Making an Impact

Celebrating Alumni Who Are Making a Difference
in Their Communities

Austin Riffelmacher ’22 Pursues His Passion at Yale University School
of Drama

Austin Riffelmacher ’22

It’s fair to say that Austin Riffelmacher hasn’t followed the traditional path to pursuing his MFA at one of the most selective universities on the planet, but he wouldn’t change a thing about his journey.

After graduating from high school in 2015, he started working for UPS while taking classes part-time in playwriting and screenwriting at the Harvard Extension School. By his second year at UPS, Riffelmacher knew that he wanted to return to college, and initially enrolled at Quinsigamond Community College before discovering the English department at Framingham State University.

“That was when everything changed for me,” he says. “Things got really positive in my life, and I felt like I was where I was supposed to be.”

The murder of George Floyd in 2020 had a profound effect on Riffelmacher, and he immersed himself in the texts available through the English department’s new concentration in African American Literature and Film.

“It felt really important to me to take the classes that the English department was offering on those texts,” he says. “I just felt blessed to be exposed to them, particularly at that time.”

Riffelmacher graduated from FSU’s Commonwealth Honors Program in 2021, having written his thesis on the playwright August Wilson. Today, he is pursuing his MFA at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, which happens to be the location where six of Wilson’s plays premiered.

His degree program is in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, and his professional interests are in helping develop and produce new plays and musicals by Black American playwrights.

While completing his studies, Riffelmacher has also been teaching high school students from around the world through the Yale Young Global Scholars program. Many of them ask him where he earned his undergraduate degree and are surprised to learn
about FSU.

“They’ve never heard of it, but I tell them, ‘It doesn’t matter. I still got here,’” he says. “I am really grateful that Framingham State was an affordable option for me.”

Elaina Repucci ’11 Launches Simple Sips

Elaina Repucci ’11

Elaina Repucci doesn’t think you should have to go to a high-end restaurant and spend upwards of $20 to get a single, delicious cocktail. That’s why she launched Simple Sips, where she crafts cocktail mixers with only fresh ingredients like coconut, pink guava, vanilla beans, elderflower, fig purée and thyme.

Repucci started Simple Sips by crafting every batch of cocktails by hand, with help from her mom, a former chef.

“She is amazing at flavor pairings,” says Repucci. “Anytime we go out, we order the weirdest cocktail on the menu and then taste and critique it. Together, we create these really unique and delicious drinks.”

Simple Sips could soon be coming to a retailer near you, as Horizon Beverage has agreed to partner with the company and distribute the mixers throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

“It’s a huge breakthrough for the company,” says Repucci, who was able to leave her job to focus on the business full time.

Repucci majored in Fashion Design at Framingham State University, and that background has paired perfectly with her new business venture.

“The skills I learned as a Fashion major are all relevant, from sourcing materials, or in this case ingredients, to designing the bottles and marketing the product,” says Repucci. “It taught me how to take an idea and turn it into a product.”

You can learn more about Simple Sips at https://drinksimplesips.com/.