Alumni Updates

Shiloh (Green) Soto

Environmental Studies, 2016

After graduating from Humboldt, Shiloh earned her M.A. in Interdisciplinary Humanities at UC Merced, where she will also graduate with her Ph.D. in Spring 2024. Shiloh's graduate work is housed in the Department of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies and analyzes a public history project she directed about the San Joaquin Valley's City of Livingston. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shiloh and her spouse decided to move back to Humboldt with their child, and she found exciting work on campus in Cal Poly Humboldt's College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences as the College Graduate Programs & Recruitment Coordinator!

Kristin Coker

Communication, 1989

Kristin is a proud alum of the Speech Communication Department! After graduation, she worked as an Admissions Counselor for Heald Business College. She traveled to San Francisco East Bay high schools and spoke of the importance of staying in school and striving for a higher education. Kristin also worked for a nonprofit organization called Contra Costa ARC, where she was an HR recruiter. The agency was developed to employ and educate adults with developmental disabilities.  
 

Kristin says her degree was the best choice for me, as it opened many doors to many job market opportunities.   

Garrett Edward Spears

Journalism, 2007

Garrett Edward Spears has retired from independent professional wrestling after eight years of traveling throughout California, Oregon, and Mexico. He is now an Associate Producer for the television show Horror Hotel. It promotes classic and independent movies within the genres of horror and science fiction. It is shown on Retro TV, The Action Channel, and The Monster Channel. He has also started dabbling in acting and is thinking about getting back into traveling entertainment. 

Dafna Golden

Geography, 1997

After a successful 23-year career as a Geography Professor at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, Dafna is fulfilling a long-time dream and moving to Israel with her husband and two boys. She credits her education in Geography at Humboldt with preparing her to become a teacher and advises many of her students to consider Cal Poly Humboldt themselves. She completed her master's degree at CSULA with an emphasis on Geographic Information Systems and has created a successful GIS program at Mt. Sac. She hopes to apply her GIS expertise in Israel to help manage the natural resources there.

Jenny Werthman

PoliticsSocial Science, Secondary Education, 2017, 2020

After earning her degree in Political Science and credential in Social Science for Secondary Education, Jenny has taught high school history (mostly juniors and seniors) since 2021. She is entering her third year of teaching. She lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and teaches in the inner city of San Bernardino for mostly at-risk youth. She loves helping kids and teaching them about the real world. She uses everything she learned in Humboldt in her classroom and is forever grateful! She is now married with two young kids! 

Marie (Laurey) McHaffie

History, 1996

Marie never thought she would be living in Arkansas, but there she is in a truly beautiful state. Marie teaches English, Journalism, Yearbook, and Theatre in a small rural school. She earned her MA in English in 2017 and is entering her 19th year of teaching. She's also studying art, too, and loves it! She carries a piece of Humboldt with her in my heart. Marie appreciates all the trees and waterfalls out there. She hopes she can get back to campus for a visit someday. 

Joel Heng Hartse

English, 2007

Joel Heng Hartse is a Senior Lecturer at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. His latest book is A Very Brief Guide to Reading & Writing in University.

Crystal Betances

International Studies, 2019

Crystal is working with Politics4her on a research project in partnership with the Apolitical Foundation, an organization based in Berlin. The project’s focus is on regions with ongoing programs to increase women’s political involvement, seeking to create deep partnerships with those leading the Political Leadership Incubators (PLIs) in the region. The project will also highlight the barriers to women’s political participation. Crystal attributes her interest to this project from her time as an International Studies undergrad, and takes with her the research skills learned during that time. 

Javier Rojas

Journalism, 2016

After taking on various reporter roles in Southern California, in April Javier accepted a dream job as a media relations specialist at Cal State Northridge. The transition from daily reporting to a communication position in higher education is something that Javier has been working towards since graduating from Humboldt State. While his love for writing never wavered, he's excited to return to a role in the CSU system where he can highlight the work of students. 

Anne Howard

English, 2022

Anne Howard (English, M.A. 2022) has accepted a position as Communications Manager for Tacoma Arts Live. The English department wishes to congratulate Anne on her new role!