Alumni Profiles

Meet some of our 750+ DVFriends Alumni and hear how DV impacted their lives and careers.

 

Imani Ayo-Oyar attended Delaware College of Art and Design, then transferred to Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, graduating in 2017 with a concentration in illustration. She will be entering her last year at Drexel University in their Art Therapy and Counseling program with the goal of opening her own art therapy practice.

 

 

 

 

Matt Azarva graduated from Northeastern University in 2004 with a B.S. in Media Studies/Broadcasting. Matt spent 8 years at Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia as a Sports Producer, earning 2 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards. In 2014, he left the television industry and joined Klein Hersh International, an executive search firm focused on the healthcare and life sciences industries. He has been recognized as a Top-10 performer in a network of more than 3,000 search professionals in nearly 40 countries. In 2019, Matt was promoted to Client Partner at KHI where he continues to lead the Digital Health practice. Matt also served on DV's Board of Trustees from 2017-2020. Read more about Matt.

 

Dan Berdugo graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland in 2013 with a B.S. in finance and a B.A. in economics. Following his graduation, he worked at an IT-centric boutique consultancy in Manhattan with Healthcare and Media & Entertainment industry focuses, including a 6-week stint in Brazil to oversee a software rollout at the 2016 Olympic Games. Dan then earned his M.B.A. with academic distinction from NYU’s Stern School of Business, and now works as a management consultant at Bain & Company in New York. Read more about Dan.

 

 

Rob Bielunas graduated from Hofstra University in 2017 with a degree in political science and a minor in rhetoric. He is currently working for US Senator Bob Casey's office in Harrisburg as a constituent advocate.

 

 

 

 

 

John Coleman attended Montgomery County Community College after graduating from DVFriends. He transferred to Millersville University in 2020-21 to complete his degree in Music Technology. An avid musician, John has also been busy creating original music and released his first album in January 2020 titled Whinter Seezyn, which can be found at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/frostbyt3/whinter-seezyn.

 

 

Nicole DeBrocky-Fusfeld attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she graduated with a BFA in Design and a Minor in Studio Photography. Shortly thereafter she moved to Jersey City, NJ, and began working at Viacom in NYC in design where she worked on several projects including RuPaul’s Drag Race. Nicole currently owns her own graphic design business.

Read more about Nicole.

 

 

Rachel Devor earned her bachelor's degree in public relations and marketing from American University and immediately went on to complete a master’s in sports management from Georgetown University. She currently is the Senior Social Strategist at the creative advertising agency Madwell in New York City. Rachel credits DVFriends with helping her to understand and be proud of both her strengths and weaknesses.

Read more about Rachel.

 

 

Doriana Gabrielle Diaz graduated from Temple University in 2020, where she majored in Women’s Studies with a minor in Spanish. She is the co-founder of a women’s collective that serves women of color on the Temple University campus with a focus on holistic wellness and self-care. Doriana has also started her own clothing line that caters to women of color called rye, which stands for “remind yourself everyday”.

 

 

Genna Epstein graduated magna cum laude from Cabrini University in 2014 with a degree in Political Science and Social Work. She recently graduated with her Masters in Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services from Eastern University. Genna spent the 2019-2020 school year at DVFriends doing her graduate internship working with Christy Zawadzkas, the Lower School Assistant Director and Counselor for Lower and Middle School and Hallie Ciarlone, Director of College Counseling. 

 

Seth Goldstein graduated from DVFriends in 2000. He attended the University of Delaware where he majored in History and Journalism and minored in Anthropology and Political Science. After graduating from UD in 2004, Seth worked as a journalist until he founded Goldstein Media, a digital marketing firm that helps businesses get online and develop creative campaigns to grow their businesses.

Read more about Seth.

 

 

Michelle Guerin earned her BA in Digital Communications from Cabrini University in 2020. Currently, she is a graphic designer for Villanova University’s Athletic Department. Michelle also works as a consultant alongside Main Line Health’s Communications Department, helping with their content, creating graphic design, and more. In addition, Michelle joined the NCLD Young Adult Leadership Council in September 2020, where she works with other young adults around the United States to learn more about policies affecting people with learning differences. Read more about Michelle.

 

Michael Kligerman graduated from DVFriends in 2011. He attended Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina where he majored in Adventure Education. After graduation, he was an associate teacher in Asheville teaching fourth grade and outdoor learning clubs. Michael is currently pursuing his M.Ed. and Colorado teaching license from Morgridge College of Education through Denver University.

 

 

Annie Krysztofiak currently attends Washington College (WAC) majoring in Human Development. She plans to go into educational policy so she can advocate for students with learning differences like herself. After walking onto the WAC Rowing team as a Freshman, she earned the Most Improved award her sophomore year and was named the captain of the women’s rowing team for the 2020-2021 school year. She is the Director of Philanthropy for her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, and works in the WAC admissions office, giving tours to prospective students. Read more about Annie.

 

Nick Leininger graduated from American University in 2017 where he majored in public relations and strategic communications and minored in marketing. He worked in Washington DC as a business development associate for MLex Market Insight which specializes in regulatory intelligence and global coverage of antitrust, cyber-security, international trade, government regulation, and white-collar crime. He was promoted to an Account Manager for their FTCWatch subscription product. He began a new role as a Customer Success Analyst at the contingent workforce data startup, Brightfield, in November 2019. Read more about Nick.

 

Andrew Livingston graduated from Widener University in 2011 with a BS in Accounting and Management Information Systems. Today, Andrew works for NBC Universal in Cyber Security. Andrew works on securing NBC's payment systems utilized in the company's streaming service, the Olympics and in theme parks.

 

 

 

After graduating from Delaware Valley Friends School, Emily Livingston spent five years completing her combined Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Occupational Therapy. Emily currently practices in a sub-acute rehabilitation center in Philadelphia where she works with older adults on all aspects of functional therapy. Ultimately, Emily would like to pursue her doctorate in occupational therapy and teach. Emily has returned to DVFriends to share her educational and work experience during a career mentoring program for seniors.

 

Morris Lowitz graduated from Drexel University in 2015 with a degree in computer science. Before his senior year, he did his final Co-op at Microsoft, and accepted a full-time position there after graduation. He is currently a software engineer working in enterprise commerce volume licensing at Microsoft in Seattle.

 

 

 

Gaby Macera graduated from Immaculata University in 2016 with a degree in psychology. Gaby received her Master’s in Education from Temple University in 2018 in Counseling Psychology with a Certificate in School Counseling. She has worked as a therapist and school counselor, and is currently a doctoral student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

 

 

Esther Martin Ulrich earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University in Theater in 2010 and she will complete her Master of Arts from Boston University in Gastronomy in 2017. She currently works at Metropolitan College at Boston University, as an Administrative Coordinator while she completes her graduate studies. There, she handles administrative duties as well as interaction with professors and students. She also manages student workers, course evaluations, and room scheduling.

 

While part of our school community, Catherine Martsolf demonstrated strengths as a scholar, athlete, and leader. She continues to give back to DVFriends as an alumni mentor and recently spoke with Glenn Heck’s engineering class about career opportunities in that field. Catherine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering with a focus on water quality and stormwater management at Temple University in 2017 where she was also elected President of the Temple University chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.

 

David Miller earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the College of Wooster in 2000, and got his teaching certificate in 2002. He went on to get his Master’s degree in English in 2009 from Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English. David currently works for the US Department of Education in Washington, D.C., as a financial management specialist. He works in the Rehabilitation Services Administration within the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services overseeing Federal funding for State Vocational Rehabilitation Services grants, and currently serves on the DVFriends Board of Trustees. Read more about David.

 

Joe Monzo graduated from DVFriends in 2009 and attended Albright College where he majored in English and Digital Media. After graduating from Albright in 2013, Joe launched his own video production company, Monzo Media Productions, that creates videos for businesses and organizations, including DVFriends.

 

 

 

Lilly Moser graduated in 2018 magna cum laude from the National Catholic School of Social Service at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. Lilly completed her Master’s in Social Work at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work. She became a licensed social worker, and is now working as a clinical care coordinator at Anchor Mental Health, which is a part of Catholic Charities DC.

 

 

Award-winning actor, Khalil Munir earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Adelphi University in Theater in 2005. He is currently a teaching artist at various institutions across Philadelphia offering classes in theater and creative movement, including DVFriends where he teaches students across 3rd through 12th grades. Khalil is also the director of DVFriends annual original musical production. Khalil wrote, produced, and performs his one-man show, “1 Pound 4 Ounces” across the greater Philadelphia region, and he published his first children’s book, The Crown Is Yours, in 2020.

Chelsey Platt earned her BA in Communication at the University of Hartford where she was on the Dean's list, a member of two honor societies, involved in various university clubs, and was the Academic Vice President in student government. Chelsey also holds a MA in Communication Management from Emerson College. She now lives in Boston and works for Harvard University as a Training Program Manager, managing the career and professional development training classes for Harvard University staff. 

 

Elaine Replansky Savoy was Delaware Valley Friends School's 2015-16 Alumna of the year. She received her undergraduate degree from LaSalle University with a double major in Elementary and Special Education. After a few years working in special education in public school, Elaine earned a Master’s in Reading, Writing and Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania and she became a Certified Reading Specialist.

 

 

Mike Rullo graduated from Temple University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in History. He received his law degree in 2016 from the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, and joined Kessler Topaz, a Radnor law firm, in their derivatives and mergers and acquisitions litigation group. Mike is currently an Assistant City Solicitor in the Philadelphia Law Department Code and Public Nuisance Litigation Unit.

 

 

Melissa Schoerke Koomson graduated from Chestnut Hill College in 2000, where she majored in Spanish. In 2006, Melissa founded the Schoerke Foundation after she and her husband Kwesi Koomson created the Heritage Academy in Ghana, Africa, educating students in grades K-12. In 2014, Melissa and Kwesi were recognized for their work with the first-ever Friends Council on Education Leadership Award for Service to Society. She now lives in Connecticut where she is the Director of Community Service at Choate Rosemary Hall. She is pursuing an MA in Social Justice and Community Organizing at Prescott College. Read more about Melissa.

 

Tracy Heverly Simmons received a B.A. in psychology from Bloomsburg University and an M.S. in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati, along with a paralegal certificate from Villanova University. Tracy spent eight years working with the non-profit Families of Murder Victims in Philadelphia, where she served as the organization’s Program Director. After many years in this challenging role, Tracy was excited to change careers and started a personal training business, Tracy Leigh Fitness. Tracy was chosen as Delaware Valley Friends School's Distinguished Alumna recipient in 2017. Read more about Tracy.

 

Though she only attended DVFriends for a short time, the experience had a profound impact on Toby Tomlinson Baker, a special education teacher, researcher, and expert speaker on issues affecting the ability of high school students with learning differences to pursue higher education. Toby attended Adelphi University, where she received a BFA in Theater, and later, she earned a Master’s from Cabrini University along with several special education certificates. Toby will complete her doctorate in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University in 2021. Read more about Toby.

 

Ashley Widing earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Dickinson College in 2005 and completed her M.S. in Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University in 2010. Ashley is currently a pediatric occupational therapist at Miller Children's and Women's Hospital Long Beach, Pediatric Rehab in Long Beach, California.

 

 

 

Bekah Zietz Flynn graduated from the University of Vermont in 2004 with a degree in theater and a minor in film and English. She started with her current employer, Sub Pop Records, a Seattle-based record label, in 2010, and works as a publicist managing general publicity, international marketing, and video promotion for artists. She is now a part of the A&R group at Sub Pop Records and has most recently signed Weyes Blood and Flock of Dimes to the label. In 2015, she created a boutique candle business called The Dark Crystal. Her candles are currently available at around 20 stores across the country. Read more about Bekah.