Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
Spencer Ruelos
AnthropologySecond Degree: BA in CRGS, 2013
After graduating from HSU Spencer Ruelos, Anthropology, Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, 2013, went on to receive his Masters in Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University. There he wrote a master's thesis titled: "EveryoneGames: Exploring Queer Gamer Identity and Community," where he examined the worldmaking practices of LGBTQ gamers in digital and physical spaces. While at SFSU, Spencer received the prestigious CSU Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. He is currently continuing his studies of queerness, video games, and technology as a PhD student in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine.
Stephanie Freitas
History, 2013
Stephanie Freitas, 2013 History, is a full time history teacher at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia, Calif. Freitas is married to HSU alumnus Salvador Cazarez, who is also teaching in the Visalia district.
Antonio Luevano
Religious Studies, 2013
Antonio Luevano, 2013, Religious Studies, is working on his Master of Divinity at the Franciscan School of Theology.
Jocelyn Keranen
Geography, 2013
Jocelyn Keranen, 2013 Geography, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, where she worked on agriculture and gender empowerment projects in a small village near the Great Rift Valley and Masai Steppe. After two years living in a village she added another year onto her service. Currently, Keranen is serving in Dar es Salaam as the National Malaria Coordinator. After my service, she plans on pursuing a Master’s of Public Health in Global Health
Ryan Bieker
Politics, 2013
Ryan Bieker, 2013 Political Science, began working at the California Public Employee Retirement System as an associate governmental program analyst administering the affordable care act with public agencies and state departments. Bieker also provides customer education, retirement and health program counseling, and responses to customer inquiries.
Annathea Cook
International StudiesChinese Studies, 2013
Annathea Cook, 2013 International Studies, earned her master's degree in International Trade Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and have recently begun a career as an International Trade Compliance Analyst with the International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce. Cook writes, “It's a strange time to move to DC, but it's exciting to be working on such a hot topic that I'm passionate about. Everyday I'm using skills that I learned at HSU, particularly negotiation skills that I learned as a preschool teacher with the HSU Children's Center. Can't wait to visit my hometown of Arcata again soon. Stay weird Humboldt.”
Deborah Wynn (Graaff)
International Studies, 2013
Deborah Wynn (Graaff), 2013 International Studies, got married and started medical school with her partner. She is currently in her third year and is preparing for the first step of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam before starting clinical rotations.
Annathea Cook
International Studiesfocus on Chinese Studies, 2013
Annathea Cook, 2013 International Studies, is pursuing her Masters in International Policy Studies, with a focus on U.S.-Chinese Trade Policy, at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif. After an internship this summer with the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, Cook is looking forward to her last year at MIIS, her upcoming internship in China next summer, and jumping into the job market next August.
Daniel Gardner
Anthropology, 2013
Daniel completed his Ph.D. in Informatics at UCI in 2021. He served as a Grand Challenges Postdoctoral Fellow at Chapman until June 2024 and now has an appointment as a Lecturer in Computing and Game Design at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK. Currently, Daniel's research examines inequitable interactions with digital media and games, and community-driven co-/counter-designs.
Owen Jacob Krebs-Grimsich
International StudiesFocus in Globalization. Double minored in Spanish and Economics., 2013
Owen Jacob Krebs-Grimsich, 2013, International Studies, took his first International Studies class with Professor Suzanne Pasztor and was hooked right away. International Studies has enabled Krebs-Grimsich to travel and experience places in the world he would have never imagined. Krebs-Grimsich also became fluent in Spanish as part of the major’s foreign-language component. Krebs-Grimsich recently accepted an invitation from the Peace Corps to travel to Mozambique in 2014, where he will work on HIV Education/Prevention—an opportunity he credits to his experience in the International Studies program.



