Alumni - Students

News from our student alumni:

Here are some of our former students. We encourage former UNI Suzuki School students and faculty to submit information about where they are and what they are doing. 

You can send info and jpg photos to cathy.craig@uni.edu.

Suzuki School

Wesley Pakala sent us this info:

This is an older entry for Wesley but interesting!  Right now I cowboy for a 20,000 acre ranch in the Sandhills region of western Nebraska. My main job is to care for the cows and calves last spring I called almost 600 calves by myself then as the calves grow I will ride through the herd on my horse and if I see a sick calf or cow I'll  rope them and either give them medical treatment or whatever else they need. 

Wesley Pakala

Theo Ramsey

Theo Ramsey recently moved to Chicago where they played with the Civic Orchestra and taught violin and viola at Triton College.  Theo completed their master's degree in violin performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2013, after which they became a member of the Suzuki faculty at the Cleveland Music Settlement and performed throughout the northeast US with various new music ensembles. Theo currently resides in Massachusetts and is a member of New Bedford Symphony and Chicago's Enseble Dal Niente.  You can read more about Theo at www.theoramsey.com (received July, 2015, updated 2024)

Christopher Walton, singer, songwriter, producer; attended Berklee College and resides in Boston his latest album "Ruminating Thoughts".  More about Christopher can be found at www.chriswaltonmusic.com

Deborah Coltvet Klemme; violinist with Keith and Kristyn Getty.  Read more about Deborah at www.gettymusic.com

Ellen Chamberlain Ensey; violinist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra; www.tucsonsymphony.org/about/orchestra/ellen-ensey

Joel Waggoner; writer, actor, composer, music director, multi-instrumentalist, comedian; joelwaggoner.com

Christopher Vuk; violinist; Boston String Quartet; blue-violin.com

RECENT ALUMNI - Their areas of interest after graduation follows their names.

Class of 2023

  • Skylar Hartson, music education
  • Emma Krgo, journalism
  • Julia Magee, biochemistry

Class of 2022 Graduates

  • Bhoomika Shettigar, neuroscience

Class of 2021 Graduates

  • Anastasia Davidson
    Isabelle Staudt
    TJ Tomlyanovich
    Kevin Yang

Class of 2020 graduates

  • Jacob Olthoff
    Amy Webb
    Mallory Welsch
    Oliver Yoder

Class of 2019 graduates -

  • Lars Christiason
    Willa Eacret
    Avanti Gulwadi
    Taylor Hanson
  • Peter Holden
  • Kelly Kestner
  • Hannah Lehman
  • Andrew Mord

Class of 2018 graduate -

  • Meron Abebe - music
    Alex Escalada - music
    Arlo Hettle - political science
    Mahnoor Ghumman - neuroscience
    David Phetmanysay - music
    Mee-Hwa Roche - music
    Vering - English and psychology

Class of 2017 graduates --

  • Alex Dou - pre-med
    Grace Malloy - Japanese language and culture
    Nicasio Martin-Ask - biology
    Kailey Stiers - music
    Angelle Waltz - music

Class of 2016 graduates --

  • Bekah Brainard -
    Claire Chenoweth - sociology, media studies or acting
    Ben Christiason - political science and English
    Anj Droe - biological sciences
    Sarah Gao -sociology, pre-med
    Carson Quigley - biology
    Allaire Taiber -

Class of 2015 graduates  —

  • C.Brandenburg -- engineering
    Taylor Odekirk -- journalism, mass communications
    Kelly Olsen -- journalism, secondary English
    Rachel Pakala -- psychology, Spanish, music

Class of 2014 graduates

  • Hanna Gibson -- UNI
    Sammie Kruger -- music
    Megan Tomson -- UNI

Class of 2013 graduates

  • Hanno Fenech -- political science and music
    Mackenzie Johnston -- food science
    Lydia Pakala -- music
    Clarissa Sutton -- writing
    Katie Yang -- biomedical engineering

Class of 2012 graduates

  • Ian Abbott -- computer engineering and music:saxophone
    Andrea' Anderson -- art
    Gwen Farber -- psychology major, music minor
    Erik Olsen --  mechanical engineering
    Oskar Sig Walter -- biology
    Christopher Walton  -- general studies/ music

Class of 2011 graduates

  • Jyothi Dhanwada -- international studies and biology with a minor in French
    Joni Griffith -- vocal performance with a minor in design or theatre
    Betrenna Jacobs --
    Hannah Howland Jacobs-- violin performance
    Dan Harter -- engineering
    Emily Hurban -- food service major
    Raquel Williams -- music, theatre, literature, French, physical therapy

    Class of 2010

  • Alexandra Bowman, music
  • Benjamin Sadkowski, creative writing
  • Amelia Sutton, photography

Class of 2009

  • Wes Pakala, business
  • Heidi Klett, piano performance
  • Elizabeth Tracy, 
  • Maurisa Aimable, chemistry
  • Norianna Payne, EMT
  • Jennifer Hurban, genetics
  • Jessica Brandt, engineering
  • Class of 2008
  • Rachel Acheson, English
  • Jordan Bancroft, music performance
  • Joseph Kruempel, 
  • Sarah Larsen, education
  • Andrew Seelhammer, music
  • Tom Whitson, engineering
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