Alumni Notes
Alumni Notes
Check here often to keep up with your fellow SMV/VC alums and send us a note to let others know what you are up to these days.
Send your update to [email protected] and we will include it here.
Su Min Lim ’06 is a neurology faculty member at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where she studies amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She uses patient-derived stem cell models to better understand and treat neurodegenerative disease. Outside the lab, she is a classical musician and was selected as a violin soloist in the Young Artist Concerto Competition at the Schnitz in 2004. She has also enjoyed making music with Mr. Johnson, Valley Catholic’s math teacher and pianist, including performing for the Valley Catholic community.
Ruby Veniegas ’99 married Ryan Mitchell in Portland on Oct. 10, 2025. They held a reception in McMinnville on March 6, 2026.
Several friends from the classes of 1996 and 1998 were in attendance including a couple of future alumni from the class of 2028.
In the photo:
Left to right, Back row: Shauna Hanson Sauer ’99, Erika White Stapleton ‘99, Dave Basaraba ‘99, John (Scott) Metcalf ‘99, Mitch Vandomelen ‘99
Middle: Celita Lee ‘99, Sara Bonino Knapp ‘99
Front: Ryan Mitchell, Ruby Veniegas Mitchell ‘99, Edith Veniegas Reinecker ’96, Elizabeth Reinecker ’28, Matthew Reinecker ’28.
Katherine Quevedo ’00 won first place in the Chapbook Category at the 2025 Elgin Awards, presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association for “The Inca Weaver’s Tales.” Inspired by Ecuadorian and Peruvian folklore, this debut poetry chapbook is published by Sword & Kettle Press.
Author Bio from Writers Digest
Kaylee Arbaugh ’24 pictured with Dr. Angela Armstrong-Ingram of Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc., is a student research assistant at Santa Clara University. The team has been examining carbonized plant materials from a site in downtown San Jose that dates to pre-colonial times. In consultation with Monica Arellano, a representative of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Kaylee and the research group are working to reconstruct the diets of the Muwekma Ohlone from the identified plant materials. They presented a poster on their research at the annual Society of American Archaeologists conference in San Francisco.
Andy Haugen ’07 and Ashley (Reverman) Haugen ’06 welcomed John “Jack” Michael Haugen to the world on January 26, 2026 in Portland, OR. He weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and was 20.75 inches long.
Jesyca Durchin ’87 (and 2017-18 Distinguished Alumni recipient) is working at Warner Bros. Discovery as a Senior Producer, where she has spent the past five years helping bring major entertainment franchises to life. She has worked on titles connected to LEGO Batman and Game of Thrones. Her favorite part of the job is building experiences that connect global audiences through storytelling and play. As a member of the Class of 1987, Jesyca is grateful for the foundation St. Mary of the Valley gave her and proud of where that journey has led.
Florence Giddings Weber ‘41 celebrated her 103rd birthday in March at Maryville. Florence and her husband Walt (1924-2024) were together for more than 70 years and have been close with the Sisters for more than 80 years! After her time at SMV, Florence and Walt, a WWII vet, would deliver bread to the Sisters and help fix things around the convent.
Football Watch Party – Alumni and friends gathered at Taplandia Taphouse (co-owned by Elaine Pham ‘02) to cheer on Daniel Hardy ‘17 of the Chicago Bears on Monday, Oct. 13.
Pictured from left to right: Shauna Hanson Sauer ‘99, Ruby Veniegas ‘99, Sara Bonino Knapp ‘99 and Carrie Bonino Nutwell ‘04.
“The Music Man” Alumni Reception – Alumni and friends gathered for a pre-show reception and attended the sold-out final performance of Valley Catholic Drama’s production of The Music Man. Sheryl Feldmann Mullaney ’75 is pictured here with her daughter and grandchildren.
Winter Alumni Night – More than 40 alumni were in attendance at the Valiant basketball games on Thursday, Jan. 8. Pictured from the class of 2024 (clockwise from top left): Grant Heyworth, Noah Holub, Kris Radosavljevic, Justin Lulay, Malia Groshong, and Gracie Rogers.
Class Reunions
The Class of 1995, the first co-ed graduating class at Valley Catholic, celebrated their 30th reunion at the Alumni Tailgate and throughout the weekend.
Several members of the class of 1995 participated in a documentary about the Sisters critical decision to move from an all-girls school to co-ed. Check out the video or read about it in the spring issue of Spirit Magazine – The Co-eds.
In Memoriam
2026-27
Caroline McDonnell Dorey May 2025
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1964
Dolores “Dodie” Albino Rini June 15, 2025
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1948
Peter Lam Dec. 26, 2025
Valley Catholic class of 1997
Miriam Train Brown Feb. 28, 2026
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1956
Gai Miller Anderson July 27, 2026
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1964
Sr. Marianne Giesel Aug. 30, 2026
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1956
Yvonne Bernard Weber Sept. 8, 2026
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1947
Florence Giddings Weber Sept. 25, 2026
St. Mary of the Valley class of 1941
Inspired by the success of our Valiant athletes on the field and court this year, the Alumni Advisory Committee has chosen the theme “Champion of Your Community” for the 2026-27 Distinguished Alumni Award. We invite nominations for alumni of St. Mary of the Valley and Valley Catholic who make meaningful contributions in their professions, neighborhoods, and communities while living out the core values of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.
Nominations are also open for the 2026-27 Emerging Leader Award. This award recognizes one Valley Catholic School alumna/us who has graduated in the last 15 years and shows promise as a leader in their field. Alumni from the classes of 2011-2026 are eligible.
Visit ssmo.org/foundation/distinguished-alumni to submit a nomination before July 15.
Alumni Advisory Committee
The Alumni Advisory Committee added four new members this year as four previous members finished their terms. Thank you so much to Christine Goodner ’95, Mariel Zagunis ’03, Ashley Reverman Haugen ’06, and Andy Haugen ’07 for your years of service. Welcome to Diane Tolzman ’75, Katie Bamford Efstathiou ’06, Noelle Mannen ’18, and Ben Robbins ’18. We look forward to working with you!
Current members:
Sr. Charlene Herinckx ’66
Diane Tolzman ‘74
Ruby Veniegas Mitchell ’99
Katie Bamford Efstathiou ’06
Meghan Blood ’09
Julie Newsome ’10
Noelle Mannen ’18
Ben Robbins ’18
Upcoming Class Reunions
Class of 1986
40th Reunion July 18
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: BGs Food Cartel in Beaverton
Class of 2001
25th Reunion Aug. 22
Class of 2016
10th Reunion Sept. 18
Place: Alumni Tailgate, VC Campus
Let the alumni office know if you are interested in planning a reunion for your class. We can help with invitations, outreach, and even alumni swag!
Visit our Alumni Events and Reunions Page for more information.
