Jessica and Carla's High School Reunion

We had a chance to sit down with our classmate Veree Hawkins shortly before the reunion. We all remember her as a graceful dancer and kind friend. Still graceful and kind, Veree shares her story as a business professional, mother, wife and daughter. She tells us how she met her husband Bert in her first weeks of college, professes her love for Grant Hill, and shares her many hobbies she has pursue...

What a phenomenal interview with our classmate, Jennifer Gillette. We learned so much about her life today and back in our high school days. Did you know that Jennifer has always been a naturalist? She has also been a LOTR mega fan. Check out the photo above where she is posing outside of a Hobbit House. She even met her husband though their mutual love of the series. Now living in New Zealand as...

You can tell from his photo that Clifton “Kurt” Kaiser has been playing some ice hockey. Yes, it’s true. If you need a goalie for your team, Kurt is your man. And yes, we can still call him Kurt. This episode was so much fun. Finally, after commenting so prolifically on all the other episodes, Kurt got his own. You’ll love hearing about his many “double lives” and how he has become the Steve Allen...

Amanda Elliston left the Academy and went on to Smith College where she developed a passion for political activism. Always an activist at heart, she ended up pursuing a career in education, working first in an innovative public school in Brooklyn and eventually making her way back to teaching at the Academy and then in San Francisco. We loved this conversation with Amanda from her current home in...

This week we talked with our hilarious classmate, Aaron Brumer. Yes, we discuss his cryptic yearbook page, but that was only the beginning of what shaped up to be a episode with many surprises. We heard all about his road to becoming an architect, business owner, husband, father, and poker player. We learned about how his incredible growth mindset has gotten him through the challenges of parenting...

This week we had the pleasure of talking to Dana Brown who is living her best life - really! This is a fabulous story of how Dana listened to her instincts and pursued passions in order to find the perfect career and personal fulfillment through motherhood and a whole host of friend groups. We were inspired by this conversation with Dana who has a huge heart and goes after what she wants in life....

This week we spoke with Heather Kennedy, We loved hearing about her many jobs - from a manager at Lord and Taylor to a corporate career at Kraft and Whole Foods to her current dream job as a professor at CU Boulder. Heather is a world traveler and adventurer. And for someone who claims to have few memories of high school, her tales of briefly owning a YUGO were highly entertaining. You’ll also lov...

For our first episode of 2024 we spoke with Staci Hurff Hurley. Many of us remember Staci for her dominance on the tennis court (and her amazing tan lines), but we loved catching up with her and hearing about her journey from UNM to Alaska to Washington State to upstate NY, to her current home in San Diego. She is always up for a new adventure in a new part of the world. Of course, we also learned...

We loved this conversation with our classmate, Alex Ritchie. We learned so much about Alex, from his early years at Georgetown as a acapella pioneer, to his work in corporate law, to his current role as the Executive Director of a nonprofit that focuses on Environmental Law. Alex has some magical stories, including how he met his wife on an airplane and what it was like to move from a small town i...

This week we spoke with Kyle Lee. We had not seen him since our graduation so there was a lot to catch up on. We learned about his entrepreneurial endeavors that have aptly led him to become the Executive Director of CNM’s Ingenuity Inc, transforming workforce training in the state of NM. Kyle caught us up on his family life and what it has been like to be the parent of Academy students. He also s...

This conversation with Hank Alme is filled with surprises. Hank is a mathematician, scientist, chef, mentor, lego builder, and dad. You’ll hear all about his career working for the US government, doing super secret things and why helping young people to reach their highest potential fills him up. We had such a great time talking with Hank!

We had such a heartfelt conversation with our classmate, Peter Walker-Keleher. He recounts his many adventures post-graduation - many jobs and many countries, - and takes us to his current life in Montana where he is an engineer and story whisperer. This conversation was deeply moving, honest and open and, at times, hilarious. You are going to love this episode with one of our favorite Corraleños.

Happy Thanksgiving! Today we take a short pause from our interviews to reflect on the holidays. Many of us are heading home for the holidays or are the home to which others are returning. Many of us have mixed feelings about the holiday season and how to approach a family gathering. Enjoy this special holiday edition filled with tips and lots of gratitude and we will be back with a new 89er next w...

This week we caught up with our classmate Jonah (Scott) Mendelsohn. We learned so much about incredible journey. Jonah’s story has taken him from Albuquerque to Vassar College to NYC. He has been on a path to self discovery, and in many ways, has learned he has a lot in common today with the person he was back in 1989. Jonah is the same kind, person you probably remember. And yes, he still loves S...

Welcome back, Friends! This week we had a terrific catch-up with “Monster” Mike Montgomery. He shares his journey from a tennis playing, wanna be doctor to his life as a pastor, father and husband living in Minnesota. Mike’s story has many twists and turns and hilarious stories. And while it wasn’t hard to guess his favorite band from high school, the rest was just one surprise after another. List...

This week we spoke to Ken Pasternak, our very own class unicorn. This conversation with Ken was everything you would imagine. Ken was reflective, thoughtful, and open. We talked about his journey which he describes as feeling like “several lives.” We learned about how he developed a growth mindset and what is next for him - at least for the next six months, since that is about as far as Ken plans...

There aren’t many of our classmates who have worn as many hats at our alma mater and Jennifer Anderson. Alumna, parent, general counsel, spouse of administrator, soccer, mom . . . the list goes on and on. We spoke with Jennifer this week, and we loved hearing about how her life has unfolded in a remarkable adventure. Jennifer married her high school sweetheart (also a graduate of AA) and together...

This week we spoke with Chris Eisbach. When you listen to this podcast, you will understand the meaning of the term “life-long learner”. Chris’ enthusiasm for his work, his family and his many passion pursuits was palpable. He is a builder, a brewmaster, artist and chef. We had so much fun talking to Chris. He is truly a designer of his own life and optimist through and through. Listen and enjoy!

This week we are talking to Susan Stocum. who has just completed a trip down the Danube (as you can see from this photo). Jennie Tung, eat your heart out. Susan is ever the adventurer and her trips and other activities with friends are a huge part of her journey that she shares on this episode. She talks about spending 35 years in Iowa, her career a a journalist with the Associate Press, her move...

This week we have the privilege of speaking with Nancy Spencer. One of the most beloved teachers during our time at the Academy, Nancy remembers our class with so much fondness. Nancy talks about her early teaching days and how her time in Albuquerque and at the Academy influenced her career as an independent school educator, administrator and Head of School. It was so fun to learn from her - agai...

This week we caught up with Laurel Weinstein, a gem of a human. She shared her stories of how her success in a college statistics class launched her career, the joys of living and working in one place for over two decades, and what it was like to work the health care field during COVID. As you might remember, Laurel is just such a down to earth, kind and grounded person. That certainly hasn’t chan...

We were so thrilled when Guy Ewing reached out to be interviewed. While he didn’t graduate from our class, he was excited to reconnect and tell his story. We are so glad he did. Guys shares his journey from professional rock-musician to his life today as an entrepreneur and business owner, living in a tiny home with his wife and two cats in Durango, CO, traveling the country in his RV and still pl...

We couldn’t have loved this conversation with Jeff Eaton more if we had tried. We learned so much from Jeff as he shared about his “meandering” journey with us. We learned about his early college days, his career as an economist for the state of New Mexico, his latest endeavor as a city bus driver, and most importantly, about his commitment to live a life of meaning, purpose and integrity above al...

This week we spoke with Bruce Montgomery. He may have joined our class junior year, but Bruce quickly became a core member of our high school class. In this episode he shares his journey from “serious” actor to professional improvisor and improv coach. He talks about his love of storytelling, his multigenerational household and what it is like to run a business with his spouse. Bruce is hilarious....

What an amazing time we had with Jocelyn Swigger who captivated us with he passion for her work as a piano professor, her son, Ben, a budding drummer, and an incredible composer, Agnes Tyrrell. You will love listening to this one - including hearing Jocelyn play for us!