We are delighted to present the Spring 2024 edition of Parkside’s Alumni News!

Our community of alumni continues to excel and make a difference across diverse fields. From dedicated educators and researchers to professionals in museums and healthcare, our graduates are thriving and achieving remarkable milestones. Many have pursued advanced degrees, embarked on exciting new careers, and even started families. Others are making waves in the arts, fashion, and technology sectors. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments. Join us in celebrating the continued success and impact of our talented alumni community!

To submit your alumni news for our next edition, click here.

1990’s

Valerie Maclay ’96 is doing well in her new job as a lead teacher at a Head Start program in Denver, CO, and she loves being a mother to her 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Freya!

Over the holidays, Brian Haher ’98 shared some photos (above) with us from way back in 1994 when Brian was in first grade at Parkside. He says, “The photos you see here are from my dance recital in June of 1994, and me dancing with Stephen during a class rehearsal, with a surprised look on my face!… According to memory, the songs we danced to were ‘Good Vibrations’ by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, ‘Conga’ by The Miami Sound Machine, ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’ and ‘Here We Go (Let's Rock and Roll)’ by the C+C Music Factory.”

2000’s

Dana Buckholz ’00 will be attending NYU Nursing School in the fall after being a researcher in a fellowship program at the National Institute of Health Cancer Institute.

Max Carlson ’01 is employed as a Visitor Services Associate at the American Museum of Natural History. He previously worked in a similar role at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, where he attended the City College of San Francisco and received a degree in environmental science. He says, “I hope to continue to work in a natural history/science museum for the rest of my career.”

Azriel Cocchini-Beck ’01 just received his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from SUNY Downstate Medical Sciences University. He is now married, and he and his wife are expecting their first child, a girl, in August.

Ally Bogan ’05 currently lives in Lakeland, FL, where she works at a doggy daycare!

Aidan Gibbons ’05 finished his degree in math and statistics at Harvard, where he also minored in environmental science and public policy, and is now living in Washington, DC! He is using a blend of his fields of study as an energy consultant at Charles River Associates, where he works on long-term decarbonization and reliability strategy for power utilities. He says, “I am also still reading a lot and playing/watching sports like I enjoyed doing back at Parkside!”

Alexander Inglese ’08 plays guitar in a wedding band and regularly performs at various cocktail hours. He would love to give back to Parkside with his music someday!

Dante Panora ’09 works at the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in the Funding Agreements division. This division is responsible for ensuring nonprofit organizations can utilize city capital funds for the purpose of constructing, renovating, or acquiring properties that will serve the public good. “My role as a project manager is to assist these organizations in meeting the legal and financial requirements the city has for such projects and seeing that they will be appropriately compensated for their work,” he says. Dante started working at the EDC in November of 2023, after two years of serving in the AmeriCorps national service program. He is considering continuing his education through certificate programs at a university, as a more specialized education could benefit his career in the future. Dante has also started learning piano after purchasing his own Yamaha PSR-373 keyboard. He says, “As this keyboard has multiple instrument ‘voice’ settings, I hope one day to be skilled enough to record full-band pieces on the device.”

2010’s

Russell Chan ’11 is studying electrical engineering technology at RIT. He says, “Despite all the math I have to do, it's been fun, though I miss the simpler days of working with the Parkside kids.” Back in 2022, Russell worked for a government contractor for spaceflight products/solutions, where he helped work on a miniature satellite. He says he has also been putting more time into improving his relationships. “It's very easy to just retreat into your shell at RIT. We're a school of mostly nerds with little to no time, so I gotta put a little extra effort in before I'm stuck in the working world.”

Sylvia Guerrero ’11 is currently working on getting her degree in education special needs and earning a teacher certification. She will be graduating in the spring of 2025. She will be completing her first practicum next semester. After that, in the fall of 2024, she will have completed her student teaching. She is so excited for this journey to finally begin. Being in school and helping her students thrive and succeed as independent learners is the best gift she could get!

Cameron Mansuri ’11 has made a splash in the fashion world! He is working with some streetwear fashion designers and is working on creating his own brand called Dappy Dog.

Holly Shaum ’11 will be graduating from college this spring!

Zach Hine ’12 recently graduated from Columbia Engineering and will be going on to get his master’s degree in computer science at Columbia.

Mark Cole ’16 is currently a junior at Deptford High School. He is a member of the National Arts Honor Society. He is a junior firefighter in his town, where he volunteers approximately 10-15 hours per month. He is in his third year of the NJROTC (Navy). Last year, he received the Vietnam Veterans of Foreign Wars Award. He has been a certified lifeguard for the past two summers. This past summer, Mark traveled abroad with his history class to England, France, and Italy. Fortunately for him, while in England, Mark ran into his fellow Parkside alumni friend Rajan Kang. Mark is currently visiting colleges. Thus far, he has seen Virginia State University, his grandma’s alma mater, Bentley College (University), his mother’s alma mater, The Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and Duke University. Mark has a passion for history and art. He is still figuring out his future.

Austin Lambert ’17 has been accepted into the Class of 2028 at Rice University in Houston. He starts in the fall and plans to major in business and sports management. Congratulations, Austin!

Rebecca Sidi ’17 will be attending Barnard College in the fall. Congratulations, Rebecca!

Simeon Chew ’18 is currently attending the Birch Wathen Lenox School, and he has been expanding his involvement in music. He’s grown from being a classical pianist to being in a jazz and rock band, and he also sings in his church choir, his school’s vocal ensemble, and the a cappella group. “I have recently started organ lessons, and my future plans are to apply for an organ scholarship at a university in the United Kingdom,” he says. Simeon also volunteers regularly at City Relief, serving the homeless.

2020’s

Ercument Topkara ’23 had a great year at NAISNY, where his tenacity and adaptability have impressed his parents. This summer, he is moving with his family to Madison, WI, where his parents will join the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.