Alumni Profiles

Andrea Columbu, School of Education and Liberal Arts

Originally from Rome, Italy, Columbu says his sense of adventure brought him to the United States in the mid-1980s. He had been a pre-med student but wanted to take his interest in health in a different direction. Columbu started In Forma, a fitness center in Orinda, California, and found himself enjoying the one-on-one client consultation where he always seemed to be offering help beyond traditional fitness and health. As he talked with friends about integrating psychology and spirituality—something that would address the mind, body, and spirit—they said he should look at "the school down the street," and Columbu was drawn to JFKU.

"I couldn't believe I'd opened a business not far from the University but didn't know anything about it for a long time," says Columbu. "When I started thinking about my goals, JFKU just made sense. I checked with the Admissions Office to see if my earlier credits would transfer and what kind of degree to pursue, given my interests. They put me in touch with the academic department, and everything just fell into place."

Several instructors in the School of Education and Liberal Arts made a big difference during Columbu's undergrad education. They "inspired, supported, and motivated" him to continue his studies, consider teaching, and recognize his talent and interest in writing. They also helped build his confidence. Columbu now writes a regular column, Balanced Living, for the Orinda News.

During an internship for his program, Columbu volunteered for six months at a substance abuse rehabilitation center in Berkeley, where he conducted a weekly group exercise class. As he saw the extent of the substance abuse problem, he also recognized that even his seemingly small contribution made a difference: his one-on-one health and fitness consultation connected exercise and activity to client recovery plans.

In 2005, Columbu decided to continue his graduate education by participating in JFKU's linked-degree program, and he's now a master's degree student in transpersonal psychology. His goal is a private practice in psychotherapy. With the encouragement of JFKU's exceptional faculty, Columbu is even thinking about a doctoral program and the potential of teaching at the university level.

"I found a home at JFKU and not just because I love my program," says Columbu. "The university provides an excellent education in a supportive environment that promotes open discussion. Our diverse life experience is valued, and faculty members are open to a collaborative learning experience. We learn critical thinking and make deep personal inquiry that allows us to bloom. JFKU has been a wonderful experience that has changed my life."

Barbara Schuh, School of Holistic Studies

Living in North Carolina at the time, Schuh wanted to pursue a masters degree in holistic health and combine it with her interest in transcendental meditation. When she found JFK University, everything fell into place for her to move across the country and start classes in JFKU's School of Holistic Studies.

First, Schuh received a Masters in Holistic Health Education. Then, she went on for a Masters in Counseling Psychology, with a specialization in Somatic Psychology, graduating in 1998. Schuh says the two degrees "combine learning about oneself with interactions we have with others." The dual focus helps her as owner and CEO of Companion Care, a home care and care management service for seniors, founded on holistic principles. In 2004, she expanded Companion Care from its base in Lafayette, California, to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although semi-retired—at 45!—and mother of a two-year-old, Schuh remains busy in her profession and appreciative of her experience at JFK University.

"My JFKU education has enhanced my development as a person, a leader, and a listener," says Schuh. "It created lots of options for me after graduation. Everything I learned going through the counseling psychology program and therapy sessions continues to affect how I interact with clients, even though I didn't remain in private practice."

At JFKU, Schuh was very involved with student government and other campus organizations, even starting the University's Diversity Task Force. She considers her counseling internship at JFKU's community-based centers to be the highlight of her education. "In weekly community meetings, we shared the good and the bad," says Schuh. "Faculty modeled the kind of therapeutic behavior that they expected us, as students and, eventually, as alumni, to implement in our own practices and workplaces."

In JFKU's School of Holistic Studies, Schuh discovered a culture of healing and growth, one where "you find yourself and serve others." Compassionate faculty members "challenge you with cutting edge thoughts that encourage you to consider holistic principles, how everything is interconnected, how nothing in the world is really permanent." As a result, "you continue to explore and expand the mind, to study the cosmic consciousness and how it operates in daily life. I want to raise my baby within this new paradigm," says Schuh. "It's the most important impact my husband and I can have." She now serves as a member of the Board of Regents for the University.

George Winston, School of Management

Winston's program included a variety of enlightening courses on the role of work in our lives, tools to diagnose misalignment between individuals and their work, and a hands-on internship opportunity at the Business Career Center of the University of Texas at Arlington under the sponsorship of Cheri Butler, a JFKU alumnus. "She was masterful at offering encouragement and providing support for my efforts," says Winston. Taking on the role of consultant during his internship, he interviewed the Center's directors, reviewed related materials, identified appropriate benchmarks, and developed recommendations that were compiled in a final report.

The most meaningful outcome of his academic program may be the significant shift Winston made in his own career. After working 23 years in training and development, coaching, and human resources for telecom giants Motorola and Nokia, Winston's exposure to a new range of assessments and related knowledge in the JFKU program prompted a self-evaluation of his professional direction. His timing couldn't have been better. In 2006, Winston was able to start his own company offering facilitation of group and leadership activities for sales organizations, in addition to providing executive coaching and career planning services. The measure of success? "Business is booming!" says Winston. "And I'm happier and more fulfilled in my work than ever before. It was a great move for me, and it gives me a solid example to use when consulting with my clients."

Flexible scheduling, access to online information, and phone calls with faculty allowed Winston to enroll in JFKU's graduate program while maintaining a job and starting a business. "As a field studies student, I recognize that I teach myself and that this virtual experience is compatible with my personal learning style. I appreciate that JFKU's program is focused on course work and continuous learning."

Winston considers the summer residency components at JFKU's Pleasant Hill campus a highlight of the career development field studies program. While on campus, he and his colleagues enjoyed intensive face-to-face interaction, where everyone shared their varying perspectives. "People from all over the country take time away from their jobs and families to attend," says Winston. "The open and inclusive discussion forums made this an extremely valuable experience. We also felt very comfortable and welcomed on campus."

As Winston looks ahead to growing his independent business, he says, "My experience with JFKU's School of Management and its career development graduate certificate program strengthened my coaching skills and expanded my knowledge of assessments, assessment tools, and new technologies in career development, including career counseling via Internet. I'm a continuous learner who is always looking toward the future in my profession. JFKU's program allowed me to do that and learn a lot about myself in the process."

Erica Torres, Graduate School of Professional Psychology

Originally from San Pedro (CA) in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Torres looked at several schools on both coasts but kept returning to JFKU and, ultimately, chose to pursue her doctorate in psychology. The PsyD program's multicultural focus, small-group dynamic, opportunity to collaborate with accessible faculty, and participation in practica and the fourth-year internship led Torres to her current professional position.

JFKU's first-year ethnographic practicum—designed to help students feel what it's truly like to be different—placed Torres in San Francisco's Golden Gate for Seniors, a substance abuse treatment center for those age 55 and older, where she facilitated groups and sat in on individual therapeutic sessions. Although her first love is working with children and adolescents, the practicum provided Torres with a valuable real-world experience she would not have sought on her own.

For her second JFKU practicum, Torres was chosen to serve in the intensive clinical program for high-trauma youth at Central Contra Costa County Child and Adolescent Services, where she held a full caseload and collaborated with social workers and child psychiatrists. The Family Institute of Pinole, Torres' third practicum site, engaged her with underserved and underrepresented populations, particularly Latino and African-American families.

UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital Child and Adolescent Services was Torres' fourth-year clinical internship site. Here, she focused on infant and early childhood (birth-5) assessment as part of the adoption process through San Francisco's Department of Human Services. Torres remained at UCSF for her post-doctoral fellowship and, in 2006, was recruited into her current position.

"My model for client interactions and an attitude of acceptance comes from my experience with JFKU's faculty, especially Dr. Sukie Magraw," says Dr. Torres. "She shares who she is and that lets you know it's okay to be who you are. I take the same approach in my professional work. Like Dr. Magraw and the other GSPP faculty, my focus is on the person sitting in front of me: what's the background, what's the experience, who is this person."

Dr. Torres says her experience at JFKU was incredibly positive. "The small classes and opportunities to collaborate with professors, in addition to the commitment to diversity and multicultural sensitivity, helped me grow as a person, provided me with the excellent professional skills I use daily, and connected me to wonderful classmates who are now my professional colleagues."

Richard Frankel, School of Law

Richard Frankel, a 1982 graduate of the School of Law, typifies many JFKU students: family and financial obligations meant he needed a flexible academic program that allowed him to remain employed full-time while pursuing professional development and education. Intent on a career in law, Richard found just what he needed at JFKU.

Now a partner in a San Ramon (CA) law firm of Frankel & Goldware, LLP, Frankel began studying at JFKU while working in a local law firm and clerking in the Contra Costa County Superior Court. After graduating from UC Davis as a political science major, Frankel found JFKU and warmed to attending night school with students who held similar interests, goals, and aspirations.

By 1982, Frankel graduated from JFKU as one of the top four students in his law class and passed the California bar exam in the same year. His private law firm now includes several JFKU graduates, including partner Ken Begun ’86 and associate Ellen Rosenbluth ’98. The firm provides legal services in business, employment, real estate, estate planning, and civil litigation.

The year Frankel graduated, JFKU’s law school dean approached him to return to the University as an instructor. Frankel agreed and continues to give back to JFKU by teaching a course in business associations. Frankel served a term as president of the Contra Costa Bar Association and currently represents District 3 on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of California.

Frankel knows that getting through professional school is a challenge, but it’s worth the effort. “JFKU students are dedicated and prepared. They have a great attitude and want to be in school. It’s not easy to handle a three-hour block of instruction after a full day of work and family obligations, but JFKU students have a tremendous desire to succeed. As a student and as a teacher, I value the amazing people in my classes. We’re lifelong learners who want to keep improving ourselves, and JFKU helps us do that.”

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