Once a Panther, always a Panther. Stay connected with each other, and your Pine Crest family by sharing your success, life events, the good and bad, and everything in between.
Professional Achievements
Kate Edelson ’12, Director of Fundraising and Special Events at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) raised $400,000 for NAMI Miami-Dade through the Walk for Mental Health Awareness. The Walk is the largest mental health event in Miami and the biggest NAMI Walk in the country and had 3,500 people in attendance. All of the funds went toward free mental health programs in the Miami-Dade and Keys communities.
Dan Reiter ’95 will release his debut book of surf writing this spring. "On a Rising Swell" is a collection of surf-themed vignettes blended with memoirs and interviews with surfers like Kelly Slater and Caroline Marks. The book launch will be at Books & Books in Coral Gables on April 29.
Lauren (Granado) Pastrana ’05 recently won two Emmy Awards from the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The first was for her ongoing reporting on Alzheimer's Disease and the second was for her coverage of the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup victory. She has been with CBS News Miami since 2012 and has been a primary evening news anchor for the station since 2020.
Jared Firestone ’08 qualified Team Israel for the Skeleton World Championship in Lake Placid, NY! Jared is currently the 39th ranked Skeleton athlete in the world and is preparing to qualify Israel for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina.
Chelsea Lunn ’10 joined Florida Power and Light (FPL) in Miami-Dade County as their External Affairs Manager.
Michael Cibene ’13 accepted a position as an Assistant Coordinator for the Special Teams for the University of Wisconsin football program!
Student-athlete Lily Spyredes ’22 was featured by the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce recently. Read about this dual-sport athlete!
Spotted
Joseph Teich ’24 wearing number 13 made his American Athletic Conference (AAC) home game debut on January 3, 2025 at Tulane University!
Elizabeth Brown ’19 was on campus recently. She reconnected with some of her favorite teachers including Mrs. Amanda Hollender!
Jill Cressy ’91 visited campus and her former diving station! We interview Jill for a past issue of the newsletter, read more about her journey to wellness coaching here.
Brandon Goldberg ’24 visited campus recently. The jazz pianist is currently studying at The Juilliard School.
Marriages
Molly Rose (Malaney) Kirby ’16 married Quade Kirby in Hollywood, Florida on February 1, 2025.
Allie (Shapiro) Schwartz ’12 married husband Andrew Schwartz the Breakers Hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida on November 9, 2024
Steven Wenguer ’11 married his wife Alexandra Caldwell Wenguer on February 15, 2025 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Akesha Sanjay Thakor ’13 and Aakash Thakor were married at Waldorf Astoria Cancun on December 14, 2024.
Samantha (Goldberg) Docal ’10 and Tommy Docal ’10 were married on January 10, 2025. They were thrilled to have more than 25 Pine Crest alumni present for their nuptials!
Alana Steinberg ’14 is engaged to be married this summer to Alex Rudman.
Babies
Michael Cibene ’13 and his wife Olivia welcomed the birth of twin girls Lucia and Sofia in February 2025.
In Memoriam
Todd Farber ’82 passed away on January 7, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is survived by his wife Denise and daughters Shay and Caitlin.
Jeffrey Steele ’79 passed away on January 21, 2025 in Elsah, Illinois. Jeff is survived by his wife Chrissy, and children Annalicia, Boone and Olivia.
We are sorry to share that Suzanne (Parker) Maddux ’89 passed away on January 26, 2025.