Most beautiful people (April 2013)

42 • APRIL 2013

A while back, we began asking readers to send us nominees for a Most Beautiful People feature. We quickly found out that Norwich has a lot of local beauty. The submissions we received were wide-ranging - from a grandmother to a penguin trainer to Mrs. Connecticut. Thank you to everyone who sent in nominations for this feature. It wasn’t easy narrowing the �eld down to the people you are about to meet on the following pages!

MORE THAN PRETTY FACES

Photography by Eric Tetreault

NorMag_April_Master.indd 42 3/6/13 10:23 AM

norwichmag.com • 43

Vanassa Sebastian had a blast being Mrs. Connecticut 2012. So much fun, in fact, the Norwich native got a little sad thinking about passing along the honor this spring.

Don’t expect the nurse anesthetist, wife and mom to slow down though. In addition to being pageant-beautiful, Sebastian is a tireless volunteer (for Special Olympics, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Dress for Success) and a proud breast cancer survivor. Sebastian was diagnosed in 2011 with invasive breast cancer. She credits a positive attitude, supportive family, excellent medical care and faith with her recovery.

A member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Perry, Maine, Sebastian grew up in Norwich and lives in Ledyard with her husband, Brian, and daughter, Tyah Marie.

Sebastian


44 • APRIL 2013

Her son’s obsession with a popular childhood fascination has led Sarah Edmond into an unexpected side job – robot maker.

Edmond, a special education teacher at NFA’s Sachem Program and mother of three, decided that for her son’s fourth birthday party, she would make each of his friends a stu�ed robot. The cuddly bots were so popular, Edmond started getting requests. In the past year or so, she’s made 600.Each one of the toys, called GrinchyBots (grinchybots.com), is a unique combination of fabric, buttons and other embellishments. Edmond also makes special bots called Memory Bots, in which she incorporates a T-shirt or other piece of fabric that holds special meaning. She has made such bots for children who lost a parent.

Edmond, a lifelong resident of Norwich, is married to Craig Edmond, and they have three children, Abby, Sadie and Max. The kids play an important role in GrinchyBot production.

“They’re my hug-testers,” Edmond, 34, said. “Each bot has to pass the test before adoption.”

(Photograph by Shannen Lathrop Patnoad)

Marshall Edmond



You may not recognize Chelsea Ennis from this picture, but if you have attended a Norwich Free Academy homecoming in recent years, you de�nitely saw her.

In addition to being a science teacher at Teachers’ Memorial Middle School in Norwich, once a year Ennis dons the Wildcat costume and greets fans at the annual homecoming tailgating party at NFA.

A resident of Preston and graduate of NFA, Ennis is in her �rst year of teaching sixth grade science at Teachers’ Memorial.

“Something I �nd special about being a teacher in Norwich is the atmosphere and comradery that can be felt as you walk into any school, which is true for the students and visitors alike,” said Ennis, who is the daughter of Ken and Gale Ennis.Ennis


46 • APRIL 2013

When she was a freshman at Norwich Free Academy, Mackenzie Williams had an experience she credits with putting her on the path to success. While at a curriculum fair, school Diversity Director Leo Butler introduced Williams to the headmaster, saying, “We’re expecting great things from this one.”

In her own words, “Not only did Mr. Butler take the time to see something great in me but he cared enough to make sure that others could see it as well. More importantly he helped me to see it in myself.”

Williams, a daughter of Ramona Williams, graduates this June and is headed to college. She was the recipient of the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship. Williams also tutors, teaches Sunday school, is a member of the Science National Honors Society and is involved in music and theater programs at NFA.

Williams



Lisa Pabon was born and raised in Norwich. A Ledyard High School graduate, the 20-year-old lives in Norwich with her husband, Jamain, and their daughter, 2-year-old Jalisa.

She is an aspiring model, having done recent work with Europa Photography. Pabon is also a life-long dancer, trained in various styles of dance. She could take her talent elsewhere, but Norwich is in her heart.

“I love Norwich, I always have. It’s home,” said Pabon.

When not pursing her dreams, Pabon is a poker associate at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Pabon

cardoza

Delgado Vincent

You know two people are close when they �nish each other’s sentences. And when they show up to get their picture taken in matching out�ts without planning it.

During their decades-long friendship, Jeanette Cardoza, 83, and Roberta Vincent, 68, have become inseparable pieces of each other’s lives. They are life-long members of and served as o�cers in the Cape Verdean Society, participated in American Legion functions with their husbands, Manuel Cardoza and John Vincent, and love going dancing.

“We’re twins,” said Vincent. “We’ve had so much fun together.”

Vincent was born and raised in Norwich, and in recent years moved to New London.

“My heart is in Norwich,” said Vincent, who is secretary of the Norwich Arts Center board and president of St. Anthony’s Chapel Fund.

Cardoza moved to Norwich when she was 18 years old. She lives in Preston now. She worked at Backus Hospital and the Norwich State Hospital and enjoys painting. When she was younger, she studied under Voluntown resident and renown portrait artist Foster Caddell.


48 • APRIL 2013

By Lisa Miceli Feliciano

It was their dentist who �rst noticed the Garstka twins’ interest in teeth. As children, both girls enjoyed visits to the dentist, and always had lots of questions about what dentists and hygienists did.

After the sisters graduated from the University of Connecticut with degrees they had little interest in applying, Deb decided to go back to school and become a dental hygienist. Soon, Laura’s dentist asked her why she wasn’t doing the same thing.

Now 30 years old, Laura and Deb are both dental hygienists. They enjoy working with their patients, and as Laura puts it, are “friendly, excited about teeth, and a desire to help people.” Both women have also both volunteered at a Romanian orphanage, cleaning teeth.

The Garstka twins, daughters of Jeanne and Steve Garstka, grew up in Taftville and graduated from Norwich Free Academy. Laura still lives in Taftville. Deb lives in Middletown with her husband, Brian Gibeault.

Garstka

Family

There's nothing more beautiful than a newborn.

Joseph and Joy Zuzel welcomed daughter Maribelle Ellen to the world Jan. 25. The infant was just 3 weeks old when

this photo was taken.

Maribelle is the granddaughter of Norwich residents and business owners Jeanne and Timothy Zuzel. New dad, Joe, grew up in Norwich. Joe, Joy and Maribelle currently live in Willimantic.



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Not many people get to go to work everyday and hang out with penguins. Josh Davis does.

The 2006 Norwich Free Academy graduate has, for the past year and a half, been a penguin trainer at Mystic Aquarium.

After earning a degree in animal science from the University of Connecticut, Davis secured an internship at the aquarium. He had wanted to work with whales and dolphins, but ended up with the sea lions and penguins.

“I just fell in love with it. I was the �rst all-penguin intern,” Davis, a Norwich resident, said with a laugh. He was hired on after his internship, and recently returned from South Africa, where he spent a few weeks volunteering with the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. His job was to prepare abandoned penguin chicks for ocean survival.

Davis is a son of Janice Cochran and Dwight Davis and a stepson of Tim Cochran and Lisa Davis.

Davis


50 • APRIL 2013

Rachel Thayer had a con�ict. After graduating from the University of Hartford, she wanted to pursue a career in fashion design. But she also wanted to stay in her hometown of Norwich.

“I applied to and was accepted to (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York,” said Thayer, a 2006 NFA graduate. “But I decided I wanted to stay in Norwich. I love it here. I really do.”

So, armed with a business management degree, Thayer started her own silk screening and custom signs business – Rachie T’s Artistic Solutions. The shop is located not far from her family’s marine store, Thayer Marine. In the beginning, Thayer worked at the marine store and at her �edging business. But Rachie T’s is now a full-time gig, and her clients include several local school and businesses.

thayer

Kurasz

“She always has a million ideas to save the world and here in our little world we see her as a super hero.”

Holly Kurasz’s husband, Allan Kurasz, sent Norwich Magazine this message along with a photo of his wife. He went on to say, “She’s smart, witty, funny and has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known and I would love to see her in your magazine.”

We had to meet this woman. It turns out, Holly Kurasz is a pretty fantastic person. She is a make-up artist, and she likes writing children’s books and spooky stories and spending time with her 3-year-old son, Allan, Jr. She’s even dabbled in the independent �lm business, working on making a movie based on a poem she wrote.

The Kurasz family lives in Plain�eld. Holly is pictured with her son, Allan.



As an elementary school student at The Integrated Day Charter School in Norwich, Kyle Baird went on a �eld trip to the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, to see a restaging of Man of La Mancha.

His dream of becoming a stage actor began that day.

Now 24 years old, Baird lives in New York City, where he is an actor and member of the Actors Equity Association. In 2011, he got the chance to perform on the stage that started it all for him, when he was cast in the Goodspeed Opera House’s Show Boat.

Although he’s o� in the big city now, Baird keeps close ties with Norwich. His mom, Sylvia Baird, and sister, Kia Baird, are both members of the Norwich Arts Center board.

Photograph by Ruon Harris

Baird


52 • APRIL 2013

Photos courtesy town of Preston unless otherwise noted.

Jen Vincent is surrounded by beautiful things everyday at work, and the sparkle can be a challenge.

“I have to make sure I bring home some of my paycheck,” Vincent joked, while standing over a jewelry display case at the shop, Simply Majestic, in Mystic. Besides being surrounded by bling, Vincent said the best part of the job is helping people pick out their engagement rings.

“I require they send me pictures of the wedding,” she said. “It’s nice to feel like part of someone’s family.”

And although she lives in Griswold, Vincent probably knows more about what’s happening in Norwich than most people. Her husband, Jason Vincent, is the economic development guy for Norwich Community Development Corp.

Vincent


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Most beautiful people (April 2013)