Alumni News & Notes

Caitie Clancey ’02 recently completed ten performances of Eugene Ionesco’s comedy, Rhinoceros, at the Lohman Theater in Los Altos. She played one of the main characters, Berenger. She thanks Mrs. Sherry Curtis, a former ACDS Drama teacher, for instilling in her a love of live theater at the age of five, in a production of Hello Dolly!

 

Paige (Knudson) Nelson ’03 and her husband Korey are currently living in Alpine, Utah with their five children, Lucy (9), Max (6), Wes (4) Claire (3) and baby Jane Olivia, born on April 19, 2025.  Paige loves her family, running, cooking and being active and writes that she is happy for the foundation ACDS brought to her life.

 

Wren White ’03 married Pim Vellenga in a civil ceremony in the London Borough of Islington, followed by a celebration with friends and family in beautiful Stellenbosch, South Africa. Wren joined Tesla after graduating from Santa Clara University.  She transferred to Amsterdam and managed sales operations for the EV and energy products.  Wren moved to London in 2023 and joined Octopus Energy, where she serves as the General Manager for the Kraken Division’s Flex products.

 

Elise (Fisher) Snyder ’05 and her husband, Mike, welcomed their first child, Beckett, on February 19, 2025. He arrived weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and measuring 18 inches long. The happy family resides in Massachusetts.

 

Anoop Praturu ’11 recently earned his Ph.D. in biophysics from UC San Diego and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in computational neuroscience at the Salk Institute in San Diego. His research focuses on the intersection of machine learning, computational biology, and complexity science.

Serena Francisco ’13 earned her MA in philosophy from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

Dimitris Tsatalos ’13 proposed to Lauren Sweeney in May, and she accepted! He and Lauren connected during their first year at Loyola Marymount University. They live in San Jose.

 

Michael Perry ’14 got engaged to Bella Kouretas in Lake Tahoe in May, with both families hiding nearby to watch. It was a surprise that Michael worked hard for five months to pull off! They currently reside in Sacramento while Bella completes her Master of Health Sciences Physician Assistant program. Michael is in his fourth year at Cisco Systems and works remotely. They hope to move back to the Bay Area and marry after Bella graduates in September 2026.

 

Zack Schlieman ’14 graduated cum laude from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA, in December earning a BFA in photography. Following his graduation, Zack began his career with Milk Group Studios in Los Angeles.

 

Grant Ajlouni ’17 graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University. He plans to remain in Dallas while working in finance alongside many of his Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers.

 

Riley Apen ’17 graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in mechanical engineering. He plans to stay for an additional year at the university to complete his Master of Science in mechanical engineering. He is currently interning at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO, where he focuses on enhancing the environmental efficiency of buildings.

 

Thomas Edwards ’17 graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in finance. He is actively seeking opportunities for lending and liquid credit for business development companies in Los Angeles.

 

Nick Fordyce ’17 graduated cum laude from Boise State University with a BBA in supply chain management. He has been accepted into the U.S. Marine Officer Training School and is scheduled to report to Quantico, VA, on September 8.

 

Ellis Goldman ’17 is currently pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering at Purdue University. She spent this year interning at Delta Air Lines Tech Ops in Atlanta, Georgia, where she completed three rotations, and completed a ten-week internship at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This summer, Ellis is set to intern at Northrop Grumman in San Diego and is scheduled to graduate in May 2026.

 

Tate Hackett ’17 graduated summa cum laude from Oregon State University with a degree in kinesiology. He plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.

 

Annika King ’17 graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in psychology. She made the Dean’s List, demonstrating her dedication and aptitude, which placed her among CU’s top students. She plans to travel for a few weeks before taking a gap year to gain work experience and apply to graduate school. She intends to pursue either a master’s degree or doctorate in child psychology or a related field. 

 

Dallas Knopp ’17 graduated from New York University’s Steinhardt School with a BS in music business.

 

Alyvia McIntyre ’17 graduated summa cum laude from Husson University in Bangor, Maine, with a B.S. in exercise science. In addition to her academic achievements, Aly excelled on the volleyball court as a four-year starting setter who competed in four North Atlantic Conference tournaments and was inducted into the university’s inaugural Athletic Honors Society. Aly founded and serves as the director of the Wicked Northeast Volleyball Club, overseeing 200 girls and 14 teams from the Central Maine region. As an elite club volleyball coach, she has helped several high school seniors secure commitments to NCAA volleyball teams. Aly is currently working towards her doctorate in physical therapy at Husson University.

 

Sasha Mok ’17 graduated with the highest honors (top 2.5% of the graduating class) from UC Santa Barbara, completing double majors in economics and environmental studies. She was a member of UCSB’s Associated Students, served as an economics tutor in the College of Letters and Sciences, and competed on the club rowing team that finished 2nd at Nationals.

 

Reece Pasquinelli ’17 graduated magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in film production and a minor in business administration. He will remain in LA while working for the NBCUniversal Global Sales Planning team.

 

Haadi Razzak ’17 graduated from the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering with a BS in computer science. He plans to pursue a career in full-stack software development and AI.

 

Kira Schlieman ’17 graduated cum laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in public health with a concentration in culture and society in health, as well as a minor in child development. This fall, Kira will continue her academic journey at Brown University, where she will pursue her master’s degree in public health. 

 

Emily Spikes ’17 graduated from Portland State University where she obtained a BFA Art Practice degree. She also earned a Certificate in Graphic Design from UC Berkeley. Emily plans to have a career in publishing and book illustration and recently had her work featured at the 2025 BFA Exhibition: Beyond the Periphery at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University.

 

Paige Weldon ’17 graduated summa cum laude from Boston University’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences with a Bachelor of Science in public health. She was one of only 25 students inducted into the Scarlet Key Honors Society, a distinction awarded to outstanding seniors who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in student activities and organizations. Paige was a member of Sargent’s Honor Society, made the Dean’s List from 2022 to 2024, and worked at BU for the past four years, organizing significant student events, including the freshman welcome and Senior Week. She is seeking full-time employment in public health and plans to pursue her master’s degree in public health on a part-time basis.

 

Alexia Southern ’18 graduated cum laude from Loyola Marymount University, where she earned a double major in philosophy and sociology in just three years. She was a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta and Phi Sigma Tau international honor societies, as well as Phi Delta Phi, the international legal honor society, and the Order of Omega, the Greek life leadership honor society. Despite her demanding academic schedule, Alexia found time for community service, held leadership roles in the Delta Zeta sorority, played the flute in LMU’s Wind Ensemble, studied abroad in Japan and Greece, and competed in varsity E-sports for three years as part of the inaugural Overwatch team. As a participant in the Creare Service Organization, Alexia tutored youth at the Mar Vista Family Center. She also volunteered at the Jenesse Center, a domestic violence intervention program, helping with applications for temporary restraining orders. Alexia was accepted into Loyola Law School and received nearly a full-ride academic scholarship.

 

Savannah Baron ’21 will play D1 volleyball for the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

 

Thomas Dumont ’21 graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory, where he was a varsity team captain, received the Bill Chambers Award, and served as an Arrupe Ambassador. He will attend Southern Methodist University (SMU) in the fall to pursue a degree in finance.

 

Nick Fagin ’21 plans to attend Indiana University this fall, majoring in business.

 

Rachel Greene ’21, graduated from Notre Dame San Jose, earning First Honors all four years. Rachel was a member of the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, and National Athletic Honor Society. She participated in the National Charity League and played varsity indoor volleyball from 10th to 12th grade, as well as beach volleyball in her senior year. Additionally, she competed in elite indoor and sand club volleyball for the Mountain View Volleyball Club. Rachel will attend the University of Oregon, where she received the Summit Scholarship to pursue a degree in public relations.

 

Kyson Hensley ’21 graduated from Leland High School, where he co-founded the school’s first Black Student Union Club. He earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, a national recognition for his commitment to service, by completing 50 hours of community service within a year. He received two scholarships from Arizona State University: The New American Scholarship and the Living and Learning Scholarship. Driven by his passion for math and inspired by his dad’s success, Kyson plans to major in electrical engineering at Arizona State University.

 

Melody Horoufi ’21 graduated from Gunderson High School. She was a member of and selected as an ambassador for the National Society of High School Scholars. Throughout her four years of high school, Melody maintained a 3.9/4.0 GPA. She plans to attend San Jose State University.

 

Christian Hull ’21 graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School, where he competed in varsity volleyball, traveled to Jamaica on a service trip, and was a member of the National Honor Society and the California Scholarship Federation. He received Archbishop Mitty’s St. Francis of Assisi Service Award. Christian plans to major in entrepreneurship at Loyola Marymount University, where he has been awarded the Urbanek Education Fund Scholarship, the LMU Arrupe Scholarship, and the LMU Xavier Award.

 

Calvin Park ’21 graduated from Bellarmine College Prep, where he was a National Merit Finalist and earned his Eagle Scout rank. He plans to attend the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he will major in economics and data science. Calvin was awarded the James Monroe Scholarship at William and Mary, which is granted to fewer than 10% of admitted undergraduates for demonstrating intellectual depth, curiosity, concern for the community, and a commitment to learning for its own sake.

 

Kishan Patel ’21 graduated from Oakwood High School with three honor cords. He played basketball for three years and tennis for two years. Additionally, he published a sports article in the Morgan Hill Times newspaper. Kishan will attend Arizona State University, where he plans to pursue a degree in sports business. 

 

Mayya Sleiman ’21 graduated from Los Gatos High School, where she served as the yearbook editor-in-chief during her junior and senior years. In her junior year, the yearbook earned first place from the American Scholastic Press Association. She was a member of both the National Society of High School Scholars and the National Spanish Honor Society. Mayya competed in volleyball for all four years, three of which were at the varsity level, and she played one year of JV badminton. She had a supporting role as Rosie in the Los Gatos High School production of the musical Mamma Mia and took on a lead role as Mack in the all-student-led production of Teen Beach the Musical. Mayya plans to pursue a degree in architectural engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

 

Zander Verhoeven ’21 competed on the Bellarmine varsity cross-country team, which secured first place in the 2024 Central Coast Sectional (CCS) finals and second place in the California State finals. In 2024, he also earned first-team All-League Cross Country honors and the Billy Schmidt Award for leadership and sportsmanship. During his junior year, Zander received the Most Improved Runner Award from his coaches. In the fall, he will attend the University of Michigan, majoring in electrical engineering.

 

Ivan Vikingstad ’21 will attend Santa Clara University in the fall to pursue a degree in business. While at Bellarmine, he competed on the junior varsity hockey team, served as a teaching assistant for Spanish 4, and worked as an academic mentor, tutoring fellow students in math. In the summer of 2024, Ivan returned to ACDS to assist Coach McIntyre as a sports camp leader.

 

Caden Wardner ’21 graduated from Archbishop Mitty High School and wants to be a commercial pilot after completing the aviation program at San Jose State University.