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Welcome Class of 2014!
Melissa Andrusiak - I live in Calgary, AB and have all my life. I have a degree in Kinesiology and since then I have worked for different health charities, most recently as the Manager of Programs & Services for the Canadian Diabetes Association. I love talking about health, helping people make changes to live better lives, but I wasn't really where I wanted to be.
About a year ago I took the doula training and have been taking a few doula clients a month, in the past year I have been lucky enough to attend 20 births, it's been a busy and amazing year.
I blame my mother for leading me down this path, she was always an advocate for natural birth and breastfeeding, so much so she would change the channel if there was a "typical" labouring, screaming women on TV, because that is not what birth is! So I've always had in the back of my mind that I want to help women have the kind of birth my mother talked about, and when my friends started having babies they need increased and here I am!
Sara Alvarado My name is Sara Alvarado and I hail from the south-most border of Texas. Y'know...the little tip at the bottom of the country right next to Mexico.
I always knew I wanted to be a doctor, so most of what I did in my formative years was aimed at discovering what kind of practitioner/human I wanted to be.
During college I worked as a health educator for Planned Parenthood and a labor organizer for SEIU. My heart has always been in grassroots mobilization/organizing and my college years were filled with this, specifically surrounding reproductive rights and women's rights, which was very...fulfilling.
After I graduated from college, I worked as a case manager with AmeriCorps for individuals experiencing homelessness in Austin, TX while I applied to medical schools in Texas. Toward the end of that year, I found out about Bastyr and discovered I could pursue a naturopathic medical degree with the option to complete a midwifery course of education. I could study to be a doctor and potentially deliver babies/care for women without being an OB/GYN? It's like they designed this for me or something.
One thing led to another and I found myself in the 2009 ND entering class. I'm now entering my 3rd year of ND school, currently on 2 clinic shifts at the clinic, and am really pleased and excited that some of us have the opportunity to pursue a dual degree in Midwifery under the new Masters program.
I live with two other ND students, who are my Seattle family. I also work for an ND a few times a week who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. I'm REALLY loving this. I'm known for nerding-out on histology and have worked as a TA for the past year.
Lauren Beam - Hola, I’m Lauren. I was born in San Francisco, grew up in Los Angeles and live in Oaxaca, Mexico, which is quite a change. I have two lovely boys 12 and 15 years old who have seen enough birth videos for their lifetimes and a sweet, supportive boyfriend (from Jalisco, Mexico) with two more kids, boy 15, and girl 20 years old. I have lived in Oaxaca for 8 years and happy to say I am bilingual and bicultural. After two birth experiences that left me a bit unsatisfied, I trained as a doula. Although I put it off for years because of money, time, kids, job prospects, etc, my midwifery calling wouldn’t go away and I completed a traditional midwifery program called Luna Llena here in Oaxaca. I have had the honor to get to know many Oaxacan granny midwives.
I am excited to start this program at Bastyr because I fell in love with the school’s mission, midwifery curriculum and I need more training and practice as a midwife to practice solo if needed and become a leader in the field. I have a project called madreluz (in Spanish, to give birth is “dar a luz” or give light), which includes my midwifery services and classes that I teach and hand made Oaxacan textile products that I design for mommies and babies and sell in Mexico which helps to satisfy my love for arts and crafts. It is truly an extraordinary opportunity and I am grateful to be part of the group.
Nichole Burns - Hi everyone! So nice to meet you all... I look forward to getting to know you in person over these next three years. I was born and raised in Seattle, and I'm so passionate about it here! No matter where I travel to, when I get back to Seattle I just think it is the most beautiful place on this Earth. I'm 25 and single with no children, and live with my sister who is two years younger than myself. I absolutely love to travel and also to go see live music. In fact, I'm currently dating and amazingly in love with the bass player of a band here in Seattle.... which has been a very fun and adventurous journey so far. When I'm not in class I tend to jam pack the rest of my day with spending as much time as possible with my family and friends here in Seattle. I feel like that balance is essential to keeping me energized. Another huge part of my life is nannying and spending time with kids and such has been the case since I was about 12. I feel like my life is constantly surrounded with children! I care so much about their well-being, and am really excited to integrate the birthing process into my career.
I’ve been in school my entire life, with the exception of the year after i graduated from college (SPU). During that year I managed a doctor's practice in Edmonds. She is the one that introduced me to naturopathic medicine. I was in the process of applying to allopathic medical school and had no idea naturopathic medicine even existed. One day I was telling the doctor I worked for about my philosophy of healthcare and she said "it sounds like you should be a naturopath." She became my mentor concerning naturopathic medicine, and I began the ND program at Bastyr just six months later. One of the things I was most excited for about the ND program is that I could do a dual-track midwifery degree. It has been my ultimate dream to practice pediatrics and deliver babies - and now that is going to be a reality! Some day I hope to have a gaggle of my own children, and at that time I would love to stay at home with them as much as possible. Perhaps I will go on to practicing midwifery alone, and focus on raising a family of my own!
Sarah Day - I live in Bellingham (north of Seattle about 1.5 hours) with my husband Pete. I was born here, but lived in a couple other states and in Singapore before returning to the NorthWest when I was in middle school. The early years of living abroad firmly rooted a love for other cultures and language in me, and I've since had the wonderful privilege of traveling and living in several other countries. In the long run, I would love to practice in a French or Spanish speaking culture.
For now, I live with my husband, Pete, in a cute 1920's apartment that is jammed full of plants and raised beds and a good number of $3.99 bottles of wine from our local grocery outlet. We love to host and are blessed with an abundance of family and friends.
For me, Midwifery is an integration of the loves I have always had. I didn't actually discover the field till about 2 years ago, but when I was young, I had wanted to go into medicine. Then post high school I spent time serving Sudanese refugees in Cairo, Egypt, and a love for women's issues and human rights advocacy grew in me. I studied International Affairs and Psychology in college, and then after more time overseas and further exploration of psychology and international non-profit work, I became a Doula. When I attended my first birth, it was pretty clear that not only was the world of birth a unique intersection of my passions, but also, I was completely energized by the process and by how much it fit my personality and competencies. And voila! Here I am today.
Carly Erickson I'm Carly! I currently live in Kirkland, WA. I live with my husband CJ, and our 3 cats, Pumpkin, Ian and Izzy. I just started my 3rd year of the ND program at Bastyr and am looking forward to starting the midwifery program with you all!. I have always had an interest in women's health and prior to coming to Bastyr I thought I would go to allopathic medical school to become an OB/GYN; however, after filling hundreds of prescriptions for people as a pharmacy tech through college I realized I wanted to take a much more natural approach to health care. Unfortunately delivering babies isn't part of the ND scope of practice by luckily Bastyr is offering the ND students the opportunity to do this midwifery dual track option with our ND. It's the best of both worlds.
I am originally from Minnesota...and can't wait to head back and practice there when I am done with school. I never thought I would miss the 100 degree summers and -40 winters! I have realized I am so not a city girl! Both my husband and I are from the same home town. We are high school sweethearts! We actually went to daycare together when we were 4 (hold the "..ooohhhh's"; not as cute as you think. He actually wanted nothing to do with me at the time and wouldn't let me into the tree house!) The even funnier part is in 5th grade someone said that we should date because we both had the initials CJ (my maiden name is Johnson, now my second middle name) and I said no, I would never date a CJ because my whole family are CJ's, including my sister-in-law. Well to quote Justin Bieber "Never say never"!
When I am not in class or at clinic, I work in the bookstore at Bastyr and work as the student supplement rep for Pure Encapsulations.
Maren Fuller My name is Maren Fuller. I'm 30 years old and I live in Ketchum, Idaho with my husband and my little furbaby, Stymie, who is a 12 year old mini schnauzer. Ketchum is a fun little ski town right in heart of Idaho (Sun Valley Ski Resort). I work as a prenatal massage therapist, birth doula, infant massage instructor and aspiring herbalist. When we're not working, we spend lots of time outdoors enjoying our mountain surroundings by mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, camping, skiing, snowshoeing and much more. We're excited to get to move around for the next couple of years during school so we can experience all of these things in some new places.
I have been moving toward this path for a long time without even knowing it as I trained in prenatal massage and then as a birth doula. I have become very passionate about normal birth and very eager to be able to make a bigger contribution in my community and my state where the field of midwifery is just being recognized.
Neva Gerke - My name is Neva Gerke. I live in Orting, Washington, which is a tiny town in one of the foothills of Mt. Rainier. I live with my husband Chris, and our sons, Joe (11) and Sai (3). The path in my life that has led me to midwifery involved the birth of my own two boys as well as watching my sister give birth to my niece in her home. I grew up in Wyoming, then served as a US Marine for 11 years and worked in corporate America for a few years, but for the past three years I have stayed at home to focus on my family while giving my husband the opportunity to fulfill his dream to become a firefighter. I knew when I returned to work or school it would have to be for just the right opportunity. I needed something that would fulfill me as a person rather than provide a paycheck. I vowed never to use my talents or hard work to help make other people rich ever again. More specifically, I want to help women directly, work as an activist, and eventually work and travel abroad for an non-governmental or non-profit organization. For me, becoming a midwife is just the right mix of all of these things and more.
Eve German - My name is Eve German and I'm from a little town in the great state of Delaware. I love riding my bike, reading beautiful books, swimming in fresh water (especially via bridge or rope swing), writing, gardening, yardening, playing baseball, and cooking. I'm so excited for classes to start! I just cannot wait to start learning!
My path to midwifery came out of nowhere for me. I literally never saw it coming. Up until just over two and a half years ago, the thought of being a midwife had never come even remotely close to my mind. I was studying English at my university and had concrete plans to become a professor, an editor, and an essayist. That all changed when I suddenly found myself talking to an old man in a tiny railroad track town who mentioned that his daughter was taking an exam for her midwifery course that week. Lightning struck, and my life changed forever.
The search for a program was scary and overwhelming, but Bastyr stood out early on, and for two years I actively prepared to be considered. So many powerful, educated, experienced, amazing, and dynamic women applied that I feel incredibly humbled and burstingly overjoyed to be given this chance to learn with and from such amazing women in such a special program. I wish the first day of classes was tomorrow! I can't wait to start learning! Guys! We get to be midwives!
Alyssa Hahn - Cheers to my fellow midwifery students and instructors!
My name is Alyssa. I also live on the north end of Seattle, in Greenwood. I am married to a wonderful man named Jeremy, am the mother to a beautiful 11 month old named Sage and also a cute dog named Cash. We live in a modest home that has an extra room and bathroom in the basement. Therefore, we almost always have at least one additional "family member" in our home. My husband and I are both very social and having that extra space to offer visitors has been and continues to be a true joy in our lives.
Jeremy and I both grew up in the Midwest. Specifically, I am from the southwest corner of Indiana. I graduated with my nursing degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2005. I lived in Chicago for a year, got married and immediately moved to Seattle with my husband. We have been here 5 years now and absolutely love it. Seattle and the Pacific Northwest are "home" to us now. Though we are far from our family and miss them dearly, this place uniquely feeds our souls and we have no plans to leave!
The path that brought me here is filled with many twists and turns. I will try to give you the short and condensed version. I fell in love with the female body and reproductive system in nursing school and became increasingly passionate about female reproductive health as I navigated some of my own health concerns. Since arriving in Seattle, I have been introduced to natural medicine and have shifted my focus towards alternative medicine as well. I am so passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and empowering others to do the same. Specifically, I desire to empower women to make strong decisions regarding pregnancy and birth, help provide more options surrounding this time period and thus transform the approach of the U.S. to pregnancy and birth. With the birth of my daughter in our home last September, my calling to this profession was solidified and I could not be more excited. We are going to be the change we want to see in this world!
Gabriele Haynes - My name is Gabbi, I live in Seattle with my husband Jason, our 2 year old daughter Madeline June, and our 10 year old dog, Brodi. Jason and I are both from a very small town in Kentucky and we have been together since I was 18...11 years now! We left Kentucky in 2003 for the Gulf Coast of Alabama where I spent time taking courses to meet the pre-reqs to attend vet school.
After 5 years in the south and much soul searching I knew that vet school was not what I really wanted, but I have always known that I would do something in the medical field and be a practitioner of some sort. In 2006 we came to Seattle on vacation and very soon after arriving here I knew this was where we were meant to live. The social and political environment suits us well here, and I don't mind the lack of sunshine after 5 years of scorching on the Gulf Coast ! So we returned home from our vacation and set about to make the big move. We sold our house and everything in it (we kept our clothes, pictures, dogs and cats) and then we bought an Airstream bus and drove almost 3000 miles to the "sunny" northwest. We came here without knowing anyone or what we would do here but still sure that it would work out. I had begun researching schools before the move and knew about Bastyr but wasn't yet familiar with the Midwifery industry. Shortly after arriving in Seattle (we made lots of friends quickly but that is another story for another day), several of my friends were pregnant and I found myself filling the role of doula before I really understood what it meant. This introduced me to the vast birth community in Seattle and the Midwifery Model of Care.
I became pregnant in 2008 and by that point I already knew I wanted to become a midwife. I delivered my 9 pound daughter in a tub in my living room with the help of two very lovely midwives and that was the motivation I needed to stop talking about becoming a midwife and start doing it.....and here I am!!!! I can't wait to embark on this transformative journey!
Tanya Letkeman Hi, my name is Tanya. My husband and I live in Winkler which is a small city in southern Manitoba. We both grew up here and enjoy the "small town" atmosphere. We have two adorable nephews and the sweetest baby niece that we love to spoil! I enjoy running, biking, golfing, cooking, yoga and attempting to grow my own vegetables.
In 2008 I completed a degree in Human Nutritional Sciences at the University of Manitoba. After graduating I worked in the nutrition/healthy living field. I enjoyed my work with nutrition but I wanted to do more. One of the courses that I enjoyed the most in my nutrition degree was a maternal and infant nutrition class. As I was exploring my options this kept coming back to me. Midwifery is fairly new to my area but with friends starting to have babies I had the opportunity to hear their stories. My interest in pregnancy and babies grew with each one and I realized that I found my passion. In the past two years I have had opportunities to connect with midwives and doulas in my area and I am so excited to begin my journey to becoming a midwife.
My husband and I love to travel, we enjoy road trips in summer and escaping the cold in winter! We are excited to see where these next three years will take us.
Jenn Linstad My name is Jenn, and I live in Kent, WA with my 3 and 5 year old human kids, my grown husband kid, one lab/husky mix 5 month old canine kid, and a little old lady cat. I love my house - we live on a half of an acre butting up to a wetland, so we have lots of room for running around, exploring, and for my big organic garden.
I have been a doula for about 2 1/2 years, and received my midwifery assistance training and certificate last March from the midwives on The Farm. It was an experience that changed everything. I had been on the path to become a CNM, had applied to and been waitlisted at Seattle University, but after being with those amazing midwives for that very intense week, it all became clear to me that I did not want to be a midwife within the organization of a hospital, but wanted to be a homebirth/birth center midwife.
I just cannot WAIT to be surrounded by you ladies, learning from each other, and helping each other to become a part of such an amazing occupation. While on The Farm, Ina May was talking about the history of midwifery and the connection of midwifery, historically (and I imagine in parts of the world, currently) to witches, so when I think about becoming a midwife, I amuse myself by thinking - awesome! I am about to become a witch!
Etahl Mesika - Hi, My name is Etahl and I remember having an interview for the program and being asked: "How do you feel about being with strong opinionated women?" and I never answered the right answer which would be: how exciting it must be to finally be with a group of people strong and powerful that are going to do something amazing together!!!
The last week has been a very big transformation in my life since my sister Maayan gave birth and we have a new 5.5 pound baby named LAVI addition to our very small family. Since I will be leaving Israel soon to come live in the states (Bellingham) I hope that you all will be my new family and friends. I will be coming with my husband and friend Tal and our cat Buli. I am excited to be part of this journey since I have been waiting for it since the first birth I attended a very long time ago.
Arya Pretlow - I've been looking forward to getting started with the Midwifery program all summer. Let's see...where to begin?
I live in the north end of Seattle with my husband, our dog, and three young cats. I am a a Certified Purna Yoga Instructor at the 2,000-hr level, and former proprietress of Maple Leaf Community Yoga. I closed the studio last summer when I decided to return to school in preparation for this program. I have practiced yoga for 14 years and have been teaching since 2002. Now that my studio is closed and school is starting, I am only teaching private instruction in client's homes. For years, however, my focus was on yoga for women's health, particularly during the childbearing years. To that end, I taught prenatal & postnatal yoga classes, workshops about fertility and conception, and - my favorite - a workshop dedicated to pelvic floor health. Aside from yoga, I am an avid dancer, obsessed knitter, and enthusiastic fitness buff. I also have two blogs - one dedicated to the exploration and discussion of personal style, the other a more philosophical offering of my life experiences.
It was life experiences that got me started on the path to midwifery. Shortly after apprenticing to become a prenatal yoga teacher, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy (in 2006). About a year later, I attended the Seattle Midwifery School doula training. I wanted the education in order to deepen my prenatal yoga classes, but I also felt that somehow it would help with my emotional healing from the pregnancy. It succeeded in both areas and was a great stepping stone on my way to this program. I kept learning and teaching, and attended some births (especially this past year), and eventually remembered a calling I felt as a young adult - a calling to midwifery.
So I made my way here.
Lisa Stotts - Hello, I finally made it. My name it Lisa Stotts, I was born in Oregon and currently live in Buckley WA with my darling husband Ty and son Corbin. Ty and I dated for 3 months long distance before running off to Vegas to get hitched. As the story goes... I was pregnant 6 weeks later and this is how I was introduced to midwifery. I have worked as a paramedic for 9 years now and really wanted to set myself up for a birth that was not traumatic or emergent. Fortunately, the care I was given was way more than I expected and I can not wait to give this gift to others.
Our house is 104 years old, where I love having people over to eat and play ping pong. Hopefully, we will be able to add a pickle-ball court in the backyard as a graduation celebration. I also like going to the Saturday market and am currently trying to master the art of the BBQ.
I am excited to get to know everyone and experience this journey with such accomplished people.
Behiye Yenikomsu - My name is Behiye (easier said than read!), I'm 25 y/ o and live in Duvall, WA with my husband and 2 daughters, Asiya-5 and Meram-2. I lived in Washington for almost 6 years now and was in Florida before that (where I was pursuing an English degree). I am half Turkish & half American and so I speak English and Turkish. We travel to Turkey when we can to visit family.
My passion for childbirth I believe started somewhere in middle school. Movie scenes, pictures, stories and anything related to a woman having a baby was interesting to me. I remember not understanding why parents changed the channel during a birthing scene in a movie or documentary.
When I became pregnant with Asiya I remember being asked "midwife or OB?" and I thought.."oh a choice? I'll see a midwife!" At the time, I wasn't familiar with midwifery as Florida doesn't have very many of them. It was one of the best decisions ever. Although she was a CNM, and my birth was in a hospital, I felt the care she provided to me was extraordinary. I loved her constant presence and mothering nature, as I was so terrified when I went into labor.
A few weeks postpartum, I asked my husband, "what would you say if I became a midwife?" He was supportive then and still is now. I told him and anyone ask I just want to be there and make a mother to be feel the way I felt when I was giving birth. Whether it's the first time or the 5th time.
Needless to say my second birth was with a midwife as well with just as much satisfaction. I am down and determined to meet my goal and be the midwife I envision myself as. I feel like for me, there is no better job in the world, and sometimes I think it would be hard to even consider it a "job".
Right now I am a Doula and attend a birth every here and there. I have attended I think 7 or 8 births since I was trained last year.
Rebecca Zollinger - My birth name is Rebecca but most people call me "Becca". I live in beautiful Gig Harbor, Washington with my husband Mitchell and our fabulous son of 6 months Ezra. There are now 4 generations of our family living on the same property! I am currently the owner of the herbal tea business Harbor Herbalist, and herbalism is what began my path to midwifery.
A few years ago I attended a botanical medicine program in Sonoma County California and one of the ladies I went to school with was a midwife assistant. She exposed me to the exciting world of birth, and I also got to meet many herbalist midwives who taught at my school, further luring me into the field. I knew I wanted to get involved with birth, so I started taking the pre-requisites for this program and, as it has probably happened for many of you, the world of midwifery just kept opening doors for me. I was able to get into the classes I needed, move comfortably back up to Washington state (where I grew up), consult as an herbalist for a midwife in my area who plugged me into the birth circuit, have a lovely pregnancy and home birth experience, and meet my future preceptor!
I feel so honored to have the herbal knowledge that I have gained in the past few years and also to be on this path towards becoming a midwife. I plan on staying in Gig Harbor, if possible, where my husband and I raise chickens, honey bees, and grow lots of our own food organically. We try to get out to the mountains at least twice a year to wild craft, sit in wildflower fields, and swim in the rivers.
I am a pretty avid advocate of herbalism, and wish that all people had access to knowledge of how to use herbs as well as access them. I also hope that, as midwives, we can offer women the information they need to make informed, empowering decisions about growing, birthing, and raising their babies.
Seattle Midwifery School | 4000 NE 41st Street, Building D, Suite 3 | Seattle WA 98105 | 800.747.9433 | info@seattlemidwifery.org