Alumni Profiles
Name (at graduation and now): Micah Marie Guindon ‘99
Colleges attended, degrees earned: Guilford College (2003) Bachelor of Science in (double major) Elementary Education and Community & Justice Studies; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2015) Master of Public Administration.
Occupation(s), career goals: Currently, I am the Fiscal Operations Manager at Orange County’s Department of Social Services. Former jobs include elementary school teacher, non-profit management at an adult education center, and public policy researcher. My favorite job of all time was being a swim instructor at the YWCA in Asheville, NC when I was 19.
Hobby, recreation, or passion outside work: I love to spend time with friends and family preferably cooking, eating, and being outside.
Family acquired (spouse, partner, mate? children, pets, houseplants?) Gigi Burkhalter is my wonderful partner. We met in college in an anti-racism training and have shared many wonderful years since. We had our first son, Santi, in August of 2017. We also have had two wonderful doggies, Mason and Sunday, in our lives for the past decade.
City and state where you live now, and travel history (if applicable): I currently live in Durham, North Carolina. Lived in Greensboro, North Carolina from 1999-2013. Had incredible opportunities for extended travel and study in Costa Rica, Japan, and Chile.
In what way did your time at Olney influence your later life? Olney has influenced my life in more ways than I can name. I grew up on campus: in the kitchen with my Grandma Dorothy, in the orchards and barns with my Grandpa Cliff and Uncle Don, and on the soccer field with my Papa Leonard. Olney students raised me too; talk about the cream-of-the-crop in terms of babysitters! Once I became a student at Olney, the community was remarkable spiritually, academically, and socially. While those years were tumultuous ones for Olney as an institution, the community and love I experienced in the collection room, dorm, classrooms, and on the hockey field was transformative. It was a wonderful place to spend my teenage years. Being surrounded by friends from all over the world as well as dedicated and intelligent staff, all nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains: it is an experience I am forever grateful to have had.
Name: Penni (Hyson) Harper ‘89
Higher education:
- Hiram College: BA in English & Art, German Minor, Secondary Education Certificate
- Berufsbildende Schule 14: Degree in Business Administration from German Chamber of Commerce
- Notre Dame College: Secondary Licensure in Language Arts
- Baldwin Wallace College: Licensure for German as a Foreign Language K-12
Lives and works in Hannover, Germany.
Employed by International School Hannover Region, since 2010: English teacher for language and literature and EAL ( English as an Additional Language) support, Grade 8 year level leader, Service Leaders Club mentor
Personal pastimes include swimming, traveling, languages, art, reading, and music; moderates a weekly English Table for native and non-native speakers for English conversation.
Travel history: most recent trip – accompanied a student exchange to Kazakhstan. Have traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Morocco and most countries in Europe: of course most cities in Germany, ( Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, etc.)/several cities in England (London, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Brighton, Southampton, etc.) / Edinburgh, Scotland/ Paris, France/ Madrid & Toledo, Spain/ Lisbon, Portugal/Amsterdam, The Netherlands/ Luxembourg/ Stockholm, Sweden/ Oslo, Norway/ Copenhagen (and other small cities), Denmark/ Helsinki, Finnland/ Estonia/ Prague ( The Czech Republic)/Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Italy/ Vienna, Austria/ Zurich, Switzerland/ Istanbul, Turkey/ and much of the US and some of Canada
Olney influences: Olney influenced every facet of my life. Had I not attended Olney, I would have never met my German boyfriend ( now ex, but still great friends) and come to live in Germany.
Olney also taught me to reflect on who I was and what I wanted to be. I have never forgotten the values I learned at Olney, nor the love and lifelong friendships that I found there. I was encouraged to dream and nurtured to follow those dreams, and reminded to always believe in myself, to believe that I am worthy of all the good things that life has to offer. Olney was more than a school to me, it was a family.
Name (at graduation and now): Efrain Dario Franco Armendariz (Dario Franco) ‘91
Higher Education: Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, B.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering; National Technological University, M.S. Engineering Management
Occupation(s): Operations and Supply Chain Professional
Career goals: Assist business organizations reach their goals of achieving best in class customer service levels through the use of their resources in the most optimum way possible.
Hobby, recreation, or passion outside of work: Running; Spend time with my children, family and friends. Like to read and learn about topics such as: Optimization Methods, Organizational Change management and Situational Leadership.
Family acquired (spouse, partner, mate? children, pets, houseplants?): Spouse:Maria Cristina Acosta Gonzalez. (Married in 2001). Children: Efrain Dario Franco Acosta, 5 years old; Isabella Franco Acosta, 2 years old
City and state where you live now, and travel history (if applicable): Tucson AZ. Resident since October 2015 to Present. Live in Los Angeles CA for about 2 years. Live in Nogales Sonora for about 15 years
In what way did your time at Olney influence your later life?: There were multiple takeaways from my stay at Olney beside the experience of learning another language other than my native language (Spanish). Olney offered the extraordinary experience of being able to interact with people from many different places of the world. Made me more aware of other ways of looking at life, be patience and open to accept other ways of thoughts. Although, as a teenager it might have been seen as unnecessary structure, adhering to a schedule throughout the day and every day of the week helped me in my later years. Use time wisely and adopt a discipline way to approach my studies. This really came useful in my college and graduate years. Everything becomes achievable if one sets his/her mind to a goal and move forward in an organized and disciplined way.
Name: Judy (Hale) Reed ’91
Colleges attended, degrees earned: Ohio University – BA Sociology, Certificate in Women’s Studies; Seattle University – Master of Public Administration; Duquesne University School of Law – Juris Doctor (Law degree); also served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Republic of Moldova, 1999-2001 in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language project
Occupation(s), career goals current job: Legal Advocacy Manager at Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh; past work includes Anti Trafficking and Gender Officer with the OSCE Mission to Moldova (international security organization), Pittsburgh City Council staff, judicial law clerk, and Friends General Conference and Youth Ministries staff for a short-term project.
Hobby, recreation, or passion outside of work: beekeeping, bicycling, gardening, cooking, volunteering for women’s rights and social justice, hosting people
Family acquired (spouse, partner, mate? children, pets, houseplants?): Keith Reed, married 10/31/2009; 3 cats (one from Moldova, 2 from Ohio); we host international students to live with us in our home while they attend graduate programs in Pittsburgh.
City and state where you live now, and travel history (if applicable): Pittsburgh, PA; previously lived and worked in San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
In what way did your time at Olney influence your later life? It shifted my ideas about how we can be in the world and gave me a grounding in Quaker values.
Name (at graduation and now): Clare Gamble ‘09
Colleges attended, degrees earned: Earlham College (Neuroscience & Spanish double major BA), Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (BSN)
Occupation(s), career goals: Current Occupation: Pediatric Nurse; Career Goals: Postpone adulthood for as long as possible
Hobby, recreation, or passion outside work: Cooking, crafting, spending time with loved ones (both bipedal and fur-covered), and pretending I have a green thumb
Family acquired (spouse, partner, mate? children, pets, houseplants?): Partner: Paul Scherer; Pets: Attila the Bun (rabbit) & Charlie (puppy); Plenty of houseplants displaying the full spectrum of the life cycle
City and state where you live now, and travel history (if applicable): Just moved to NYC, NY, previously lived in Baltimore, MD
In what way did your time at Olney influence your later life?: Not only did Olney provide an excellent education and supportive community in which to grow and challenge oneself, but it also gave space and encouraged students to seek the path less traveled. These are lasting lessons.