Spotlight

Three graduate students or alumni have been selected to represent Sonoma State University in the California State University Student Research Competition this year!

Jackie Pinney, Sonoma State alumna, earned her teaching credential in special education in 2017 and completed her Master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Special Education in 2024. Jackie teaches a “transition class” at Ridgeway High School in Santa Rosa.

The new graduates from the School Counseling MA program start the school year with new jobs and new offices!

Featured above are:

As part of his thesis research, CRM MA student Patrick Lawler has created new interpretive trail signage for Indigenous petroglyphs at Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

Mel Debret, earned her Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Special Education, in May 2024.

China Camp Village is on the very edge of San Francisco Bay and subjected to growing risk of damage from sea level rise and increasing wave action.

Former Sonoma State University student, Kristy Deiner (Biology MS, 2004), was highlighted in Nature News for leading the largest one-day aquatic biodiversity sampling effort in the world.

After completing his master's thesis at Sonoma State University, David Ensminger completed a PhD at Penn State and a post-doctoral position at UC Berkeley. David is currently an Assistant Professor at San Jose State University.

Dr. Erica Tom is an educator, bridging academic and equine worlds. She takes her teaching beyond the classroom. In 2018, Erica founded Equi-Sense, a therapeutic equine program melding ethology, trauma-informed practices, and Natural Horsemanship.

Michael Newland graduated from Sonoma State’s Cultural Resources Management M.A. program in 2000. Since that time, he has helped transform the discipline of archaeology with his efforts in public outreach and tribal consultation, and research and advocacy on climate change.