COMA Newsletter May 2016

Hello friends,

May has been a rather busy month. And as we head into June, the weeks seem to get busier and busier. Those with school holidays around the corner know what I mean. 

We lost music legend Prince who lived by his famous words, “A strong spirit transcends rules”. 

May and June also heralds Graduation season. I’m sure we all know a few graduates moving on from their safe zones into the exciting world of college. We look at them thinking, where has time flown? 

So I take this opportunity to congratulate all the 2016 graduates among us and share with you some wonderful words by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook in her commencement speech at University of California, Berkeley. 

“You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive. It is the greatest irony of my life that losing my husband helped me find deeper gratitude- gratitude for the kindness of my friends, the love of my family and the laughter of my children. My hope is that you can find gratitude- not just on the good days like today, but on the hard ones when you will really need it.”

“We can each define ambition and progress for ourselves. The goal is to work toward a world where expectations are not set by the stereotypes that hold us back, but by our personal passion, talents and interests. “

Until next issue…

Warm regards

Anu Kurian

GRADUATION 2016 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

So without further ado let’s felicitate our very own 2016 COMA graduates and give them three cheers for their hardwork & dedication and wish them all the best for the bright future that lies ahead! 

Adu Vengal

Proud Parents: Jacob & Meenu Vengal

Committed college: The Ohio State University

Other: Adu is a National Merit finalist

Nikita Sathiaprakash

Parents: Susha and Sathiaprakash.

Committed College: The Ohio State University

Career goals/majoring in: Initially pursuing nueroscience major. Interested to go to medical school after. 

Graduating from Marysville High School

Ian J. George

Proud Parents: Sam and Bindu George

College: The University of Connecticut

Graduating from St Charles Preparatory School

Gabrielle Menon

Proud parents: Vijay & MarLay Menon

Committed college: University of Dayton

Majoring in: International Business

Graduated from Dublin Coffman High School

Samyuktha Mangalassery (Samy)

Proud Parents: Sudha & Subodh

Committed college: University of California, Davis

Career goals/majoring in: PreMed Track, Majoring in BioChemistry and Molecular Biology

Nitin Gopinath

Proud Parents: Preethi Gopinath & Gopinath Haridass

Committed college: The Ohio State University

Career goals/Majoring in: Biomedical Engineering

 Edwin Oommen (Denny)

Parents: Thomas & Sheeja Oommen 

From: University of Cincinnati 

Major: Aerospace Engineering 

Career: Joined in US navy as Nuclear Engineer 

 Soumya Mary Kurian

Soumya Mary Kurian graduated from Indiana State University, College of Graduate & Professional Studies with a Masters in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner). She did her undergraduate degree from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.

“Receiving my graduate degree was indeed one of the most memorable moments in my life. Though quite challenging at times, I was so fortunate to have a group of wonderful friends and a very supportive family, who made the journey possible. The experience has taught me never to set limits on your dreams, and to transform challenges into learning opportunities.”

Soumya lives in Powell with her husband Anup Kurian Alex and their two boys Alex & Ben, ages 6 & 7. 

SPOTLIGHT

Designer Cake Art- By Omana Saju

Designer clothes, designer handbags, designer cars and now the latest rave to hit Kerala; Designer Cakes. Omana Saju is a Thrissur based cake designer who has taken Kerala by storm. 

Although she started with cakes for the family, she now designs cakes for weddings, engagements, birthdays, anniversaries and special corporate events. She describes her journey to success in these words. “A housewife for 16 years, cake designing has always been my secret passion that I pursued. I am not much of a cook, but I do enjoy baking. I took some basic baking and decorating courses and from then on kept experimenting and improving. The first cake I made was an instant “Hit” with family. Thereafter I received small orders from cousins and close friends. From then on there was no looking back. News of my cake decorating spread by word of mouth and the rest is history. I started my own Facebook page, which has really been the biggest contributor to the growth of my cake business. I remain ever grateful to my husband and kids who supported me and put up with the countless hours that I holed myself in the kitchen concentrating on orders that need to be completed meticulously. 

Most of my ingredients are from the US. I usually make vanilla, chocolate, butter and banana flavored cakes. Weddings, birthdays, religious events and corporate events are my specialty. When designing. cake, I take into account not just the tjeme of the special occasion, but also the personal style and interests of the customer, so that the cake reflects the person. Delicate hand crafted sugar flowers, caricatures of people, intricate lace work and piping, kids cartoon characters, bright colorful cupcakes and other fun patterns are all painstakingly sculpted by hand. 

No matter how small or big your event, I try to ensure that the first slice of cake that you consume is as fantastic as your special day. Many a time the cake has been the special attraction at an event. That is the most rewarding thing. 

My latest favorite is the engagement cake I designed for my niece Angela’s wedding. It’s simple, yet elegant with elaborate lace work. “

Omana now receives orders not only from friends and friends of friends, but also famous Kerala celebrities. She is also foraying into cake baking and decorating classes. So the next time  you are planning your special event back home, consider making it extra special with a cake from ‘Designer Cake Art’. You can check out Omana’s entire portfolio on Omana Saju Mohalan/fb.

PACHAKAM

Pineapple Jello Pudding- By Meera Hari

Light, colorful and easy to make, this pudding is perfect for a warm summers day. Kids and adults alike will love to tuck into this delicious dessert. 

Ingredients:

Sweetened condensed milk – 1 can

Orange jello powder- 1 small pouch

Crushed pineapple – 1 can

Directions:

Make jello according in instructions in packet overnight. 

Mix crushed pineapple, condensed milk and add jello after crushing it with a fork.

Keep Refrigerated and Serve with little – cool whip on top.

You could also try setting it in individual cups for a more distinctive presentation. 

COMA BUZZ

Grand baby news

Ex-President and long standing COMA patrons Mrs Gigi Mathew and Mr Mathew Ninan welcomed their first grand-daughter  Eliza Renee Mathew. Hearty congratulations to the family. God bless baby Eliza! 

Diya Sebastian’s Holy Communion

Diya Sebastian celebrated her First Holy Communion on May 7th, 2016 at St Brigid of Kildare Church. Holy Communion is one of the seven sacraments in the life of a Catholic and a very important one. In her words she had ‘the best day of my life’! Congratulations Diya!

Rachel Mathew- graduated to Scout Cadette

Rachel joined the Girl Scouts program in 1st grade as a daisy then brownie graduated to Scout Junior and now to Scout Cadette. Her next goal is to work towards becoming a Senior, and finally become a proud Scout Ambassador. We wish you all the best in your journey Rachel!

YOUTH ZONE

Spring Break in Colorado- By Diya Sebastian (Age 7)

For spring break we went to Colorado Springs. We stayed at a resort called Cheyenne Mountain Resort. It was a beautiful place surrounded by big mountains. 

The first day was cold, so we did some swimming and walked around the resort. 

The second day we went on a train ride on Pike’s Peak Railway that took us all the way up the mountains to 11,000 feet above ground. Our tour guide told us that The Pike’s Peak Railway started in 1891 and is the highest railway in North America and the entire northern hemisphere. The mountains are made of a special red granite made of feltzpar, mica and quartz. (I read those words in the souvenir my parents bought me.)

We saw lots of snow capped mountains, ponderosa pines, aspen trees, giant rocks and when we got right to the top, we could see Kansas! They let us get down at 10,000 feet. My brother and I played in the snow and had a snowball fight! 

The third day was the best day ever! We visited the Colorado Children’s Museum. We did lots of fun activities. My brother and I painted on paper, on glass and finally on cow statues! Then we went to the Recycle station where we make crafts out of recycled bottles, plastic and other waste. My brother made a toy car and I made a spooky spider out of recycled plastic and pipe cleaners. 

The next station was my favorite. The Bubble Station!!! There we got to make giant bubbles, hold bubbles in our hand and even stand in a humongous bubble! We did that 3 times! My brothers favorite part was the rocket station where we made our own rockets and shot them into outer space using special pressure pipes that shoot out gas. There was also an Altitude climber. I climbed that all the way to the top 3 times while my brother got to ride a fire truck. 

But the best part of the trip was the breakfast by the mountains and the swimming pool. We got to make our own waffles and pick our toppings! I was a bit sad when we had to leave, but I have to admit it was one of the best vacations I ever had with my family! 

FASHION

Rekha’s Pick of the Month

 Featured is a crop top in bright fushcia paired with a floral hand embroidered raw silk skirt that has ample flare. The perfect marriage of traditional with modern. This look is the perfect transition piece as we spring into summer. Bright, floral and dreamy!

LETS CONNECT

COMA Official Email: coma.officials@gmail.com

Ajoy: 614 556 6588

Simple: 614 743 7888

Newsletter contributions: coma_ohio@yahoo.com