Class Notes

Atlanta artist, Maurice Evans (Fashion Illustration, 1998), visited Winston-Salem State University for a scholarship fundraising event for the university's Richmond metro alumni chapter. He has a large fan base in Richmond, and several of his works were auctioned by Howard E. Ormond after dinner at Mr. Bojangles.

The Rockdale Citizen reported that alumnus Brad Neil (Culinary Arts, 1995) and a high school friend opened Mad Cactus West Coast Burrito in Conyers, GA. Neil says they are already planning to open a second location in Milledgeville. A third location in metro Atlanta could become a reality if business remains strong.

Laura Denman (Graphic Design, 2004), strategy director of XO Create! won the National American Graphic Design Award for the second consecutive year. Her team was proud to be honored in the 2005 awards for their entry in the self-promotions category. The concept for her entry was a "gift of time" titled "Take XO Create!" The entry shows how a design consultancy specializing in strategic marketing and product development geared towards youth can teach organizations how to speak to Generation Y. XO Create! was founded by alumnus Jim Stringer (Graphic Design, 2003).

Sarah Leeann (Andrus) Buchanan (Interior Design, 2000) was married on October 8, 2005.

Carlos Tapia (Digital Media Production 2005) has been working as a grip in several independent films, three mid-budget features, and a short film that may be featured in the Sundance Film Festival. He hopes to be promoted to best boy within the next few months.

Ashlie Greene (Culinary Arts, 2000) is working for Events Catering in Roswell, GA. In January 2006, Ashlie began teaching culinary arts for West Central Technical College, Newnan Branch at the Central Education Center. Before working with Events Catering, she was a sous chef for more than five years at Wesley Woods Retirement Facility in Newnan, GA.

On October 21, 2005, Timothy Tew (Interior Design, 1982) opened TEW Galleries at The Galleries of Peachtree Hills, 425 Peachtree Hills Avenue Atlanta. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information, email info@timothy.com

Two alums, Clay Jamison (Multimedia & Web Design, 1999) and Asa Spikes (Multimedia & Web Design, 2000), tied the knot on November 5, 2005. Clay is with NCR Corporation as senior visual designer for the Human Factors Engineering Group, and Asa is lead visual designer at The Weather Channel. Nick Weinmiller (Computer Animation, 1999) was in their wedding party. Nick is currently working at Presentation Pro as a designer.

Paula Lagree (Photography, 2003) is holding down three jobs in her field! Paula works as a freelancer, is employed at Picture People, and has landed a job in the entertainment industry where she photographs up-and-coming artists for Xavier Entertainment. Paula is scheduled to be featured on the Xavier site under Independent Folks!

"Knowing that I am making a difference in someone else's life makes me feel really good," said volunteer, Virgil Green (Computer Animation, 2005). After four years of volunteering through Hands On Atlanta's "Reading Adds Up" program, a one-on-one tutoring and mentoring program for students in Atlanta's public schools, Green has taken on a new challenge: recruiting and training volunteers for the program that inspired him.

Groundrush Media of Atlanta gave two prestigious Telly Awards to John Nicholas Young (Video Production, 2002) for his work in video production. Groundrush Media is a one-stop company for Web design, multimedia, audio, video, print media, and animation.

One Hot Dish Catering is a small home-based catering business owned by Tina Huoso (Culinary Arts, 2002). Her events range from open houses to dinner parties to wedding receptions.

Sam Flax Corporation hired Atinna (Smith) Chambers (Graphic Design, 2002) as their new marketing specialist. Chambers says, "It's a dream come true, and I couldn't have hoped for a more perfect company to work for. The staff is awesome and the store is an art and design lover's heaven. I feel that this is truly the opportunity of a lifetime!"

Stills of Life Photography is a business started by Tammy Imig (Photographic Imaging, 2003). Tammy specializes in weddings, portraits, and some commercial work.

Mark Ramirez (Music Entertainment Management, 1997) has been featured on CBS, KCAL, LATV, and other TV stations to discuss his work, which includes two albums, five compilation CDs and three film DVDs. Numerous magazines and online sites have interviewed him. Ramirez just launched his own company called www.beatseekers.com, which positions itself as a 21st century way of selling and buying beats online.