Current Graduate Students
Get to know our graduate students! Also, learn about our alumni, their research experiences as graduate students, and their respective careers paths after graduating from the ENVS program at San Jose State University.
I was born and raised in San Jose and am proud to have the Bay Area always in my heart! I am especially excited to continue my education in my home community in San Jose.
I come from a small town in the Central Valley known as Chowchilla, California. From a young age, I always loved animals and pushed for owning pets in my family. After growing up watching Animal Planet and visiting zoos, I had this dream career of wanting to be a wildlife veterinarian.
Hi! My name is Nicole Ermisch, and I was born in Argentina but grew up traveling frequently between Argentina, Mexico, and Bend, OR. My family’s winery required us to go down to Argentina for harvest season every year, and we’d stop in Mexico to visit our family.
Hello everyone! My name is Matthew and I am a recent graduate of the Environmental Studies (ENVS) department here at San Jose State, with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies and a minor in Environmental Impact Assessment.
Hi, my name is Leslie Gonzalez. I was raised in California and spent my childhood walking three blocks to get to school and two more to get to the local Los Angeles Public Library which felt like my second home.
Hi everyone! My name is Lauren, and I received my undergraduate degree in environmental studies from Sacramento State University. While there, I focused primarily on habitat restoration and ichthyology and had the opportunity to apply what I was learning to an internship with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
Hello, my name is Kalysta but I often go by Kaly. I grew up in San Jose for most of my life but I attended college in Southern California. I graduated from the University of Redlands with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Spatial Studies.
Hi, my name is Dakota. I was lucky enough to grow up in the redwood forests of Santa Cruz. I grew up pretty far out in the boonies and am most comfortable and happy in the quiet forest countryside. I spent most of my childhood playing in the woods looking for critters and playing make-believe.
Hi! My name is Adrin and I grew up in the Bay Area and Sacramento areas. Growing up I was Boy Scouts for 4 years going camping and learning to respect the outdoors.
From an early age, my delight in playing with soil, rocks, and plants nurtured a lifelong passion for nature and the environment. My parents' encouragement played a pivotal role in fostering this curiosity, guiding me toward academic and professional pursuits deeply rooted in environmental sciences.
Hello, I’m Evelyn (Evey) Hinojosa. I'm from Visalia, California in the Central Valley. Recently, I graduated with a BS in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biology from San Jose State University.
Hi! My name is Ashutosh Mathur. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Sustainable Water Resources from San Jose State University.
Hi! My name is Jose, and I was born and raised in the Philippines.
I was born in Michigan, and raised in Minnesota. I have spent all of my life enjoying the great outdoors and soaking up as much sunshine as possible.
My name is Yumna Zia and I completed my undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley in Environmental Science. Growing up in the bay, I was surrounded by nature and loved to go hiking.
I spent my childhood Summers dipping in creeks and playing among oaks and sycamores in my hometown of Livermore, California.
Born and raised in Myanmar, I experienced firsthand the challenges of environmental degradation, deforestation, and water insecurity that affect many communities across the country.
I was born and raised in Southern California within the Inland Empire in Riverside. I graduated from University of California, Riverside with a Bachelor’s in Science in Environmental Science in 2024.
I spent a lot of my childhood in the outdoors or soccer field in my hometown of San Jose, California. My mother and I would frequently hike at Alum Rock Park and other parks.
I grew up in Turlock, CA and recently graduated from California State University - Monterey Bay with a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sustainable Communities and a Minor in Environmental Health Policy.
I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. I speak French at home but went to school in English.
I was born and raised in the Bay Area and have always had an immense fascination with animals.
I was born and raised in Upland, California. Growing up, I discovered my love of the outdoors during visits to national parks, natural history museums, and aquariums.
My name is Diana Garcia-Colmenarez, and I am joining the Environmental Studies program here at SJSU to focus on Fire Ecology and GIS.
I was born in a small town in the northern part of India. I grew up as a shy teenager with a lot of dreams encaged inside as a little girl.
I grew up in San Francisco and since childhood I have relied on the greenbelt of the San Francisco peninsula as a respite from the busyness of the city.
Hi everyone! My name is Anna Greene and I am from Santa Maria, California which is on the Central Coast.
There are singular events in life that shed light upon a vocational pursue. It was during my third year of Environmental Engineering at La Salle University in Bogota, Colombia when I began to understand the connection between man and nature as well as my own vocation.
I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and I graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S.
Hello everyone! My Name is Landon Guzman, I am from Stockton, California. For my undergraduate degree, I also studied in the bay area at SFSU, where I graduated with a degree in Environmental Studies.
Growing up in the Santa Cruz mountains, coastal environments were something that always existed on my radar.
A child of two coasts, I was born and spent my childhood in Boston, Massachusetts before moving with my family to the bay area.
I was born in Alaska and spent much of my childhood there and in Maine. My father was in the Coast Guard so I always lived near the ocean.
Hi! My name is Taylor and I was born and raised in Washington D.C. Ever since highschool, I’ve had a calling for environmental justice.
I grew up in rural Western Massachusetts, exploring the forest with my dog. From a young age, my purpose has centered around safeguarding and nurturing the interconnected web of life.
I was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and was raised in San José, California where I had the privilege of experiencing the city’s diverse cultures.
I was born in Riverside C.A snd currently reside in Santa Cruz. I spent eight years in the U.S. Army with multiple deployments over seas, before returning to school and earning my B.S.
Having grown up in Alviso I have a loving passion for environmental conservation and restoration, particularly in water sustainability.
Hello! My name is Christine Lopez and I have been living in the San Francisco Bay Area my whole adult life, but mainly from the East Bay.
I was born and raised right here in the Bay Area and have always had a fascination with the natural world and being outside.
I was born and raised in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. While living in Iran, I was able to obtain a B.A. in Economics from Azad Tehran University.
My name is Lindsey Marsh and I am a San Jose native. I didn’t go camping or hiking often growing up, but I do have fond memories of getting together with my extended family at our local parks.
I grew up in Riverside CA and always saw my family involved innature.
My home biome is temperate rain forest, favorite california vegetation type is coastal sage scrub, my favorite bird is the American dipper, and the greatest plant genera are Quercus and Calochortus.
Hello, my name is Rebecca Mina. I was born and raised in Stockton, California. I attended San Joaquin Delta College for three years and transferred to CSU East Bay where I earned my bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a minor in biology.
I am an Indian who has had the privilege of moving across India while growing up. I relocated to a new place every 2 years, changing schools, meeting new people, adapting to different climates, and connecting with diverse religions, cultures and demographics, all of which have played a great part in shaping me and developing my career.
I grew up around areas of San Jose, CA for the majority of my life. Ever since my childhood years, being outdoors and exploring new places has consistently been a keen interest of mine.
I grew up in rural Mexico and migrated to the U.S when I was thirteen, I studied high school in East San Jose-Yerba Buena H.S.
I have always been passionate about nature. It began early in my childhood with my mother teaching simple practices she implemented around our house such as growing vegetables and fruits, reusing instead of buying new things and not wasting food.
Hello, I’m Sanjana. I come from India which is a land of villages. I was born and brought up in-the huge farms of my grandparents in India where agriculture is the main occupation.
I was born in rural Elk Grove and spent my teenage years in the small gold rush town of Placerville, CA. My four siblings and I spent the majority of our childhood outside tending goats, chasing roosters, fishing in the delta and seasonally hunting deer.
I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, which most people simply call L.A. My parents are El Salvadorian and immigrated to the U.S. as young adults.
I grew up in the state of Haryana, located in northern India. I have always been one of those students who always liked reading interesting facts that amazed me.
I was born and raised in San Clemente; a sleepy beach town in Southern California. I graduated from San Jose State University with a B.S.
Hello, I’m Brad and I grew up in Gilroy and received my bachelors degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado.
Hi there! The name’s DeNarae. I was born and raised in Riverside County, CA and moved to San Jose 5 years ago to get my BS.
I grew up in equal parts on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
I was born and raised in Hong Kong, China. When I was in secondary school in Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to conduct field research in various locations, which made me strongly appreciate the environment.
I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, where I grew up hiking in the beautiful Franklin Mountains. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s in physics, double minoring in math and electrical engineering.
Hello everyone! My name is Olivia Trevino, and I am a current graduate student in the Environmental Studies Program at San Jose State University (SJSU).
I was born in Saigon, Vietnam and moved to America when I was only 4 months old. I’m not sure why I was even born in Vietnam because it restricts me from running for president.
Hello, my name is David Vásquez, I was born and raised in Medellín, the second biggest city in Colombia. Since childhood, I had so much contact with nature because of my parents’ passion for being in the countryside.
My Name is Mitchell Victoria and I am about to begin graduate school after taking a short break during the pandemic. I graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies.
After listening to many radio programs and reading articles that have sounded the alarm that immediate action is needed to reduce the human-caused degradation of the environment.
I just finished undergrad at University of California, Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies. I had a concentration in Conservation Science and Policy with a minor in Spanish Studies.
Danielle (Abby) Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio
Hi! My name is Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio I am from Des Moines, Iowa.
My name is Jiacheng Zheng. I was born in Shanghai, China. I obtained my bachelor’s degree of a double major biology and chemistry from the University of South Alabama in Dec 2022.
At the age of 15, I took a leap of faith and left my home country, arriving in the United States alone. My decision to seek new opportunities. With unwavering courage, I embarked on a path that would change my life forever.
