57. Manabu Oka

Tokyo, Japan · Arts and Sciences

wanchyo@yahoo.co.jp
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/manabu.oka.3


Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
I returned to Tokyo after graduation to join IBM. I moved to AT&T in 2000, and since 2010, I have been the president of AT&T Japan providing IT solutions to large enterprises operating in Japan.

I am married with a 12 year old son who just started Junior High School.

After a looong rest, I returned to the tennis court and also started to pick up golf since 5-6 years ago, really to have fun but also to stay fit! I then started running a bit, and I just made my full marathon debut at the Tokyo Marathon 2014.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
While I took many useful courses, I feel a bit ashamed to say that the Wine course has left me with good knowledge that I can make use of in real life, even today!

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
I have been attending alumni events in Tokyo for the last few year, and the depth and diversity of talent of the Cornell Alumni network is simply amazing!

If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I would have explored the campus and its surroundings in my free time, even just waking around and taking some photos. I also would have taken more time to think about my career and life aspirations. (which may have prompted myself to move to the School of Hotel Administration).

58. Lynn Ciccarelli

Staten Island, New York · Agriculture and Life Sciences

Name at Cornell

Lynn Finamore

lciccarelli13@gmail.com

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
Life is thankfully as busy, and happy, as ever. This year I'll be celebrating 8 years of marriage to my amazing husband. We have a 3 year old son who is our absolute joy, and I am 17 weeks pregnant with baby #2! Professionally, I've been working for HBO now for 17 years. I actually started at HBO back in November of 1995, not long after graduation from Cornell. I am currently VP of affiliate marketing and it is truly my dream job, having been a Communication major. I am very lucky and fortunate to have called HBO my professional home for all these years. And I owe so much of how everything fell into place to my Cornell education.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
There are so many wonderful memories that, despite the years, do not fade. The friends, the classes, the traditions, the beautiful campus, college town, the challenges, etc. I can't say enough about how my time at Cornell started me off on the right path in so many ways. To me, the Cornell degree has always been a badge of honor, something I'm so proud of, and something for which I am so grateful.

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
Both personally and professionally, I run into felow Cornell grads all the time. And I always feel there is an imemdiate connection, almost a bond between us. It's been an amazing networking asset I've found and sometimes a foot in the door, so to speak.

If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I wish I took more time to relax and enjoy. Things were always so busy, and I always rushed home on breaks to see family and friends. I wish I took more time to explore the campus and Ithaca, and to more appreciate the moments in between the craziness.

59. David H. Quigley

Brookeville, Maryland · Agriculture and

Life Sciences

dhquig5@gmail.com

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
My wife, Angela ('96), and I spend our days trying to keep up with our two kids, Hannah (9) and Elliot (3). We live in a small town in Maryland about halfway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and fortunately well within within striking distance of Hershey Park. I am a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where I have practiced environmental law since 1998. My practice covers an array of environmental matters, including transactional, enforcement litigation, regulatory compliance, lobbying and legislative development, so it is never boring.

What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was the most meaningful?
The speech and debate team gave me my life, quite literally. I met my wife there. The skill set I picked up there got me into law school and helped build a career. The people who came before (and some after) have become mentors and sounding boards and probably once a month I turn to that network for advice or assistance. Most importantly, I am fortunate to have so many friends (and family) that I owe to that team. I enjoyed so much about my experience at Cornell, but nothing has had the lasting impact that team has had.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
Certainly the one I found most useful is Intro to Public Speaking (Comm 101), though not just because my career relies on that particular skill set to a great extent. Through that class, I got involved with the speech and debate team, which is where I met my wife. If you can find a class that prepares you for your career AND your marriage, I would say that is pretty useful. I suppose it should also make it my favorite, as well.

What random or surprising encounters with Cornell or Cornellians have you experienced since you left?
At a point when my wife and I had started to fall out of contact, we got a visit from Sharon Detzer of the Ag School's alumni affairs/development office. Meeting Sharon really reconnected us with the community, and she has facilitated my being on a panel at an entrepreneurship event, guest lecturing at a Dyson School environmental class, and getting to work with graduating students on career path questions through the development office. It has been amazing to reconnect in that meaningful way, and I love the opportunity to give back to the school that has given me so much.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
I lived at 509 Wyckoff with 11 of my closest friends sophomore year. That year had a number of ups and downs, but that house and the camraderie that lived within it was a big up, despite the fact that you could look through the holes in the walls in some of the rooms, and we had to share the house with a raccoon who lived in our oven, the weather (the walls did not always reach the ceilings), and a mole-man who lived in our basement.

60. Tulio and Dianna Hochkoeppler

Buenos Aires, Argentina · Hotel

Administration

Name at Cornell
Tulio Hochkoeppler and Dianna Perkins

dfwdep@yahoo.com
tuliohoch@aol.com

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
Tulio:
I am currently managing a Four Seasons Hotel and trying to keep up with my daughter, and if any free time comes up—going SAILING!

Dianna:
Getting settled into our family routine after moving from the Maldives back to Argentina.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
Tulio:
I don't remember the class name, but it was with Prof. Chase during my senior year in which our final was writing a vision statement of our future and I love going back and reading to see how close I have come.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
Tulio:
Winning Nationals for big boat sailing and going to France to represent our university and our country against 19 other teams.

Dianna:
An amalgamation of memories including HEC nights, my Bryant Av girls, the Theta house, and some wonderful road trips involving flying malomars.

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
Dianna:
All the friendships I made directly and indirectly through my years at Cornell.

What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell this year?
Tulio:
Life is not all about studying, but experiences, and do as many as you can and enjoy meeting your life long friends.

What random or surprising encounters with Cornell or Cornellians have you experienced since you left?
Dianna:
Running into a sorority sister (Kuda Huraa) in a cocktail reception in the Maldives.

61. Jennifer Helgesen

Larchmont, New York · Industrial and

Labor Relations

Every few weeks, Cornell '95 Faces features a profile of one of our class officers. This week, meet the Fund Representative.

Name at Cornell
Jennifer Wendling

Jennifer_Helgesen@hotmail.com

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
My husband Chris and I spend a lot of time chasing our two very active boys who are 6 and 4. I am enjoying raising them in the town that I grew up in outside of NYC.

After many years in the field of HR technology, I redirected my career to allow for more flexibility. I founded a recruiting firm focusing on HR/HRIS positions. I have crossed paths with quite a few ILR grads who are in the field of HR. My office is a mile from my home, which is really convenient.

What are your duties as class officer and what have you enjoyed about the job?
I am the Fund Representative for our class. Initiatives have included campaigns to reconnect with former dues payers and increase participation as well as personalized thank you notes to fund contributors.

I really enjoy being part of such a dedicated group of Cornell alums. As we approach our 20th reunion, the excitement of the officers is quickly building as we collaborate on ways to maximize involvement and provide a high quality experience to attendees.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
What I found most useful was the balance of the intimate and focused ILR program coupled with the opportunity to take many classes across the University—including graduate level. Being with grad students who had been in the "real world" already was interesting. I stayed an extra year on campus and got my Master's from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. There were quite a few '95 grads who stayed another year for a masters degree or dual major, including several close friends.

What random or surprising encounters with Cornell or Cornellians have you experienced since you left?
Not sure if it is surprising, but I can't believe how many Cornell grads are in my town! 4 out of the 6 kids in my son's toddler playgroup are children of Cornell alums—including Michael Koby, a fellow ILR '95. Several of my close friends are Cornell grads who I did not know on campus. We instantly bonded over shared memories regardless of our graduation year. Also, I sold my first apartment to a Cornell graduate. We made the connection at the closing table. But most importantly, I met my husband through a Cornell friend!

What are you most looking forward to at Reunion 2015?
This will be the first reunion that I am able to attend. Can't wait to spend quality time on campus with close friends walking down memory lane as well as catching up on "today." Also looking forward to reconnecting with others who I have not seen in many years. Social media is great but nothing tops the in person connection. I know that the campus and Collegetown have both changed quite a bit so I'm eager to see what's new and show my husband around.

62. Aneesh and Anna Dalvi

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada · Engineering

Names at Cornell
Aneesh Dalvi and Anna Rosen

anna@knitandknag.com and aneeshd@rogers.com

Twitter: @knitandknag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annadalvi

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
Aneesh is the V.P. of Applied Research at iDirect. He's been working in the satellite communications industry since we moved up to Ottawa in 1998.

Anna designs knitting patterns and has published two books (the third one is due out 2014), teaches classes on knitwear design, and publishes patterns (www.knitandknag.com). And as you think it's quite a shift from engineering to knitting—do consider that everything is math.

We have three children (grades 8, 5, and 3) who keep us busy. Between hockey, jiujitsu, piano, and school there's hardly a quiet moment.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
Aneesh:
It's hard to pick one favourite... the thing I liked best about Cornell was being able to take different classes from different departments even if they weren't directly related to my degree. Freshman Writing Seminars and Wines were fun. Playing with superconductors in intro. chemistry was really cool, although not particularly useful. Signals and Systems in EE was probably the most useful for my career.

What advice would you give to a student starting at Cornell this year?
Anna: 
Go out and get involved in the special projects Cornell offers outside the required courses. I learned the basic tools in the regular courses, but I had a chance to apply them and expand on them in settings like the Hybrid Electric Vehicle team, or in the Robotics Lab.

What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was the most meaningful?
Aneesh:
We both worked on the Hybrid Electric Vehicle project, at a time when no one knew what an HEV was. It was a great experience to design and build a car from scratch, and we had a lot of fun while doing it. I suppose it was technically a class, but it really ended up becoming part of your social life as well. Many of us from those teams still keep in touch.

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
Anna:
At the Cornell Engineering School, we were encouraged to question WHY things worked, not just memorize a formula. It leads to a deeper understanding of things, and encourages further experimentation. My first book (Shaping Shawls) is an exploration of shapes in knitwear, and uses applied math to explain why knit lace shawls are constructed the way they are. It aims to give the reader the tools required to design their own and play with construction, not just blindly follow the steps—similar to what we learned at Cornell.

If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
Aneesh:
I often wish I had been able to take more advantage of the all things that were going on at Cornell. See more visiting speakers, go to more concerts, try more activities, play more sports, things like that. But I think that no matter how many things you did, there were probably a hundred other things that looked interesting that you would have wanted to do as well.

What extracurricular activity or hobby from your time at Cornell was the most meaningful?
Anna:
The HEV team - we built a hybrid electric vehicle and took it to CA to compete in the Clean Air Road rally. While it was nominally a class (3 credits), it really consumed most of our waking hours. We made some wonderful friends, and learned to apply the engineering skills learned in class. It taught us to be curious and never leave well enough alone.

63. Nayan Hajratwala

Saline, Michigan · Engineering

nayan@chikli.com
Twitter: @nhajratw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nayan.hajratwala

Tell us about what you're doing with your life.
I am an independent Lean/Agile coach. Essentially, I help organizations that build software to build it faster, with higher quality, and with greater value. I spend a lot of time teaching technical software practices at a developer level as well as coaching Project Managers and C-Level folks.

As a side note, in 1999, I discovered the 38th Mersenne prime, which is a prime number with over 2 million digits. 2^6,972,593-1. As a result of this, I won a $50K anonymously donated prize from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found the most useful?
In the Computer Science program, I remember a lot of people complaining that it was too theoretical with not enough practical applications. As I've progressed in my career, I've come to value the theory that I learned at Cornell. It applies to all the emerging technologies and doesn't get obsolete.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Cornell?
During summer session, grabbing a Snapple Iced Tea and a chocolate croissant from Oliver's and walking over the suspension bridge & waterfall to class.

What does being a Cornell alumnus mean to you?
In the business world, it's amazing how much credibility you start with when someone discovers you're from Cornell. Of course, you have to live up to that standard, which in turn helps those coming behind you.