Association news & class notes
Bianca Reiti-Weishaar won the Excellence in Education award at her school and is currently one of the volunteer directors of Fann Cup, a charity lacrosse tournament that will take place in Philadelphia this summer.
James W. Eaton Jr., M.S. ’12 is currently in his 12th year teaching World History at Old Mill Middle North (an IB/MYP school) in Anne Arundel County. He and his wife, Meghan, welcomed baby Abby into their lives in July 2023, bringing the Eaton clan to a party of four. They enjoy kayaking, skiing, and watching baseball throughout the year. They reside in Annapolis, Maryland, and spend time with fellow 2009 graduates Ryan Barnett, Zach Croft, Brad Eyler, Jordan Barton, and James Isaminger.
Kimberly Pavlovsky has stepped away from work in the early childhood private school sector and is now working in higher education at Howard Community College. She traded teaching the youngest (infants to fifth graders) for helping and assisting college students.
Kristen Simmler Trom misses the Hill! She was a Biology major at McDaniel with minors in Chemistry and Sociology. Nowadays, she is a mom to three kids ages 5, 7, and 10. Now a family medical doctor, Kristen met her husband, an ER doctor, in medical school in Kansas City, Missouri. They live in Kristen’s hometown of Mullica, New Jersey, where they both work. Their kids participate in tons of activities, and they are all avid Phillies fans!
Katie Dorian is living in Baltimore and working as an attorney for the state of Maryland, specifically as the chief of the criminal division in the Office of the Attorney General.
Anja Jones is now an attending physician in Massachusetts and is working as a full-time forensic pathologist/medical examiner for the state of Massachusetts. She also just rescued a puppy!
Kristin Mele Hines and her husband, Chris Hines ’05, continue to live in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with their two sons, Jackson and Nash. Kristin started a new job last year as the lead financial analyst for a company called Computershare. On the weekends, they enjoy chasing their kids around their respective sports fields and spend a lot of time on the water boating and fishing. Most recently, they celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary in the Florida Keys.
Laura Kurrle works as a senior compliance specialist for Harford Mutual Insurance Group and was a 2023 winner of the Rising Insurance Star Executives 35 under 35 award, which recognizes young professionals who are making an impact in their company, community, and the insurance industry.
Annastasia Zenner decided to make her lifelong dream of motherhood come true, and is now a single mother by choice, welcoming the birth of her daughter, Josephine Claire, in February 2023.
Stephanie Banik had her dream wedding earlier this year on the same beach she grew up on in Hawaii. Christopher Ferrick-Manley and Joe Guida were in attendance. After 10 years of co-founding and running a small home improvement business in the Washington, D.C., area, Stephanie has transitioned to an education and outreach coordinator for an environmental nonprofit, where she can use her environmental degree. She and her husband live in a cabin in the mountains of West Virginia.
Jackie Kahler got married in July 2022 to her husband, who she met in El Salvador. She now has two beautiful stepchildren, ages 9 and 13. She works for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) in the International and Refugee Affairs Division. Jackie is the Latin America desk officer and helps manage refugee processing in the region and sends out teams to conduct interviews. She is always open to being a career resource if any McDaniel students are interested in working for U.S. CIS.
Jacob McCurry, M.S. ’13 recently passed the National Counselor Exam and is accruing hours toward being a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania. In his free time, Jacob enjoys traveling, spending time with friends, and connecting with friends at McDaniel College. Most important, he enjoys being a tenor in the Masterworks Chorale of Carroll County.
Rachel Pyles Rodriguez is the director of the writing center at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. She lives in the countryside of Centreville, Maryland, with her husband and 3-year-old son. Their most recent adventure is the raising of a flock of chickens and quails, that keep them steadily supplied with eggs.
Rachel Pyles Rodriguez2009 Class ReporterSend2rachelrodriguez@gmail.com