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

ALUMNI NOTES
Anne (Newland) Bolster has been living in Barcelona,
Spain teaching, living and starting a family. She is married
and has a son. She worked as an Elementary English and
Science Specialist at Àgora Centre d’Estudis in Sant Cugat de
Valles, Spain. She has also worked as a 3rd grade classroom
teacher at St. John of the Cross in Lemon Grove, CA and
an 8th grade English and social studies teacher at Memorial
Academy in San Diego.
College: BA English Linguistics, Minor TESOL,
2004 University of California, Los Angeles. MA
Education, Elementary Math Specialization, 2005 University
of California, San Diego.
International Experiences: Went to Ceské Bud’ejovice,
Czech Republic as a Rotary Youth Exchange student.
Noah Philips lives in Santa Barbara, CA.
College: BS Chemistry, 2003 Harvey Mudd College.
Ph.D. Materials, 2008 University of California,
Santa Barbara.
Brian Wilkinson is married and lives in Eugene, OR. He
is a Physical Therapist and Professor at Lane Community
College.
College: BS Exercise Science, 2003 Oregon State
University. Doctorate Physical Therapy, 2006 University of
Southern California.
International Experiences: Student exchange program
in Bordeaux, France, then went back as a chaperone with
the program.
Reflections: “I was a full IB candidate and I appreciated not
only receiving college credit as a freshman but also the fact
that many colleges and universities recognized my distinction
among my peers. The IB program is worthwhile for the
purposes of preparation for college (especially in simulating
‘finals week’), and promotes tenacious learning for a future
in academia.”
2002 MUN Conference
23
CLASS OF 2000
Alison (Stark) Leiman is married and works for the USDA
Forest Service in Washington, DC as a Grants and Agreements
Policy Specialist. Her job involves work at the headquarter
level on grants and agreements policy and the review and
selection of incoming agreements, as well as work in collaboration
with all Forest Service areas including International
Programs, State and Private Forestry, Forest Product Research
and Watershed Restoration to set and advise policy for partnership
and collaboration across the agency. Prior to moving to
Washington, DC and working for the federal government, she
worked in the non-profit sector in El Paso, TX at the YWCA
El Paso Del Norte Region in youth programming, leadership
development and border issues. Prior to that, she worked in
the Seattle/Tacoma area at the YMCA of Greater Seattle in
financial development, and as a Program Manager for Corporation
for National and Community Service programs at
the Red Cross-Mount Rainier Chapter.
College: BA Psychology and Sociology (Honors),
2004 Pacific Lutheran University. MPA Public Management
and Policy, 2007 The Evergreen State College.
International Experiences: Traveled extensively through
Europe and South America. Favorite destinations are:
Argentina, Chile, Israel, Italy and Spain.
Reflections: “I credit IHS for teaching me how to learn.
I felt very prepared when I got to college. I knew how to
write, was already a critical thinker, and could relate to a
diverse set of cultural perspectives. I also understood that it
took hard work and dedication to learning to achieve success
in the classroom. These factors were a major advantage
and I feel that they have been a leg up in college and beyond.
They are skills that are universal in all academic and
professional settings.”
CLASS OF 2001
Cassandra (Aanderud) Thonstad teaches Math at Newberg
High School in Newburg, OR. Prior to that she worked
for the North Clackamas School District as a High School
Instructional Coach and taught math at Milwaukie High
School. She is married and has three children under 3 years
old (two of them are twins).
College: BS Mathematics, 2004 University
of Oregon. MA Teaching, 2005 Pacific University.
MAT, 2005 Auckland University.
International Experiences: Received Rotary
Ambassadorial Scholarship to study in Auckland, New
Zealand. Lived in Auckland and studied for her MAT at the
University of Auckland. Traveled to France and Australia.
Reflections: “Being an IB Diploma recipient enabled me to
skip an entire year of college at the U of O. That saved me
time, money, and gave me the opportunity to study abroad
for my Masters degree. I also found college to be a less
stressful opportunity due to the rigor of courses through IHS
and the IB programs.”