Alumni | College of Professional Studies

Alumni

What's Happening Now

HSU Alumni contribute in many ways to help keep their alma mater strong. They network with and advise current students, helping them on their career path and linking them to jobs after graduation, and they contribute their financial resources to help grow programs, institutes and scholarships that hold special meaning for them.

Current students are appreciative for these gifts of time, expertise, and money, and want to share with you, our alumni, what they are doing to make our communities healthier.

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Computer Science Alumni Team Up with Local Flower Farm - Humboldt State Now

From Our Alumni

I had an amazing experience as a student at HSU, from the very first semester I got there until I graduated. I remember always meeting new people and making friends wherever I went, everyone was just as motivated as I to live life in Arcata and excel as a student. The community really made me feel welcome and I had no problems leaving my southern Californian tendencies back home.

The professors and faculty were great and I could always count on help when I needed it. I learned just as much outside the classroom having conversations with professors, as I did in the classrooms themselves.

What stood out the most to me was the intense level of involvement in the local community. It was so amazing applying what I learned in the classrooms in the real world and have all of the support systems to do a great job. From my very first internship experience until my last projects and involvements, I always felt confident I could meet all of the deliverables and represent HSU and the School of Business.

If I had one piece of advice for incoming students, it would to get involved from the beginning! Live like a professional and spread the love!

Fernando Alcala

BS Class of 2016

Business
Being a student at HSU really opened my eyes to a whole new way of living, learning, and working that I firmly believe I could not have experienced at any other university's business program. Living on campus for my first year taught me how to be aware of my personal resource usage and how to conserve and recycle. Delving into upper level business courses showed me textbook and hands-on examples of how to apply those learned conservation skills and sustainable living practices to life at the workplace. Buckling down and receiving my business graduate degree here at Humboldt State University gave me the ability to know what corporate and social responsibility looks like, how to analyze an organization and think of ways to improve its contribution to sustainability, and the strategic thinking and planning that goes into how to start making a change in business as usual.

My advice to anyone thinking about becoming a student at HSU would be to always go one step farther than you think you need to to achieve your goal. Don't be afraid to join clubs. Go and apply to internships even if you don't think you qualify. Take the extra minute to make connections with other students or network with your adviser or teachers. HSU students are friendlier than you may think. You'll never know if you could have gotten that job or internship if you don't try. And HSU faculty and staff are there to support you and give you the tools you need to succeed. I love HSU and I hope you will too!"

Sarah Loomis

MBA Class of 2016

Business
“The Child Development department was beyond great. Everyone from counselors, professors, office staff, and even fellow peers were very compassionate and helpful. They want everyone to succeed, and they do this by making sure you have the proper tools for the real world. The program is well designed, and I love that you have some experience in your field before leaving HSU. That helped me a lot. I am currently working at The Children’s Center at CalTech in the 4 year old class. I am considered the point person which is the Lead's right-hand man. HSU helped my dreams come true.”

Paige Hanzy

BA, Class of 2014

Child Development
“Within the School of Business at HSU we didn’t just learn from the course material—we got phenomenal support from faculty and staff, which could be the turning point to being successful.”

Ana Cortes

BS, Class of 2015

Business
“I truly had a great experience while I was studying for my Bachelors in Social Work. I always felt that the Professors I came into contact with were knowledgeable, supportive, and honored every student on their educational journey. The Social Work department has a great relationship with local agencies in Humboldt County, and because of that I was able to get hands-on experience through multiple volunteer internships and workshops. It was actually through one of my internships that I found an Americorps program in Humboldt and have now started my second term as an Americorps member.”

Chris Hanson

BA, Class of 2014

Social Work
“Growing up as a student-athlete throughout my youth and collegiate basketball experience, team and structure was always the focus. It was Recreation Studies and my mentors within the program at HSU who granted me the opportunities to discover my individuality and autonomy to create my own path focusing on Sport, Inclusion and Community. Currently, I am exercising the skills and lessons learned through Recreation & Athletics as a Youth Coordinator with UCLA Recreation in Los Angeles, CA.”

Lexi Price

BA, Class of 2015

Recreation Administration
“Working with the faculty and staff of the HSU Psychology Department was the highlight of my undergraduate education. It was encouraging to be able to form a connection with a diverse group of professors. They have great stories and advice to share about our community. There were a lot of opportunities to work with faculty members conducting research, which made me feel confident with my graduate school applications. Now that I’ve earned my B.A. in psychology, I’ve decided to remain at HSU to pursue a Masters in the Academic Research in Psychology program. Knowing that I’ll be studying under the same dedicated professors was a large part of that decision.”

Jack Allen

BA, Class of 2015

Psychology
“Being in the Kinesiology program opened my mind to the world of health promotion. I started out wanting to be a personal trainer, but through my coursework I realized my passion was much broader than assisting individual clients. The passion of the professors is contagious and drove me to continuously desire to learn more. This desire has now lead me to Oregon State University to earn my Masters in Public Health in the Health Promotion and Health Behavior track. My goal is to learn about rethinking and redesigning communities to be more conducive to healthy and active living in order to combat the obesity epidemic.”

Tony Lapiz

BA, Class of 2015

Kinesiology
“The Education department truly inspired me to fulfill my lifelong goal of becoming a teacher. Through this program I was given the opportunity to work in my field throughout my undergraduate and credential program. This real, on-the-job experience allowed me to become confident as an educator while igniting my passion for teaching. I am now in my second year of teaching as a 7th grade Language Arts teacher. I use what I learned as an Education student everyday in my career!”

Marissa Graham

Credential, Class of 2014

Education
“Some of the most educational conversations and experiences I had were actually outside of the classroom and in the department office with my classmates and professors. Our professors were great advisors and amazing resources. I encourage every student to check in with their advisors often and see what opportunities are available for them to grow.”

Elica Aramesh

BA, Class of 2014

Economics