Alumni Updates

 Alumni - Send us your updates!

 The Environmental Studies Program is a relatively new program, first established in 2012.  Since graduating, our alumni have been up to some   pretty great things!  If you're an alumni of ENST, we would love to hear about what you're up to. Please, send us your updates using the link  below or email the ENST program leader, Dr. Sarah Ray at Sarah.Ray@humboldt.edu.

 Send an update!

 Read Alumni Updates

 Email Program Leader Sarah Ray

 

 

 

 

Alumni Updates

 

 

Shiloh Green, Class of 2016

After graduation in Fall 2016, I moved to Imperial Valley and worked at the USDA in the Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Farm Bill Assistant, but before I was even offered that job, I was accepted to a fully-funded, five-year PhD program at UC Merced in the Interdisciplinary Humanities department. Needless to say, my stint at the USDA was short-lived.

Fast forward a year later, I'm living in Merced, teaching at UCM, and doing work in community decolonization and resistance. Grad school is incredibly demanding (considering we read about three 200-page books every week + work 20 hours a week as TAs), but it's easily one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done, plus I get to make my own hours for the most part.

We also adopted a Corgi-mix rescue named Dave who's the most perfect pup, and life is great!

 

 

Kylie Mosbacher, Class of 2016

Hi there! My name is Kylie Mosbacher, and I graduated from the ENST Program December of 2016 with a minor in Writing! Progressing through the ENST major was an invaluable experie

nce. Through the support of the program's incredible faculty and the rigorous and rewarding coursework, I entered 2017 equipped with the confidence to pursue several independent projects.

Through the enduring connections made with faculty, current and former students, and the larger Humboldt community, I was able to bring many dreams to fruition, including the opportunity to present original research at the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment (ASLE) 12th Biennial Conference in Detroit, Michigan this past June! Earlier that spring, I was honored to participate in the "New Approaches to Conservation Conflicts" Symposium with the Center for Tropical Ecology and Conservation through Antioch University New England. Since then I have been hard at work finishing up my first children's book, Sammich and Rumples Meet the Wolf in the Woods, the first in a series on wildlife of conservation interest in the North Coast and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. Keep an eye out–the book should be out in Humboldt County bookstores by early May of 2018! I am now eagerly waiting to hear back on my applications to graduate school–fingers crossed!

 

Emma Stokes, Class of 2016

After graduating in Spring 2016, I decided to stick around! I’m currently working as the Strategy Coordinator & Executive Assistant at Humboldt Area Foundation, a local community foundation based in Bayside.

My interdisciplinary Environment Studies background has been extremely beneficial in my professional life, where every day I’m thinking about how systems function within our community and working to develop strategies to make these systems more equitable.

While Humboldt County certainly faces many challenges, I’m inspired every day by the dedication and care members of our community display, and the great work of organizations and individuals in the area.

When I’m not working, I’m usually hanging out with my awesome housemates and our five chickens—Betty Egg White, Yolko Ono, Amelia Egghart, Goldie Hen, and Princess Laya.

 

 

Ivan Soto, Class of 2016

I’m currently a first-year PhD graduate student with the University of California, at Merced. As part of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group, I receive five years of funding support through a Teaching Assistantship with research opportunities related to my interest in food insecurity. My TAship involves a course section each semester for about 30 undergraduates with topics ranging from “History of Food,” to “Race, Racism, and Resistance.”

These days, I’m learning as much as I can about food, agriculture and labor, borderlands, and studies in the history of science. These areas inform my future dissertation work for an oral history project on food and perceptions of public health in my hometown.

Before grad school I was an Humboldt-ENST graduate with the class of 2016. Soon after my last semester, I applied my degree and Community Organizing emphasis to work as a Community Organizer with a non-profit along the US-Mexico border. The position didn’t exist with the organization I wanted to work for, but I shared/argued what I could offer and was able to create my job around what I was passionate about. This included collaborative work with the town I grew up in as well as planning awareness campaigns and educational events in the area. I loved my work there, but received an admission letter to graduate school a few months in.  

My last year as Humboldt was scheduled around classes, part-time work, graduate school applications, teaching an ENST course, reaching out to nonprofits I wanted to work with, and spending time with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. (Thank you, Humboldt.) I highly encourage current ENST undergrads to search for ways to apply their ENST degree to what they’re passionate about early on. Find graduate programs you like, contact professors with similar academic interests, and apply ahead of time. The same applies for worked-related moves.

 

Casey Melligan, Class of 2015

After graduating in 2015, I returned to Santa Rosa due to an illness in the family. I worked a few odd jobs before landing a sweet position in a vegan restaurant whose goals included community embetterment via a homeless work exchange program, as well as providing a myriad of alternative health foods.

It was through this organization that I was able to land an even cooler job working for a non-profit, worker-run alternative health foods store. It’s been through the Red Clover Workers Brigade and, subsequently, The Santa Rosa Community Market, that I have the opportunity to assistant manage the perishables department. The RCWB maintains a strict non-GMO policy, which in essence strives to eliminate GMOs in the health food circuit by providing the most local, most sustainably produced foodstuffs (our motto being Food for People, Not For Profit).

More recently, I have been accepted to the Vermont Law School’s online Masters of Energy Law and Regulation program. It is my sincere hope to use this educational platform to consult and assist at-risk communities from the interests of resource-hungry energy corporations. Several communities, including the 9th ward of New Orleans, have felt the backlash of energy companies in the form of environmental hazards to drinking water, soil quality, and air quality. As a result of these factors, this community was significantly poisoned by Hurricane Katrina, when the failure of the levy system leeched toxic, bitumen-laced water into the 9th ward, and other equally disparate neighborhoods. I want to be on the front lines of preventing that kind of atrocity from ever happening again.

 

Ashley Perez, Class of 2016

I am a Child Care Specialist with a local non profit family services organization. After graduating in May of 2016, I became passionate about helping children throughout my community have the best start to life. I believe that this enables children to grow into adults that are able to understand and engage fully as environmental, social, and politically conscious warriors.

I have found that this is one of the best ways to strengthen our country and world as we face the vastly complicated problems of the future. I am extremely thankful for pursuing a degree in environmental studies and feel that it helps me in my professional life daily.

 

 

 

 

Alexander Goforth, Class of 2016

I am a farmhand/instructor for a Non Profit Outdoor-Ed company named Blackbird Farm, located in Anderson Valley (mendocino county). We have a partnership with Charter Schools around the nation who send their high schoolers to our facility to learn leadership skills and sustainability concepts. We are a bed and breakfast when school’s out and offer the same classes to adults and families!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Robin Rader, Class of 2015

I live in a small community and work on many farms and vineyards. During my last semester or two at Humboldt, I really got into food justice stuff, especially after watching Ron Finley's Ted talk and learning about the Guerilla Gardening movements all around the world. I am still interested in the food justice movement! I will continue to volunteer any extra time outside of work, if not start my own garden where ever I move next. There's something about volunteering that I just love; if I could afford to not work and just volunteer my life away with different youth groups and communities setting up gardens or doing environmental restorations projects like I did with the Environmental resource club on campus, that would be ideal. 

 
 
 
 
 

Harrison Langford, Class of 2015

I work for OASIS outdoor autism and special issues school. I started as a one-on-one instructor and have since been promoted to Community Outreach Manager. The school is located in Watsonville California. We work with severely autistic students who are for the most part non-verbal. I love to help the student surpass their Individualized Education Program goals, it’s really amazing to see them progress.

I have been living in Santa Cruz a little over a year now and I'm loving it. I go sailing weekly when the weather is right and regularly hike and mountain bike as well. I have been checking off items on my bucket list, one being my motorcycle license. I also got myself a motorcycle and ride regularly. Life's been great down here by the beach.

 

Kelsey Summers, Class of 2017

Hey there ENST-ers! I recently graduated from Humboldt and loved the Environmental Studies program.

My emphasis was Appropriate Technology and now I am building a Tiny House on wheels! I am building with recycled and upcycled materials and will be off grid (eventually)! I am about half way through the build process and I'm looking for property to start a homestead. "Facebook.com/kelseysthow"  is my blog!

I was a Co-director at CCAT, check it out on campus if you haven't already! ENST and CCAT helped me pursue my dreams, I encourage you to get out, get your hands dirty, and just show up! Life is short, chase your dream and give it your all.

 

 

Tracy Gatumu, Class of 2017

Since graduation I worked a few jobs until I found a fulfilling job as a student finance adviser at Trident International University.

I mostly assist military students with their financial aid, all the nuts and bolts with college costs. On my spare time I read a lot, reconnect with old friends, practice self love, go on little adventures in Socal, and try to stay empowered and inspired.

It’s been really great finally practicing all that I’ve learnt from my awesome degree. Still contemplating as to when I should start my grad school app! Environmental studies is definitely the most amazing major.