1996

The calendar year may be coming to a close but one would think that spring isupon us, as the class of ’96 is experi- encing a bit of baby boom! Joining the ranks of our sleep-deprived, stress-inducing, child-rearing club are a few newbies who are all experiencing the joys (and challenges!) of parenthood for the first time.

Monica (Oberkofler) Gorman and her husband, John, welcomed their “little miracle” Emily Grace on September 30, after a pregnancy that featured a very happy mom showing off her baby bump at our reunion in June! The newly minted family of three resides in the Boston area, where Monica has served as the VP of global compliance at New Balance for the last three and a half years (after tenures at both American Eagle and Gap). The ba- by’s passport was stamped long before she entered the world, as Monica’s position required travel to Vietnam, Cambodia, Austria, Germany and Russia (and, of course, Hanover) all while Emily was in her belly! Here’s hoping that everyone gets some much-deserved rest and that mom gets at least a few months off the road to enjoy all those special moments that pass by so quickly!

Another first-time mom, Neesha Ramchandani, was also beaming at our not-quite-20th reunion this year. Neesha and husband Zvi Rahamim in- troduced their son, Amir, to the world in the first week of October, just a few months after everyone gathered in Hanover. She reports that “mommy, aba (daddy) and baby are all doing well.” While her adventures in parenthood may be just a few months underway, Neesha comes well trained as she is a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, New York.

And to give equal time to the new dads in our midst, we also want to congratulate our own Farouk Ladha and his wife, Seema Shah. They were proud to announce the arrival of their daughter, Alina Jina Ladha, on June 24. The timing of her arrival, obviously, gives them a more than acceptable ex- cuse for not being able to return to campus for reunion just days before! Alina is a cross-cultural name meaning “light, noble, exalted, beautiful” and therefore clearly indicative of the love with which her mom and dad welcomed her into their family. Farouk is managing partner and founder at San Francisco-based Four Rivers Group, an expan- sion stage venture capital firm that invests in high- growth, market-leading technology companies.

Congratulations to all our new ’96 parents and their families! Soak up every minute and memory in the days, months and weeks ahead. Everyone please keep those updates coming, and may the new year ahead be filled with happy, healthy and prosperous adventures for you and yours!

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