The Valley View Early Childhood Center in Romeoville, Ill., will be renamed in honor of retiring VVSD Superintendent of Schools Dr. James A. Mitchem, Jr. ’75. Effective with Dr. Mitchem’s retirement on June 30, 2020, the VVEC will become the Dr. James A. Mitchem Early Childhood Center in recognition of his four decades of distinguished service to VVSD. The building was expanded in 2017 under Dr. Mitchem’s leadership and now serves over 600 pre-kindergarten students. The Early Childhood Center provides a high-quality and engaging learning environment and is recognized as an ExceleRate Illinois Gold Circle of Quality pre-kindergarten program.
Marco Jaramillo ’88 became the chief of the Legislative Affairs Office, United State Space Force, on Dec. 20, 2019, when the President signed the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act into law and the U.S. Space Force was created.
Jennifer Sullo ’93 recently passed the National Cancer Registrar’s Association exam in October 2019 to earn her credential as the next Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. This certificate is in addition to her B.A. in Professional Writing (UNM-1998) and her M.B.A (Webster University-2001).
Craig Thomas Garcia ’06 is the Southwest Conference of Language Teaching’s 2020 Regional Teacher of the Year for New Mexico. Garcia is a Spanish teacher at Cibola High School in Albuquerque. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and is currently pursuing his master’s in Educational Leadership at New Mexico Highlands University. He is in his sixth year of his teaching career, all of them spent at Cibola High School. Prior to beginning his educational career, Garcia was a behavior management skills specialist for an intensive outpatient program at Streetwise, Inc. in Albuquerque. In addition to teaching, he is the sponsor of the Native American Club at school. His goal is to give Native students the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, a way to network with others and to provide them a chance to stand out at Cibola High School. Along with the assistance of his members and other clubs, he is in charge of coordinating their annual pow wow event in the Spring and the Best Buddies Holiday Arts and Crafts Show in the Fall. An avid sports fan, Garcia enjoys attending home and away games in support of student-athletes. After school, he is a door monitor and ticket taker for home events.
Alan Gross ’13 earned his Master of Science in Information Systems and Assurance with honors from the University of New Mexico in December 2019, and he has since started a position as a Software Systems Engineer at Sandia Labs. Gross graduated with highest honors from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in May 2017, earning a Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication with a Minor in Psychology. Alan was the Editor-In-Chief of NMT’s student newspaper during his senior year and was recognized with an Outstanding TC Senior Award by his class department.
Kelsey Owens ’15 leaves the U.S. Air Force Academy as part of the school record-setting relay teams in the 4×400-meter relay and indoor distance medley relay. The 2017 outdoor 4×400-meter relay team on which she ran was the Falcons’ first-ever top-three finishing relay in an outdoor conference championship meet. A team captain, she set the seventh-fastest 400-meter time in USAFA history (a career-best 57.07) at the 2020 Mountain West Indoor Championships in her hometown of Albuquerque. She is a three-time All-Conference Selection and is ranked on the Academy’s All-Time Standings in three sprints and two relays. Her assignment after graduation is undergraduate pilot training.
Alex Sais ’16 was named to the 2020 National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame Hampshire Honor Society. An accounting major and linebacker on the St. John’s University, Minnesota, football team, Sais was recognized along with student athletes from FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA schools throughout the country for outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments. He graduated from SJU with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in May 2020 and will start as an audit associate at PwC in Minneapolis in the fall.
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Throughout 51 years of ministry, Mary Jo Grethel ’61 of the Medical Mission Sisters has served to bring joy and love to lives around the world through healing during missions in Afghanistan; Ghana, West Africa; Kampala, Uganda; and the United States.
Through his New York City interior design company, AO Atelier, Armann Ortega ’07 designs residential interiors for projects ranging from New York City apartments to beach houses in the Hamptons.
Remembered by her students as highly intelligent, innovative and caring, Miss Jeanette French devoted her life to her students and profession.