Iris Archuleta (SOL,'04) is now a professor of Urban Politics at Cal State Hayward and began teaching with a summer quarter class in June.
Peppina Chang (SELA, '94) is Principal of the Richmond College Preparatory School in the crime-plagued Iron Triangle area, nurturing hope for hope a brighter future in one of the Bay Area's poorest and toughest neighborhoods. While the sounds of gunfire might send kids looking for cover, this rigorous charter school is offering hope to young, impoverished students, and to teachers and staff who are also local residents. The school was founded in 2005 as a result of a multimillion-dollar settlement from the 1993 disaster at the General Chemical plant in Richmond.
"I found myself here at JFKU. Coming to this University was the best thing I ever did and has had the most lasting affect on my life.JFKU gave me an exemplary education and the personal resources needed for the challenges I face at College Prep."
Jeannie Cummings (SELA,'05) is a medical social worker with the West County Detention Center, incorporating her education to deal with difficult situations with minority populations. She works with pregnant women in jail but use the holistic model she learned from JFK and look at every aspect of her client's lives.
"I came initially to JFK with a friend, I thoroughly enjoyed the experiential exercises as a student and found the coursework to be helpful in allowing her to grow emotionally and spiritually."
Sylvia Deaton (SELA, '03)works as a Financial Advisor for Merrill Lynch in Castro Valley, specifically assisting clients who are in need of financial empowerment while going through a divorce situation.
"It took me 20 years and six different higher education campuses to earn a college degree, and John F. Kennedy University was the place where faculty and other students gave me the support I needed to complete my degree. I joke in the office about something being very 'JFKish' and they all know that I'm talking about something that affects people, their heart and soul, something much deeper than just money or wealth. I live in Orinda and am active with the Chamber of Commerce and my children's schools."
Clare Hedin, MA (SHS,'04) is now married to Richard Bradshaw, whom she met at CIIS in the BAC program. She teaches at the Globe Recording Institute which focuses on sound healing. Clare will be presenting and performing at the first WorldSound Healing Conference, in SF, May 11 - May 14th
. She lives in Albany and teaches sound therapy in her private practice. You can email her at
CLHedin@aol.com.
Tori Janaya, MA (SHS, '06) has relocated to Southern California and opened a private practice as a Marriage, Family Therapist Intern in Escondido at The Center for Self-Discovery, supervised by Bioenergetics Therapist, Tarra Judson Starriel. In addition to individual and couples counseling, she has started a therapy group called "The Baby Question,' for women exploring whether or not to have children. Tori can be contacted through her website at
www.LivingAuthenticity.com.
Neils V. Lawson (SOM, '77) of Texas passed away in April 2007. Lawson was also served as a member of the JFKU Board of Regents from 1978-80. Neils' son, Steve Lawson, wrote, “Neils was always extremely proud of having earned his degree later in life and was very grateful for the experience he had at John F. Kennedy University.”
David Lewis (SELA, '80) was a past Student Body President and was involved with the early development of program and curriculum changes. He shares the following comments on his experience at JFKU and since then.
JFKU was a centering experience for me. The interaction with students and teachers was at the core of what I truly learned. Since graduation, I earned an additional master's degree in Organizational Behavior from USF. I initially worked as an eating disorder counselor in Berkeley and then returned to the corporate world with a new emphasis on "holistic" project management. I am now retired and enjoy the peace and beauty of my home in the Sierras.
Paul A. Lewis, MFT (GSPP,'90) recently became President-Elect of the State Board of Directors of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. It has been his professional and personal joy to assist individuals and families to improve their quality of life for over 15 years as an MFT. While he has been clinically trained in a multitude of modalities, his approach tends to be very eclectic. He see everyone as individuals who are all unique thus requiring a customized and individual approach. His private practice is the core of his professional life, but it is not the only aspect of his career, having contributed a great deal to his local community through volunteering and pro bono services. Contact him through his website at
www.2veritas.com.
Amanda Low (SOL,'00) is currently Vice President and Anti-Money Laundering Specialist at United Commercial Bank. She's also been keeping busy on evenings and weekends with acting and modeling for the past few years.
Norma Martinez-Rubin (SOM, '05) launched the consulting practice
www.EvaluationFocused.com after graduating from JFKU. She does small-business training for Women's Initiative for Self-Employment www.womensinitiative.org. She will be a presenter and panelist at the American Evaluation Association 2007 Conference in Baltimore, MD this fall, making presentations on "Crossroads Reached in Evaluation Practice: Learning to Identify Ethical Signposts" and "The Questions Parking Lot Project: Data Source for Training Curriculum and Service Enhancements." You can visit her website or email her at
Norma@EvaluationFocused.com.
Cynthia Michalis (’90) writes about her great love for and appreciation of her experiences at JFKU.
“It is truly a unique school and very much needed in today's society. I was 39 years old and the mother of two daughters - one in middle school and one in high school when I attended JFK. I decided to go back to school on the urging of two therapists who's hair I was doing. I had graduated from the U of Michigan in 1969 and became a High School teacher. My father told me I could either be a teacher or a secretary. That was about all that was available for women at that time. I was quite talented in Interior design and ended up in that for about ten years. I never felt like it was my calling so around 35 I decided to become a hair stylist. It was crazy - I got about three psychologists as clients who told me I should go back to school in psychology and become a therapist. I decided to take a course or two at JFK and the rest is history. I have been a MFT with a private practice in Marin for 15 years. JFK is a truly amazing school. The concept of creating a school for adults returning to school is unique and the education provided by people practicing in their fields is invaluable.”
Mary Mohs, MA (’90) has just co-authored a book with Ron Valle and was nominated as one of the five finalists for the 2007 Nautilus Book Award.
Opening to Dying and Grieving: A Sacred Journey is not about the why or the what of death and grief, but about the "how" — how to be with and use the pain of loss in order to gain a deeper understanding of what lies beyond this realm of reality. Insightful and encouraging, this book poses as a guide for all of those who have encountered death firsthand. Examining death through the clear lens of spiritual growth,
Opening to Dying and Grieving offers exercises, stories and tools to encourage as well as enhance this process. To order, phone: (651)645-6808 or go to
www.Amazon.com.
Sarah Nelson (GSPP, '96) is a JFKU alumna from the Masters of Clinical Psychology Program and would love to become a referral source now that I have a newly established psychotherapy practice. You can email her at
sarahnelsonmft@comcast.net.
Girija Ramesh (’04) now works as an intern in Milpitas schools and is being trained to facilitate a suicide hotline. Girija also has great research interest and personnel experience in chronic pain connected with counseling psychology and can be reached at
jgramesh@comcast.net.
Laurie Senter, MA (SELA,'02/'05) has been selected as a district-wide trainer of teachers in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. She will be one of the MSUSD trainers in math for more than 100 district teachers. These trainings will be held at JFKU in Pleasant Hill in August. Laurie received her multiple subjects teaching credential in 2002 and an MA in Teaching in 2005.
Dr. Barbara Sinor ('87) moved back to northern California three years ago, had her third book published, completed a fourth and is currently working on her fifth! Needless to say, with such an interest in writing, her private counseling practice has dwindled but she still see a few clients in her home office. Please watch for her latest book to be published next year,
What's Really Going On? Questioning Our View of Addiction. She co-authored this book with a colleague who was a substance abuse counselor in a methadone clinic; readers will find it intriguing and disturbing at the same time. Whether sober, using, straight or in the process of recovery, everyone's personal story of struggling with an addiction can be a valuable insight for our younger generations. Barbara is hoping to receive some stories from JFK Alumni. Visit her website at
http://www.DrSinor.com.
Joyce Young (SHS,'86) has worked as a writer in the fields of journalism, education, and the arts, with her MA in Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies. A freelance journalist for 6 years, she has focussedwriting critical reviews of literature and films focused on social issues. She also has served as a language arts curriculum developer at Developmental Studies Center, taught English in the Mills College Upward Bound Program for three years, and creative writing classes for 8eight years at the Museum of Children's Art, Oakland Museum of California, and Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She now facilitates "Write in Peace" workshops and instruct in JFKU's Academic Support Center. She will be a writer in residence at Vermont Studio Center next year on a fellowship while continuing to work on her manuscript, novella, and new poems.
Have updates on your activities or comments on your JFKU experience that you wish to share? Email Anne Marie Taylor at
amtaylor@jfku.edu.
