Southwestern Magazine | Fall 2019

BIRTH: Alana Bergfield Wilson and Jacob Wilson, Spring, TX, welcomed Liam Henry on April 17, 2019. Their three-year-old daughter, Analeigh, was excited to be a big sister and helps with diapers and bottles. Jennifer Sinski , Austin, TX, was highlighted as one of the ATX Women to Watch in Austin Woman magazine. She is the senior vice president at Giant Noise and specializes in new business outreach, strategy development, and brand launches. Laura Thornton , New Orleans, LA, completed her postdoctoral research fellowship with Boys Town National Research Hospital, in Omaha, NE. She now leads the Statewide Developmental Screening Initiative for Louisiana with the Bureau of Family Health and the Office of Public Health, in New Orleans. MARRIAGE: Stephanie Ponkoney to Josef Yehia, Dripping Springs, TX, on January 5, 2019. Jean Haire , Houston, TX, transitioned from working on commercial proposals in energy and chemicals to becoming the grants administration manager for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council in Houston in April 2019. Anna Harpst , Round Rock, TX, bought her first home. MARRIAGES: Dylan Hickey to Sean McWhorter, Boerne, TX, on June 16, 2018. Roswill Mejía to Nicholas Atiee ’13, Austin, TX, on April 28, 2018. Roswill joined the litigation practice of Germer Beaman & Brown, PLLC. BIRTH: Katie Barker Freeman and Brantley Freeman, Midlothian, TX, welcomed Brooks Roy on April 9, 2019. The three reside with their goldendoodle, Snickers. Maggie Bishop , Indianapolis, IN, was accepted as a Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation 2019–2020 fellow, along with 19 other outstanding Hoosiers. The fellows represent 13 U.S. colleges and universities and a wide variety of professions. Perri Pyle , Washington, DC, graduated in May from the University of Maryland with dual degrees: a master of arts in history and a master of library science, with a specialization in archival science. MARRIAGE: Kristyna Uhles to Kyle Bell, Round Rock, TX, on March 16, 2019. Russell Kelly , Minneapolis, MN, received his M.B.A. from the University of Texas in 2018 and relocated to Minnesota in March to work on a major project for 3M’s Electrical Markets Division. MARRIAGES: Cate Jones to Sam McClendon, Kyle, TX, on December 7, 2018. The couple met while working at the City of Austin: Jones works for Austin Water, and McClendon works for Austin Energy. They both focus on conser- vation within their respective departments. Kara Shapiro to Aaron Factor, Frisco, TX, on October 6, 2018. Nicholas Atiee , see Roswill Mejía ’11. Emi Anderson Behan , Grovetown, GA, was awarded the American Association of University Women 2019–2020 Career Development Grant. Behan is pursuing a master of science in analytics at the Georgia Institute of Technology. 2010 2011 2012 MARRIAGES: Amy Somerford to Garret Armes, Fort Worth, TX, on July 28, 2018. Velissa Ryan Chapa to Bradley Louis Mathis , Richmond, TX, on April 20, 2019. The couple has been together since they met at Southwestern in October 2004. BIRTH: Aaron Contreras and Kimberly Palmer- Contreras , Manor, TX, welcomed the birth of a baby girl on June 30, 2018. Their new daughter joins their son, now 3-1/2 years old. The couple met on the cross-country team at Southwestern their freshman year and just celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary on March 21, 2019. Both enjoy running and participating annually in the Southwestern Homecoming Jameson 5K. On weekends, they often visit Georgetown to take their children on a run in San Gabriel Park, have a picnic, and play on the playground. They have some of their happiest and most joyful memories in Georgetown, especially the birth of their two children, born at Central Texas Birth Center. Palmer-Contreras shared, “Georgetown truly feels like our home away from home, and my husband and I often talk about our future retirement here.” Mary Catherine Mareno , Austin, TX, participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Borneo in summer 2019. Mareno studied Borneo’s primate denizens, including the orangutan, and developed new ways to engage communities worldwide in primate conservation. Megan Healy Schmid , Houston, TX, has been named one of the Houston Business Journal ’s 40 under 40 honorees for 2019. This year, the HBJ received more than 500 nominations for the 40 under 40 class. Schmid was recently promoted to partner at Thompson & Knight, LLP. Jaclyn Suffel , Memphis, TN, took on the new role of manager of strategic communications and outreach for Shelby County Schools in January 2018. Kim Le , Ferndale, MI, completed her ophthalmology residency at UT Southwestern Medical Center in June 2016. She then completed a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship at Children’s National Hospital, in Washington, DC. Le currently works as a pediatric ophthalmologist at the Henry Ford Health System, in Detroit. 2009 2008 2007 2013 48 SOUTHWESTERN