Tess Wilder-Cervantes, Hoopa High School, a member of the Karuk Tribe

Each recipient receives full funding for four years to attend the college of her choice. Those who go on to a graduate degree could potentially receive more than $500,000 if it is in the areas of science, computer science, mathematics, engineering, education, library science or public health.

Alcaraz said, “Here in Burney, I am the only one in my entire family to attend college. I have graduated from school early with a 3.8 GPA.”

Wilder-Cervantes, the Karuk member, plans to return to the reservation to teach composition and literature. She joins her cousin Vikki Preston for the start of classes August 25 at Humboldt State.

Cheyenne Alcaraz, Burney High School, a member of the Pit River Tribe and of Yana and Wintu descent

Blythe George looked at the expense of Dartmouth and realized “the cost of one year is more than my family makes in two. But then with encouragement from my counselors at Indian Education, McKinleyville High School and Educational Talent Search, I applied for the scholarship—and now I’m going to Dartmouth!”

The four North Coast winners are among 1,000 Gates awardees nationwide, selected from more than 13,000 applications. Adrienne Colegrove-Raymond, director of HSU’s Student Academic Services Outreach (SASOP) and Talent Search programs, said, “Because the competition is so great and the application can appear daunting, we have partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center and the Gates Millennium Foundation to establish an annual Gates Scholars Workshop at HSU. There are definitely tips that can give the students an edge.”

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HSU has hosted the workshop for four years, providing a key forum for high school counselors and students to learn how to apply for Gates Scholarships. The SASOP framework supports college-bound disadvantaged students, encouraging them to apply to Humboldt State and other institutions with comprehensive outreach services. It also extends early outreach to elementary and middle schools and coordinates a series of CSU scholarships.

Talent Search is a federal TRiO program, an in-school college entrance initiative for identified students in grades six through 12 who are the first in their families to go to college. Talent Search serves 19 Humboldt County secondary schools.

Established in 1999 and funded initially by a $1 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Millennium Scholars Program reduces financial barriers for African-American, Hispanic American, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian Pacific Islander-American students who possess high academic and leadership promise. The program is designed to enlarge their ranks in engineering, education, mathematics, public health, and the sciences. It fosters the successful completion of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, providing seamless support across them.

Almost a month after appearing in the North Coast Journal’s May 15 edition the story is catching the attention of Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc., who recently added the piece to their examples of good investigative reporting and the Society of Professional Journalists has added the story to their News Gems site as an example of the Best American Journalism.

You can read the full text of the story at the North Coast Journal »

News Gems’ entry on Nobody’s Fault »

Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc.‘s write up on Nobody’s Fault [under May 19 heading] »

Humboldt continued its large presence and strong showing in the competitions with 18 other universities, including University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Cal Poly Pomona, San Diego State University,UC Davis, University of Nevada, Reno, and more, competing at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In total, more than 360 geographers participated in the conference.

On Saturday, 10 HSU geography majors and recent graduates Mike Boruta, Willie Shubert, Daniel Stauning, Jared Wolfe, Megan Helms, Christopher Haynes, Sarah Warnock, Jorge Sanchez, Michael Owens and Colin Leslie competed in the undergraduate research competitions.

HSU students won the following awards:

McKnight Undergraduate Paper Awards
2nd: Megan Helms, “The Ecological Importance of Fire: A Case Study Using Tree Ring Dating”

3rd: Michael Owens, “Past, Present, and Future: Transitions in Resource Use and Landscape in Shelter Cover, Calif.”

Mapping Awards – Digital
1st: Jared Wolfe, “Distribution of Neotropical Migrants in Response to the El Niño Southern Oscillation in Costa Rica”

2nd: Michael Boruta, “The Tourist Traps of Northwest California”

3rd: Willie Shubert, “The Modern Middle East: A Survey of Chaos and its Contributors”

Lantis Scholarship Award
Undergraduate: Diana Muncy (HSU)

CGS Travel Award
Sarah Warnock (HSU)

The two recipients of the evening’s top award, Outstanding Student, were DaVonna N. Foy and Terra A. Rentz.

DaVonna, who graduated this May with a degree in social work, was an active member of Associated Students, serving as Administrative Vice President and sitting on several committees including the Community Service Scholarship board for the 07/08 term. Since 2004 DaVonna has also been involved with the MultiCultural Center and was instrumental in guiding the organization through difficult decisions in the face of shrinking budgets.

Terra Rentz, who also graduated this May with a double major in Wildlife and Political Science, served as President of Associated Students for the 07/08 term. Terra honed her political skills by occupying the top position in student government and leading a coalition of student representatives during a term that saw the beginnings of a University Center restructuring, which includes the Student Recreation Center, Center Arts, the bookstore, and more.

Additional winners from the evening include those recognized for excellence in an academic discipline. Representing the College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences was Michael S. Boruta; from the College of Natural Resources and Sciences was Jessica Shaw; and from the College of Professional Studies was Carmen G. King.

The Al Elpusan Award for Student Activism was awarded to Enisha M. Clark; the Outstanding Contribution to an Associated Students Program award was given to Annie E. Hehner; the Award for Excellence in Intercollegiate Athletics or Sport Clubs was given to Audrey M. Oswald, who recently placed second in the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships in women’s hammer.

The Brian Lorensen Residence Life Staff Award went to Stephanie M. Andaya; the Outstanding Contribution to a Campus Club, Program, or Organization award went to Jenna J. Barry; the Award for Excellence in Community Service went to David L. Gensaw; and the Award for Excellence in Fine Arts went to Lela A. Annotto-Pemberton.

On campus, the Service Learning Center worked with Ron Rudebock and Dining Services to implement a points donation system whereby students could donate a portion of their meal points toward the hunger-fighting campaign. In less than two weeks, HSU students donated a total of $1,665 in meal points. These meal points are being used to purchase vital, high-protein food supplies that will be delivered directly to Food for People, the Eureka food bank.

In addition to Dining Services, other partners on campus included Youth Educational Services (Y.E.S.), and the Residence Hall Association.

The HSU Service Learning Center’s efforts are part of a nationwide movement, spurred by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness and the Feinstein Foundation, to combat hunger across the country. The Feinstein Foundation is encouraging broad-based student efforts through a $1 million challenge grant. Hunger relief agencies will receive a percentage of the $1 million based on the amount of food and money they collected during March and April, in proportion to the total amount of food and money raised nationwide.

Jasmine Manuel, one of the principal student organizers of this initiative, said “The Feinstein Challenge is a great example of creating change in Humboldt County by building coalitions. The collaboration of multiple organizations has made this food drive a success.”

Rani Ram received the 2008 William Randolph Hearst/California State University (CSU) Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Ms. Ram now will compete with her 22 CSU counterparts for an additional scholarship of either $10,000 or $6,000, contingent on scores made by an official selection committee.

The initial $3,000 scholarship assists financially distressed students who demonstrate superior academic performance with a minimum 3.0 GPA average and outstanding volunteer community service. The award also recognizes those who have achieved success in spite of severe personal hardship.

Ms. Ram’s academic field is wildlife conservation and anthropology. She is a campus volunteer with HSU’s Global Connections Club and a community volunteer at Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, where she provides environmental education and animal care. She won the 2007 Morris K. Udall Scholarship for environmental achievement.

A native of Los Angeles, Ms. Ram traveled to South Africa and Kruger National Park to earn her certification from the Field Guild Association, dealing with poaching and wildlife population management.

She plans a career in world conservation, serving as a liaison between wildlife and human indigenous and urban populations.

“I aspire to bridge the gap between science and the humanities, to research how human encroachment affects wildlife behavior and populations,” Ms. Ram says. “By combining field techniques in wildlife management such as population counts, radio collaring and habitat management with an academic background in sustainable resource alternatives and cultural understanding, I will have the full spectrum of tools necessary to engage in a future career in international conservation.”

Ms. Ram is a recent transfer student to HSU and performed community service in Los Angeles, where she worked at Wildlife Waystation and the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter.

Of her experiences at Sequoia Park Zoo, she says they are rewarding not only because of her proximity to the animals but also because “in such a small zoo, my contribution has a greater impact on the welfare of the animals and the engagement of the surrounding community, on a scale one could not hope to dent in Los Angeles.”

Ms. Ram is the first-generation daughter of an unemployed immigrant, a minority female in the sciences and a survivor of serious medical problems. “I understand all too well the challenges that face low-income minority students,” she says.

Approximately 100 students, faculty and guests attended the buffet dinner which was preceded by a no•host social hour.   

Ken Fulgham, Department Chair, was the master of ceremonies for the evening.  The program started with introductions and a thank you to the various guests and faculty members.  

Dr. Fulgham gave high lights of the department for the year such as:
• The addition of Dr. Steve Sillett to the list of faculty

• Dr. Morgan Varner receiving the 2008 McCrone Promising Faculty Scholar Award

•The retirements of Dr. Bill Bigg and the ending of Dr. Bill Sise’s FERP term

• And the announcement that the Department of Forestry and Wildland Resources will be working in partnership with the Redwood Region Logging Conference to host the Association of Western Forestry Clubs Conclave in March 2009.

Over $43,000 in scholarships were presented to undergraduate and graduate students of the department with each student receiving recognition of their accomplishments.  

Many of the benefactors of the various scholarships were on hand to make their presentations to the students.  The highlights of the evening were the presentations to Bonny Hammons for the Academic Excellence Award for highest GPA, Rosemary Records for Most Outstanding Student Award in Rangeland Resources and Wildland Soils and Michelle Dudley for Professional Promise Award.  

The evening was capped off with door prize drawings.

The contest was organized and judged this year by Professors Jeff Haag and Martin Flashman of the HSU Mathematics Department.



In the A category (for beginning math students) the first prize of $100
was won by Calandria Castro, the second place prize of $50 was won by
 Sarah Smith, while the third prize of $25 awarded to Michael Stobb.


First prize of $100 in the B category (for advanced math students) was won
 by Michael Campbell, the second prize of $50 was won by Nathan (Alf)
Skinner and third place prize of $25 was awarded to Michelle Gledhill.

Winter’s presentation, titled “Protection From Neuronal Copper Toxicity by Dopamine or the Dopamine Reuptake Blocker Nomifensine in the Aquatic Annelid Lumbriculus Variegatus,” was based upon research she conducted in the laboratory of Prof. Bruce A. O’Gara of HSU’s Biological Sciences Department.

The conference was held on April 12, 2008, at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

“Genomics and the Future of Medicine and Society” was the title of a plenary talk delivered by Francis S. Collins, the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. Dr. Collins led the effort to sequence the human genome.

Students participate in the program as part of Professor Noah Zerbe’s Model United Nations course (PSCI 376) in the Department of Government and Politics.

Humboldt State’s Model UN program has grown to represent five countries in just its second year of existence, making it one of the largest conference participants. At the five day conclave in April, HSU students represented Canada, Jordan, Italy, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Contestants debated contemporary international issues and United Nations policy with more than 40 schools and 500 delegates from the Western United States, Canada, the Philippines and Russia.

Participating were: Ryan Walsh, Jonathan Linton, Sarah Daniels, and Nicole Quinn (representing Canada); Andrew Bond, Norma Clements, Jesus Solis, Michael Lockary, and Desiree Woods (representing Italy); Willie Shubert, Kienan Parr, Carly Hanssler, and Jack States (representing Jordan); David Bording, Andrew Bevington, Alan Chesbro, Richard Caccamo, and Jessica Martella (representing Nicaragua); and Cara Brannon, Jessica Ponsano, Carol Hurley, Adam Wolter, and Kaitlin Borstelmann (representing Tanzania). The course will be offered again in the Spring 2009 semester.

For details, contact Noah Zerbe at 707-826-3911 or noah.zerbe@humboldt.edu.