The Class of 2002

L-R: John Mardikian, Katie Markstein Mardikian ’02, Erik Grimm ’02, Skylar Powell Matthews ’02, Justin Laffer ’02, Danielle Laffer, Erina Angelucci ’02, Remley Dodge Arthur ’02, Doug Arthur ’99, Dave Matthews

OPPORTUNITIES TO REUNITE

KNIGHTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

From The Bishop’s School to San Sebastián, artist Natalia Wrobel ’07 has built a life shaped by curiosity, creativity and connection.

Growing up in a Polish-American family, Natalia spent the school year in La Jolla and summers in Warsaw. Her connection to Poland, her family’s history and the countryside continues to shape her identity, spiritual life and artistic practice.

Natalia credits Bishop’s with setting her on the path to becoming an artist. Here, she learned to exceed expectations, think creatively, trust her perspective and take initiative. Natalia's teachers and coaches nurtured her unique gifts while instilling the discipline she would need to build a career and business of her own. “They helped me discover my purpose,” she says. “I knew how fortunate I was to be a Bishop’s student, and I never took that opportunity for granted.”


At Bishop’s, Ms. Wepsic's art classroom became a sanctuary, while Mr. Mulgrew’s AP English class encouraged honest conversation and independent thinking. Natalia credits the broader Bishop’s community with giving her the confidence and foundation to pursue her passions.

After studying art history and studio art at Dartmouth College and completing residencies in New York City and Berlin, Natalia began her professional painting career. She has since lived and worked in Amsterdam, Cambridge, Santa Fe and Leucadia. Working primarily in oil on canvas, she creates large-scale abstract paintings exploring renewal, transformation, transcendence and the interconnectedness of all things.

Today, Natalia lives in San Sebastián, Spain, where she works from her painting studio while raising her young family abroad. She loves meeting people from different cultures, navigating daily life in another language and living close to the rest of Europe. Most meaningful of all, living in Spain allows her to remain close to Poland, visit extended family and share her ancestral home with her children.

Natalia's advice to students and young alumni is clear: “Pursue your passions, because they will sustain you spiritually when things get difficult.” And if moving abroad is part of the dream, she encourages others to go for it. “Regret and wondering ‘what if’ are far worse than any hurdles you will eventually overcome.”

Thank you Natalia for your dedication and service as an Alumni Association Board member for the past six years!

ALUMNI CAREER CONNECTIONS

Your Alumni Engagement Team is developing a more comprehensive career networking program to foster meaningful relationships and strengthen connections across generations of Bishop’s alumni.

You can help strengthen your alumni community in three simple ways:

1. Request to join the Bishop's Alumni Association LinkedIn Group here.
2. Add Bishop's to your education in your LinkedIn profile. Here's a guide.
3. To indicate your interest in participating in current and future programming, fill out this three-minute career survey.

Thank you for helping us build a stronger, more connected Bishop’s alumni community!

Kelly Senyei Siberio ’04, Chef & Founder, Just a Taste

2026 Career Day

L-R: Rebecca Jackson ’04, Elisa Iturbe, ’04, Salvador Avila Bretts ’04

Alumni Exploring the Future

Salvador Avila Bretts '04, vice president of growth at Murmuration, a nonprofit serving communities across the country, recently joined researchers, leaders, academics and journalists at More Human, an event centered on the question, "What makes us more human?" Speakers explored how AI is shaping the future and the human experience. While in Boston, Avila Bretts reunited with Elisa Iturbe ’04, and Rebecca Jackson ’04. Iturbe is an architectural designer, writer and educator who serves as assistant professor of architecture at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. Jackson works as the director of community programs for the YMCA of the North Shore in Massachusetts.

Reconnecting through STEM

Katie Vaughan ’09 and Naomi Wagner ’09 pursued their own areas of study and interest, and are now happily surprised to reconnect at the N= 1 Collaborative (N1C) Conference in Denver, advancing the field of individualized medicines for rare diseases. Vaughan works as a research consultant managing clinical trial data, and Wagner is a genetic counselor at UC San Diego Health.

L-R: Naomi Wagner ’09, Katie Vaughan ’09

Have you reunited with classmates recently? Send us a photo at tbsalumni@bishops.com.

We would love to feature you.

YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW

Campus Highlights

Yesterday

Associate Director of College Counseling, AJ Jezierski, has worked at Bishop's for 14 years. Throughout that time, he has seen many students graduate and flourish beyond the Quad. Recently, he wrote a lovely reflection for seniors.

Read it here.

Tomorrow

Campus is always buzzing with opportunities for alumni to return and remain part of the community. Here are some upcoming art events on campus:

The upper school fall play "Ada and the Engine" is at the Black Box Theater on campus until Friday, Nov. 6. Get tickets here.

From Nov. 4 to Dec. 2, Lukas Kapicka ’27 has artwork on display at the Manchester Library and Learning Center. To view the artwork, please email tbsalumni@bishops.com to schedule a tour with us so you can visit campus.

From Nov. 18 to Nov. 19, join us at the Taylor Performing Arts Center on campus for the Bishop's fall dance show "Breaking Boundaries." Get tickets here.

On Dec. 2, join the Bishop's School Choirs at St. Mary's Chapel for the Winter Concert performance, Luminous Night, including performances by the Middle School Singers, Bishop's Chorus, and the Bishop's Singers. For ticket information, please reach out to the Director of Choral Music, Dr. Christine Schaefer @ christine.schaefer@bishops.com.

Thank you for reading!

Questions, Suggestions, Thoughts or Other Inquiries?

Email the Alumni Engagement Office today! We would love to hear from you.

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