(100 words) + 10 random questions

Katherine Cook ’06

A LABORATORY INTERNSHIP WITH CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR KESTAS BENDINSKAS and summer of hands-on experience at W.R. Grace & Co., thanks to the support of W. R. Grace CEO Fred Festa ’81, eventually put Katherine Cook ’06 on the front line of fighting breast cancer.

Matthew Pond ’08 and Kristin Amone ’09 were married in October in Rochester. Alumni in attendance included, from left: Jimmy Lacagnina ’10, Joe Ferrari ’10, Nicole Lafe ’09, Chris Caputo ’09, the bride, the bridegroom, Don Heagle ’09 and Kelley Kowalczyk ’12. Matthew is earning his MBA and currently works for Enterprise Holdings. Kristin recently earned her master’s in school psychology and works as behavioral specialist for Hillside Children’s Center. The couple resides in Rochester.

Kristen Nuzback ’01 and Brian Shoemaker were married Nov. 12, 2011, at St. Madeleine Sophie Church in Guilderland and The Mohawk River Country Club and Chateau in Rexford. Pictured from left: Eric “Chewy” Vaughn ’00, Allison Shoemaker Beauechemin ’09, the bride, the bridegroom and Colleen McGovern Zimmer ’01.

Erin Brennan ’06 and James Jacobsen were married July 13 at the Venetian in Garfield, N.J. Alumni in attendance included, front row, from left: Shane Hogan ‘06, Will Boylan ‘06, Kevin Pytel ‘06, Pam Lubowsky ‘06, Larry Clever ‘06, the bridegroom and bride. Pictured back row, from left, are: Michael Crowley ‘06, Kyle Kenny ‘06, Gregory Crandell ‘06, Valerie Kahn Meltz ‘06, Cassandra Beal ‘06, Jessica Leo Kenny ‘06, Nicholas Lotito ‘06, Jamie Messineo Hogan ‘07 and Stephanie Foreman Lotito ‘06. Erin is an event planner. The couple resides in Pearl River.

Shane Hogan ’06 and Jamie Messineo ’07 were married on Aug. 6, 2011, at the Surf Club in New Rochelle. Alumni in attendance included Ann Devine Farrell ‘70 and Ryan Braden ‘06 at far left. Pictured top row, from left, are: Kyle Kenny ‘06; Greg Crandell ‘06; Nick Lotito ‘06; Conor Hogan ‘09, M ‘10; Cassandra Beal ‘06; Kevin Pytel ‘06; CJ Theiss ‘06; Bill Gannon ‘06; Elizabeth Farrell Dunnigan ‘05; Chris Dunnigan ‘06 and Joey Farrell ’09. Pictured middle row, from left, are: Erin Brennan Jacobsen ‘06; Jessica Leo Kenny ‘06, M ‘07; Stephanie Foreman Lotito ‘06; the bride; and the bridegroom. From left, Ian Cella ‘07 and Michael Crowley ‘06 are pictured in the bottom row. Shane is an accountant and Jamie is an account executive. The couple resides in Hoboken, N.J.

Drew Schiavo ’07 and Allie Chervin ’08 were married July 20 at The Estate at Eastwind, Wading River. Pictured top row, from left are: Liana Herman ’06, Rob Rosenbaum ’10 and Lawrence Nadel ’06. The bride and bridegroom are pictured at bottom. Drew and Allie are special education teachers in Brooklyn. The couple resides on Long Island.

Jenna Marchetta ’08 and Christopher Mack ’08 were married Jan. 21, 2012, in Utica. They were joined at the reception by several alumni. Pictured top row, from left, are: Jeff Frenzel ’07, Scott Stevens ’08, Dan Wentworth, Brendan Lennon ’10, Dan Gatto ’07, Chris Mosca ’08, Colin Kennedy ’06, Greg Mastrianni ’09 and Josh Cornue ’08. Pictured middle row, from left, are: John Haugh ’96, Tony Thai ’10, Michael Griffin ’10, Michael Marchetta ’10, Jimmy Karl ’10, Mike Fernandez ’07, Josh Drumm ’08, Anthony Labozzetta ’08 and Phil Caban ’05. Pictured bottom row, from left: Maryl Haney ’08, Lindsey Colello ’08, Kate Fruscione ’08, Hillary Gally ’08, Christopher Mack ’08, Jenna Marchetta Mack ’08, Melanie Kane ’08, Alison LaRocca ’08, Kelli Mosca and Allison Kleber ’08. Jenna recently completed her master’s degree in school counseling and Chris is a designer for Four Seasons. The couple resides in Rochester.

Kate Rose ’08, M ’10 and Gary Sutton ’08, M ’10 were married June 29 at Rolling Greens at Dutchess Golf and Country Club. Several alumni attended, including, pictured top row from left: Carrie Roblee ‘08, Nathan Roder ‘08, Katie Maxwell ’97, M ’02, Kori Ayres, Sabrina Corn ‘08, Jennifer Ronnenberg ‘08, Robin McAleese ‘93, Erik Kahoon, Patrick Lesswing ‘08, Ron Slater ‘08, Darrick Fuller ‘10, Jeff Stevens ‘10, Patty Hollister ‘07, Jennifer Nolan ‘09, Jenna George ‘09, Jessica Zalesny Barber ’09 and Steve Akin ‘08. Pictured middle row, from left, are: Dominica Thornton ‘10, Annie Rose ‘10, the bridegroom, the bride, and Dr. Jay Button. Pictured bottom row, from left, are: Amanda Fajen Akin ’08, Jessica Czachowski ‘08, Jennifer Barrenger ‘08, Victoria Sivers ‘07, Andrea Tucker ’07 and Ford Barber ‘09. The couple resides in Charleston, S.C.

Jessica Zalesny ’09 and Ford Barber ’09 were married in June 2010 at the Dutchess Golf and Country Club in Poughkeepsie. Pictured back row, from left, are: Mike Symons ’10, Matt Peirson ’09, Dustin Quinn ’09, Steven Akin ’08 and Gary Sutton ’08. Pictured middle row, from left are: Amanda Fajen Akin ’08, the bride, the bridegroom, Jessica Barber ’09, Chelsey Hammond ’08, Jillian Johnson ’10, Jenn Barrenger ’08, Ryan Pregent ’09 and Nicole Bishopric ’09. Pictured front row, from left, are: Christine Lucas ‘09, Mariana Bartonicek ’09 and Katie Rose ’08. The couple resides in Pleasant Valley.

Amanda Whitney ’04 and Erison Rodriguez ’05, M ’09 were married July 30, 2011, at Turning Stone Resort in Verona. Pictured, back row from left, are: Jose Rodriguez ’06, Amel Tejada ’05, Yonnel Olivo ’00 and Gabriel Almanzar ’05. Pictured, front row from left, are: Jason Martinez, the bridegroom, the bride, Juan Vera ’01, Dinapoles Gonzales ’00 and Anniel Calderon ’09. Amanda is supervisor of advisory services for CadaretGrant, a dealer/broker company. Erison is program manager for ProAct, a health care division of Kinney Drug.

Andrea Zielinski ’08 and Robert Pagano III M ’09 were married last September. Pictured, back row from left, are: Rachel Skinner Harvey ’09, Kris DeSpain ’08, Kari Buschle DeSpain ’08, Oswego School of Business Dean Richard Skolnik, Richard Daddario ’07, Business Professor Chuck Spector, Ashley Wood ’10, Steven Shlotzhauer ’10, Brent Danega ’04, Erica Alexich Danega ’07, Steven VanNostrand ’85, Liza Winans ’08, Ann Marie VanNostrand ’87, Mike Kelly ’08, Christine Fleischman ’08, Dan Tascarella ’07, Robert Pagano Jr ’84, Finance Professor Emerita Florence Kirk and Gurdeep Skolnik of International Education and Programs. Pictured, bottom row from left, are: Megan Scala ’08, Mike Fleck ’06, Jim Nugent, Robert Reeves ’79, Diane Donnelly ’10, Jason Comack ’07, Chris Hill M ’09, the bridegroom, the bride, Lauren Spetts Scherz ’08, Carissa Herry ’10, Joel Monahan ’09 and Ron Tascarella ’06.

AnneMarie Bologna ’04 (Sigma Delta Tau) and Tys Bailey-Yavonditte were married Sept. 24, 2011, in downtown Albany. Pictured back row from left are: Jeffrey O’Shea ’03 (Delta Kappa Kappa), Rebecca Glassman O’Shea ’03 (Sigma Delta Tau), Kelly LoVullo ’05 (Sigma Delta Tau), Christine Herrman ’06 (Sigma Delta Tau), Ayndrea Greenfield ’04 (Sigma Delta Tau), Sarah Russ ’05 (Sigma Delta Tau), the bride, the bridegroom, Shannon Jaskot ’04 (Sigma Delta Tau), Michael Forkin ’06 (Phi Kappa Tau), Lyndsay Fox ’04, Katie Korndoerfer Schreiner ’04 (Sigma Delta Tau), Michael Corrado ’09 (Phi Kappa Tau) and Walter Jaskot ’71 (Delta Kappa Kappa). Pictured front row, from left, are: Katie Carocci Oswald ’03 (Sigma Delta Tau), Rose Grayson ’05 (Sigma Delta Tau) and Jessica Titus ’06 (Sigma Delta Tau). AnneMarie is a buyer for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Tys is a wellness director for the Guilderland YMCA branch. The couple resides in North Greenbush.

Casey L. Reed ‘09 and Charles T. Button ‘09 were married July 30, 2011, in Amherst. The bride is the daughter of Lynn Smolinski Reed ‘76. Casey earned her master’s in higher education and student affairs from Buffalo State College in May and Charles earned his master’s in education from Niagara University.

Kristen Marie Nuzback ’01 married Brian Shoemaker Nov. 12 at St. Madeleine Sophie Church in Guilderland. Pictured from left are: Eric “Chewy” Vaughn ’00, Allison Shoemaker Beauchemin ’09, the bride, the bridegroom and Colleen McGovern Zimmer ’01.

Carrie Stewart ’08 and Joshua Conway were married Sept. 25, 2010, in Manlius. Several Oswego alumni attended a reception in May 2011, including Heather Mae Demko Collins ’07 and Ashley Ann  Lowe Martin ’09.

A backpack journalist takes photos or videos for stories, and then produces them in addition to reporting and editing.

Nominated for a total of three, the KUSA-TV reporter won the Emmy award for “best live reporter” in the Heartland Region, which covers markets in five states including Colorado.

While working on his degree in broadcasting and mass communication, Kevin was very active in WTOP-TV from the moment he got accepted.

“I wanted to be a TV reporter since I was 4 years old,” Kevin says. “Oswego allowed students to get involved with WTOP as soon as you were a student. At SU, you had to be a junior. It was the best decision I made when it came to my academics.”

Fueled by a love for hiking and traveling, Kevin began dreaming of working for KUSA-TV back in high school. The NBC affiliate located in Denver ranks as one of the best in the country. In 2009, after working three years with WSYR-TV NewsChannel 9 in Syracuse, his dream became a reality, and he moved to Colorado.

“While at Oswego, I had three professors who really influenced me,” Kevin remembers. “One was Jerry Condra. The next was Ron Graeff — his broadcasting reporting class was excellent and taught me all the fundamentals. [Now dean] Fritz Messere ’71, M ’76 was [another]. He was just an excellent professor who helped and really inspired me.” l

— Emily Longeretta ’12

Meagan Big Snake ’11

Former Oswego State women’s ice hockey player Big Snake landed a position as the project coordinator and coach for a new program, Greater Strides Hockey Academy, where Aboriginal Canadian youth get the opportunity to learn to play the sport.

During the day, she works full time as a finance clerk for Greater Strides partner Treaty 7 Management Corp., a nonprofit dedicated to Aboriginal community and economic development in Alberta, Canada.

In the evenings, Big Snake suits up and hits the ice as a coach and project coordinator for the Greater Strides team.

“It’s great to jump on the ice with kids who started off the same way I did,” said Big Snake, a member of the Siksika Nation of Aboriginal Canadians. “They look up to me as a role model. Yes, I went to university, I played hockey, and, yes, you can too.”

After graduation, Big Snake headed home to Alberta and applied for a summer job as a project coordinator with Greater Strides.

“After a four-day summer camp, they hired me full time,” Big Snake said. “They’re so helpful and they really care; it’s a kind-hearted community and corporation.”

Looking back at her four years at Oswego, the public justice major never imagined just how valuable her athletic coaching minor would be.

“I always knew I wanted to keep the game in my life, even if it was coaching,” Big Snake said. “I love coaching, I love playing the game. I didn’t think it was going to turn into a career.”

Big Snake hasn’t completely forgotten about her original major in school, though. One short-term goal she has is earning a master’s degree. Currently, she is looking into criminology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

But for now, Big Snake feels extremely lucky in her position.

“I absolutely love this job, I could work here forever. It’s like a dream job for a hockey player.” l

— Emily Longeretta ’12

Broadcast majors Tyler Edic ’13, right, and Katherine Koehler ’12 completed a semester-long internship at the “Late Show with David Letterman” in New York City in June. Only 12 of more than 200 applicants from across the country earned coveted spots as interns.

for the show.

With her sorority and in the classroom, Deyadira “Betty” Diaz ’02 took several steps forward at Oswego. In fact, student step dancing earned her an award and spot on the national team after graduation.

A dedicated alumna of Omega Phi Beta sorority and longtime community advocate, Deyadira “Betty” Diaz ’02, far right, and some fellow sisters take part in the New York PRIDE Parade each year. Betty is a supporter of NBCUniversal’s LGBT affinity group, OUT@NBCU, and recently revived UNIDOS, a Latino affinity group, at NBCUniversal’s Rockefeller Center headquarters.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Betty says of Oswego, where
she participated in the Latino Student Union among many other organizations.

An advocate for mentoring, she revived the UNIDOS Latino group at NBCUniversal in New York, where she is a research manager. Betty sits on the national Omega Phi Beta board and recently founded an alumni-student mentor
program for Oswego’s Zeta chapter.

“Interest in sustainability education is growing among faculty and certainly among students, so we are hoping to add more choices, and we also are hoping to have students involved in projects so they can get experience while they are here,” said Lisa Glidden, assistant professor of political science and an adviser to students in the minor.

Technology education major Tim Governale ’12, left, holds a photovoltaic cell used to convert light energy to electricity while Steve Badaracco ’13 measures energy output in Professor Tom Kubicki’s class in energy technology. The course is one of 14 that students may apply toward the electives requirement for a new 21-credit-hour minor in sustainability studies.

Two years ago, then-political science major Rachel Rossi ’11 asked Glidden why Oswego did not have a certificate or a minor in environmental studies. Thanks to the efforts of enthusiastic professors and administrators, the minor recently gained final approval through campus governance and five students so far have completed paperwork to enroll.

The minor provides academic support for the vision behind the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which President Deborah F. Stanley signed in June 2007, and for sustainability efforts that gained new momentum on campus this summer with submission
of the college’s first STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) report.

Requirements include core courses in geology and in economics/political science; a choice among biology, anthropology and physics classes; and electives in several subjects.

Jasmyn Belcher ’06 believes that everyone anywhere has a story to tell. It’s just a matter of finding them.

Each quarter, former WRVO staffer Jasmyn Belcher ’06 produces a month’s worth of weekly segments for broadcast on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” The job requires hours of listening to StoryCorps archives and traveling to find new stories in communities across America.

“It’s really about listening. A lot of people just want to be heard,” she says.

As one of three producers for StoryCorps — a nationwide nonprofit oral history project — Belcher combs through some of the 40,000 archived interviews and also seeks out undiscovered stories hiding in hamlets, villages, towns and cities coast to coast.

Since 2003, some 60,000 Americans of all ages and walks of life have shared their stories in StoryCorps’ two traveling booths or at studios in Manhattan, Atlanta and San Francisco. Some recordings become two-minute segments featured Fridays on National Public Radio. All of them reside in the Library of Congress’ national archives.

Many volunteer to share their stories at the stationary sites or traveling booths that stop in communities across the country, but others start with Belcher and her colleagues.

She might start with a theme inspired by the calendar — Christmas or Black History Month, for instance — or a current event/hot topic and begin scouring the archives. Stories also surface in daily newspapers or suggestions of participants.

Belcher contacts these potential storytellers in advance to gauge their proclivity to participate.

MORE: Record your own history

A former reporter and producer for WRVO-FM, the NPR affiliate on campus where she earned upward of 40 awards over her three and a half years on staff, Belcher says she has made a satisfying transition from facts to feelings.

“As a reporter, I was always seeking the truth, and now I feel like I’m helping everyday people find their own truth,” she says. “Participants come into our booth knowing this is a safe space where they can share their most intimate feelings and memories.

“It’s really an opportunity to leave a legacy,” she says.

MORE: Hear some of Jasmyn’s interviews

Growing up outside of Rochester, Belcher was an inquisitive kid “always asking questions.” Interviewing came naturally to her, and the discovery of journalism in college and the “intense” instruction of mentor Ron Graeff made broadcast her professional pursuit.

“I learned so much about the world and my community just by thinking like a journalist,” says Belcher, who enrolled at Oswego looking to study zoology. “I always had an interest in sitting down with people and recording their stories.”

She co-produced the “Stories to Tell” series with fellow alumna Kate DeForest Percival ’96 and Mark Lavonier while at WRVO. Her true inspiration for the StoryCorps career, though, was grandma.

Shortly after Belcher’s grandfather passed away, she joined her grandmother on a personal pilgrimage to Rensselaer Falls in New York’s North Country. Belcher asked questions as her grandmother pointed out landmarks like the place she met her husband and the roller skating rink the couple once frequented.

Then she listened.

“I was used to talking to congress-men and pressing them to get the story,” Belcher recalls. “That was my first experience interviewing someone I was very close to. It was so honest and raw — I wanted to take extra care of her words.”

The same sentiment applies to her current work preserving the American experience one interview at a time.

“They trust us … I want to do right by these people. These are their memories,” Belcher says. “It’s extremely fulfilling and very meaningful.”