B.A. ALUMNI
- Wayne Yuen, B.A. 2000. Wayne was very active within the department throughout his undergraduate career. He continues to participate heavily in student and departmental events as a M.A. Student at SJSU.
- Todd Madigan, B.A. 1995. Todd received the Schapiro Award and the Temple Prize as a student. He is now an M.A. student in Philosophy at SJSU.
- Chris Howden, B.A., 1993. Chris is currently teaching 7th grade social studies. In answer to the question, "How has your education in philosophy shaped your life?" he replied, "How hasn't it?"
- Michael J. Larson, B.A., 1991. Michael presently owns a machine shop and intends to do art. He says "Philosophy has shaped my life. I think about life and how I spend my time."
- Barbara Stern, 1990. Barbara is a realtor in the Silicon valley.
- "This business is extremely competitive and I have found that using the simple fundamentals of fairness, being trustworthy and respecting the individual ...has become my way of doing business... Also, to bring everyday life into perspective for my friends and family is directly related to my education in Philosophy...and it gives me a great feeling of peace and security"
- John Hummer, B.A. 1984 dual major Philosophy, Psychology. Special Project Manager Freight Services, North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Inc.
- Timothy Perkins, B.A., 1988. Currently working for SRI Consulting, a subsidiary of SRI, Menlo Park. He says his education in philosophy shaped his life very positively.
- Paul N. Duggan, B.A. 1980 with a second major in Psychology. Paul went on to become Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Desktop Networks Business Unit of Standard Microsystems Corporation, and retired in 1996. He now consults for the computer industry on issues of marketing, venture investments, and mergers/acquisitions.
- Robert Wasley, 1980 with a second major in History. Robert is a Consultant/instructor in the industrial safety and health field. "I have been able to achieve a much greater sense of perspective on our current period of development and what it means for the future."
- Alexander Cassimus, 1980. Currently Human Resources Site Manager at Orchard Supply Hardware. Philosophy has shaped his life in a strong way. He continues to read and write in phenomenology.
- Linda N. Lorenzetti, B.A., 1963. Linda currently does consulting and testing user applications for Stanford University's Administrative System, support for student financial aid applications. Philosophy, she says, has been a great background for branching out into other areas.
- James Kellenberger, 1960 Professor of Philosophy, CSUN
- "My undergrad work at SJSU prepared me for my career in Philosophy. The inspiration of Frank Ebersole was especially significant for my development."
- Gordon Lawrence, B.A., 1955. Greg owns a concessions company in Kings Canyon National Park. In answer to the question, "How has your education in philosophy shaped your life?" he writes the single word "foundation."
- Geraldine Andersen Luzietti, B.A., 1950. Received her M.A. in Art in 1956. She is a painter and feels that philosophy was a wonderful prelude to art. Dr. Fallico's classes changed her focus from law to philosophy.
- Alan Stewart, B.A., 1949: Retired school teacher and building contractor.
- James H. Hood, B.A., 1940. Retired high school mathematics teacher. He says the quality of his life was enriched by his education in philosophy.
M.A. ALUMNI
- Scott Stroud, M.A., 2002. Scott is now a doctoral student in the Department of Philosophy at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His research has focused on Kant, Indian Philosophy, and aesthetics.
- Lisa Bernasconi, B.A., M.A. Lisa now teaches part-time for the Philosophy Department at SJSU.
- Tatiana Bertshinger, M.A. 2000. Tatiana's M.A. thesis "Quality and Quantity" was nominated by the Philosophy Department for the University's Outstanding Thesis Award for 1999-2000. Although she did not win the award, Acting Dean Lucius Eastman wrote: "Your graduate thesis is an outstanding example of the highest attainment of students in the California State Universities."
- Dirk Bruins, M.A. 2000. Dirk is now teaching critical thinking at Evergreen College. He continues to assist the Philosophy Department in various ways. In the Spring he won an award of $500 for best paper in a contest on the question of whether God should be considered in the seach for extra-terrestrial intellegence (SETI). The paper was judged by professors from Physics, Comparative Religious Studies, and Philosophy.
- Art Ordaz, M.A. 1999, is doing security work, and taking it easy this semester (Spring 2000). He is interested in going on to study for a Ph.D. with a focus on realism. He is also applying for a certificate program in Counseling for Drug and Alcohol at SJSU. Art benefited from the students over-60 program when he was at SJSU (paying only $45 per semester in fees!).
- Brain Prosser, M.A. 1999. Brian is a graduate student in Philosophy at Fordham University. He published commentary in the Geist: Uncommon Sense vol. II (Spring 2000), the Philosophy Department student journal. The article was titled "Friends, Enemies and Strangers: A Response to Sanchez's Analysis of Ortega y Gasset's Man and People." 73-49.
- Uma Chandrasekharan, 1999. Uma is interested in Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, and Logic in connection to Artificial Intelligence. She will be living in Iowa soon, happily married. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. there in the near future.
- Eric Palfreyman, M.A., 1998. Eric lives in McKinney, Texas and works at Nortel Networks as Marketing Communications Manager. He also teaches both English and Philosophy at Collin County Community College. He states that philosophy and the process of critical and systematic thinking color everything he does -- from his personal to his professional life. I am a big fan of the expression that "the unexamined life is not worth living". While an examination of my life would reveal the sad truth, that not all of my critical thinking has born financial fruit in my life, I am the richer for thinking carefully through life issues before making decisions." Eric can be reached at 972-548-7320 and/or epalfreyman@prodigy.net
- Rafael Ulate, 1998 Just returned from four months in Spain, now looking for work.
- "I think the discipline has helped me see that each and every question is much more complex than it seems at first, and the point is to try and discern a consistent answer. The process of figuring something out might just be as important as the conclusion."
- Abdella Nebi Amino, M.A. 1997 Abdella's thesis was titled: "Nationalism: A Philosophical and a Historical Perspective." Under Dr. Albright. Currently he is living in Alexandria, VA working for an E-commerce company in Maryland as a QA Engineer.
- John P. Sullins, M.A., 1996. John is in graduate school in Philosophy at SUNY Binghamton. He recently gave a paper at the Philosophy and Technology Conference at SJSU. Summer 1999. See what he's working on.
- Henry Liem, M.A. 1996. Henry now has a tenure-track position in Philosophy at San Jose City College.
- Andrew Messchaert, M.A. 1995. Andrew now has a tenure-track position in Philosophy at Porterville College.
- Barbara Jean Upton, M.A. 1995. Barbara has taught philosophy in several colleges in the South Bay Area.
- Michelle Livsey, B.A., 1993, M.A. 1995, J.D., 1998. Michelle says her education in philosophy was very helpful in law school, and that in the practice of law it provides a different perspective.
- Elizabeth Sonnier, M.A. 1993. Elizabeth is ABD in Philosophy at Fordham; she is working on a dissertation on Whitehead.
- Mary Ann Shukait, B.A., M.A. Mary Ann Shukait obtained both her B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy at San Jose State University. She has been teaching in the Department of Philosophy for over six years after a career in the high-tech sector of the semiconductor industry. Management positions in that industry included Director of Corporate Education and Training for a semiconductor hardware manufacturer and Engineering Section Head for a semiconductor chip manufacturer. She also developed and taught process engineering courses for Novellus, Inc. and Applied Materials.
- Professor Shukait's areas of interest in philosophy are Ethics, Feminism, and American Pragmatism. She has taught courses in Professional and Business Ethics, Contemporary Moral Issues, Science, Technology and Human Values, Introduction to Philosophy and Latin American Philosophy. She will also be teaching a MUSE Seminar in the fall 2003 semester. She also volunteers as a mentor in the Faculty Mentor Program.
- Alfred Jan, M.A., Applied Option. Aesthetics. 1992. Alfred is a practicing optometrist at Kaiser, is on a preferred part-time list to teach "Intro to Aesthetics" at De Anza College. He is co-editing a collection of pulp detective short stories from 1937 to 1944, and Dime Detective Magazine (due Spring 2000). A philosophical letter of his was published in the October 1999 issue of Art Forum. He believes his education in philosophy has enabled him to better inform his critical thinking and writing. His MA gave him "tools to better participate in the discourse about various genres of art."
- George Pinto, M.A. 1991. Founding Parter, Silicon Valley Accountancy Corporation. "Without a philosophical background I simply would not be successful. Note I did not say "as successful" but 'would not be successful'." George also teaches part-time for the Philosophy Department at SJSU.
- Dan Williamson M.A. Dan received his Ph.D. from University of California at Riverside. He now teaches part-time for the Philosophy Department at SJSU.
- Anthony Nispel, 1989 Instructor for Goodwill's adult job-training division
- "I would not trade the impact, insight, and inspiration I have gained through reading the classical philosophers for anything."
- Jim Lindahl, B.A. Jim received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Western Ontario in 1999. He now teaches part-time for the Philosophy Department at SJSU, and part-time for Humanities.
- Beverly E. Gallo, M.A. 1984. Beverly currently teaches philosophy at California State University, San Bernardino.
- David Danielson, M.A. 1984. David has a tenured position teaching philosophy at College of San Mateo.
- Leila Parello, B.A., 1982, M.A., 1985. Currently teaching Philosophy at Grossmont College in El Cajon and ballet part-time in La Mesa, California. She says her experience working in our Logic Lab has helped her to become an instructor for logic and critical thinking classes. Without that experience, she never would have had the self confidence to do so.
- Richard Payne, 1975 Dean, Institute of Buddhist Studies, Graduate Theological Seminary "despite my best struggles to avoid it, logic has in fact proven very important in further intellectual endeavors. Also, I continue to work in methodology of the study of religion which involves epistemological concerns as well as the philosophy of science; one of the areas our Institute is exploring now is that of Buddhism and Science, and I am personally doing work on comparative logic (Indian Buddhist logic and natural kinds theory)."
- Jerald W. Cloyd, B.A., 1967, M.A., 1970, Ph.D. 1975. Teaches in Corrections Department. He enjoys life more because he sees it from a philosophical perspective.
- Charles James, M.A, 1982. Teaching medieval and modern philosophy at St. Patrick's Seminary and University in Menlo Park, CA.
ARE YOU ALUMNI?
If you are a San José State University Department of Philosophy alumni, please let us know how you're doing, and if you'd like to be included on this site.
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