Monifa Tarjamo ’90

A large group of 1990’s faculty and alumni enjoyed an evening full of great conversation and laughs recently, capping off another successful event in Storm King’s 2020-2021 Virtual Alumni Speaker Series. The Zoom get-together was moderated by SKS Alumni Council Member Monifa Tarjamo, Class of 1990, who was joined by 31 other participants logging on from as far as Alaska and Hawaii to join the fun.

According to Monifa, many special moments highlighted their trip down memory lane: “We had two former roommates, Steinar Knutsen and Jason Sosler, Class of 1990, who reconnected with shared memories of the Mountain and their dorm shenanigans. Math and science teacher Mr. [Joel] Priest (1986-1992) surprised the group with photos reminding them of some hair-raising antics, while other past faculty members gave them a look behind the scenes during their time on the Mountain in the 1990s.”

“We all talked about our favorite memories at Storm King and it was nice to reminisce about connecting through team sports, the thrill of all-school games, the freedom and exhilaration of mountain hikes, dinners at faculty houses, and the significance of bonding with people we otherwise may have never connected with outside of school,” continued Monifa. “We listened to Kukil (Kyle) Kim ’94 as he shared his memory of his first encounter with a deer outside his dorm window. We all laughed with him as he proceeded to explain how he ran out of his dorm and tried to catch it. Lucky for both parties the deer got away! We’re not sure what would have happened if he actually caught it,” she continued.

By the end of the evening, Monifa and the others agreed that a great time was had by all, with some participants staying online for more than two hours. “This was a wonderful event that reinforced the family-like community we had and continue to have at SKS. Please look out for our next get-together, whether it’s in-person or virtual…and remember, everyone is always welcome, even if the 1990s isn’t their decade,” she said. The Storm King Alumni Speaker Series aims to connect and reconnect all members of the Storm King community, both past and present. The series has been a great success this year, with more virtual events scheduled through March 2021.

Top row from left: Monifa Tarjamo ’90, Lynn Crevling ’72, Maylee Bellamy ’91, past faculty Leslie Breton, past faculty Joel Priest;

Second row from left: Steinar Knutsen ’90, Gilliam Kramer ’91, past faculty Diethard Kolewe, Alec Milton ’89, Jenna Esposito-Cannizarro ’96;

Third row from left: Christina Lancaster ’91, Ila Barton ’92, Charles Cordero ’92, Michael Pock ’94, Kukil Kyle Kim ’94;

Fourth row from left: past faculty Andrea Sachs, past faculty Robert Thompson, Jon Penner ’84, Ian Heller ’90, Cindy Vickery ’90;

Fifth row from left: Maurice Pinder ’90, Jason Sosler ’90, Kerryane Monahan ’92, Ross Sober ’92, past faculty Karen Szoren;

Participants not pictured: Kari Bou ’91, Stacey Cooper ’90, Marc Eisenshtat ’98, Jodie Gerson ’90, Andrew Grossman ‘91, past faculty Steve Mandell, past faculty Jason Steiker, Vallea Woodbury ‘95