Association news & class notes
2019
Dustin Miller got engaged to Patricia Dixon ’21 on Oct. 8, 2022, on a fall hike at Lost River State Park, West Virginia. He is currently serving as the associate director of career services at the University of Pennsylvania. This is the second institution he’s worked for after completing his Master of Education in Student Affairs in Higher Education Administration from Kutztown University in May 2021.
Katerine Cuzco received her master’s in Environmental Ecology in May 2022 and is currently working as a marine science educator at a nonprofit in Connecticut. Katerine teaches marine and environmental sciences to K-12 students in laboratories and schools and on boats and beaches. She is also part of the Derelict Lobster Trap Removal Project, in which crews remove any debris from the aquatic environment to reduce ghost fishing. Her favorite part is getting to spend time outside on the boats teaching about the Long Island Sound and its biodiversity. In addition to her full-time job, she works as a medical interpreter trainer for a nonprofit.
Divya Aloor Nahar received her master’s degree in Human Services in November 2022. She is now working toward a special education teaching certificate and got a promotion at her job as a teacher’s assistant, while working her way toward becoming a teacher. Divya got married in September 2021 to Romil Nahar.
Andrew Richards worked for three years as an assistant language teacher (ALT) at various elementary and junior high schools in Murakami, Japan, and its surrounding villages. He enjoyed his time in Murakami because he could go hiking in the mountains in the morning and relax at a beachside onsen in the evening. Shortly after he arrived, the COVID-19 pandemic began and he had to navigate all the complexities of the pandemic in a language he wasn’t proficient in. Many foreign residents left Japan during the pandemic, which resulted in Andrew being one of three foreign residents remaining in Murakami. Despite the difficulties, he persevered, met his now wife, and transferred to a high school ALT position in Niigata City last August, where he will finish his final two years in the Japan Exchange and Teaching program. He spends his time now studying Japanese, playing with his nieces and nephews, and spending too much money on tabletop miniatures. He is now enrolled in McDaniel’s online TESOL master’s program.
Isaac Ray attended England’s University of Chester for a postgraduate degree in Human Nutrition in 2019-2020. He ended up playing a year of basketball for the university and got married to the love of his life in 2021. For the past two-plus years, he has been working for an online personal training company called Athletic Truth Group, founded by Ben Patrick, aka @kneesovertoesguy on all social media platforms. They have blown up to more than 20,000 online members and have been featured by Men’s Health, Joe Rogan, and many other large-scale platforms.
Samantha Curry Merkel and Peter Merkel ’15 welcomed their second child, Victoria Anastasia, in March 2022. In October, Samantha opened her own business, called The Sunflower Striders, that offers personalized running plans from a 5K to a marathon, as well as group training programs. She furthered her education by completing the USA Track & Field coaching certification program as well. She enjoyed visiting with the McDaniel cross country team at the Marymount Derby race, as well as competing in the race herself.
Caitlin McCadden has been pursuing her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Caitlin’s work focuses on genome mining approaches to identifying bacterial biocatalysts and natural product biosynthesis. She has attained several milestones necessary for completing her program. Having passed all required classes, cumulative exams, and her qualifying exam, Caitlin has achieved Ph.D. candidacy and will continue to conduct research toward her dissertation. In the summer of 2021, she was invited to present her research on a national stage at the American Society of Pharmacognosy’s 63rd Annual Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. She has also been awarded a University of Florida Women’s University Club scholarship, ASP President’s Travel Award, and CBI Symposium 2022 Best Poster Award. Additionally, she has become the proud aunt to two beautiful nephews last year!
Jasmin Chavez Cruz shared that she recently became a Biden-Harris presidential appointee serving as a confidential assistant for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. Her partner, Eli Jaffe, has just reached his one-year anniversary at Acclaim Technical Services as a machine learning engineer. Jasmin and Eli also just reached their four-year anniversary as a couple. They began dating during their senior year at McDaniel and now live together with their dog, Territa, in Reston, Virginia.