1998 Class News

Rich Kurtzman ’98 is the author of Like a Fish in Water: How to Grow Abroad When You Go Abroad, a guide to studying and living abroad, which will be published later this month. Like a Fish in Water prepares readers to be comfortable, confident and ready to take on the world, even in unfamiliar territory. Shaped by his own study abroad experiences in St. Petersburg and Madrid, and an internship in Milan, Rich has spent more than 20 years living and working in Barcelona, overseeing study abroad programs and coaching multinational organizations. More information is available at FishinWaterBook.com. 

John Baines ’98, head coach of the Elmhurst University men’s basketball team, was named the D3hoops.com Region 8 Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to a single-season school-record 27 wins and the program’s first-ever trip to the Final Four in 2021-22. Elmhurst lost to Randolph-Macon College in the national championship game on March 19, 2022. John has been the Bluejays’ head coach since 2013, posting an overall record of 148-84 in nine seasons at the helm. As a player at Illinois Wesleyan, John played in four NCAA Tournaments and won a national championship in 1997.

Sarah Fincham ’98 was recently promoted to clinical associate professor at Washington State University, where she is a faculty member in WSU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner program in the College of Nursing.

Tami Dean ’98 recently got a new job as Executive Director of Partner Success at engage2learn. Congrats!

Artwork from John Rakow ’98 was featured in “Signals and Codes,” an installation included in the Terrain Biennial international public art festival. Read the article here.