Life after college
After graduating from McDaniel, Michael Cummings headed south to Savannah, Georgia, to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In addition to receiving his Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from SCAD, Mike also met his wife, Julie, at the college. Mike and Julie continue to live in Savannah with their two children, Carter, 16, and Izzy, 13. In summer 2023, Dan Shattuck and his wife, Jessie Belz Shattuck ’99, along with their sons Oslo and Zeke visited the Cummings family in Savannah. Mike said the two families had a wonderful time and look forward to getting together again. In addition to reuniting with Dan, Mike said that in fall 2022, Bryan Wyant ’97 reached out to some of the McDaniel men’s basketball alumni for a Zoom session. Will Marshall ’98, M.S. ’05; Paddy Taylor ’99; Jeff Cree ’00; Brian Billman ’99; and Mike jumped on the session and had a great reunion.
Nathan Henry proudly reported that his wife won an R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence. Also in 2023, after multiple delays due to the pandemic, graduations, and life, Nathan and his wife traveled to Dresden and Munich, Germany, to follow his wife’s grandmother’s life during World War II, in which she served as a nurse. Nathan said that it was a great experience to walk the grounds of the hospital in Dresden where his wife’s grandmother worked; amazingly, the hospital is still standing. The couple also enjoyed seeing the history of the country. On the home front, Nathan reports that he and his wife are officially 0-2 for sending their children to McDaniel. The couple’s son, Liam, signed to play football for Franklin & Marshall; so once again, they are a house divided. Nathan is still holding out hope their third child will choose to attend McDaniel. The Henry family continues to live outside of Richmond, Virginia, and is enjoying all that the area has to offer.
A highlight of Jennifer Hess’ 2023 was her trip to Maryland to visit Elena Tilli Shiffert and attend the Class of ’98’s 25th Reunion at McDaniel. On that visit, Jennifer and Elena also celebrated the 20th anniversary of getting their Ph.D.s from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Jennifer reported the two had a great time, full of fun and reflection. During the academic year, Jennifer still teaches at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she has been promoted to the rank of professor. She also serves as the chairperson of the Department of Biology and Health Science, is the director of the Insignis Honors Program, and is co-director of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Scholars Program, which supports students from underrepresented populations as they pursue STEM careers.
Stephen Manger’s career path in the supply chain industry has changed dramatically in the last few years. In 2021, Steve switched from a teaching role to a presales role, and in 2023, he joined a new company called Blue Ridge. Even though he has only been with Blue Ridge for a short period of time, he really enjoys working with the people and technology at the company. Steve also had an opportunity this past summer to work part time as a kayak guide on the Potomac River. When he is not working, Steve has had a great time participating in alumni activities, such as the events sponsored by the Montgomery County Alumni Association and Homecoming. Steve also really enjoyed reconnecting with McDaniel alumni at the 25th Reunion last summer and looks forward to seeing everyone at our 30th Reunion.
The beauty and serenity of the forested mountains of West Virginia attracted Jonathon Shacat and his wife, Mara, to the land of wild and wonderful. They now reside in a historic house, built in 1870, in the town of Capon Bridge, West Virginia.
Christian Wilwohl still lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where he is the dean of global education at Providence College. Christian enjoyed reconnecting with classmates, as well as Dr. Christianna Leahy, at the 25th Reunion last year. When Christian is not working, he enjoys running and spending time with his partner, Jim, who joined him at the Reunion. Christian also is excited to report that he is in the process of establishing a scholarship at McDaniel for study abroad.
As for me, I’m delighted to report that in November 2022, I married my longtime boyfriend, Derek, in a very small ceremony attended by our families. I felt so blessed to have my father and sister, Dr. Danielle Grandrimo ’96, walk me down the aisle. The day was unusually warm for November, so we enjoyed a gorgeous outdoor ceremony with sunny skies and a light breeze. On the work front, I still am an associate general counsel at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In particular, I am the deputy chief of the Office of General Counsel’s Mission Center and Operations Division, where I help lead a team of attorneys who provide legal guidance on all operational activity conducted by the CIA. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends and playing recreational league soccer.
Niki Grandrimo1998 Class Reporternikigrandrimo@gmail.com