Andrea Santamaria

I am a bilingual Mexican-American alumnus of Cal Poly Humboldt. I have always loved the field of education and all of its challenges as a first-generation student. My parents are native to a small town called San Juan Teitipac in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I attended middle school. I attended various elementary schools in my birthtown, Santa Clarita, near Six Flags, which is still on my bucket list for adventure.  I completed high school in Los Angeles and started my academic journey here at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2017. I earned all of my degrees from this campus! Two bachelor's degrees in Spanish and Communication from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and a Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis on Educational Leadership from the College of Professional Studies.

I have deep gratitude for the many great mentors who have extended their support and opened their office doors to share their stories that inspired motivation and a desire for learning! Having a reliable community is very important to me, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this one! I have worked for many departments on campus, so sharing campus resources with students is always something I look forward to daily. 

In my free time, I watch comedy shows, listen to podcasts, nurture my fish and cats, and take trips to visit family and friends. I am always excited by food or nature adventures and look forward to more shared moments with my community!