Ray Chips, History, 1969, was named one of Pepperdine University’s “40 over 40” recognition recipients:
https://www.pepperdine.edu/alumni/40over40/. He is thankful for the support and academic success he received at HSU, which provided the foundation for his academic and professional future.

After graduating from Humboldt State in 2007 (B.S. in Biology & Zoology), R. Isaí Madriz, Biological Sciences, 2007, embarked on a two-year-long bicycle trip through the Americas during which he rode from Chicago to the southern tip of South America, volunteering along the way at wildlife rehabilitation centers and parks. He then attended UNAM in Mexico City and received a master’s degree in Electronmicroscopy. In 2011 he married HSU alum, Kristina Lindsay (2006, Women’s Studies) and they moved from California to Iowa where he earned a Ph.D. in Entomology from Iowa State. He and Kristina are currently living in Patagonia, Chile where he is a Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow focused on rare insects.

Emily Murphy, Natural Resources Planning & Interpretation, 1997, was raised in Arcata and attended Pacific Union and Arcata High. Her first book, “Grow What You Love,” will be released March 1, 2018. 

Benjamin Crain, Biological Sciences, 2008, recently took a position as an Ecologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and the North American Center for Orchid Conservation. With a diverse group of collaborators, he conducts research in the Republic of Palau where they study the diversity and distribution of orchids, monitors their dynamics in the Ngardok Nature Reserve, and studies the fundamental ecology of orchids by looking at their relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. The team’s goals are to improve knowledge and increase awareness of orchid diversity in Palau, understand the ecology of these plants, and develop strategic plans for conservation and restoration of orchid species and their habitats.

Todd M. Thompson, Environmental Resources Engineering, 1992, is an experienced Senior Water Resources Engineer with the Department of Water Resources. He’s currently, the DWR lead for validated water loss audit reporting.

Tai-Aqua Morgan-Marbet, Environmental Resources Engineering, 2010, started in 2012 working for Lincoln and Long Engineering in Grass Valley, CA. She still works for them here and there as they need help. She then worked for AM Baird Engineering and Surveying in Fortuna, CA from 2013 to 2014. She worked for LACO Associates in Eureka, CA from 2014 to 2016. Finally, she is currently working for Kolstad Land Surveying and has started her own firm, Lost Coast Engineering, with two other engineers (an HSU graduate and a UC Berkeley graduate).

Jenine Torres, International Studies, 2009, is from Grand Rapids, MI, where she has been living since 2009. After receiving her BA from HSU while studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico, she received her Masters of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University in 2014. She is a member of the Leadership Grand Rapids Class of 2016, GR Area Chamber of Commerce, Center for Community Leadership. Currently, she has the privilege of being a Development Officer at Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Michigan’s oldest community foundation. She was married in June 2017 and has three stepchildren.

Marilyn Liu, 2016, International Studies, recently completed her Master’s program for International Business and Management from Durham University in the U.K. She spent the last few months of grad school participating in a Dissertation Abroad Scheme with Grenoble Ecole de Management in France. While in France, Marilyn received a grant from the European Union and researched how feminist theories of technology and the theory of intersectionality can improve corporate social responsibility.

Emily Maria Harbaugh, 2008 International Studies, is a law student at UC Hastings, College of the Law in San Francisco. She hopes to become a public defender because she is passionate about indigent defendant rights and low-income legal service work. The language skills that she gained while studying at Humboldt State have been instrumental to her work thus far.

Matt Edwards, 1986 Theatre, returns to Humboldt precisely 30 years later to pursue a single subject teaching credential.  After graduation he received an MFA from The Old Globe Theatre / University of San Diego and lived in NYC for 25 years as a classical actor; working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, daytime TV and regional theaters around the nation.  “I’m excited to return to HSU.  I parked at my old house off sunset and made the same walk up to Founders Hall after a 30 year hiatus!  Since I’m a New Yorker now, I cut 3-4 minutes off my commute!  All my teachers are great and I really trust them.”