Congratulations to Annika Mihara '20!
She married Jay Mendez on September 6th at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and she says it was "an absolutely beautiful and magical day!"
Annika shares how they first met: "Somebody had backed into my car during my senior year at Pepperdine University and Jay was my service advisor at the collision center I went to. After the car was fixed, I asked him out for coffee and the rest is history!"
Congrats to these two, and best of luck as they embark on married life together!
Sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit
Congratulations to Annika Mihara '20!
She married Jay Mendez on September 6th at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, and she says it was "an absolutely beautiful and magical day!"
Annika shares how they first met: "Somebody had backed into my car during my senior year at Pepperdine University and Jay was my service advisor at the collision center I went to. After the car was fixed, I asked him out for coffee and the rest is history!"
Congrats to these two, and best of luck as they embark on married life together!
Congratulations to Ashton Riches '23!
She married Ryker Roskelley on August 21, 2026 in the Oakland LDS temple. Pictured from left to right are Tyler Riches '20, Sarah Riches, Ryker Roskelley, Ashton (Riches) Roskelley '23, Scott Riches '90, Lexie Riches (spouse of Connor Riches), Connor Riches '18.
Says Ashton: "We met at BYU (college) but served in the same mission (Curitiba South Brazil Mission) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at different times. I started a month after he went home."
Congratulations to Alexis Wise ‘09 and her husband Coulter King!
They welcomed their son, Elliott William King, on August 31st in New York City. In his first few weeks, Elliott has shown himself to be a calm, curious little guy with a serious appetite. Ashton (age 2) welcomed his younger brother with a mountain of stuffed animals.
Class Reunions
Members of the Classes of '91-'95 gathered this October at State Street Market for a reunion hosted by Christina Chu '93 and Alison Herzog '93. It's hard to believe that more than thirty years have passed since their time at Pinewood!
Members of the Class of 2006 gathered on Middle Campus with their families on August 29th for a reunion planned by Jeffrey Bien '06.
Graduation Update
Congratulations to Aidan Mahon '22, who graduated from the University of Oregon in June. He's now headed to the College of Chiropractic at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota.
Continuing Education
Congratulations to Carter Brady '20, who started medical school at University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford in August! Pictured left his his sister Reilly Brady '20, there to support him.
Local Theater
Middle Campus teacher and former Pinewood student Mandy Carmack '95 and alumna Shweta Ghosh '08 were excited to perform together in Sunnyvale Community Players' production of the musical “Into the Woods", which ran Sept. 6–27 at the Sunnyvale Theater. Mandy played the role of Jack's Mother and Shweta played The Harp and Sleeping Beauty.
Freshman Recognition
Congratulations to Riya Kolappa '26, who was recognized by Babson College for her work founding The Good Boost (as part of the Pinewood Social-Entrepreneurship Program) which aids small businesses and nonprofits with marketing.
Guest Speaker
Lindsay Stewart '98 is the co-founder of Stringr and Genna, two video and media technology companies. She joined class virtually to share her expertise with seniors in the Pinewood Social-Entrepreneurship Program.
Marathon Training
Congratulations to Annika Decker '21, who is training to run the 2027 Boston Marathon! At Pinewood, she played on the women's basketball team and went on to play at Tufts University; however, injuries cut her playing career short - which led to the beginning of her running career.
Says Annika, "I'm running to raise money for Tufts Medical Center, where donations support patient care, medical research, and innovation. No donation is too small, and every gift is truly appreciated by me and by the Tufts Medical community. Thank you so much for your support!"
Congratulations to Braxton Kimura '26, who was a 2026 recipient of the David H. Liu Memorial Scholarship presented by The Tech Interactive. Each year The Tech Interactive recognizes student volunteers who exhibit exceptional academic achievement, extracurricular involvement, and a strong commitment to "Inspiring the Innovator in Everyone."
Braxton has been an Innovator Program Volunteer since February 2024, through which he is responsible for guiding visitors, demoing exhibits, and applying STEM concepts in real-world settings. An engineering major at UC Berkeley, he applies this passion to inspiring others to explore technology and innovation as part of the Innovator Program.
Congratulations to Cameron Helvey '12, who recently began his tenure as Head of School of Oakwood School, an independent school in Morgan Hill, California serving over 700 students in preschool through 12th grade. Since graduating from Pinewood, Cameron has pursued a career in independent school education, receiving a B.A. from Brigham Young University, an M.A. from Columbia University, and most recently an Ed.D. from Vanderbilt University. Over the years, Dr. Helvey has held teaching, coaching, and leadership positions in private schools in Utah, China, New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, and California. He and his wife, Mckenzie, and their four children are thrilled to be back in the Bay Area and at Pinewood's sister school.