Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
Arthur Grusensky
Music, 1978
Arthur Grusensky, Music, 1978, headed immediately after graduation to the University of Bologna in Italy where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and studied at Conservatorio di Musica G.B. Martini in flute. He subsequently became licensed in Ohio, Massachusetts, Utah, Colorado and California. A dedicated athlete he started and ran a small animal hospital in Moab for nine years - mountain biking, hiking, skiing, and kayaking during his time there. Ultimately returning to Hermosa Beach, California he specialized in high speed spay & neuter, studied Filipino martial arts(escrima) and became a world traveller going to exotic locations to trek such as Nepal, the Tibetan plateau(zanskar and Ladakh), bike tour the Karakoram Highway in northeast Pakistan and cross the Himalayas at 13,400 feet outside Manali.
Devin Theobald
Politics, 2004
Devin Theobald, Politics, 2004 is employed by the County of Humboldt Public Works Department, Environmental Services Division.
Vanessa Vrtiak
Sociology, 2017
Vanessa Vrtiak, Sociology, 2017, recently gave a Ted Talk about her life, and would like to share it with the Humboldt State Family. "Thank you for being there for me and helping me shape the woman I am today. I'm so grateful I was able to go to a University with people that truly believe in their students and champion their success." Watch the Ted Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/vanessa_vrtiak_how_to_save_a_life?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare&fbclid=IwAR154LL1hsMJPaH4_68QAGF1gUqQveVUG8UBAD5QMamSoeuIn_TpNxws_vM
Michael Stockstill
Journalism, 1971
Michael Stockstill, Journalism, 1971, has been appointed to the board of the Irvine Land Trust, a non-profit building and operating low cost housing in Irvine, California. The Land Trust has and will construct rental and for sale units that will remain in Land Trust ownership forever, guaranteeing the units remain affordable.
Nick Entsminger
History, 2009
Nick Entsminger, History, 2009, was accepted into the Doctorate of Medical Science program at the AT Still Universities, Arizona School of Health Sciences and has recently submitted both a journal article and medical textbook on pre-hospital 12-lead electrocardiogram interpretation for potential publishing. Additionally, through familial research, Entsminger was able to induct his family into both the Sons of the American Revolution as well as the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. He continues his love of history and views his time pursuing a history degree at Humboldt State as the years that inspired his pursuits.
Valerie Tepetlanco
International Studies, 2018
Valerie Tepetlanco, International Studies, 2018, has been accepted to the M.A. in Cultural Studies program at Claremont Graduate University.
Glenn R Strachan
SociologyMaster's Degree, 1983
Glenn Strachan, Sociology, 1983, has been fortunate enough to have traveled to 116 countries while working for United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding projects in maternal health and international broadband solutions. Over the past 35-years, Strachan has seen the world and taken photographs everywhere he been, which was inspired by his photography classes at HSU. Now that retirement has arrived, his work has been selected for 12 juried shows thus far in 2019. He is humbled by the selections and is up for a major award in London if he makes the final cut. Strachan says he misses his days at HSU as it was a perfect time to be there doing his graduate studies.
Lyla Godfryd
International Studies, 2019
Lyla Godfryd, International Studies, 2019, will be serving in the Peace Corps as an Environmental Education Volunteer in Panama beginning in February. Lyla says she feels very blessed to have been provided with such an encouraging and caring group of professors and fellow classmates and the International Studies program at HSU has provided her with the skills and confidence she needs to embark on this journey!
Stephanie Cowherd
EnglishLiterature, MA, 2014
Stephanie Cowherd, English, 2014, works for Ecotrust, an environmental non-profit based in Portland, Oregon. She leads community outreach and engagement, communications, and manages tribal forestry projects for her Forests & Ecosystem Services team at Ecotrust. Her current projects include a landscape assessment of opportunities and barriers in tribal forestry workforce development, working alongside native educators to design culturally-specific curriculum for forestry education tools, and community engagement with tribal forestry activities.
Ariana Hendren
International Studies, 2017
After completing her degree Ariana Hendren, International Studies, 2017, earned a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate. She caught the travel bug after studying abroad in Spain with the HSU World Languages and Cultures Department. She is now teaching elementary-middle school students at an English Academy in South Korea with her boyfriend whom she met while living in Arcata. They will soon move to a new country to continue their teaching adventure.