August 12, 2014
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For their class quotation members of the Class of 2014 chose the words of one the Church’s newest saints, Pope St. John Paul II, offered at Toronto’s World Youth Day in 2002: “The future is in your hearts and in your hands. God is entrusting to you the task, at once difficult and uplifting, of working with Him in the building of the civilization of love.”

It is clear that the Class of 2014 has taken the late Holy Father’s message to heart. Its members are committed, whether in the marketplace, in the home, in the classroom, or in the media, to sharing the fruits of their liberal education and the gifts of their faith. They will be the educators and architects, the scientists and physicians, the religious and lay people who, working as members of the Body of Christ, will help to build the civilization of love.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

When Luke Blain first arrived at the College, he never imagined pursuing a career that had anything to do with mathematics. “I didn’t like math very much in high school,” he says. “But seeing the progression of mathematical discoveries by Newton, Kepler, and Ptolemy really made the subject come alive.” He will tutor students in math and science in Northern California while completing prerequisite courses for graduate school in mathematics or physics. Jacob Borchers is preparing for graduate studies in computer science. Joseph Montanaro is the new IT administrator for Mother of Divine Grace School in Ojai, California.

Public Policy

Looking to gain a deeper understanding of citizenship and statecraft, Zachary Reynolds will pursue a master’s degree at the Hillsdale Graduate School of Statesmanship, after which he intends go to law school and work in the judiciary. Nolan Napier will study statecraft and international affairs at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C.

Business

While a student at the College, Michael Forsyth had a summer internship with the SGB-NIA insurance brokerage in Woodland Hills, California, that has evolved into a full-time position. “In business, there’s a lot of interaction, negotiation, and working together to come to solutions,” he says. “That’s what we do every day in the classroom at the College.” Liam Atchley and William Bittman plan to spend the next year working and applying to MBA programs.

Journalism & Media

This summer Elisabeth Cervantes has an internship for the editorial page of the San Diego Union Tribune. “Because in journalism there is such a wide range of topics you have to cover, it is good to have the broad background that the College’s curriculum provides,” she says. Felicity Seeley will take some writing classes, with long-term ambitions to craft short stories, opinion pieces, and novels.

Arts & Entertainment

Combining his artistic talents with computer skills he acquired while working in the College’s IT department for his Student Scholarship job, Gabriel Bagdazian has set his sights on a career in graphic design. He is an IT administrator at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, and takes design classes on the side. “The College has helped me appreciate beauty a lot more, how important it is to every single person,” he observes. An accomplished soloist, Colleen Donnelly will attend the University of British Columbia’s School of Music, where she will concentrate in opera performance. Angelique Atchley plans to pursue a master’s of music degree in voice. Patrick Cross will spend the next year working in the College’s Admissions Department, but ultimately hopes to combine his affinity for art with his penchant for politics as an editorial cartoonist.

Education

Every year, education is the most popular career choice among the College’s graduates, and 2014 is no exception. “My time at Thomas Aquinas College has showed me what a gift a good teacher can be, and it has prepared us all to be excellent teachers,” says Laura Sherwood, who will be teaching geometry at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix. Joining her as members of the St. Mary’s faculty are Marietta Grumbine (natural science), Mariclare Lessard (literature and music), and Rebecca Ryland (theology and speech/debate).

The Class of 2014 will be well represented in Phoenix, as several other members have accepted positions at the city’s rapidly expanding consortium of Great Hearts charter academies: Mirjana Coccia, Sara Majkowski, and Elizabeth Perry will be teachers at Great Hearts elementary schools, and Alec MacIsaac will teach drama, literature, and composition at the high school level. Also heading to Phoenix is Hannah DeRocher, who will teach history at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Elementary School.

Among those working as educators elsewhere are Thomas Quackenbush, who will teach biology and chemistry at St. Monica Academy in Pasadena. Andrea Florez will oversee Bricks for Kids, an education program in Honolulu, Hawaii, that uses Lego blocks to teach children about physics, architecture, engineering, and robotics. Adrienne (Grimm) LaFave is working as a receptionist for Mother of Divine Grace School. Kristin Personius is spending the summer teaching children at the Institute of Reading Development in Dallas. Samuel Chasuk will be a high school teacher at John Paul the Great Academy in Lafayette, Louisiana. Caitlin Griffith will teach Euclid, philosophy, literature, “and maybe some history” at the newly founded St. Thérèse Classical Academy in Santa Barbara, California. Maria Pape seeks to undergo training in the Montessori method of instruction. Rachel Santine will be teaching Latin, ancient history, and literature for Mother of Divine Grace School.

Marriage

“One of the things that helped prepare us for marriage was seeing the example of the College’s tutors and their families,” says John Sauder, who wed Danielle (Chouinard) one week after Commencement in Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. The next day there were two more weddings: Jennifer (Dailey) married Luke Seeley (’12), and Adrienne (Grimm) wed Peter LaFave (’13). The nuptials continued in July, with the union of Rebecca (Bessette) and Thomas Quackenbush as well as that of Sarah (Langley) and Patrick Wood. Another Class of 2014 wedding is scheduled for December.

Religious Life

Although several members of the Class of 2014 are discerning vocations to the priesthood or the religious life, only one has thus far made firm plans to answer that call. Shortly after graduation Maria Barrett paid a visit to a Dominican monastery she hopes to enter next year. Miss Barrett credits the serene life of the College with allowing her to hear God’s voice more clearly. “Here, things are slower, so you are able to think more deeply and pray more.”

Law

“Developing your critical thinking, as we do at the College, helps you be exact and to the point in presenting an argument,” says Leon Zepeda, who plans to spend a year working as a paralegal at The Alvarez Firm — a Camarillo, California- based legal company led by fellow alumnus Justin Alvarez (’97) — before applying to law school. John Sauder is entering the Creighton University School of Law.

Architecture

“Being on this campus, you see how the structures of the buildings really elevate the mind to the intellectual life; they elevate men to be more virtuous and to be better,” says Patrick Mahar. Hoping to inspire others, Mr. Mahar is enrolling in the classical architecture program at the University of Notre Dame, where he will study alongside classmate Anthony Letteney.

Medicine

With medical school as his objective, Martin Ciskanik is taking perquisite courses at the University of Delaware. Abigail Quinan and Abigail Retallick both plan to go to nursing school, but first Miss Quinan will spend a year as a medical assistant, and Miss Retallick is traveling to Brazil for a six-month missionary trip. Aileen McCarthy is also heading to the mission fields — in Córdoba, Argentina, where she will work with nuns in a Catholic hospital.

National Service & Public Safety

Eric Ogrodnick will work construction for a year in North Dakota to pay off his student loans and get into top physical condition before joining the Canadian Army. With an eye toward “contributing to the common good,” Aaron Thibodeaux seeks a career in law enforcement.

Philosophy and Theology

Given the emphasis on philosophy and theology in the College’s curriculum, it is no surprise that, each year, at least a few graduates go on to study these disciplines at the graduate level. “The program here made me fall in love with theology, knowing that we can come to understand God and his works better,” says Sean Robertson, who is pursuing graduate studies at Ave Maria University. Andrew Grimes will study philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Jacob Alexander and Luke Moscoso are considering graduate programs, in philosophy and theology, respectively, with hopes of one day teaching college students or seminarians.

Psychology

With the aim of aiding families, Cristina Schardt is undertaking graduate studies at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia. Ashleigh Grycner also intends to study psychology, but will first take four months to work on an organic farm, teaching children about agriculture and conservation.

… and More!

While at the College Sean Schmidgall worked part-time for a neighboring ranch, where he developed a passion for agriculture. So this native of Portland, Oregon, is venturing to Oklahoma, with the goal of starting his own cattle ranch. Michael Heinser is serving as an EMT for his local fire department while he awaits a response to his application for air-traffic controller school. Sarah Dufresne will remain on campus for a year as the College’s resident assistant, before joining Justice for All in Wichita, Kansas, to train college students in prolife apologetics. Danielle (Chouinard) Sauder is working for Adoremus Books in Omaha, Nebraska. Maria Russell seeks to move to England to earn a master’s degree in literature. “Literature has always appealed to me,” she says, “because of the way it communicates truth through beauty.”