CLASS NOTES

Class Notes, Fall 2014
Class Notes, Fall 2014
Posted in Class Notes

Laura Lord

Laura Lord, 07

Laura donates her summers to coordinate an annual trip to Costa Rica for students around the United States. Laura and the students volunteer at a Costa Rican elementary school helping underprivileged kids. Through supply drives and donations, the group provides school supplies, medicine, clothing, hygiene products and other items. Laura and her American charges have also worked at a sea turtle rescue center and an animal wildlife sanctuary nursing baby toucans, monkeys, sloths and a host of exotic animals. Volunteers have the opportunity to stay with Costa Rican families and take part in their daily routines. According to Laura, “Often, participants have a new perspective on life as this trip is a humbling experience for all who participate. We each genuinely feel how much the children appreciate what we are doing!”

  • Matthew Fordham, ’05

    Matthew is a police officer with the Cape Coral Police Department.

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  • Mercedes James, ’74

    Mercedes is the founder of Amigos Unidos, a charitable organization based in Central Florida that provides shoes, clothing and school supplies to impoverished villages in Colombia and elsewhere.

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  • Joanne Tinsley, ’91

    Attorney Joanne Tinsley established a law practice, American Immigration Advocates, P.A., to help clients solve immigration issues and realize their own versions of the American dream.

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  • Sara Brady ’76 and Emre Gumuluoglu ’13

    Sara and Emre recently shared their stories with the Valencia Foundation board. Emre, a business student at UCF, currently serves as a member of the Alumni Association leadership board and is co-chair of its social media committee. Sara owns her own public relations firm and is an active member of the Alumni Association.

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  • Cathy Buttermore, ’07

    Cathy is a sonographer in the ultrasound department at Winnie and Arnold Palmer, where she often works with sonography students from Valencia, helping them learn and master the skills to become excellent ultrasound techs.

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  • Irina Pabis, ’09

    Irina publishes the blog, www.celebritychef4u.com, highlighting the chef community in Orlando, where she puts “a face behind a place.” Most recently, she joined the Gourmet Soiree Event Planning Committee for the Florida Hospital Foundation.

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  • Kyle Bowser, ’09

    Kyle was named executive chef at The Palm Orlando, a 4-star, gourmet restaurant with locations in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

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  • Courtney Anne Clark, ’10

    Courtney, a South Florida film production freelancer, is head of the video team for RAW: Natural born artists, an independent arts organization. She has also shot some live events for the Food Network.

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  • Elvin Cruz, ’10

    Elvin was recently accepted into the Master of Arts program in Educational Leadership at UCF.

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  • Sahadeo Ramjatan, ’10

    Sahadeo is a graduate student at the University of Florida studying aerospace engineering in the area of thermal sciences and fluid dynamics. He is currently interning at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He plans to pursue a PhD in aerospace engineering in 2016.

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  • Liliana Calvillo, ’11

    Liliana graduated from UCF with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and has accepted an offer to join Deloitte in Atlanta next year.

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  • Jonathan Simpson, ’11

    Jonathan recently completed his second Big Four accounting internship in Atlanta this summer and was made an offer to start full time next year as an auditor for Deloitte.

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  • Millie Acevedo, ’13

    Millie is a registered nurse with Florida Hospital and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in nursing at UCF.

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  • Lindsay Bradley, ’14

    Lindsay is pursuing dual degrees in both marketing and communication studies at Stetson University.

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  • Ambar Aguero, ’16

    Ambar is a radiologic imaging sciences major whose ultimate life goal is to become a radiologist.

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  • Jessica Flinn, ’12

    Jessica’s catering company, Gourmet Today, was featured in the August issue of Lake & Sumter Style Magazine.

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Let Everyone Know What You’ve Been Up To!

To be featured in Class Notes, visit valenciacollege.edu/alumni/class_notes and fill in the submission form or mail to: Class Notes Editor, Valencia Alumni Association, 1768 Park Center Dr., Orlando, FL 32835.

The Alumni Association can also help to spread the word! Let us know about your meetups, networking events, annual retreats, reunions and save-the-dates that your fellow alumni might like to attend or did attend with you. Whether it’s getting a group together for sporting events, charity fundraisers, a day at the parks or just brunch and lunch, let us know. And if you send pictures, we might just include them in the next issue. We can share your adventures and good times with our readers, so that next time they can plan on joining in on the fun!

And don’t forget: If you have an idea for a future article, please contact the Alumni Association. Send all suggestions to: alumni@valenciacollege.edu

Fall 2014

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Ralph Clemente
The Debt Trap
Field Notes From India
How To Take Stunning Nature Photographs
A Museum Exhibit That Goes Bump in the Night
Making Ends Meet for first-generation college students
News—Fall 2014
Class Notes, Fall 2014
Events—Fall 2014
In Pictures – Fall 2014