Breadcrumb
Alumni Updates
Recent Alumni Updates
Lawrence Wylie
Liberal Studies Elementary Education, 1997
Lawrence Wiley ('97, Liberal Studies) has recently retired from teaching full-time and completed training to be a CASA Guardian ad Litem for children in foster care in New Hampshire.
Stephen L Kraynick
Journalism, 1997
Coach Kraynick (Journalism, '98) scored career tennis win No.100 at Kellis HS (Glendale, AZ) on 4/12/20. This isn't counting his head coaching collegiate wins at Lock Haven University (Lock Haven, PA) or Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria, CA). Coach Kraynick coached at the HS level in CA, PA, and AZ, winning sectional championships in all three states; in addition to winning the CCCAA divisional championship at Hancock College in 1995, he coached the Top-25 NCAA Division II women's team at Lock Haven University (1998-2000). Coach K has also worked with numerous ATP/WTA Professionals on tour.
Eddie Shin
Psychology, 2014
Eddie Shin has just started working as a marriage and family therapist with children and adolescents who have gone through trauma of various levels, as well as working with their families in January 2022. Shin explains that it's been a really rewarding job so far and is incredible the impact respect and hope have in helping a child or teenager turn their perspective around to develop a better life. Shin finds it has been challenging, but well worth it!
Dan Hagerty
Applied Technology, Industrial Technology, 1985
Dan Hagerty ('85, Industrial Technology) owns Vetteworks Motorsport, which specializes in selling manufactured motorsports racing equipment and fabricating fuel systems. Vetteworks Motorspoty also designs and builds custom automotive electrical harnesses.
Diane Haase
Forestry & Wildland Resources, 1989
Haase ('89, Forestry) earned her M.S. in tree physiology at OSU in 1991. She then worked as the Associate Director of OSU's Nursery Technology Cooperative, researching seedling production, quality and outplanting. She now works for the USDA Forest Service as the Western Nursery Specialist on the national Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetics Resources team (RNGR.net). Diane provides technical support to forest and conservation nurseries in the western states and the American-affiliated Pacific islands through visits, publications, conferences and more. She also serves as the editor of Tree Planters' Notes, an applied journal for those who work in nurseries, reforestation and restoration.
Andy Powell
Philosophy, 2005
Still residing in Humboldt, Andy Powell ('05, Philosophy) finds that his degree in Philosophy easily influences not only his day-to-day being in the world but also his varied professional life since 2005. Powell started Powell Consulting in 2018, offering financial consulting for local businesses and specifically focusing on the local cannabis industry. Detailed analytical thought is quite useful when trying to take a long-term approach to financial regulation and planning as is asking his clients "What is the Good Life, really?" and "Is rapid accumulation of wealth a goal in itself?" He expects to be out of business by 2024.
Kate Nixon
Journalism, 2005
Since graduating and spending a life-changing week in New Zealand, Kate Nixon ('05, Journalism) has survived 11 years in broadcast news, working their way up from Humboldt County to Southern Oregon as a newscast director, technical supervisor, and eventually accomplished producing a 3-part series about school teachers and the costume department at the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival. After a few years back in their native San Francisco Bay Area where they served as an apprenticeship manager, they finally moved cross country to live in Asheville, NC, where they now run a national conference on the historic Arts & Crafts Movement.
Cindy Purnell Frakes
Biological Sciences, 1981
After 33 years in the high-tech industry, Cindy Purnell Frakes retired from her most recent position of 13 years as Senior Director, Information Development at Oracle. Her career journey prior to that included stints at Borland, PeopleSoft, Computer Associates, and the Paradigm Group. She's now happily retired, living in Ferndale, WA, and has picked up her binoculars to pursue bird #485 and beyond to add to her life list.
Mary Christine Rohn Hartman (Cris)
Natural Resources, 1979
Cris Rohn Hartman (1979) lives in northern California. She worked as a law enforcement ranger for 30 years after initially working for a private consultant in range/wilderness impact issues directly after graduation. She is still using her college degree while working as an Expedition Leader for a travel company who markets to alumni associations, leading tours and teaching guests about natural and cultural resources and the history of the areas she travels to. She says it is the perfect retirement job.
Lester B Garrison
Chemistry, Chemical Oceanography high interest, 1978
After a most successful career in Clinical Chemistry and developing tests for inborn errors of metabolism in newborn infants, Lester Garrison (Chemistry, '78), has retired. His training in Chemical Oceanography was a good basis for his subsequent work in clinical chemistry. Driven by a passion for applying enzymology to solving clinical chemistry diagnostic issues, he was most pleased to develop a method to diagnose Galactosemia by measuring the lack of activity of the enzyme Galactose 1 Phosphate Uridyltransferase. This changed the accuracy of the previous galactosemia test from 60-70% reliable to 99%+ reliable, a great step forward in screening.