Alumni Updates

E Safiya Bal

Anthropology, Geography minor., 2011

I've been working as a substitute teacher for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District since December 2011. As of April 2012 I was hired on as field technician for Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. -based in Davis, CA. The project is in Vacaville, CA.

Salina Cuddy

English, 2011

Salina Cuddy, 2011 English, has begun a Master of Arts program in Sociolinguistics at the University of York in England. Cuddy’s focus is language and power, looking particularly at language and gender as well as language and class.

Elizabeth Fehr

Politics, 2011

I just got a job working with The Fund for the Public Interest.

Omar Alejandro Garcia

International Studies, 2011

After working at Solar City, I am currently working in Taiwan as an English Teacher and preparing for an International Business Masters degree. I am still playing baseball and running my audio-blog about identity and cross-cultural interactions. I would like to thank Rosamel Benavides in the World Languages and Cultures Dept as well as the International Studies Dept for providing me a solid foundation to conquer career challenges, domestic and international.

Jennifer Humphreys

Anthropology, 2011

I am currently earning my M.S. in Primate Behavior at Central Washington University, specializing in molecular primatology. Soon I will be heading to the forests Suriname to study gene flow through conservation corridors.

Wesley Korpela

Anthropology, 2011

pursing careering in maritime archaeology

Josh Bartee

English, 2011

These days I'm pursuing a PhD in English Literature at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Since graduating, I have had two papers accepted for conferences. The first, which I presented in May of 2011 to the Robinson Jeffers Association in Monterey, CA, is a look at the poet’s diachronic influence on the environmental ethics of rock climbers. The second paper, presented in November of 2011 to the Western Literature Association in Lubbock, TX, concerns the hominin relationship with fire as read in Loren Eiseley's "The Angry Winter" and a selection of poems by Robinson Jeffers.

I keep busy studying, cycling and making all kinds of fun connections between poetry and natural history.

Tara Darlene Smith

English, 2010

Taraa's memoir essay collection, Sunflowers in Iraq: True Stories of Surviving & Thriving, was published last month. Further information is available on her website: https://www.taradarlenesmith.com, and she's happy to provide a press release and photos from the book's launch. 

Brandon Chapin

Politics, 2010

Brandon Chapin ('10, Politics) was appointed as Legislative and Policy Advisor at the Delta Stewardship Council by Governor Newsom on July 1, 2022. He is responsible for maintaining the Council’s relationship with the State legislature and working on other special projects related to the implementation of the state's Delta Plan. 

Melissa Waldman

English, Emphasis in Writing Practices, 2010

I am currently writing and editing at a textbook company in San Francisco. We create K-12 grade English and Language Arts materials for larger publishing houses like Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I am also a freelance food and drink correspondent for the SF Examiner Online and The Local Dish.