🎓 Give your grad the gift of a lifetime

Where in the World Is Blue? – Winter 2023-24

U-M alums share their travel photos.

Read time: < 1 minute

As you travel around the world or around the block, show us your Michigan pride! Don your Maize and Blue or Block M and snap a photo. Then email it to [email protected] or share it on social media with #WhereInTheWorldIsBlue. Include the graduate years for all alumni appearing in the photo and a description of the location. Due to the high volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee your photo will appear in the magazine. We publish only those photos submitted by Alumni Association members. By submitting your photo, you agree that the Alumni Association may also use it in its marketing and communication materials.

Perennial globetrotter Julie Bockoff, ’87, took her Maize and Blue flag to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park in July 2023. The flag has been everywhere with her as she’s journeyed across all seven continents.

In September, Deborah Djeu, ’84, her husband, Doug Neubrand, and their (off-camera) daughter, Caty Neubrand Ross, ’22, took in the awe-inspiring sights of Kilauea at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

In August, former U-M regent Andrea Fischer Newman, ’79, and her friend Andrea Joyce, ’76, journeyed to the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic.

During a recent trip to Barcelona, Spain, Mariana Flatt, ’01, proudly represented the University while running, stopping to take a photo in front of the Arc de Triomf. Mariana is also a registered nurse anesthetist at Michigan Medicine.

Toby Igo, ’22, flew the Maize and Blue as he traveled the western U.S., including treks through the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park (pictured).

Lindsay Madejski, ’09, her husband, Nick, and future Wolverines, Felicity and Lucas, sport their Maize and Blue best to cheer on U-M in the Fiesta Bowl last year and celebrate New Year’s Eve on Aruba’s Palm Beach.

Sheldon Rich, ’81, gifted a U-M sweatshirt to his safari guide, Joseph Koyie, while visiting Nairobi, Kenya. While it was certainly given in appreciation for Joseph’s work, there was an ulterior motive. The guide mentioned that Michigan State University researchers were in the area to study hyenas, and Sheldon could not leave without responding to the Spartans.

In November, Kathy, ’81, and Pete Sittnick, ’81, enjoyed Ohio State’s football loss to U-M from the beaches of Jimbaran Bay, Bali.

Jenel Steele Wyatt, ’98, MD’02, took her children, Camille and Malcolm, on vacation in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the Thanksgiving holiday. They also enjoyed watching the Wolverines defeat the Buckeyes.

Jeffrey Zachem, ’20, took a moment to take a proud photo in the Main Square of the Old Town in Bratislava, Slovakia. Directly behind the Roland Fountain is the Palugyay palace; to the left is the palace of the Hungarian exchange bank.

In September, the Weisman clan representatives Stuart, ’78, Joshua, ’06, and Jackson Weisman (tentatively scheduled to graduate in 2041) were ready for Maize Out on the opening day of the Wolverine football season in Ann Arbor.

Mark Bookman, ’87, his wife, Mary, and some of their friends spent two weeks traveling in Vietnam in May 2023, giving Mark the opportunity to take this picture at the Ngoc Son Temple on an islet in Hoan Kiel Lake in central Hanoi.

Robert Burnham, ’71, MSE’74, visited the Hungarian Parliament during a recent trip.

Logan and Matthew Daitch, ’93, visited the Munich Residenz palace in Munich, Germany, in August 2023.

In July 2023, a group of alums enjoyed the Colorado River with a rafting expedition. From left to right: Caleb Fisher, ’20, Laura Sullivan, ’12, Kirk Christoffersen, ’90, Matt DeYoung, ’96, Bob Hume, ’74, JD’76, and Marshall Rutz, ’71.

Eric Johnson, ’89, and his wife, Wendy Rosen, visited the Temple of Apollo near Delphi, Greece, in September 2023.

Scott Grenier, ’13, and Nina Gavrilovic, ’13, posed with their U-M football banner and some penguin friends in the background during a recent trip.

In October, Rayna Handelman, MBA’96 (behind the camera), and her dog celebrated U-M’s football victory over Minnesota in the annual “Little Brown Jug” battle.

Cindi Hopkins, ’71, MA’75, took a U-M trip to tour Peru in fall 2022.

John A. Hamilton, ’72, and his wife, Lisa, visited the Nevada-side of the Hoover Dam, with the Colorado River in the background.

Tom, ’84, and Heather Levin visited the famous Tiger’s Nest in Paro, Bhutan, in October 2023.

Alex Marston, ’10, and his mom, Eileen Horowitz Marston, ’78, celebrated the Wolverine’s 1000th football win in November.

Alex, ’11, and Meagan Mitchell, ’11, MSW’1, unfurled their Maize and Blue spirit on the edge of the Mekong river during a recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Julie Powell, ’90, and her family and friends supported the Wolverines at every football game this past year, whether at home in Ann Arbor or away in Nebraska.

Laura Romeo, ’83, JD’86, and her son, Travis Tucker, ’22 (both in the middle of the back row), utilized Michigan Alumni Travel to meet with other alums aboard the Ocean Victory for a tour of Antarctica in January 2023.

Lisa Sasaki, ’87 , took time to pose with a koala during a recent trip to Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, to see the Women’s World Cup.

Richard J. Simons, MDRES’84, kept U-M close to his chest during a hike in Park City, Utah.

Albert Steck, ’77, sent in this “gourd”-geous portrait of his family from Scio Township, Michigan. In the back row, left to right: Andrew Steck, ’03, Becky Steck, ’03, and current student Hannah Ivie. In the front row, left to right: Front Row L-R: future Wolverines Rose Steck and John Steck, Vickie Steck, and future Wolverine Audrey Steck. Fun fact: Albert grew all the gourds in his own garden.

Four alums celebrated friendship and good health on a hiking trip in the Pyrenees mountains, on the border of Spain and France, during a September 2023 trip. From left to right are: Steve Wachs, ’86, MA’02, Tereze Steinhoff, ’86, DDS’90, Allise Wachs, ’86, MA’87, MS’93, PhD’98,and Edward Steinhoff, MBA’86.

Alicia Urbain, ’96, and current U-M students Genevieve Urbain, Lucy Gibson, and Charlotte Gibson took their U-M pride to the Japan Pavilion at EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Become a Member Today!

Your membership dollars allow us to tell stories that celebrate U-M alums’ achievements and their impact in the world. Support this work and get access to all Michigan Alum articles by joining today.

Where in the World Is Blue? – Winter 2023-24

Become a Member Today!

Santa Ono Celebrates AAPI Contributions to U-M With Alums

Building Equity Through Education

Fast Chat: Sohair Holman