to hear all about how she started her journey as a Chef, what her Italian grandparents taught her about food and cooking, and her experience on Gordon Ramsay's show, Next Level Chef.