Alumni in the News - October
Cal Poly grad Ryan Darling (B.S., Business Admin, '10), just got a job in Germany -- playing pro basketball there. He's was a walk-on in tryouts for the Mustang Men's Basketball Team, didn't make it at first, served as the team's student manager and eventually worked his way into the Mustangs' starting lineup. Darling played in 26 games as a senior. The 6' 8 alum from Tehachepi, who already had a job as an auditor with a consulting firm, now has a one-year basketball contract. He's not the only Cal Poly alum in the news this month -- read on to find out who else made headlines.
Alumni in the News: October
Alumni in the News: July 2010
Noted architecture alum 'Weird Al' Yankovic (Architecture, 1980) is on tour on the East Coast and writing a children's book. A 2009 business grad has completed his bike trek from the tip of Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. Two engineering alumni were in the news again for disseminating their dissection of Apple's latest gadgets -- and the business they launched in their dorm room now has 25 employees and is in the black. These are just a few of the alumni who made headlines this month. Read about more alumni in the news -- and see if you know any of them.
Alumni Photo of the Month: Venice, Baby
Biochemistry Alumna Kate (Schaeffer) Feist is the May Photo of the Month winner for her shot of a street musician and a little fan in Venice. Feist took the photo in 2007, while living in Europe with her husband (Engineering Technology alum Bob Feist) and four children.
The family lived in Dresden, Germany from 2004 – 2007, where she was the site manager of a semiconductor equipment company. The Feists are now in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Kate Feist is an engineering technologist with a semiconductor firm.
Kate Feist is just one of the 14,300 Cal Poly alumni in PolyLink, the university’s free, private, secure online community. Alumni can log in to see more of her photos in PolyLink (www.calpolylink.com). Everyone can visit the PolyLink Photo of the Month gallery any time to see more winners (no login needed) at http://www.calpolylink.com/photogalleries.
Alumni in the News: April
Aero Engineering alum Burt Rutan brought the world one step closer to private space travel with the successful test flight of SpaceShip Two and its carrier aircraft, the VMS Eve. Two alumni made waves with their "opening day" webcast dismantling a new iPad to see what's inside and how it works. From water conserving landscape to architectural heritage to socially responsible investing, alumni made headlines on the job and off. Find out who they are, and if you know any of them.
Read about alumni in the News
Alumni in the News - March
California State Senator or Lt. Governor? Crop Science alum Abel Maldonado is at the center of an ongoing news story. One biology alumna is scrambling to keep her cheetahs, pythons, monkeys and foxes fed. One alum is enjoying his dream career: designing and testing roller coasters around the world. Cal Poly Alumni were getting promotions, honors, and headlines around the nation this month. Find out who they are -- and if you know them.
Alumni: Get On the Map
Ever wondered how many Cal Poly alumni live in your area, and if you know any of them? Now there’s an easy way to find out, thanks to PolyLink (www.calpolylink.com) and Google Maps. More than 15,000 alumni are already on the map in PolyLink, Cal Poly’s free, private, secure online network for all alumni, current seniors, and a growing number of faculty and staff. You can find it at www.calpolylink.com/alumnimap - if you're a PolyLink member.
March Photo of the Month: On the Ice Road
Mechanical Engineering alum Joel Vazquez ('99) is the March PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for this shot taken in the Alaskan Arctic. That's Vazquez at left. He works for Worley Parsons, an international energy company. "Most of my work has been at British Petroleum Alaska (BPXA) Prudhoe Bay Gathering Center 2. This photo was taken while on a visit to the Seawater Treatment Plant run by BP. The ice road actually leads to the BP North Star Island, an oil production facility in the Beaufort Sea."
See the full, uncropped photo in the Alumni Photo of the Month winners gallery. Upload your photos to PolyLink and you could be the next Photo of the Month winner!
February Alumni in the News: Bulls vs. Racecars, Stephen King and More
One Cal Poly alum has traded bulls for race cars - and heads the organization that runs the annual Indianapolis 500. Another has written a book that best-selling author Stephen King praised in the New York Times Book Review. Others are creating pomegranate wine, making historic orchards thrive, moving up at architecture and finance firms, and more. Find out which Cal Poly alumni are in the news this month -- and if you know any of them.
Alumni in the News
Alumni Photo of the Month: Surfing Florida
It might not be the same ocean, but David Reeves is still surfing. Reeves (B.S., Ag Business, 1984, MBA, 1985) is now an analyst and contract specialist with NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. He and his wife and two kids are living in Florida, where Reeves still loves to surf. Reeves is just one of the 14,153 alumni in PolyLink, Cal Poly's free, private, secure social network for alumni. In addition to member photo albums and an interactive alumni member map, PolyLink has its own private job boards averaging leads to about 200 job openings every month. Not a member yet? Alumni can find their first-time login codes in the e-mail announcing every month's edition of Cal Poly Update e-newsletter.
See the 2010 Photo of the Month Gallery
(no login required)
Vote for the Cal Poly Rose Float!
Vote for the Cal Poly Rose Float in the Rose Parade's Viewer's Choice Awards. Make sure to vote before 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time on New Year's Day. Here's the link to the online ballot on the KTLA Web site:
http://www.ktla.com/entertainment/roseparade/viewerschoice/
Hitting the Trail in Nevada - Alumni Photo of the Month
Cal Poly alumna Marci (Schmidt) Cunningham (B.S., Ag Business, 1974) is the October PolyLink Photo of the Month winner for this shot of her on horseback last June during one stage of the Schellbourne Summer XP Ride outside Ely, Nevada.
Her PolyLink Photo Album is full of horseback scenes. She's a regular endurance rider, lately with her 8-year-old half Arabian Blaze (pictured).
When she's not in the saddle, Cunningham is in Bakersfield, where she is an associate vice president for grower services with a cotton marketing cooperative.
October Alumni in the News: Tea in TIME, Jamba Boom and More
TIME Magazine's Sept. 14 edition (online and print) featured a story on Guayaki Yerba Mate - the "Tree-Hugging Tea." Herbal-drink-maker Guayaki Yerba Mate imports directly from small suppliers across Latin America with the goals of producing natural foods and preventing further rainforest deforestation. The flavored, mate-based herbal drink now has sales over $10 million annually.
The company is owned by two Cal Poly alumni: Alex Pryor (B.S., Food Science and Nutrition, 1998) and David Karr (B.S., Business, 1996). They are just two of the Mustang alumni in the news this month - read on to find out who else made headlines, including tango dancer and ultimate fighter Chuck Liddell (B.S., Business Administration, 1999), a young cattlewoman taking the reins on a historic ranch, and more.
Alumni in the News: Liftoff Accomplished, Dancing with the Stars and More
Maintaining the Mustangs' presence in outer space is Col. Rick Sturckow. Sturckow is commanding the Space Shuttle Atlantis on its current mission to the International Space Station. The Atlantis blasted off into orbit Aug. 29. This is Sturckow's fourth space mission. Alumni astronaut Gregg Chamitoff, now back down to earth, will be heading to space again in the future.
And the toughest accountant to graduate from Cal Poly -- former UFC Champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell -- is heading for a new arena: "Dancing with the Stars." These are just a few of the alumni who made headlines this month. Find out about the rest -- and see if you know any of them.
Arch Engineering Grad on CBS Early Show
Ricardo Arevalo is an ARCE grad and Vice President of Engineering for Simpson Strong-Tie Arevalo appeared on the CBS Early Show June 24, showing consumer reporter Susan Koeppen the difference between a safe deck and one prone to collapse.
Cal Poly Hosting Free Job Search Workshop March 20
Cal Poly’s Career Services office will host a free resume and job search workshop Friday, March 20, for San Luis Obispo area residents. The event, set to run 9 to 11 a.m. at Career Services in Building 124, is aimed at local residents affected by recent business closures and/or the downturn in the economy. Cal Poly alumni are always eligible for free assistance at the university's Career Services Department. PolyLink member alumni have access to the PolyLink job boards, and hundreds of mid-career job postings.
Photo of the Month: Illuminated by Lincoln
Cal Poly couple Baley and Pedro Plascencia are February's PolyLink Photo of the Month winners for this shot from their 2007 trip to Washington, D.C. It was cold when they snapped the photo of themselves in front of the Lincoln Monument -- but it was worth it, says Baley Plascencia. The couple live in Southern California, where they both are consultants, Pedro in construction and site inspections, and Baley in fairs and events.
Photo of the Month: Soccer Head
January's PolyLink Photo of the Month winner is Joe Tarica (B.S., Journalism, English, '93) for this photo of his son, Josh, at a soccer game in Atascadero when he was 4 years old. PolyLink members: sign in and see more of Tarica's Photos on his Personal Page. Everyone else can see more PolyLink Photo of the Month winners any time in the University Photos Gallery - no sign-in needed.
Read Winter Magazine Online
Want to know more about UFC legend Chuck Liddell, the toughest accounting major you'll ever meet? Or F-18 Hornet Pilot Victor Glover? Or what it's like to try to make a documentary film on horseback in outer Mongolia? Or what happened in the first few seconds after the universe was formed? Those are just a few of the things Cal Poly alumni and faculty are working on, and just a few of the stories in the latest Cal Poly Magazine.
Read Cal Poly Magazine online
Alumni in the News - December 2008
Cal Poly Business Alumna Joanne Smith made this year's Wall Street Journal list of "50 to Women to Watch" for her success in flying Delta Airlines into profitability. Ag Engineering alum Charles Harrington (left ) is now the leader of Parsons Corp. June 2008 wine & vit graduates Andrew Macaluso and Nicole Chamberlain commercially launched their senior project. And astronaut Greg Chamitoff finally came back down to earth.
Read about more alumni in the news
Astronaut, Architecture Dean, Top Printer Among 2008 Honored Alumni
An astronaut, an architect, and the nation’s top printer are among this years Honored Alumni at Cal Poly. Honored Alumni recognized this year are: Joe Bannon of Carmel, Ind.; Rebekah Gladson of Corona del Mar; B. Quentin Lilly of Malibu; Christina McEnroe of Buellton; Gregory Chamitoff of Pearland, Tx.; Robert C. Tapella of Alexandria, Va.; and Anne Marie Bergen of Columbia. This year’s Cal Poly Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award Winner is Nancy McCracken of San Jose.
Mustang Alumni Heading for Olympics
Four Cal Poly alums made headlines in recent weeks for qualifying for the coming Olympics in Beijing: Crop Science alumna Gina Miles and her horse, McKinlaigh qualified for the Equestrian team. Former Mustang track and field standouts Sharon Day and Stephanie Brown Trafton will compete in Olympic field events. And former Mustang baseball star Jimmy Van Ostrand will be on Canada's Olympic baseball team in Beijing.
Alumni in the News - July
One alum, engineering grad Greg Chamitoff, is spending his summer in space. Chamitoff is in orbit on the international space station at the moment. But he's not the only one in the headlines. One alumna has taken the production reins at the newspaper in Eugene, two are are Emmy winners -- and a pair of twin alumnae are gladiators. And that's just for starters.
Nan-Tastic: Log In to Become an Alumni IPod Winner
There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but thanks to PolyLink there IS such a thing as a free Nano. Just log in and create your Personal Profile in PolyLink, and you're automatically entered in PolyLink's computerized drawings for a free iPod Nano. Business Alum Bob Millsap of Arizona is PolyLink's latest Nano winner.
Photo of the Month - April
Cal Poly alumnus Jamie Gaiser (B.S., Business Administration, 2003) likes to spend his days off racing motorcycles. His day job? Flying military C-17 transport planes and missions as a captain for the U.S. Air Force. As if that's not enough to keep him busy, Gaiser and his wife have just embarked on one of life's biggest adventures: Parenthood.
Bee Spotlights New Tulare-Kings Alumni Chapter
Reminiscing about college days in San Luis Obispo just got easier for the more than 2,000 Cal Poly graduates living in Tulare and Kings counties. The group formed a new CPAA chapter, and has been drawing some 40-50 alumni to its formal and informal events. Plenty are newer grads from 2002 and 2003 - with babies in tow.
Read the Fresno Bee story
How do I Log In to PolyLink?
PolyLink, Cal Poly's Online Community, has more than 5,000 alumni online -- just a month after launching! How do YOU log in to PolyLink? We've got illustrated, step-by-step instructions. Your September Cal Poly Magazine label contains your personalized, secure first time login ID code.