Alumni Showcase
What do alumni say about the program?
“I’m so thankful I joined the Humanities Honors Program because it really helped me
cultivate a better understanding of our world. The program is structured in a way
that shows how art, architecture, culture, philosophy, and religion intersect in different
communities to shape humanity. As a journalist, having the full picture of our society’s
rich development has helped my reporting as I interact with various communities daily
and pull from our history.”
—Madilynne Medina B.S. '22, news reporter for SFGATE
“The Humanities Honors Program was an invaluable part of my experience as a San Jose
State University student. The comprehensive coursework helped expand my understanding
of the world and helped equip me with the tools to become a more empathetic, more
well-rounded leader in the labor movement for the common good. I encourage all students
to apply and consider this program.”
—Kathy Tran B.A. '17, political specialist with labor union IFPTE Local 21
Who are our alumni?
Founded in 1954, the Humanities Honors Program has benefited generations of San José State students. Our students come from every undergraduate college, and our alumni have gone on to thrive in varied professional fields—including business, education, state and national politics, and the performing arts.
Below are just a few highlight examples of alums from throughout our 70-year history, with information about their past accomplishments and current endeavors!*
Do you want to join this list? Visit the appropriate info page about joining our lower-division sequence (for first- and second-year students, including incoming frosh) or our upper-division sequence (for juniors, seniors, and incoming transfers) and complete the appropriate interest form to get started!
Humanities Honors alums from before 2020
Humanities Honors Program alum Jim Beall, B.A. 1974 in Political Science, has spent four decades in public service: on the San Jose City Council (1980–1994), as a Santa Clara County Supervisor (1994–2006), and as a Democratic legislator in the State Assembly (2006–2012) and State Senate (2012-2020). In 1980 at the age of 28, he became the youngest person elected to the San Jose City Council.
Humanities Honors alum Letha Chi’en, B.A. in Art and Art History 2005, received a full research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her in-progress book on empire and cultural representation in the art of Renaissance Venice in early 2024. Professor Chi’en, who earned her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley after graduating from SJSU, is currently Associate Professor of Art History at Sonoma State University, specializing in medieval and Renaissance art. She also writes about art for a general audience for the San Francisco Chronicle and other popular outlets. You can see more and read some of her popular articles at her Sonoma State faculty webpage.
Humanities Honors alum Christie Conover, Bachelor's in Vocal Performance 2006, is an internationally recognized opera singer whose performances in leading soprano roles, including the title role in Rusalka, Pamina in The Magic Flute, and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, have been praised by San Francisco Classical Voice, the San Francisco Chronicle, Opera News, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune, among other publications. She also represented her home state of Montana in the Miss America Pageant. You can find info on Ms. Conover's recent and upcoming performances on her personal website, www.christieconover.com.
Humanities Honors alum Kathy Tran, B.A. 2017 in Political Science, works as a political specialist for Local 21 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), a labor union that represents more than 11,000 professional and technical employees working for local governments in the Bay Area. After graduating, she also worked as a field representative for the California State Assembly. You can see more about IFPTE’s work in the Bay Area at www.ifpte21.org.
Recent Humanites Honors Alums (graduated in 2020s)
Humanities Honors alumna Rida Lasne, B.S. in Business Admin-Management Information Systems '22, was promoted in 2024 to Technical Project Manager at cloud-computing data management firm Snowflake, Inc. While at SJSU, she also served as President, Vice President of Finance, and Fundraising Director of the Management Information Systems Association.
Humanities Honors alum Madilynne Medina, B.S. in Journalism '22, currently works as a news reporter for SFGATE and previously worked as a production assistant for NBC Bay Area, freelanced for San Jose Spotlight and served as the executive editor of San Jose State’s Spartan Daily. SFGATE covers San Francisco and California news, sports, politics, and leisure. Founded in 1994, it is now one of the oldest mass-market news websites in the world and has received a Pulitzer Prize and multiple awards from the San Francisco Press Club and North American Travel Journalists Association. You can read some of Madilynne’s recent articles at www.sfgate.com/author/madilynne-medina/.
Humanities Honors alum Britney Ortiz, B.A. '22 in Political Science, two-time U.S. Congressional intern and former Executive Fellow for the Capital Fellows Program, currently works as Executive Office Analyst for the California government’s Cradle-to-Career Data System, an inclusive longitudinal data system that provides tools to help students reach their goals and delivers information on education and workforce outcomes.
Humanities Honors alum Caitlin Pambid B.A. '23 in Anthropology with minors in Anthropology and Art/Art History, won first place in California State University's system-wide 2024 Student Research Competition for undergraduate research in the Humanities and Letters category for her Humanities Senior Seminar research project, "Death to the Museum (As We Know It)," a critical examination of museum exhibits on Native American and other indigenous cultures with recommendations for new exhibit approaches. She published a section of this project under the title "Death to the Museum (As We Know It): A California Art and History Museum Designs a Different Cultural Exhibit" in csuglobaljournal (linked), the Cal State system's scholarly journal highlighting academic resarch on California's relation to the world. In 2023–24, Caitlin interned on the exhibit team at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park museum through the American Conservation Experience's Emerging Professionals in Conservation program, in addition to working as assistant curator at South Bay arts organization Chopsticks Alley.
Humanities Honors alum Gisselle Santellan, B.A. ’23 in Sociology (minor in Chicana/o Studies), is pursuing her Master’s in Counseling and Guidance at SJSU in preparation for a career as a school counselor. Her Humanities Honors essay ‘Growth Journeys Begin with Confusion: How Dante Alighieri and Christine de Pizan’s Confusion at the Beginning of their Journeys Compare,’ was featured in the College of Humanities & Arts showcase of exceptional student work in spring of 2020. You can read Gisselle's essay, and view exceptional work from other Humanities Honors students, at the link!
Humanities Honors alum Justise Wattree, B.A. '23 in Humanities with a minor in Public Health, will begin a Master's of Health Science (concentration Social Factors in Health) at Johns Hopkins University in fall 2024 after completing a yearlong (2023–24) term as Policy Fellow at the California Hospital Association. In 2022, Justise received first place in the California State University's system-wide Student Research Competition in the undergraduate Humanities & Letters category for his Humanities Senior Seminar research project, "The Two-Front War: Self-Help and Black Health Activism During the Spanish Flu, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19"; a brief video summary of his findings is linked. Justise was accepted to SJSU's McNair Scholars Program in 2022–23. In 2023, he published his solely authored study "The Red Ribbon and the Black Cross: A Qualtitative Study of the Relationship between Social Activism and Contemporary Black Church Responses to HIV in Oakland, CA," in the McNair Research Journal SJSU (linked) and was credited as a contributing author to "Demographics and Health Beliefs of Black Gay, Bisexual, and Other Sexual Minority Men Receiving a Mpox Vaccination in the United States," published in the Journal of Urban Health (linked).
* Links to external websites are provided for informational purposes only and do not imply an endorsement of products, services, or information contained on those sites by SJSU or by the Humanities Honors Program. Email humanities-honors-program@sjsu.edu with any listing updates or corrections, or if you are a Humanities Honors alum and would like to request a listing.
