NEWS & NOTES
2010s Elizabeth Farrow ‘10, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, who teaches at Oak Park and River Forest High School, was a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching finalist in 2019. Mavis Linnemann-Clark ‘11 , Certificate – Personal Chef and Catering, was featured in The Lane Report article “A small town that feels like a city.” She is a Northern Kentucky native and serves as executive chef and “fearless leader” at The Delish Dish, Made by Mavis and Kickstart Kitchen. Aaron Dubnow ‘12 , M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision, was named Principal of Harper Elementary School District 39, Wilmette, Ill. Megan Hansen ‘12 , English as a Second Language Endorsement and ‘17 M.Ed. in Administration, was appointed Assistant Principal at Holmes Primary School, Maercker School District 60, Westmont, Ill. Paul O’Malley ‘12 , Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, was named Superintendent of Schools for Butler School District 53, Oak Brook, Ill. Rachel Sax ‘14 , M.A.T. in Special Education, has been named impact measurement manager at YWCA Evanston/North Shore. Amanda Schumacher ’15 , A.A.S. in Baking and Pastry, is a food scientist specializing in refrigerated dough products that are found in major grocery stores across the Midwest and southern regions. Darrell Williams ‘16 , B.S. in Management, was part of the team to be recognized by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) for Outstanding Technical Program/Project of the Year. Sara Baffoe ‘17 , M.S. in Counseling, was chosen as Telluride Education Association (TEA) School District’s Employee of the Month for January 2019. Hector Freytas ‘17 , Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, is the new Principal at Riverside Brookfield High School.
Hostel owners Emily and Christopher Obrist earn “Best Hostel in North America” Award for Maya Papaya. Hostelworld.com has named Maya Papaya, opened by Emily and Christopher Obrist, as its Best Hostel in North America. Maya Papaya, located in Antigua, Guatemala, also won Best Hostel in Guatemala in Hostelworld’s “HOSCARS” award, decided by the votes of hostel guests worldwide. Christopher and Emily earned bachelor’s degrees in hospitality management from Kendall College in 2013 and 2014, respectively. They married in 2014 in Antigua and opened Maya Papaya the same year. “We took what we knew from working in luxury hotels and applied those principles in a hostel model,” Emily said. The Maya Papaya concept is half hostel, half hotel. “Antigua is the tourism epicenter of Guatemala, and serves as a jumping off point for travelers. The way the shuttles work around the country is that they often only leave from Antigua, so we get a lot of repeat customers, which is a big part of our success,” said Christopher. Like any great couple, the two complement each other. “We’re good business partners because we have completely opposite talents,” Christopher said.“Emily handles the interior design, PR and marketing, and a lot of the communication between the hostel and our guests. I have always been focused on food and beverage and have more interest in overall management than she does.” The couple’s son, Adrian, was born in August 2018. Their dogs Maya and Hugo are also a big hit with guests.
20 National Louis University VIEW | SPRING 2022
Powered by FlippingBook