Class Notes

Reagan Ritzer, B.A., economics, recently became an officer with the Blaine Police Department. 

Nicole Vijgen, B.S., plastics and composites engineering, is a first-year Ph.D. student at Duke University in mechanical engineering and materials science. After graduating from Western, Nicole worked as a materials engineer at TE Connectivity. 

"It Never Rained This Much in England," a solo play produced and performed by Aurora Rupert, B.A., theatre, and co-written with Maria Santiago, will be part of the Vancouver Fringe Festival in September. With six performances at The NEST, the show draws from Rupert's experience moving back to Bellingham after completing a master's degree in the U.K.

DJ Brimer, BAE, English-elementary, is a science teacher at Tumwater Middle School and was recently elected president of the Tumwater Education Assocation after serving in several roles with the labor union. 

Genét Simone, BAE, English, recently published “Teaching in the Dark,” a memoir recounting her experiences as a first-year teacher in the tiny Arctic village of Shishmaref, Alaska. She obtained a master’s degree in women’s studies from Minnesota State University in 1994 and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2004, and continued as a teacher educator for 24 years, including 15 with WWU’s Teacher Education Outreach Programs. Genét lives in Seattle, and is teaching high school again, and gearing up to write a sequel to her first book. It will be titled “Teaching in the Light.”

The next book by Fred Poyner IV, B.A., art history, will be published in January by McFarland & Co., Inc., "Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture: North American Monuments, Memorials and Statuary of 50 Artists." An author and art historian who has published several books about Northwest history, he includes 21 interviews with contemporary artists and explores Native American and First Nation figures in public sculpture throughout North America. 

Erin Howard, B.S., math/computer science and physics, is a research scientist at the University of Washington, where they work on the Data Management Team for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, a massive telescope expected to come online in 2025. 

J.J. Jensen, B.A., journalism, was recently appointed principal at Vista Middle School in Ferndale. He was previously an assistant principal at Ferndale High School.

Catherine Rucker, B.S., visual communication, served Washington state agencies for 30 years in media production, design, illustration, photography, and journalism (public information). Her work promoted natural resources, ecology, and parks, as well as traffic safety, and the welfare-to-work initiative. She also served as a youth literacy and restorative justice volunteer, and a senior fitness instructor in Olympia.

Mike Hylland, B.S., geology, recently retired after a 35-year career. Mike worked as a geologist for the U.S. Forest Service on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, an engineering geologist with GeoEngineers in Redmond, and spent 30 years with the Utah Geological Survey in Salt Lake City, retiring as deputy director.

Katherine O’Meara Reynolds, B.A. history, recently moved to London from Dublin, where she lived for 22 years and where she attained her M.Phil. in medieval history from Trinity College Dublin in 1997 and an M.Sc. in climate change from Dublin City University in 2022. Katherine also recently passed her GRI Sustainability Reporting exam.

Eric Johnson, B.A., recreation, recently retired as executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties, which he led since 2008.  

Dana Robinson Slote, B.A., communication, became the director of media relations for the University of Washington. Previously, Dana led communications for the Seattle City Council and state Senate Democratic Caucus. 

Mariah Sebastiani, English - creative writing and literature, recently completed her graduate degree in literary studies with a specialization in teaching at Central Washington University. Mariah was president of the Graduate Student Association at Central, taught English 101 as a graduate assistant, and spoke at the graduate commencement ceremony. 

Regina Maria Castillo, B.A., political science, is representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Uzbekistan. Previously, Regina represented UNICEF in Croatia and Paraguay, and she directed UNAIDS in the countries of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.  

Nick Quinlan, B.A., business - management, was recently named the executive director of Washington Business Week, which hosts programs for high school students to learn business and professional skills. Previously, Nick was the chief operating officer of Major League Hacking, which runs programs for high school and college students learning technical skills. 

Laura Arntson, B.A., Fairhaven interdisciplinary concentration and music performance, recently completed a Ph.D. in public health from Oregon State University. Laura worked in international development for over 20 years. A chapter of her dissertation on child fever care-seeking in The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea is published in the recent Malaria Journal. She also holds a Masters in Music, a Ph.D. in folklore/ethnomusicology, and a Master of Public Health.

Maggie Macdonald, B.A., English literature, became vice president at Orchestra, where she's in charge of legal operations across eight public relation agencies. 

Pat Connally, B.A., political science and French, wrote and directed "Christmas Mittens," a holiday-themed children's play at his local community theatre. 

Elisabeth Jarrard, B.A., psychology, recently became the executive director of Jubilee Women's Center in Seattle, which provides programs and services to empower women experiencing poverty. Previously, Elisabeth held several leadership roles at Compass Housing Alliance.