By Bart Gummere, Associate Director for College Counseling and Alumni Relations

In October of 2022, Eastside Prep hosted its largest alumni event to date. The festivities over a weekend included a Friday Pub Night gathering, classes on Saturday morning, and a huge gala party for alumni and alumni parents Saturday night. As part of these festivities, the Class of 2012 also held their ten-year reunion, which just under half the class attended. As a follow-up to that specific event, we thought it might be nice to share some examples of what they are now doing and their best memories of times at EPS.

Mara Brashem (front row, sixth from left) received a BA in Studio Art from Willamette University and completed the Columbia Publishing Course at University of Exeter. She recalls her favorite EPS memory as, “The whitewater rafting trip and camping in twelfth grade. I was so nervous, but then had a blast.” Mara is currently Digital Marketing Coordinator at Little, Brown Books in New York City and “having lots of fun.”

Lizzie Krawczak (front row, far right) studied Neuroscience and pre-medicine at Pitzer College and is currently pursuing a Masters in Couples and Family Therapy at Seattle University. She is also working part-time in the wine industry and has a “side hustle in  photography.” Lizzie’s favorite EPS memory is, “Learning from the incredible teachers, playing on the volleyball team and backpacking in Utah.”

Peter Lewis is currently an Energy Efficiency Analyst at Philadelphia Gas Works. “My first job out of college was as a lab tech at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, but I realized pretty quickly that I was more into sustainability/environmental work than research, so I went and got my masters.” That masters was in Environment Studies from the University of Pennsylvania which Peter completed after receiving a BA in Biology from Franklin & Marshall College. Peter notes his favorite memory from his time at EPS is, “Knowing everyone and having everything I needed for the day in that little office park was nice, at least in hindsight. Having teachers who were attentive and challenged me was important and helped me stay engaged.”

Kirsten Vyhmeister (back row, sixth from right) received a BA in Biology from Willamette University and both a MA in Bio Ethics and PharmD from Loma Linda University. She is currently in a two-year pharmacy residency at Loma Linda Health in Southern California. Kirsten’s favorite EPS memory is “Being part of the cast of My Fair Lady and Our Town.”

Brynn Walund recalls her favorite EPS member as, “The warm atmosphere full of academic challenge, high standards, but acceptance of differences and encouragement of mistakes.” She received a BA in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology from Whitman College and then went into a joint Physician’s Assistant and Masters in Public Health program at Touro University California. Brynn recently completed her in-classroom work and began her first rotation in Los Angeles.

For more updates on these and other alumni, visit us at Alumni News.