USD Magazine, Winter 1998

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:aeaa !El 10-Year Reunion Celebration Fall 1998

CLASS CHAIR Jacki (Cepe) Lake

CLASS CORRESPONDENT Joannie (Santoni) McLoughlin

11454 Eastridge Place San Diego, CA 92131

UNDERGRADUATE ALUMNI Joseph Alu and his wife, Regina, own Off Road Unlimited Corp. in Scottsdale, Ariz. They've been married seven years and have a 2-year-old son.... Leslie Araiza is director of membership and marketing for the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, C alif. She writes: "My job takes me all over the world. I traveled to Europe for Wimbledon in July 1996 and ventured to Paris to see the 1997 French Open in June." ... Elaina Baier spent five months in South America as a volunteer. She and her husband, Mark, relocated to Berkeley, C alif.... Adam Bass (J.D. '91) is chair of the national mortgage banking prac– tice for Buchalter, N emer, Fields & Younger. ... Michael Childers is director of commercial operations for Enron Capital & Trade Resources in H ouston. H e and his wife, Rebecca, moved from Los Angeles to H ouston in September 1996 for the position. ... Amy (Harsh) Gavin is a kindergarten teacher in H ollister, Calif. She and her husband, John, have two children: Connor, 5, and Charlie, 3 . ... Marianna Hugo is a library branch manager for the city of Anaheim, Calif. Marianne lives in Aliso Viejo. ... Jaffray Koller (J.D. '91) is general counsel and director of marketing for Hutchings Court R eporters in San Clemente, C alif. Jeffrey writes: "After law school, I opened my own litigation practice, which I still maintain in con– junction with my work with Hutchings." ... Eric Nasland's daughter, Caitlin, celebrated her fourth birthday on May 23. Sept. 17 marked a two-year milestone in her fight against neuro– blastoma cancer. She was symptom-free from June 1996 to January 1997, but suffered a relapse in February 1997 and was given a one in a thousand chance to survive two years using conventional treatments. Eric and his wife, Carol, have moved the family to N ew York, where C aitlin is receiving experimental treatment that offers a 10 to 20 percent sur– vival rate. Eric writes: " Please keep Caitlin, her brother, Jesse, 6, and her mother, Carol, in your prayers during this trying period in our lives." Eric also reports that his father passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 18 . "Your prayers and good thoughts are welcomed and appreciated," he adds.... Karan Skemp is a teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she is

Amia McMullin '91 wilh Pando, which means 1ava' in Swahili.

STREET SMARTS

.& fter graduation, Amie McMullin '96 went to Tanzania, Africa, hoping to change some lives. She didn't real– ize, however, that hers would be one of them. The psychology major thought about vol– unteering in a third-world country throughout her college years, and knew she wanted to work with street kids. She found the perfect fit with a UNICEF training program for homeless kids in Tanzania. The second-poorest country in Africa, Tanzania has a large popu– lation of homeless children who migrate from the villages to the cities with only one plan in mind: survival. Through the program, volunteers liter– ally pick kids off the street and bring them to the UNICEF center. Depending on their age, the youngsters either go to school or enter a work program.The goal is to get the kids back into the community with some stability and life direction in two years. "There's a lot of poverty there," McMullln says. "It's hard to describe. It's frightening to see the next generation and the situations they are in." McMullin worked with the older group - 13- to 19-year-olds - and concentrated on job training. For one project, she and 18 kids started a greeting card business. They purchased the materials and drew cards with the theme of children's rights, then sold packets to the community for $ I.SO.

McMullin was able to pay the kids once a month. But the education went much further than that. Using the Swahili she learned in an intensive course, McMullin taught the kids beginning reading skills - many have little or no education. And because Tanzania has an HIV-positive rate of one in four, McMullin educated the kids on sexual health. For her part, the Seattle,Wash., native learned to appreciate the very basics in life. ''What you are facing every day is basic sur– vival," McMullin explains."Will we eat today? Will we have water today? Will we have rain? Will we have crops this month?" She returned home in August with a renewed appreciation for family, friends and neighbors. People walk for miles to visit oth– ers in Tanzania, she reports. They welcome friends, family, even friends of friends, to stay without question in their homes as long as necessary, and share what little they have. The experience also gave McMullin a new perspective on the individuals and groups she will work with in the future. "As a volunteer, you believe you are going to be able to change everyone around you," says McMullin, who plans to counsel at-risk youth in Seattle, then start graduate school in a year or two. "I realized that I may instead be able to affect five or six lives. I have to trust that I did."

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