CLASS NOTES

Summer Faso (B.A., Psychology) is a special education teacher for the Moreland School District in San Jose, California. She is working on obtaining a Moderate-to-Severe Education Specialist Instruction Credential at San Jose State University while working full time. Faso says she cannot wait to change the lives of special education students and teach them the skills they need to become successful citizens.

Kelly Galten (B.A., Human Communication) moved to San Luis Opispo, California, wrote a novel for National Novel Writing Month and is working on publishing her poetry.

Jordan Leininger (B.A., Social and Behavioral Sciences) went on the trip of a lifetime to Egypt in February 2019. As a historian, Ancient Egypt is one of his favorite historical eras and seeing the amazing sites he had learned about his whole life was the most incredible experience, he said. Leininger is an artifacts specialist for the city of Monterey and manages, catalogues and conserves the city’s

historical collection. He also helps create new exhibits and curates the city’s museums including Colton Hall, the birthplace of the state of California. In October 2018, he helped create a beer called “Dank & Dusty” with his favorite brewery, Alvarado Street Brewing Company, for the inaugural Monterey Peninsula Archives Crawl, a self-guided tour of at least 19 area archival collections. Leininger says he had a wonderful Service Learning experience at CSUMB and is proud to give back by working with new Service Learning students.

Brittany Lopez (B.A., Psychology) earned her RADT(Registered Alcohol and Drug Technician) certification and was promoted to her current position as a substance abuse counselor with Geo Group, Inc.. She counsels recently released probationers and parolees at Monterey County Day Reporting Center. She is currently working on becoming a certified drug and alcohol abuse counselor. In her personal life, Lopez became engaged to a fellow CSUMB alumni.

to Southern California to begin working on her master’s degree in Spanish with a concentration in Chicana and Chicano Studies at Cal State Fullerton.

Victor Martinez (Master of Social Work) has started his dream career as a psychiatric social worker providing an array of mental health and substance use services to youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Martinez works for the Monterey County Health Department and has had the opportunity to work alongside members of a multidisciplinary team from local non-profits, the probation department, social services, Monterey County Office of Education, and Natividad Medical Center. The team’s goal is to meet the holistic needs of youth and families, and provide the necessary resources for them to successfully navigate the county’s public systems.

Dinora Martinez (B.A., Spanish Language and Hispanic Cultures) served as an AmeriCorps literacy tutor at a Salinas elementary school for one year after graduation. Upon completing her service year in July 2019, Martinez moved

Cristina Zaragoza (B.S., Biology) works as an embryology lab technician at Reproductive Science Center. Zaragoza says she wasn’t always sure about a career in the medical field, but now she loves

2017

Maddison Burton (B.A., Social and Behavioral Sciences) earned her Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Southern California in August 2018. Since October 2018 she has been working as an HR manager with the University Corporation at Monterey Bay.

Iliana Cardosa (B.S., Collaborative Health & Human Services) had a baby boy, Joseph Axel Cardosa, on Feb. 13, 2019. Joseph has one older brother, Xavier.

Michelle Meissner (B.S., Kinesiology) graduated from Columbia University with a master’s degree in nursing. While at Columbia, she was awarded a Nursing Scholar scholarship for exemplary academia. She is now employed as a registered nurse at New York Presbyterian Hospital and plans to enroll in a doctor of nurse practitioner program.

Melissa Miranda (B.A., Psychology) recently was promoted from part-time to full-time employment with the Salinas Union High School District as a Typist Clerk II. She plans to pursue her goal of becoming a special education teacher. Miranda says her time and accomplishments at CSUMB helped her develop skills, better her work ethic, and grow into the person she has become.

Christina Muirhead (B.S., Collaborative Health & Human Services) works as a financial aid counselor at CSUMB. She is also a healthy lifestyle coach for the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program. She began a Masters of Social Work program in August.

2016

Axanthi Anthony (B.A., Visual and Public Art) has been working as a graphic designer for Plumeria Consulting, LLC, since 2018. She and her boyfriend, Langston, have a 1-year-old daughter born on May 27, 2018, and planned to move to Los Angeles in August so that he can pursue a career with LA County Fire.

Guillermo Rodriguez (B.A., Collaborative Health and Human Services; Master of Social Work, 2018) is a clinical supervisor with Valley Health Associates in Salinas, working in the substance use and mental health disorder field. He celebrated 12 years of sobriety in 2019 and is grateful for a second chance at life and the opportunity to guide others overcoming addiction. Rodriguez said “the best part of it all” is returning to CSUMB as a lecturer in fall 2019 to teach a social work course in the same program from which he graduated.

Ester Santiago-Sanchez (B.A., Liberal Studies) teaches sixth-grade English Language Arts/ Social Studies in the Gilroy Unified School District.

Drew Stuck (B.S., Kinesiology) highlights and promotes the life science community in Northern California as manager of business development for the South San Francisco office of the California Life Science Association (CLSA). His responsibilities include sustaining and improving CLSA member satisfaction while identifying opportunities for growth and utilization of the association’s membership vendor community. Stuck and his wife, Bernadette, live in Emeryville, California, with their dog, Jack.

Alora Tejeda (B.S., Kinesiology) recently earned a physical therapy assistant degree. She is working part time at an outpatient clinic, Central Care Physical Therapy in Chino, California, while considering other job opportunities in Southern California.

2015

Jena Barrera (B.A., Global Studies) went back to school at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and graduated with a master’s degree in nonproliferation and terrorism studies. She is also working part time as a social worker for the Franciscan Workers of Junipero Sera, a homeless shelter in Salinas.

Nicole Perez (B.A., Social and Behavioral Sciences) completed a two-year registered nursing program in 2018 and currently works in the operating room as a clinical nurse at Clovis Community Medical Center.

2014

Breanne Edwards (B.A., Humanities and Communication) moved to Colorado after graduation and became a snowboard instructor for two years. She moved back to California three years ago and began working as a personal injury paralegal and recently received her

notary license. In addition, she is a volunteer youth volleyball coach and has a golden retriever, age 12.

Lauren A. Floyd (B.A., Humanities and Communication) graduated in 2018 from the University of Southern California with a master’s degree in journalism. She has been writing for the Los Angeles Sentinel for more than a year and was recently promoted to editorial assistant.

Carlos Jurado (B.A., Global Studies) received another promotion at MidPen Housing, the affordable-housing real estate developer he’s worked for since graduation, and is now associate project manager. Jurado says he loves his job and is thankful for the connections he made at CSUMB for helping him find it.

Helen Krummenacker (B.S., Mathematics) has published her first solo novel, “Forever’s Too Long,” a 1940s paranormal detective novel, after previously co-authoring a series of science fiction, horror and mystery books. She works for Santa Cruz County as an accounting technician.

2013

Hilary Hampton (B.S., Communication Design) lives in the Portland, Oregon, area and is

employed as a senior designer at Edison Software, a Silicon Valleybased startup company. She has worked on several successful application and website launches and currently designs icons, interactions, experiences and interfaces to expand the availability of the company’s applications on more platforms. Hampton has also launched her own company, Left Hook Design, and designs for brands, small businesses and projects she’s passionate about, with the goal of working for herself full time in 10 years.

Kimberly Kellam (B.A., Liberal Studies) has earned a teaching credential, a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and is less than a semester from finishing her administrative credential, all through CSUMB. She has also been teaching sixth-grade math and science at Walter Colton Middle School in Monterey. She taught for five years before taking a new role this year as an academic coach, supporting teachers at her school. She is also co-director of the Junior Wings program, a homestay program between Nanao, Japan, and Monterey. She has traveled to Japan four times. Kellam said it’s been an adventure, and she is so thankful for the beginnings at CSUMB.

Alisa Paseman (B.A., Social & Behavioral Science) is studying to earn a master’s degree in clinical and health counseling. She also has been working as an inhome therapist teaching coping and communication skills to clients and their families, and was recently hired by the YMCA as a youth development teacher.

Kylie (Fields) Whent (B.A., Communications) graduated in June 2019 from Brandman University with a master’s degree in teaching and a singlesubject credential in English. She teaches seventh and eighth-grade English in the Washington Union School District in Salinas and also coaches for the girls’ water polo program at Notre Dame High School. In her personal life, Whent was married in Felton, California, on March 29, 2019.

Maryland, in July 2019. His thesis was titled “RussoUkraine: Evaluation of Warning Intelligence.” Johnson was the youngest and most junior ranking member of his cohort, afforded the opportunity less than three years into service.

Jennifer Lucido (B.A., Social and Behavioral Sciences) completed a master of arts in the Cultural Resources Management Program at Sonoma State University in 2015. She has since published a number of academic papers on Spanish colonial history and archaeology in California. The California Mission Curators and Directors Conference recognized Lucido for her work furthering the preservation and protection of the California missions with the Father Fermin Francisco de Lasua Award for 2014. Lucido currently teaches as an adjunct faculty member at CSUMB.

2012

Timothy Johnson (B.A., Psychology) is a petty officer second class in the U.S. Navy and earned a master of science degree in strategic intelligence from the National Intelligence University in Bethesda,

Tyler “T.J.” Scott (B.S., Business Administration) says he’s been very busy in the seven years since he graduated from CSUMB. He began working as a front office supervisor at the Intercontinental The

Clement Monterey hotel, while also employed as an independent contractor at FourWinds Travel in Carmel. The travel agency sent him on an unforgettable trip to explore the islands of Fiji. He was later promoted to front office manager at the hotel and decided to focus on a hospitality career. Scott met his now wife, Avery, when they were co-workers at the hotel. They began dating after both leaving the hotel for positions at Bernardus Lodge and Resort in Carmel Valley. A few years later in May 2017, he proposed to her with a golden snitch at Harry Potter World at Universal Studios Hollywood. They were married on Nov. 4, 2017, with the beautiful scenery of Monterey Bay in the background. In March 2018, the couple moved to Roseville, California, where Scott became Director of Operations for Winchester Country Club. In December 2018, he started a digital marketing and advertising business called Glasswater Digital with his brother. Scott hopes to eventually focus on the business full time. Scott and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter named Rylie, on May 11, 2019.

Dominick Guglielmo (B.A., Teledramatic Arts & Technology) has been freelancing as a post producer for the ad agency Deutsch, Los Angeles, since 2017. Prior to that, he was on staff at Imaginary Forces, a visual storytelling and brand strategy company. On July 14, 2018, he and fellow CSUMB alumni, Niki Zelenksy, were married.

Hilary O’Neil-Johnson (B.S., Kinesiology) recently started a new position at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a gastrointestinal nurse practitioner. She is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, where she is also teaching in the family nurse practitioner program.

Shelly Lungstrum (B.S., Business Administration) has been promoted to assistant director of special events for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the largest wine and spirits distributor in the United States. She started as an intern for the company, which is headquartered in Miami, Fla., more than six years ago. In her current

role, she handles large meetings and events, including the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and the New York City Wine & Food Festival. She’s also responsible for the company’s charitable donations. In October 2018, she passed the Level 2 Wine & Spirit Education Course, globally-recognized as the international standard in wine and spirit knowledge. She is also an avid supporter of the Women of the Vine & Spirits, a foundation committed to advancing and empowering women in the industry. Lungstrum loves to travel and says her favorite spot of all time is South Lake Tahoe, which is back close to home. Barcelona, Spain, is a close second because studying abroad there in 2009 was “the most life-changing and important experience for me, as it led me to move to Miama six months after I graduated from CSUMB,” she said.

Emily Wood (M.S., Instructional Science & Technology) published the book “E-Learning Department of One” through the Association for Talent Development (ATD) in December 2018. In February 2019, she spoke about e-learning development in a limited resources environment at the ATD TechKnowledge conference in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Amanda Kahn (M.S., Marine Science) has joined the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories as the new assistant professor of invertebrate ecology.

Paige Newbury (M.A., Education) is an awardwinning teacher in the Santa Cruz area. She says she is passionate about helping her students and is proud to have had several of them attend CSUMB.

2009

Michelle Baker-Nauta (B.A., Liberal Studies) taught for seven years in the Monterey Peninsula School District after graduation. She met her husband at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and they moved to Hawaii after getting married. Baker-Nauta has been teaching for three years for the Hawaii Department of Education. She has redeveloped the science curriculum for oceanography to incorporate more lessons about algae, led career groups which include the New Teacher Bootcamp for all first- and second-year teachers, and participated in Kahua, the year-long study program to include more ancient Hawaiian history and culture in the curriculum. This year was her first as a grade-level chair. In her personal life, Baker-Natua competes in outrigger canoe regattas including the Queen

Tristan Mansson-Perrone (B.A., Teledramatic Arts and Technology) completed a two-year master’s program in media management at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 2019. His thesis focused on incumbent Nordic media companies, holistic sustainability transformation, and impacts on biodiversity integrity. Mansson-Perrone has been working at NatureFootage, a natural history video library, since February 2010. He started as an assistant editor and now leads partnership development as licensing and account manager for Europe.

2008

Vanessa (Henry) Gonzales (B.A., Humanities and Communication) is employed as an administrative support coordinator for the CSUMB Department of Social Work. She was previously employed for five years in the financial services industry. Gonzales says she is elated to be on campus again and excited to be involved with

the Master of Social Work program and see it and the university grow!

Louis Martin (B.A., Humanities and Communication) wrote and self-published a book called “The True Believers” in 2017 about cultism in traditional martial arts. The book was successful enough for him to quit his job and start writing full time. He now owns his own website and has published a second book.

2006

Savannah (Armstrong) Prince (B.S., Earth Systems Science and Policy) has been teaching middle school science for 12 years and is currently employed by the Imperial Unified School District in Imperial, California. She earned a master’s degree in cross cultural teaching and published a children’s book, “Manny the Mola,” that she wrote as part of her senior capstone project. In her personal life, Prince is married with two daughters and volunteers as their Girl Scout troop leader and swim team coach.

Blanca Melchor (B.A., Human Communication) worked with CSUMB TRiO Upward Bound after graduation, helping low-income students from the tri-county area pursue higher education. She earned a master’s degree in counselor education from San Jose State University and recently started a new job at Gavilan College in Gilroy, California, as a non-credit counselor in continuing education. She serves primary English learners and adult students working towards their high-school equivalency diploma. She’s been married for six years and has a child, Ximena, age 4.

Melody Rico (B.S., Earth Systems Science and Policy) is the Event Sales Manager at Embassy Suites by Hilton, Monterey Bay. She was honored with a Platinum Club Member Award from Atrium Hospitality, which manages 82 hotels. She reached her sales goals for the past three years and was one of 33 sales managers out of 300 who were rewarded with a trip to Florida to celebrate their accomplishments.

Rey Anthony M. Osoteo (Teaching Credential, Mathematics) is a literacy specialist at the John Steinbeck Library in Salinas.

2004

Daniel E. Prescod (B.A., Humanities & Communications) recently became counsel of business and legal affairs at Levity Live Production in Los Angeles. He handles production-related matters for various television shows and The Improv comedy clubs.

2003

Princess Pope (B.A., Social and Behavioral Science; M.A., Education, 2005) recently became Community Relations Director for Monterey County Housing Advocates, which strives to reduce the shortage of affordable housing units available to students, seniors, veterans, lowincome and the homeless. As an undergraduate at CSUMB, Pope served on the Associated Students as a Multicultural Senator. As a graduate student, she served as CSUMB

Upper Division Academic Senator, and was honored to be the first African American student named a Sally Casanova Scholar. Pope is an educational advocate and community organizer. For the past 19 years she has served on the executive committee of the Monterey County NAACP as Education Chair and College Scholarship Coordinator. For five years she volunteered on the board of directors of the Village Project as secretary. In Summer 2019 she completed a nine-day intensive, transformational leadership training with the United Way of Monterey County (UWMC). She supervised CSUMB Service Learning students and has volunteered on community and educational boards, including for Monterey Peninsula College and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. In her personal life, Pope has been married to Ray Pope — UWMC 2019 Lifetime of Service Award winner — for 43 years. They have six children and six grandchildren.

Bobby Quiñonez (B.S., Earth Systems Science and Policy) was promoted to the position of College Administrative Analyst in November 2017, and is completing his 15th year as a CSUMB employee. He is serving a second term as president of the CSUMB Alumni Association during CSUMB’s 25th Anniversary and excited that his wife

of 14 years, Amber (Bowles) Quiñonez (B.A., Humanities and Communication, 2002), has joined the board this term.

2002

Kate (Ammerman) White (B.A., Social and Behavioral Sciences) has earned a doctorate degree in education and is employed as director of continuing education at California State University, East Bay.

2011 and earned a master’s degree in comparative culture. She also married, had two boys and started working as a teacher at universities in the cities of Tokyo and Chiba. She currently teaches at the International University of Health and Welfare, a medical university in Narita, Japan.

1999

Shawn De Haven (B.A., World Language and Cultures) went to Japan in

Christina McGovern (B.A., Liberal Studies and Teaching Credential) has

been an educator for 22 years, teaching all levels from elementary to postgraduate students aspiring to become teachers. She recently moved back to the Monterey area and is employed by the North Monterey County Unified School District as a middle school English and social science teacher. She is also working with the Youth Cinema Project, which connects arts integration in education with her passion for theater. She has worked with The Western Stage theater company in Salinas for more than 20 years.

Phillip Pletcher (B.A., Teledramatic Arts and Technology) recently became lead agent

in technical support for Capital Insurance Group, where he’s been employed for 24 years. He was recently widowed after serving as primary caregiver for his partner for more than 18 years. He is writing again after a 16 year hiatus. He won first prize in the early 2000s in the Rhode Island Institute Screenplay Contest.

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE! Share news of your activities and achievements. Go to csumb.edu/alumni Select News, then Submit a Class Note and fill out the form.

HCOM graduate travels country in ‘skoolie’

Elizabeth Hensley atop the school bus she and her partner converted into a tiny home.

Elizabeth Hensley (B.A., Human Communication, 2016) is taking the road less traveled. After earning a master’s degree in American Studies from Kennesaw State University in Georgia in December 2018, she and her partner, Richard Tilford, decided to eschew a traditional lifestyle and travel full-time in a school bus converted into a tiny home. Their goal is to explore the country, live sustainably, better

understand American culture and write a book about their adventures.

They purchased the bus, a 1996 Thomas International school bus, in April 2018 and spent the summer turning it into a home on wheels at a cost of about $10,000 for the bus and conversion. The bus includes solar power, laminate flooring, black-out curtains, a porta-potty, electric pumped water, a kitchen area and a bed. They dubbed the bus “Little House on the HWY” after the classic book “Little House on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

As of August of this year, Hensley and Tilford had traveled more than 19,000 miles across 37 states, attending tiny house and “skoolie” (converted school bus owner) festivals and expos along the way.

Everywhere they go, they attract attention and field questions from the curious. The couple says they practice an open-door policy and are happy to give tours to visitors. They’ve been featured in stories on the radio, television and in newspapers, including on the front page of the Orange County Register.

Find them on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and visit LittleHouseonTheHwy.com to learn more.