7th Annual Alumni Newsletter - School Web sites hosted by Eugene ...

ALUMNI NOTES
College: BA Math and Physics, 1999 Knox College. MS
Curriculum and Instruction, 2004 Drexel University.
Reflections: “Technically, I probably owe my current
job to IB. It is not a well-known program in NJ, and
the administrators and superintendent who interviewed
me were shocked when I said I’d not only heard of the
program, but graduated from an IB school. I spent the
past 5 years helping build the IB program in our school,
which I could not have done without the knowledge and
skills I gained from the program. My knowledge about
the program itself, how colleges recognize the courses and
exams, as well as the communication skills I learned, and
my conviction that it is a valuable program with benefits
that far outreach the college credits and knowledge that
I gained, helped me convince my school community that
IB was the right program for us. In our second year as
an IB school, 89% of our graduating class earned an IB
diploma. I couldn’t be prouder. On a more holistic level,
IB prepared me for our global society and gave me perspective
and confidence in my abilities and responsibilities as
a member of this society.”
Christina Heid is married and lives in Washington, DC
and is an International Projects Director for the American
Bar Association, Section of International Law, and
ABA-UNDP International Legal Resource Center. She
directs the section’s International Legal Resource Center
(ILRC), a joint initiative with the UN Development Programme,
that provides technical legal assistance to UNDP
offices worldwide; coordinates legislative analysis and
legal research on substantive topics upon request from
UNDP and International Finance Corporation; directs the
section’s International Legal Exchange (ILEX) program,
which includes country briefing trips for legal experts and
judges; plans, implements and manages the section’s International
Models Project on Women’s Rights (IMPOWR);
and develops and writes ABA policy positions on public
international legal topics including human rights, corporate
social responsibility,
and international
institutions (UN and
International Criminal
Court). Previously
she was a
Research Assistant
for the Institute for
European, Russian
and Eurasian Studies
in Washington,
DC where she or-
Deon Saraceno and students
studying Japan in 2002
ganized and managed
research for
scholars on issues
related to German
unification.
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College: BA International Studies and German Language &
Literature, Certificate in European Studies, 1999 University of
Oregon. MA European and Eurasian Studies, Focus on Human
Rights, 2003 Elliott School of International Affairs, George
Washington University. Certificate Training, International
Training Programme for Conflict Management, 2003 Scuola
Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy).
International Experiences: Studied abroad in Berlin, Germany
and Freiburg, Germany. Was an intern at the U.S. Mission to
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in
Vienna, Austria. Was an intern at Action Reconciliation Service
for Peace in Berlin, Germany. Attended international meetings
in Europe, Asia and West Africa.
Reflections: “I feel very lucky that I was able to attend a public
international high school. I received an amazing education
and it prepared me for my undergraduate and graduate school
experiences.”
Ben Temple is currently a stay-at-home dad. Duties: you name
it. He is married and has three children. He was a Military
Officer in the U.S. Army where he worked in Logistics and
Personnel Management.
College: BA, 1999 Wheaton College
Bronwyn (Wenger) Brestle welcomed her third baby girl this
summer and the older sisters are thrilled!
College: BA Spanish and English, Middlebury College.
MA Education, Pepperdine University.
CLASS OF 1996
Kirsten Harma lives in Vancouver, BC. She has previously
worked as a Water Quality Specialist for Island County Planning
Department; a Biomonitoring Volunteer for Asociación
ANAI in Talamanca, Costa Rica where she did field studies to
determine stream health, environmental education, and technical
support to the biomonitoring program; and as a GIS Analyst
for Pacific Biodiversity Institute.
College: BS, 2001 Western Washington University.
MS, 2010 University of British Columbia.
International Experiences: Costa Rica. Studied abroad in
Oaxaca, Mexico as part of her undergraduate degree where she
took courses on archeology, history, environment and development
and wrote her college honors thesis on water pollution
in Oaxaca. AFS Community Service Volunteer in Caracas,
Venezuela where she worked at a Natural History Museum
in Caracas and took various field trips to the countryside to
collect specimens.
Renee (Purdy) McKenna is married and lives in San
Francisco, CA. She is a first grade teacher for the San
Leandro Unified School District. She was a Teach For America
Peace Corps Member in Phoenix, AZ and then a Bay Area
Recruitment Director.
College: BA Spanish, 2000 Willamette University. M. Ed.
Curriculum & Instruction, 2002 Arizona State University