Brian Striker, class of ‘00 (B.A. Business Administration, Management Information Systems), was an excellent student and a standout freestyle swimmer at Alfred University…winning All-American certification five times over three seasons. After AU, his computer programming efforts at Bausch and Lomb in Rochester earned Brian several certifications for outstanding achievement, but for the love of the sport, he continued to coach swimming at night.

When the fulltime swim coach position opened up at AU in 2002, Brian jumped at the opportunity to coach for his alma mater. During his very first year as coach, he led the AU men’s swimming and diving team to its first-ever state championship, and was himself named Coach of the Year for 2003. Brian Striker’s next goal is to recruit enough top swimmers to take the team to the next level—elite national status among Division III programs. He attributes much of his success to his early training at AU, and the “high standards” he was expected to meet as both a student and a student-athlete.

Nomi Manon, class of '00 (B.A. Comparative Cultures), was accepted to the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. At AU, Nomi was very actively involved in Hillel, AU's Jewish organization, and became president during her sophomore year. Nomi spent a summer as a programming intern with Lights in Action, a pluralist Jewish student activism organization in NYC, and a spring semester studying abroad in Jerusalem at Hebrew University. Nomi's activism in AU's Jewish community, as well as her minor in Women's Studies, encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a rabbi.

DeAnne Lyn Smith, class of '98 (B.A. English), is an English teacher living and working in Mexico. "Right now, I teach at two different schools in Mexico," she says. DeAnne teaches native Spanish-speakers, ranging in age from 15 to 50, in Puerto Vallarta. In addition to teaching, DeAnne takes Spanish lessons for two hours each day. At AU, DeAnne was co-coordinator of the Women's Issues Coalition and also very active in Spectrum and Alfred Review. DeAnne claims AU gave her "confidence, a feeling that I could make a path for myself in the world…the idea that I should do what I love."

Jonathan Y. Levine, class of '96 (B.A. History), is living and working in Ichinoseki, located in northern Japan, as an English teacher at a large public high school, and is also the school's kendo coach. Jonathan studied abroad in Japan in 1994. After graduating, he took a job in Japan as a part-time English teacher that was slated to last for 3 years, but he enjoyed it so much that he decided to stay and work full-time. After 4 years, Japan hasn't lost its intrigue for Jonathan, who says, "Even though I have been here for some time now, I always discover something new to examine or solve." He is grateful for his time at AU, saying, "AU gave special attention to the individual along with an atmosphere of diversity. This helped set the stage for me to assimilate myself in a foreign land, because after graduating from AU I certainly believed that I could do anything."

Rick Stakel, class of '94 (B.A. English Literature), has spent the past two years as an assistant swim coach for the men's team and senior head coach for the resident USS club team at Harvard University. He says, "Harvard may be Harvard, but it ain't no AU." At AU, Rick was a four-year member and All-American for the AU men's swim team. He was also a member and officer of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Rick is currently at graduate school at Eastern Connecticut State University pursuing a teaching certification in Physical Education.