Class Correspondent

It was beyond wonderful to catch up with so many of you during our 10th Reunion. I look forward to doing it once again in five short years.

Rita Cherian married Gregory Dulgarian on Sept. 12, 2009. They reside in Lexington, Mass. Rita completed her residency in ocular disease at the Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center and is currently practicing optometry at a multidisciplinary practice, North Suburban Eye Associates.

Sara Kahn Troster and her husband, David Freidenreich ’99, welcomed a baby girl, Naomi Rina Freidenreich, on Aug. 13, 2010. They live in Portland, Maine, where David is the Pulver Family Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies at Colby College and Sara is pursuing a graduate certificate in public health at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service.

Alex and Sarah Krause had a baby boy, Jacob Zachary, in November 2010.

Michael Miles and his wife, Alexandra, moved to Houston and bought their first house. Michael is an in-house attorney at Spectra Energy, a natural gas pipeline and storage company. Alexandra is doing a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Lori Segal has lived in New York since graduation. After working as an editor at Food & Wine, CosmoGIRL and Every Day with Rachael Ray magazines, Lori is currently the research director at Allure magazine.

Aryeh Leifert served as an assistant rabbi and director of Judaic studies in San Antonio for three years before moving with his wife, Michal, and their three children (Yonah, 6, Ahuva, 4, and Maayan, 2) to Mazkeret Batya, Israel. He is now enrolled in an intensive Ministry of Tourism tour guide course and also provides virtual Israel guiding to schools via Skype. He may be reached via www.WalkingIsrael.com.

Kimberly Truong, senior project manager at Jobs for the Future in Boston, received a Recognition of Merit in the PDK International Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award program. Her dissertation, “Racism and Racial Trauma in Doctoral Study: How Students of Color Experience and Negotiate the Political Complexities of Racist Encounters,” examined the experiences of students of color who have dealt with racism in U.S. doctoral programs. She earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Julia Becker is doing a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Chicago. Her son Owen was born in June. Brooke Wallock is a manager of training and activation at Lincoln Financial Group.

Elana Divine teaches fourth grade at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Md.

Valerie Kolko married Matthew Glassman on June 26 in Durham, N.C. They met in April 2006 at Shabbat dinner at Hillel at the University of North Carolina, where Valerie worked at the time. Members of the wedding party included Michael Weinstein-Reiman ’04 and Ilene (Karmel) Farkas. The officiant was their good friend Rabbi Leah Berkowitz ’03.

Jacob Cohen joined the Renewed Group in September 2010 as chief financial officer. The Renewed Group produces a fashion-forward line of eco-friendly denim made from recycled fabrics and textiles.

Betsy Loren Plumb married Lyonel Jean-Pierre Jr. on Sept. 5, 2010. Many Brandeisians were in attendance.

Kaori (Kataoka) Kimura and her husband, Yasuharu, had a baby girl, Hinata, on Jan. 31 in Japan.

Congratulations to Ariel Ahram, a professor at the University of Oklahoma whose first book, “Proxy Warriors: The Rise and Fall of State-Sponsored Militias,” was published this year.

Adam Klein continues to record and tour as a singer/songwriter from his home base in Athens, Ga. He released his third record, “Wounded Electric Youth,” a rustic collection of Americana folk-pop, on his Cowboy Angel Music label. Adam has toured the United States and Europe since its release, opening for such artists as Josh Ritter, Dan Bern and Fred Eaglesmith. In the works are an album recorded in Mali, West Africa, of original acoustic “Mande” songs in the Bambara language colored by traditional Malian instrumentation, as well as an associated making-of-the-record documentary film. Visit www.adam-klein.com and www.cowboyangelmusic.com for info.

Jenny Goldstein and Evan Schultz proudly announce the birth of a baby boy, Koby Lev, on Oct. 28, 2010.

Melani Friedman and her husband, Mark, welcomed their second daughter, Marissa Mikayla, on Nov. 23, 2010. She joins big sister Jenna, who was born on Nov. 24, 2007. Melani has worked in the IT department at PepsiCo for six years.

Rebecca Rausch moved to Berkeley, Calif., to pursue an LL.M. degree at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California.

Rajat Chopra married Gifty Chopra on Feb. 16, 2010. They live in Sugar Land, Texas, and are excited about their future together. 

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