Alumni News
Associate Director Susie Merrett reached out to alumni through Facebook. Here are some of the great responses.
Elana Cohen ‘10: Hey Susie! I’m at Cornell and currently studying to go to medical school; right now I’m planning on a double major in English and biology with a concentration in molecular biology and a minor in fine arts. If you need anything else let me know!
Imani Randolph ‘10: Hey Susie! I’m currently in my second 
semester at Barnard College of Columbia University. Haven’t nailed down my major yet, but considering a double minor in Econ and Art History. Aside from curricular stuff, I’m doing an internship at The Culinistas, (a business that links fantastic private chefs with clients http://www.theculinistas.com/), helping out with new media and advertising for a cook book my boss wrote, (it’s available for pre-order! http://www.amazon.com/Better-Toast-Happiness-Bread-70-Irresistible/dp/0062329049). I also write fashion and lifestyle articles for the Barnard Bulletin Magazine and am a part of the marketing team for the Columbia Spectator Publishing Company, we’re working on an app.
Emma Rugoff ‘08: Sues!!! I’m attending Hudson Valley Community College, I graduated last semester with my teaching assistants certificate, and I will be graduating this sprig again but with my associates degree in individual studies. In the fall I will be attending the Rochester Institute of Dog Grooming!
Phil Curran ‘08: I’m at Cornell pursuing a bachelors in 
Government and American Studies and heading to Officer Candidate School for the Marines this summer. After graduation I’ll hopefully be in the Marines for a few years and haven’t planned much beyond that!
Jen Nelson ‘08: Hello, I graduated Parker in 2008. I am currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in a dual major of art education at Saint Rose. Only one more year left! Trying to figure out grad school now, it’s a little up in the air because the state requirements just changed for teachers in school so I have to nail down exactly what undergraduate prerequisites I need. I also have a minor in art history and a concentration in photography. Because my major is so credit heavy and requires me to be in the US for my education classes I have sadly not need able to study abroad. But I am currently planning and saving for a backpacking trip I will be taking with my best friend right after graduation to Europe!
Amanda Wall ‘05: Hi Susie, I attended SUNY new Paltz majoring in anthropology with a concentration in biological archaeology and human osteology and a minor in Spanish. After graduating I was an Americorps volunteer with an education based non profit called City Year, their goal is to keep students in inner city schools in school and on track to graduate. I volunteered at an elementary school in East Harlem giving literacy interventions and running an after school program. I currently live in NYC with plans to attend graduate school.
Alex Davis ’03: I’m living in Glenmont NY. I am engaged, I have a 1 year old and I am the internet sales manager at a record store.
Sam Schuman ‘03: Hi there everyone! I graduated RCP in 2003, AHS in 2007, and failed out of engineering school at Alfred University in 2009. I got my associates in EMT-Paramedic in 2011 from HVCC. I now work at the Greater Amsterdam Volunteer Ambulance Corp (GAVAC) And will be completing my bachelor’s degree in May at SUNY Albany
Zach Lanoue ‘02: Hey there. I graduated RCP in ’02 then went to
Doane Stuart until ’06. Graduating from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in ’11. Since then I’ve started a gallery/arts agency with friends and now am a freelance photographer/ filmmaker and exhibiting multi-media artist. I currently live in Boston and work there, NYC and LA. I’ve just completed a cross country photo excursion using a new technique I call Land Scan, the results of which will be on my website in the next month or so. www.zachlanoue.com. Many fond memories of Parker School stay with me, I hope it will remain a safe place of free self expansion for years to come.
Rachel Leibson ‘00: Hello! It’s fun to read all of the updates! After Parker, I went to Emma Willard and then to Oberlin College where I got a BA in Biology. I then came home to Troy and went to HVCC for nursing school, graduating in 2010. I immediately began a job as an RN on the maternity ward at Albany Medical Center. I’ve been there ever since, but have now transitioned to the role of full time lactation consultant. I got married in October of 2012, and my husband and I welcomed our first son in October of 2013. Unfortunately, our son shocked us by coming out not breathing and he was with us for a short beautiful 2 days. We are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second son within the next four weeks!
Aaron Banks ‘98: Hi Susie and fellow Parker alumni, After graduating from Tufts University, I moved to Washington and worked in politics and advocacy, including on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and as Campaign Manager for the anti-global poverty advocacy organization ONE. In 2010, I joined the Foreign Service and have had diplomatic posting in Washington, New York, Yemen, and London, where I am now half-way through a great two year tour. Many thanks to all the great teachers I had at RCP: you, Patti Sachs, Carol Oko, Taeko Onishi, Nan Rosenbach, Kelly Dinon, Brian Sherwin, Jeff Gonzalez, Susan Dollar, and the many others I’m forgetting in my jet lag-addled state, having just crossed the Atlantic for meetings in Washington. Best, Aaron
Lindsay Chura ‘98: Hi Susie and other alums! It’s wonderful to 
reconnect and read the updates. I have really fond memories of my time at Parker and am always happy to be in touch with anyone in the RCP school family. Since my Parker days, I graduated from Mount Holyoke and went off to study and do research in Australia and the UK. I did my PhD in Psychiatry at Cambridge where I worked on brain imaging studies with kids on the autism spectrum. I’m now based in DC at the British Embassy working in the area of international health and science policy. And in an incredible Parker School small world example, Aaron Banks and I have been working together over the past year on UK-US science diplomacy issues. I really enjoy doing science outreach at schools and would love to visit Parker when I’m in town! With best wishes to all, Lindsay
Amanda Hodes ‘98: Hi Susie! I attended Cornell University and then worked as an Operations Associate for a hedge fund called Centerbridge in NYC before relocating to Boston to get my MBA at Boston College. After business school I worked on the web and mobile strategy at both State Street Global Advisors and Liberty Mutual Insurance. I’m currently a Senior Business Consultant at Liberty Mutual Insurance and I will be living in London for the next 6 months. It’s great to read what everyone else is up to!
Liz Hodes ‘98: Hey Susie (and all)! It’s been great reading everyone’s updates! Since graduating in 2006 from Johns Hopkins with BA in both Film & Writing Seminars (basically, fiction writing, I’ve been working in documentary and reality television in NYC. I worked for about 8 years as a Production Manager on the financial/logistical end of the business, and since last year, I’ve been working (creatively) in Post Production as an Associate Story Producer. You can check out some of the shows I’ve worked on here! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2459424/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1.
Molly Mulligan ‘97: I finished my PhD At UMass Amherst in 2011
in Mechanical Engineering and moved to Israel to do my Post Doc at the Technion in Haifa. After that I was supposed to come back to the USA, but instead I got a job at a startup in Tel Aviv called SpacePharma, where I’m the director of lab technologies. My company is pretty cool, because we are working to be a low cost alternative to the space agencies around the world for doing space based research in a variety of fields including biology, medicine, material science, and agriculture. I’m really enjoying life in Israel.
Jonathan Schuyler ‘97: I went to Goucher College in Baltimore and got a BA in Political Science and to New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. I live in Fairfax, Virginia just outside of D.C.. Currently I am the Sommelier & Beverage Director for 2941 Restaurant & Pizzeria Orso. I just got engaged and we have a baby boy coming in July.
Louisa Boehlert Vaughn: Hi sue, I live in Latham with my husband of a bit over 10 years, have three little boys and a little girl on the way. I got my undergrad in Social work from Siena and my Masters from Adelphi. I work for Parsons in Albany as a supervisor in a program for youth in fostercare with serious mental illness. Hope all is well!