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Class Notes
Gürhan Elmalioğlu (’95) is currently the head of the Performing Arts Department at Maltepe University, where he has been teaching for 19 years. Gürhan began his teaching and acting career in 1999 after returning to Turkey with an MFA in Acting from Penn State. Since then, he has taught, performed, and choreographed stage combat for various productions.
Last year, he founded his family theater company, Fanzin Theater, debuting with their play The Fairies of Shakespeare. In their first year, they performed 20 shows and have already started the new season with three additional performances. Gürhan and his team are enjoying the opportunity to bring engaging performances to young audiences. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2947760/
Eric JJ Moslow (’08) graduated with a BA in Theater from Buffalo State in 2008 after transferring from SUNY Erie. During his time at Buffalo State, he served as the Scene Designer for Betty's Summer Vacation (2007) and Assistant Set Designer for Hair (2008). After graduating, he freelanced for a year before attending Illinois State University, where he earned his MFA in Scene Design in 2012. With experience from both Buffalo State and Illinois State, he was hired as the Technical Director and Scene Designer for The Starlight Theater at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois.
In the fall of 2020, Eric accepted the position of Technical Director for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology. As a hearing individual, this role provided him the opportunity to begin learning a new language and to explore ways to make theater more accessible for all. https://www.ericmoslowdesigns.com/
Bryan Figueroa (’10) is currently focused on voice acting. He has freelanced with Atlas Talent Agency and created and performed in an action-adventure indie audio drama series, Everlasting Shenjiu, which is available on YouTube and Spotify. Since launching the series, Bryan has directed and performed alongside over 20 voice actors from around the world, including talent from the U.S., Canada, Australia, Malaysia, and Japan. https://x.com/MrBryanFigueroa https://www.instagram.com/mrbryanfigueroa87/
Gabaccia Moreno ('11) is a first-generation multimedia storyteller, consultant, and passionate outdoor advocate. Growing up, her visits to the Maya forest gave her an early appreciation for the land and its wildlife. Today, she serves as the Executive Director of The Outdoorist Oath, an organization that creates educational tools and equips people to support planet, inclusion, and adventure. She is also an ambassador for Leave No Trace and Sawyer Products. Gabaccia has served as the National Monuments Fellow for the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, participating in campaigns that seek to make the outdoors more equitable while protecting shared ecosystems. Her media credits include guest hosting and producing for the She Explores and Dirtbag Diaries podcasts, as well as contributions to Backpacker.com. In her free time, you’ll likely find her outdoors—fishing, hunting, hiking, or backpacking.
Ashlin Victoria (Liszka) Marchese (’14) is currently the pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Williamsville, New York, and is working on a Doctorate in Ministry through United Lutheran Seminary at the Gettysburg campus. Her studies focus on death, grief, and dying, and on equipping congregations for meaningful conversations around death. The church she serves emphasizes social ministry, and their biggest initiative is the Annual Harvest House Community Baby Shower. This annual event has grown into an interfaith program aimed at stocking and replenishing Harvest House’s baby and children’s ministry. Harvest House Buffalo serves about 8,000 families per year, and through this effort, they are able to help them better meet families’ needs comprehensively, not just partially.
Christina Metauro (’14) recently marked her ninth year living in Brooklyn, NY. She works as an Executive Assistant and enjoys doing background roles for film and television. Recently, Christina has begun traveling more and hopes to do some international travel in 2025.
Enya-Kalia Jordan ('17) is a choreographer from Brooklyn, New York, and a doctoral dance candidate at Texas Woman’s University. She holds a BA in Arts & Letters with a focus in Dance from Buffalo State University and an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Temple University. Enya-Kalia is the proud founder and artistic director of Enya Kalia Creations (EKC), a movement-based artistic collective established in 2016, and she serves as the co-executive director of Bashi Arts.
Amanda Marzolf (’17) After graduating in 2017, Amanda worked as a professional piercing artist until 2024. In 2019, she joined Buffalo State, initially as an assistant to the CIO and Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications, then as the assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs. She is now the Executive Assistant to the Dean of the School of the Professions. Additionally, she is in the process of launching an online business, Aura Adornments, where she will sell body jewelry and handmade textiles.
Amanda remains involved in the world of performance arts as a student at The Slyboots School of Music, Art & Dance, where she is engaged in cultural arts education and performance. She is also continuing her education at Buffalo State University in the Creativity and Change Leadership graduate program, further expanding her skills to drive positive change in both her professional and personal life.
Rachel DeForrest Repinz (‘18) graduated from Buffalo State University with a BA in Arts and Letters: Dance and Design. Since, she earned an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Temple University, and is a current PhD in Dance candidate at Texas Woman's University. Professionally, Rachel serves as the Advisor of Dance and Disability for the National Dance Education Organization, is an adjunct professor in Temple University’s Dance Department, and serves as a Staff Writer and Editorial Board member for thINKingDANCE, a Philadelphia-based dance publication. Currently living in Brooklyn, NY Rachel has been awarded as a Dance/NYC ‘Disability. Dance. Artistry.’ Dance and Social Justice Fellow (2023), and founded/artistically directs RACHEL:dancers (spoken as Rachel and Dancers), a multi-modal dance performance company, as well as co-directs a collaborative performance arts project, Bashi Arts, with fellow Buffalo State alumna Enya-Kalia Jordan. https://racheldeforrestrepinz.com/
Jake Grear (‘23) is the Arts Education Coordinator at Shea’s Performing Arts Center. Here he creates, coordinates, and executes yearly programming for students all across WNY. In his first year, his programming reached nearly 7,000 students. Outside of this position, he is a professional actor and stage manager for regional productions in Buffalo, NY. He credits his time in the Buffalo State Theater department with introducing him to the most important skills that he uses in his career everyday. Jake's Website; Shea's Education Website