Join us to Celebrate our class of 2025 on April 27th! Details and registration
DonateSunflower Celebration
Each Spring, Sunflower brings together our community to celebrate our graduates and honor community members who have helped Sunflower fulfill our mission or have made significant contributions towards equity and inclusion for people with learning differences.
Celebration 2025
Sunday, April 27th, 2025
Reception 7:00pm
Program 7:45pm
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
7995 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Parking at 931 King Street
Pastry Arts Graduates
Anna Aminzadeh
Siham Amir
Jalen Bain
Theodore Breder
Darius Brown
Jordan Brown
Emily Calderon
Christianna Carter
Joshua Coe
Harold Dossou
Lisa Katz
Amelia Luna
Jessica Rose Orthman
Sabrina Sandoval
Daniel Schnell
Elaina Soriano
Emma Ward
David William Wilkinson
Hospitality Graduates
Julia Ahrens
Ilana Barzel
Diana Dang
Tyson Feliciana
Teresa Flores
Amari Hall
Sandhya Jain
Charlotte Jones
David Mckay
Michael Elias Merhi
Alexander Salvador
Jon (Jack) Shero
Hannah-Molly Susswein
Emory Wells
LeaVonne Williams
Madison Wilson
Culinary Graduates
Jarod Briscoe
Ben Katz
Shiloh Khalfani
Cameron Shorter
Caleb Sterling
Our Community Honorees
Building Community Inclusion
Eva Cowen
Inclusion Consultant
Outstanding Community Collaborator
Sheila Bellack
Executive Director Emerita, Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County & Volunteer Coordinator, Sunflower Bakery
Exemplary Employer Partner
Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Event Co-Chairs
Vivian G. Bass
Jillian & Joel Levitt
Host Committee
(in formation)
Riva Mirvis & Danny Ball
Naomi & David Balto
Ray Bass
Kira Epstein Begal & Billy Begal
Aliza Levine & Eric Brown
Rachel & Pete Federowicz
Sarah & David Feith
Rachel & David Milner Gillers
Dina Goldman
Marisa & Eitan Gruber
Heather Johnson
Carol Mates & Mark Kahan
Leslie & Samuel Kaplan
Kay Klass & Mark Levitt
Angela & Dov Lutzker
Philip Margolius
Jessica & Andrew Mener
Rachel Engelhart &
Shaanan Meyerstein
Dottie Bennett & Richard Morton
Joy & Ron Paul
Daphna & Daniel Raskas
Rabbi Adam & Sari Raskin
Lisa Reiner
Rachel Weintraub & Scott Reiter
Phyllis & Steve Solomon
Susan & Bradley Stillman
Miriam & Adam Szubin
Ali & Ari Yares
Reuven & Tamar Zakheim
Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
Parking garage and surface lot
Celebration 2024
Pastry Arts Graduates |
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| Kareem Arnaout Jarod Briscoe Kaleiff Coleman Jason Epps Frankie Fallon Andres Figueroa |
Anna Frattarelli Sameera Gray Cameron Hall Almanda Renee Shannel Johnson Ben Katz Celine Krempp Cesar Leon Madeline Lessner |
Douglas Castillo Molina Chana Reingold Alex Stapleton Peter Weber Ian Winters Nico Yepez |
Hospitality Graduates |
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| Liam Aaron Basil Ali Emmanuel Alvarez Leah Fleischer Sam Fratantoni |
Sky Eagle Hawk Timeah Jones Mohammed Joof Roxy Kaur Josiah Kollie |
Oscar Lemus DJ London Miles Prather Lily Christina Rowhani Amelia Turkewitz |
Our Community Honorees
Excellence in Leadership
Scott Reiter
Sunflower Bakery Board Member and Former Board Chair
Building Community Inclusion
Patricia K. Cochrane
Montgomery County Public School
Supervisor for the Transition Services Unit
Exemplary Employer Partner
Harris Teeter
Celebration 2023
Pastry Arts Graduates |
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| Josephine Adams Ana Beaulieu Avital Chefitz Ryan Connell Mark Cruse Gillian Eisenberg Andrew Gates |
Darius Henderson Roland Hudson Alejandro Ifarraguerri Jamison Kilgore Gavin Kutz Alexandra Miller Ryan Pollock |
Brian Salewski Jordan Scott-Geason Caleb Sterling Ryan Swayze Zienna Tampe Bravo Tyree Walters Jasmine Woody |
Hospitality Graduates |
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| Abigail Albrittain Ty’Asia Bryant Michael Casey |
Hilary Greenwald Melissa Mantua Jeremy Miller Rachael Rabinovitz |
Ian Shorter Jeremy Soled Aiden Tisch |
Our Community Honorees
Excellence in Leadership
Daphna Raskas
Former Sunflower Board Chair, Executive Director, and Development Director
Building Community Inclusion
Chuck Short
Retired, 50 Years of Public Service in Montgomery County
Exemplary Employer Partner
The Pretzel Bakery
Celebration 2022
Pastry Arts Graduates |
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| Leora Cherry Dishon Scott Paul Smith Christian Garcia Vicky Adams |
Drew White Ethan Bailey Maia West Julia Kraft Joshua Blount |
Reese Branham Rachel Hamm Kai Shuman Dahneesha Whyte Jahi Sibert |
Hospitality Graduates |
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| Juan Jose Campero Jessica Lipsher Josh Rubin Noah Plitt |
Webb Kavanagh Haydee Alonzo Herrera Jessica Morissette Tierney Caulfield |
Josef Klausner Alessandro Spilimbergo Toby Edelschick |
Our Unsung Heroes
Shaping Inclusive Futures
Sara Portman Milner
Co-Founder and Director of Student Services
Building Community Impact
Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman and Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue
Spiritual Leader and Community Partner
Exemplary Employer Partner
Adventist Healthcare, Shady Grove
2021
Pastry Arts Graduates |
Hospitality Graduates |
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| Austin Agrofiotis Osemen Aigbedion Jolie Band Demba Cisse Ethan Edwards |
Catrina Hainer Mike Kelly Luis Neimand Connor Pennanen Ellis Rodgers-Archer Cam Shorter |
Ashley Thompson Hana Tsegaye Andrew Tucker Jacob Van Houter Moire Wright |
Alvaro Cervantes Gary Copeland Kylie Huntington Michael Pesin Jessie Wiley |
Our Unsung Heroes
Making Dreams Happen
Cathy Bernard
Business executive and community arts entrepreneur
Building Community Impact
Ron Halber
Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington
Fostering Confidence to Succeed
Susan Belsky
Speech/language pathologist and Sunflower volunteer
Developing Skilled Employees
Elizabeth Hutter
Culinary Director, Sunflower Bakery
