Class Secretary: Julintip Thirasilpa, 3152 Stuart Rd., Fostoria, OH 44830, julintip@alumni.bates.edu

Class President: Matthew F. Velluto, 1 Bowdoin St., Cambridge, MA 02138; mvelluto@alumni.bates.edu

Next Reunion in 2004. Got news? Tap out a note to magazine@bates.edu! Back home in Switzerland, Ariane Beldi earned her master’s in a program that adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the issues raised by the interactions between the world of sciences, technology production, and society at large. “I wrote my thesis on the use of the Web by pressure groups in their interactions with various institutions in Switzerland, France, and England. Since receiving my M.A., I have either been looking for a job in the field of journalism or trying to enter a Swiss post-grad program at the University of Geneva in the ‘sciences of media and communication.'”… Alexandra Cherubini started a company, EquiFit. “Our focus is performance horse and rider products, and our main product is ShouldersBack, an all-elastic device that riders wear to help attain correct posture. The product took a very strange turn and ended up in the December issue of W, the crème de la crème of fashion magazines. It is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a show called ‘Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed,’ which deals with the ways cultures manipulate bodies to attain perfection.”… Joanne Douglas is the manager of Winston Flowers’ new store in Lexington, Mass. Her studies in Ecuadorian greenhouses as a student mesh perfectly with her job, since some of Winston’s flowers come from Ecuador…. Christina Favretto started law school at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. She has done a recent internship at the Children’s Defense Fund, a child advocacy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill. “I hope to work with families resolving legal disputes and advocating for children who might not otherwise have a voice.”… Karen Fletcher has worked in California for Legal Assistance for Seniors. “As a community education coordinator, I organize, develop, and give educational presentations to seniors, senior service providers, and caregivers throughout Alameda County (near San Francisco) on topics concerning Medicare, Medicaid, benefits, and health insurance. Because Alameda County is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in this area, I do education and outreach to a variety of non-English-speaking senior communities.” She was hoping to spend time in China developing her language skills, and then it’s on to graduate school…. Rondi Gelbard has worked as a clinical research coordinator in the rheumatology department at the Boston Univ. School of Medicine. “I help coordinate industry and investigator-based clinical trials that seek more effective treatments for rheumatic diseases.”… Jennifer Huck started veterinary school at Ohio State after working in a xenotransplantation lab at Mass. General for two years…. Sarah Picard and Michael Schlechter became engaged while visiting some Bates friends in Burlington, Vt., over the Memorial Day weekend. Kyle MacLaury, Emily Evans ’00, Corey Smith, Kate Hine Smith, and David Pasco all helped surprise Sarah…. Jeremy Poore was working at a therapeutic wilderness school called “SUWS of the Carolinas,” spending three weeks at a time living in the woods, teaching primitive technology, and doing therapy with at-risk youth. “After one year, I quit my job, sold my car and everything else of value, and bought an old BMW motorcycle. I spent the next three months with Sam Segal ’98 riding through the Southeast, New England, Canada, the Midwest, and Pacific Northwest. The trip covered more than 15,000 miles, 26 states, and Ontario, Canada. I’m now working for a home improvement company as a skilled laborer.”