Graduate Alumni

 Gabriel Manrique

Gabriel Manrique is a Community Organizer at Latinos United for a New America (LUNA), a non-profit organization based in San José that helps Latin American immigrants address the many work-related, educational, and health challenges facing their communities. Among other things, his recent work with LUNA has centered on the struggle to maintain affordable housing in East San José. Gabriel received a BA in Anthropology in 2008 and an MA in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2017. His graduate project focused on strategies for serving undocumented college students in California.

James Doucet-Battle

James is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He received an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from San Jose State University in 2005 with a committee made up of anthropology faculty. After graduating from SJSU, James attended the UC Berkeley/UC San Francisco Ph.D. Program in Medical Anthropology and received his doctoral degree in 2012. He has received a number of prestigious fellowships including the University of California's President's Postdoctoral Fellowship. His current work focuses upon the intersection of race, science, and medicine.

Chelsea Bahr

Chelsea is SaaS (Software as a Service) Implementation Coordinator at Brown and Brown, a national insurance intermediary. She manages software implementation for an employee benefits administration system and is responsible for collecting and formatting data, developing educational and marketing materials, and training clients and colleagues. Chelsea also designed custom project management workflows to use in Salesforce and is now a Salesforce Administrator. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2015. As a student she worked with NOVA, a workforce development agency, to uncover soft skill sets that lead to career success in the tech industry.

Robert Johnston

Robert is Program Manager for Student Leadership and Engagement at San Jose-based International Technological University. He received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2014. In his current position, Robert oversees student events, works with student government and organizations, and helps develop initiatives to increase student engagemnt. His graduate research focused upon the challenges faced by women immigrating to the San Francisco Bay Area from Taiwan. Prior to attending SJSU, Robert served as a US Army Infantry Lieutenant and was stationed in Germany and Iraq.

Jing Li

Jing is a Human Resources Generalist at Suning Commerce R&D Center in Palo Alto, a research and development lab that supports one of China's largest retail companies. She is responsible for a range of activities, including recruiting top talent for Suning's research center and serving as a cultural broker between the company's Palo Alto office and its headquarters in Nanjing, China. Jing Li received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2013. Her graduate project was a critical analysis of the development of a national park in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan.

Gustavo Flores

Gustavo is an Adjunct Faculty member of the Evergreen Valley College Department of Social Sciences at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose. He is also involved in the Bay Area Cultural Landscape Research Group, a collaborative effort between researchers at Foothill College, Stanford University, and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Gustavo received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2014. His graduate research, based upon ethnohistorical methods, examined the ways in which Bay Area Native American groups resisted Spanish colonial institutions during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Christine Moellenberndt

Christine is a Community Manager at Reddit, a San Francisco-based online discussion site. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2013. Her graduate thesis, which focused on the relationship between online communities and the companies that run the sites on which they gather, was the College of Social Science's Outstanding Thesis for 2014. Christine uses her anthropology skills for serving as a bridge between Reddit's community and company, surfacing community sentiment, and solving community issues. She was interviewed about her work by the public radio program Marketplace in 2016.

Chris Keith

Chris is a Content Writer and Social Media Marketer at Software Developers Incorporated, a Silicon Valley company specializing in mobile app design. He also works as a Regulatory Analyst for Caldwell Consulting Engineers, an environmental engineering firm. Chris received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2014. As a graduate student, he worked for two different cultural resource management companies. He also served as field director for a field school in the Caribbean island nation of Nevis. Chris's research project, which analyzed the prehistoric skeletal remains of a Nevisian woman, won SJSU's Outstanding Thesis award in 2014. 

Karen Johannson

Karen is Business Manager at Bookshop Santa Cruz, an independent community-oriented bookstore established in Santa Cruz in 1966. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2015. Kären's position requires her to provide accounting services for the bookstore, to interact with employees and customers from diverse backgrounds, and to support the bookstore's commitment to community values. As a graduate student, she worked collaboratively with the Santa Cruz Archaeological Society and the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park to develop interactive educational modules for young learners.

Andrea Presler

Andrea is a Senior Scientist and Ethnobotanical Specialist at Northwest Anthropology LLC, based in Richland, Washington. She received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2009. She is currently working with members of the Wanapum tribe conducting ethnobotanical surveys and habitat assessments of traditional cultural properties. For nearly a year, Andrea taught anthropology and environmental studies courses at Central Washington University. As a graduate student, she focused on ethnobotany, environment, and culture in Quillabamba, Peru. 

Sara Salinas

Sara is the Educational Coordinator and co-founder of Comstock Community Farm in Hollister, California. In her current position, she creates curricula for workshops and classes, maintains partnerships with local schools, and coordinates groups of volunteers who work on the farm. She also has experience consulting with a community food bank. Sara received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2013. Her project was a needs assessment of food preferences among Latino food bank clients in San Benito County. Sara also teaches introductory anthropology courses at Gavilan College and Hartnell Community College.

Matthew Boehm

Matthew is a Research Manager and Analyst for Mozaic Group, a global market research firm serving the technology, finance and healthcare industries. He received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2008. He currently conducts and provides analysis of research in the areas of user experience, customer advocacy, segmentation, product design, messaging, positioning and business strategy using a variety of qualitative methods. Matthew's graduate research focused on the evaluation of a Kaiser Permanente funded community education program at the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Robin Connors

Robin is an Associate Archaeologist with the California State Department of Parks and Recreation's Colorado Desert District, located east of San Diego. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2009. After graduating, Robin worked as an archaeologist at Kalaupapa National Historical Park. Robin is currently involved in diverse projects ranging from protection of Native American cultural resources to public outreach and education. In 2015, her efforts to safeguard Native American artifacts were featured in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Robin's graduate research focused upon status, gender, and the role of women in pre-contact Hawaii.

Candice Locke

Candice is a Sales Enablement Manager at SumoLogic, a Redwood City-based Internet technology company that provides cloud-based data analytics services to private and public sector organizations. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2010. Prior to her current position, Candice held managerial marketing positions at two different Bay Area firms, Blue Coat Systems and Abiquo. Her graduate project was focused upon helping a non-profit organization develop appropriate educational materials for middle-school students.

Emily Green 

Emily is a Research Associate II at ETR, a national non-profit with three co-located offices in California.  ETR is committed to improving health outcomes and advancing health equity for youth, families, and communities. Emily received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2014.  In her current position she uses anthropological methodologies to work with school districts and other non-profits as a researcher and evaluator. As a graduate student, Emily focused upon the civic and cultural uses of public spaces. Her research site was the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy in San Jose.

Stella D'Oro

Stella is a Senior Archaeologist, Project Manager, and GIS Specialist at Albion Environmental, Inc., a Santa Cruz-based cultural and natural resources consulting firm. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology and a GIS Certification from SJSU in 2009. At Albion, Stella is involved in a range of activities including project management, field laboratory management, archaeological excavation, ethnographic interviewing, mapping, and co-authoring field reports. She is also an experienced graphic designer. Stella's graduate research explored the impact of climatic changes on southern San Francisco Bay Area Native American populations approximately 1000 years ago. 

Varsha Damle

Varsha is Director of Commercial Effectiveness at ZS Pharma, a San Mateo-based pharmaceutical company. In her current position, Varsha specializes in pharmaceutical market analytics, sales operations, and salesforce effectiveness. She received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2016. Her graduate research focused upon the higher educational challenges faced by veterans in Northern California. Prior to working in her current position, she did consulting work for BizInsights, a business information service company.

Marissa Massaro

Marissa is a Field Technician at Cogstone Resource Management, a company that specializes in paleontology, archaeology, and history, and serves both public and private sector clients. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2018. As a field technician, Marissa works at various sites throughout the Bay Area and Nevada. Her responsibilities include surveying land, taking photographs, searching for human remains, historical materials or other signs of material cultures, and documenting historic or prehistoric finds. Marissa also assists with excavations.  

Arianna Heathcote

Arianna is a permanent Archaeologist with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), working with an interdisciplinary team managing 1.7 million acres of public lands within Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2019. As a graduate student, Arianna partnered with California State Parks to perform cultural resource surveys of a historic lumber town in Nisene Marks State Park. She has worked as an archaeological technician for the US Forest Service and National Parks Service, Albion Environmental, Pacific Legacy, Cogstone, Holman & Associates, and Ohlone Family Consulting Services.

Maribel Martínez

Maribel is Director of Santa Clara County's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Affairs, the first county-level office of its kind in the US. Maribel received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2012. Her graduate projects included ethnographic-based evaluations and infusing arts and social justice curriculum in local community-based organizations serving women and immigrant leaders. Before accepting her current position, Maribel served as founding director of SJSU's César E. Chávez Community Action Center for seven years. There she applied her anthropological skills to cultivate student leaders among communities of color on campus and to build bridges to immigrant and marginalized communities.

Kanhong Lin

Kanhong is Regional Manager for Disaster Preparedness with the American Red Cross of New York City. He received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2012. Over the past three years, Kanhong has worked with Red Cross teams to provide relief for people affected by gas line explosions, train derailments, and snowstorms. Recently he worked with a group that developed New York's landmark Home Fire Safety Program, implemented jointly with the Mayor's Office and the Fire Department of New York. Apart from helping him manage projects, his anthropological training has allowed him to help immigrants from Haiti, Nepal, Tibet, Jamaica, Russia, Haiti and many other countries.

Ida Wilson

Ida is a Research Assistant at the Institute for Scientific Analysis, in partnership with the Center for Critical Public Health, an Oakland-based research center focused on improving health outcomes in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is part of a team that conducts qualitative research projects and analyzes the results. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2015. As a graduate student, she conducted research on the underground economy in Oakland and presented her work at numerous conferences and colloquiums, including the annual meetings of Southwestern Anthropological Association and the SJSU College of Social Sciences Dean's Student Research Colloquium.     

Amanda Kadkly 

Amanda Kadkly is currently a Lecturer at San Jose State University and De Anza College. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2015. In previous positions, Amanda designed research projects using qualitative and mixed methods, provided consulting services to clients, and conducted coding and data analysis. She has held positions as a graduate assistant and laboratory assistant at SJSU and UC Santa Cruz. Amanda's graduate thesis, which explored new methods to analyze sharp force trauma on bone, was awarded SJSU's prestigious 2015-16 Outstanding Thesis Award. 

Armando Ayala

Armando Ayala is an applied anthropologist and practicing user experience (UX) researcher. He is currently a senior UX researcher at Meta, where he works on products that allow creators to understand how their content is performing.  Prior to this, he's worked across different products and orgs on the Facebook app, including Mentorship, Community Help, and Facebook Pay. He has experience working at a variety of tech companies, including startups (TRNIO), UX agencies (UEGroup), and large tech firms (Google and Meta). His areas of interest consist of design research, design anthropology, product strategy, and qualitative and quantitative UX research methods. He is an alumnus of SJSU and holds a B.A. in psychology with a cultural anthropology minor, and a Master's in applied anthropology — both from SJSU.

Nicole Conand

Nicole received her M.A in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2011, and currently works as a UX Research Manager for Roku. Her current work incorporates behavioral research and user interaction testing for a comprehensive understanding of TV streaming behaviors, to support product design and business strategy. For several years Nicole worked as a freelance researcher, contributing to projects ranging from mobile app development, to data management system research for large government agencies. Her graduate research integrated anthropology and media to address issues of civic engagement in Silicon Valley. Nicole has also been a part-time lecturer in SJSU's Anthropology Department. 

Kelli Sullivan

Kelli is an Archaeologist for Caltrans (California Department of Transportation). She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2018. At Caltrans, Kelli is responsible for the environmental planning, research, and analysis of archaeological sites for transportation-related projects through conducting and preparing environmental studies. Her graduate research focused on landscape mobility of the pre-contact Ohlone through stable isotopic analysis of human molars. Her Methodology allowed for a temporal investigation of dietary shifts and mobility of the population throughout their lifetimes, as well as throughout different cultural periods.  

Jacqueline Gamboa

Jacqueline is a Community Outreach Coordinator at Teatro Visión, a San Jose-based theater company and non-profit organziation promoting the value and artistic vision of Chicana/o theater. She received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2009. Jacqueline is currently involved in outreach efforts including presentations for elementary, junior high, and high school students. Prior to her current position, she worked as a community organizer at Sacred Heart Community Services where she conducted various projects, including an educational equity campaign with bilingual and low-income immigrant families. Jacqueline currently teaches courses in Chicano/a Studies and Ethnic Studies at San Jose City College. 

Michael Boero

Michael is an Archaeologist with the US Forest Service in southwestern Oregon. He serves as a resource specialist for a wide range of projects and activities, from ecological restoration and wildfires to public outreach programs. As a graduate student, Michael worked with Bok Kai Chinese Temple in Marysville, California to document hundres of objects dating back to the temple's founding in the mid-1800s. For his thesis work, Michael conducted ethnographic work in the Sierra Nevada to understand how traditional ecological knowledge informs contemporary forest restoration. He received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2017.

Marina Corrales

Marina is a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. She received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2010. For the past six years Marina has worked as a research assistant, graduate mentor, tutor, student evaluator, and program developer. Currently, Marina serves as a program coordinator for a U.S. Department of Education initiative to address retention of underrepresented, first-generation college students. Her research explores the impact of social capital on retention of students of color. While at SJSU, Marina participated in a project that brought together researchers from anthropology, urban planning, industrial design, and nutrition and food science. The project goal, funded by Kaiser Permanente, was to support health and wellness at SJSU.

John Schlagheck

John is an Associate Archaeologist at Holman and Associates, a San Francisco-based archaeological consulting firm. He received his M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2011. John's graduate research focused upon obsidian hydration dating methods, which he used to conduct original research at a Middle Holocene site located along California's north central coast. His interests in maritime and historical archaeology led him to conduct shipwreck archaeology in the West Indies island nation of Nevis and in Baja California. Closer to home, John worked on a Gold Rush-era lighter from Yerba Buena Cove. He recently completed a treatment and discovery plan for the archaeologically sensitive areas at the site of the Port Chicago navel munitions disaster of 1944 along the shore of Suisun Bay. 

Loan Luu 

Loan is a UX Customer Success Mentor at UserZoom, a San Jose-based company specializing in usability testing and user experience research. She is currently on assignment in the Netherlands. Loan received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2012. Her responsibilities include helping UserZoom's clients integrate new programs, providing training on user experience products, and managing work teams. After graduating from SJSU,Loan was employed as a program coordinator at Kapor Capital and a researcher at Bronze Investments. Her graduate project informed the design of a public landmark at San Jose's Diridon Station.

Jessica Donohue

Jessica is Education and Prevention Coordinator with the Santa Cruz AIDS Project, which serves HIV-positive men, women, and children in Santa Cruz county. The Santa Cruz AIDS Project is connected with Encompass Community Services, a non-profit organization. Jessica received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2012. In her current position, Jessica develops evidence-based HIV prevention education curricula, conducts needs assessments to determine barriers to HIV prevention, and provides onsite HIV and hepatitis C testing. As a graduate student, she worked as part of a team that produced a documentary film on terminal breast cancer patients.

Sabrina Morales 

Sabrina is a Senior Associate at Circlepoint, an Oakland-based firm specializing in communications and environmental services. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2012. Sabrina's graduate project focused on the accessibility of health and social services by Latina immigrants. She conducted an ethnographic evaluation of a women's health group in San Jose and provided recommendations for group sustainability and network building. Her experience includes project management, evaluation, and rapport building with public partners. Sabrina currently collaborates with agencies and businesses to provide strategic communications to Bay Area communities concerning public works projects. 

Kristy Keller

Kristy is Program Director with San Francisco-based Compass Family Services. She has experience in program management, service development, and evaluation. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology in 2013 from SJSU. In graduate school, Kristy developed and implemented programmatic interventions to enhance volunteer services at an Oakland-based refugee resettlement agency. These interventions responded to an examination of refugee resettlement policies in practice, as well as various institutional barriers to effective service delivery. In her current position, she directs the Drop-In Center at Compass Connecting Point, a program of Compass Family Services. She also serves on the Communications Committee of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology.

Greg Cabrera 

Greg is a Research Analyst for TRC Staffing Services, an Atlanta-based company. He received his M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2008. Greg is currently working on TRC's Voice of the Customer Project, an initiative that focuses upon providing customized market research to clients in the food industry. He also has several years of experience collecting, analyzing, and presenting market research data for two major insurance companies, State Farm Insurance and Apex Systems. As a graduate student, he was involved in projects on entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

Michelle Nero 

Michelle is Owner and Manager of Nero and Associates, a San Jose-based private investigations company. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2010. Michelle's company provides business and individuals with a range of services including background investigations, locating missing persons, business litigation, insurance fraud investigation, and adoptee and birth parent searches. Her graduate project focused upon ways in which residents in San Jose's Olinder neighborhood might find new opportunities for improving public safety. (Note: To protect Michelle's identity, we are not using her real photo!)

Christopher Avery 

Christopher is a Senior User Experience Researcher at eBay. He received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2011. In his current position, Christopher is responsible for carrying out design research in support of eBay's business to consumer products. He is also exploring ways in which qualitatively informed approaches to big data might improve its analytical effectiveness. Before beginning his current assignment, Christopher conducted user experience research at Yahoo! and design anthropology at SonicRim. His graduate research was an archaeological investigation into agricultural expansion and intensification on Hawai'i Island from 1400-1650 AD.

Jeffrey Greger 

Jeffrey is a User Experience (UX) Researcher at Varo Money, an online banking startup in San Francisco. He received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2019. He conducts qualitative research to understand how people think about and manage money. Jeff works closely with design and product teams to improve banking experiences, particularly for people living paycheck to paycheck. In graduate school, he worked with FAIR Money, a pro bono collective of ethnographers studying the financial lives of people squeezed by Silicon Valley's high cost of living.

DeDe Patterson 

DeDe is a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex. She received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2016. DeDe’s research focuses on South Sudanese refugees living in Kenya, and their transnational relationships with their family members in the UK and the US. She is interested in refugee policy development, economic anthropology, identity, and the community networks. Currently, DeDe is teaching Introduction to Anthropology and Gender and Development at the University of Sussex. She also actively works for the Brilliant Club, a nonprofit organization the helps underprivileged students to prepare for university. 

Brett Witteck

Brett Witteck is a Design Researcher for IBM (Silicon Valley Location), an American multinational technology corporation. Brett received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from San Jose State University in 2020. Their graduate project focused on a student-led HIV education and advocacy program on San Jose State campus. In their current position, Brett identifies high priority opportunities for tactical improvements, identifies and communicates appropriate research methodologies, conducts research methods and activities, and delivers compelling stories to communicate actionable insights. Before accepting their current position, Brett worked at SJSU as an academic advisor in the ACCESS Success Center.

Briza Diaz

Briza Diaz is an Education Researcher at Digital Promise. She received her M.A. In Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2019. Briza’s graduate project focused on educational program evaluation. Her experience in the educational realm also includes after-school program work, substitute teaching, and working as a Program Manager for an educational non-profit. In her current position, Briza works with school districts, teacher unions, and other educational organizations across the country to evaluate the implementation of various programs. This role is similar to her graduate project in that it involves both qualitative and quantitative methods to arrive at a holistic conclusion. The work done by Digital Promise helps in the creation and growth of programs that support thousands of students and teachers each year.

Jasmine Low

Jasmine Low is an anthropologist with PRO Unlimited at Waymo. Working alongside an interdisciplinary team, she designs and conducts qualitative research to advance design and innovation in ways that are relevant to diverse customers, communities, and organizations. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in Spring 2020. As a graduate student, she partnered with the Tech Interactive to study the design of youth visitor experiences, explored food robotics, and developing VR for anthropology with Professor Jan English-Lueck and Tina Korani. Prior to Google, Jasmine worked as a freelance research consultant and musician.

Leah Grant

Leah Grant is a Laboratory Manager for the Veterans Curation Program (VCP) in San Mateo. She received an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in 2021. She is responsible for training veterans to rehabilitate archaeological collections for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Leah oversees the rehabilitation of federally-owned archaeological and archival collections, ensures that the collections meet federal and state curation standards, and represents the VCP at public archaeology events. Leah is a veteran of the US Army and currently serves as a commissioner on the San Mateo County Veterans Commission.

Kristen Constanza 

Kristen Constanza is a Homelessness Prevention System Manager for Sacred Heart Community Services, a non-profit organization that strives to build a community free from poverty. The Homelessness Prevention System (HPS) program is a countywide network that provides assessments, and financial and legal aid to prevent highly vulnerable families and individuals from becoming homeless. Kristen supports partner agencies with technical assistance and training, and development and growth of new HPS partner agencies. She also maintains connections between HPS and community institutions. Kristen received an MA in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in August 2020. Her work focused on documenting the stories of Latin American immigrants rebuilding their lives in the Bay Area.

Sarah Luce

Sarah Luce is an associate archaeologist for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Sarah is responsible for scoping and carrying out state and federal cultural regulatory responsibilities for maintenance projects as well as guiding 8 counties and 29 cities through their Section 106 responsibilities on local transportation projects. In addition, Sarah sits on the Native American sub-committee that works closely with tribes throughout California to advocate for their cultural expertise to be well represented and compensated for on state and federally funded projects. She received her M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in the spring of 2019. Sarah’s thesis work was on cross-sectional geometry of femora in a pre-contact burial population whose likely descendants are the honorable Muwekma Ohlone.

Melanie Baliey

Melanie is a UX Researcher with Sage Intacct, an accounting technology company in San Jose. She partners with the design and product teams to plan and execute both discovery and evaluative research initiatives on existing and new products, and to deliver insights on core parts of the business strategy. Melanie graduated with an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from SJSU in December of 2021. Her thesis research focused on changing accounting technology and how that was impacting small bookkeepers in the United States, in how they ran their businesses, completed their work, and connected with their communities (both virtual and in-person).

Mayra S. Cerda

Current Employer: Amigos de Guadalupe, Center for Justice and Empowerment 

Current Job Title: Director of Programs

Job Overview: As Director of Programs at a local non-profit, Mayra S. Cerda leads efforts to promote economic and education justice in East San Jose. She oversees after-school programs tailored to the unique needs of unhoused children and newcomers, ensuring they receive academic support and enrichment opportunities. Mayra actively builds and maintains partnerships with schools and districts to advocate for the educational rights and basic needs of these students, advancing economic and education justice initiatives. Additionally, she designs and implements summer programs aimed at empowering low-income students, furthering her commitment to equity and justice. Mayra's dedication to education equity extends to her role as a member of the School Site Council in the Oak Grove School District, where she contributes to decision-making processes that prioritize student success and well-being. Also, in her role as a Cultural Anthropology lecturer at DeAnza College, Mayra fosters an inclusive learning environment centered on cultural appreciation and understanding, particularly emphasizing the experiences of immigrants.

 How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? My Applied Anthropology degree cultivated leadership skills and instilled a visionary mindset, allowing me to transcend conventional boundaries. By understanding diverse cultures and conducting insightful research, I've led teams and advocated for marginalized communities. This foundation enables me to develop innovative programs at the intersection of economic and educational justice, forging partnerships and empowering individuals to thrive in diverse environments.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career? My tenure as a student at San Jose State University equipped me with invaluable skills and knowledge pivotal to my career. Profound cultural understanding gained through Anthropology studies enables me to appreciate diversity and tailor programs to diverse communities. Rigorous research methodologies honed my analytical abilities, facilitating evidence-based decision-making. Additionally, teaching at SJSU fostered effective communication and pedagogical skills, enhancing my capacity to educate and empower individuals from varied backgrounds in pursuit of social justice and community development.

Erika Harvey

Current Employer:Sierra Business Council

Current Job Title: Director 

Job Overview: Erika Harvey is a Director for Sierra Business Council (SBC), a triple bottom line non-profit focused on sustainable economic development work serving communities in the Southern Cascades and Sierra Nevada regions. Currently at SBC, she primarily works on state grants that are community led and build climate forward economies in rural Sierra communities. Some of the project themes include sustainable outdoor recreation, community health, forest resiliency, and small businesses development. The initiatives of these projects are to empower rural communities and local governments to promote a sustainable and equitable recovery from COVID-19 by supporting new strategies to diversity Sierra economies, with a focus in underserved communities. Erika received an MA in Applied Anthropology in 2017, where her research was focused on landscapes and site formation processes of archaeological sites at risk from climate change factors. 

 How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? It prepared me in that when starting out, I don't need to be the content expert, because I have the tools to figure it out. 

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career? Becoming a classically trained independent researcher is the most valuable take away from the masters program. We were challenged to think critically, solve problems independently, articulate under pressure, listen to our peers and mentors, and self-manage our work products. While these skills may seem fundamental, they are actually uncommon. As a hiring manager, to say it's challenging to find people with this skill set, would be an understatement.  

What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time at SJSU? It's okay to think differently - being different can be an asset during a paradigm shift. However, that in itself, comes with experience and confidence. 

Chloe Angst

Current Employer: 2 careers: (1) University of California, San Francisco, (2) B.A.D. Musical Theatre

Current Job Title: (1) Willed Body Program Technician, (2) Founding Artistic Director

Job Overview:

The UCSF Willed Body Program is a non-profit entity that accepts full-body donors to be utilized for medical research and education. This includes supplying specimens for surgical training and gross anatomy courses. As a technician, my job is to embalm donors to be dissected and prepare fresh tissue specimens. I also study the medical histories of donors to determine the course that will be the most appropriate for allocation, based on their conditions before or at the time of death.

As an outlet and a creative passion, I spend my time outside of paid work running B.A.D. Musical Theatre, a community theatre group whose mission is to spotlight artists from underrepresented backgrounds and marginalized identities, break down social barriers by embracing accessibility for artists of all backgrounds, and inspire through innovation and non-traditional ideas on the stage.

How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? Although my dual careers at this time are not directly anthropology-related, my graduate work prepared me in many ways that have been valuable in my professional life. Here is just a handful of those ways: First, it taught me how to lay out and understand the steps needed when taking on a professional project. Second, it drilled the essentials of how to write in an academic and formal way that is appropriate for both grant-writing and defining the scope of work to be undertaken. Third, it has opened up avenues in certain situations by inspiring me to think critically and to always question assumptions.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career? I developed the skill to see points of view from all sides. In my professional and creative work, I always think ahead with the consideration that all humans have different cultural and personal experiences, and something that may seem second nature to me might not be the same for someone else. Nothing is as black and white as it is at first glance. In order to fully understand real-world issues (in the workplace and beyond), we must look at the whole picture and think outside of the box to find solutions

What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time at SJSU? Research is HARD. Sometimes you need to find creative ways to jump through hoops in order to finish what you set out to do. Plans will always change. When you begin a project, never assume it will turn out how you expect. Regardless, there is always SOMETHING to be learned that will come out of it, whether it’s what you expected or not.

Shilpa Shah

Current Employer: San Francisco Giants

Current Job Title: Research & CRM Analyst

Job Overview: I assist in launching cross-departmental surveys for our organization for several different initiatives. For example, I work with our sales representatives to launch surveys for Season Ticket Members. Additionally, I work as a Salesforce Admin assisting in the upkeep and updates in Salesforce. I also assist sales managers with launching multiple sales campaigns. 

How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? Research is a large part of my current career, and my research experience during grad school largely contributed to the knowledge I started my career with.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career? Collaborating, speaking, presenting, analyzing, Features and capabilities within Qualtrics

What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time at SJSU?

Alicia Hedges

 Current Employer: San Jose State University, De Anza College, Applied Technology & Science

Current Job Title: Lecturer of Anthropology, Senior Archaeologist

Job Overview: I wear many hats in the archaeology world! I am a Lecturer here in the Anthropology Department at SJSU as well as De Anza College where I teach courses in Archaeology, World Prehistory, Human Evolution, Cultural Anthropology, and Applied Anthropology. I am also the Senior Archaeologist at Applied Technology & Science, which is an integrated engineering and environmental consulting firm in San Francisco. In this position, I work with local stakeholders pertaining to infrastructure projects that may impact archaeological resources.

How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? In my case, anthropology has been especially important in my career as I now teach the subject as well as utilize our "toolkit" in my role as Senior Archaeologist. Not only that, but anthropology also taught me how to better relate to people and empathize with the experiences of others. These professional and personal skills have been invaluable.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career?Learning how to research is my most prized skill, which is something that was fostered at SJSU. In anthropology, we do a lot of reading and writing, which is a great way to learn how to find information, engage with the information, and then put that information to use in conceiving an argument. Not only has this helped me in creating class content for my students, but it has been especially helpful when conducting background research for the various archaeological sites I work on in the Bay Area

What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time at SJSU? It's okay to take time to regroup and relax. During my studies, I was a perfectionist and would feel guilty if I was not working on a project. Now, with the many projects I deal with, I recognize how important a work / life balance is and it is okay to unplug when needed.

Sarah Gallardo

Current Job Title: Behavior Intervention Teacher

Current Employer: Pflugerville ISD

Job Overview: I serve as the behavior specialist on an elementary campus in Pflugerville, Texas. My students require special education supports to equitably access the general education curriculum due to challenges with neurodivergence and emotional disturbance, emotional dysregulation, and underdeveloped social skills. My team and I provide in-class supports, explicit social skills instruction, and crisis intervention to help our students bridge their gaps between knowledge and practice

How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? My training in anthropology provided insights and experience directly relatable to special populations as a culture. Parents, students, service providers, and educators navigate a variety of challenges and needs unique to this culture. We have our own language, customs, behaviors, beliefs, and values as related to our children and students. The ability to view these perspectives from an anthropological lens, ask questions, and learn about the cultural components of children and families with Autism, ADHD, and Mental Health Challenges helped create a working knowledge to apply directly to my teaching and intervention style.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career? Observational skills, attention to detail, and writing ethnography directly impacted my ability to do my job. We take a variety of qualitative and quantitative data on our students. That data is converted into numeric data where needed, entered, analyzed, and reported on quarterly as progress monitors for a host of clients. Data is shared to committees of stakeholders (called the ARD committee which consists of parents, teachers, administrators, and school psychologists, service providers, and IDEA compliance officers) annually. The skills and knowledge gained from the Applied Anthropology masters as well as my experience as a special educator prepared me for the PhD program in Special Education and Leadership at Texas Tech University. I'm currently in my third year as a doctoral student studying program evaluation. My focus includes leveraging training and experience to evaluate state and district programs for special populations in public school districts across Texas

What do you know now that you wish you knew during your time at SJSU?Anthropology benefits all fields of study and professions. The ability to see fine details, patterns, and cultural aspects in a variety of locations and environments is a skill and a gift. I embrace all I learned at SJUS and I am forever thankful for the training!

Shauna Mundt

Current Employer: Pacific Legacy, Inc.

Current Job Title: Senior Archaeologist

Job Overview: I’m a Senior Archaeologist working in cultural resources management in Northern California. My firm contracts with federal, state, and local agencies to preserve and protect archaeological and cultural resources under CEQA, NEPA, and Section 106 of the NHPA. I manage projects from start to finish including budget proposals, pre-field research, Native American consultation, fieldwork, reporting, site record production, and developing mitigation measures. Additionally, I oversee and train junior staff. I started there as an on-call field technician right after graduating from and have been able to advance my career as a result of my advanced degree from SJSU.

How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career? My degree gave me specific knowledge about Cultural resource Management, as well as a strong background in theory, field methods, and artifact identification.

What skills or knowledge did you learn at SJSU that you find most useful in your career? Artifact identification, field methods, working collaboratively with others.

Elizabeth Fernandez

Current Job Title: Staff Archaeologist

Current Employer: Tremaine & Associates

Job Overview: I work for Tremaine & Associates (a Cultural Resource Management company) as part of a team throughout all phases on multiple projects. I conduct records searches, literature reviews, and other forms of research, collaborate and prepare documentation for submittal to clients, supervise field teams, assist with and supervise all phases of field work, assist with consultation, and work as the lab manager. I have been with this company since 2012 and continued to work for them during my time at SJSU, including working on the Santa Clara Courthouse project in Downtown San Jose. I graduated in Fall 2017.

How did your degree in anthropology prepare you for your career:

Occasionally we contract with companies that require a Masters degree, which has allowed me to expand my work experience and provide more valuable work to my company.

Jhaid Parreno