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Department of

History

Alumni

 

Rudy Guevarra

Rudy Guevarra

Dr. Rudy Guevarra Jr., is currently Assistant Professor in the Asian Pacific American Studies Program and Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Arizona State University.   He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of Santa Barbara.  His research and teaching interests include Asian American and Pacific Islander history, Chicana/o and Latina/o history, comparative Ethnic Studies, multiracial and multiethnic identity, race and ethnicity, immigration and transnational migration, and labor history.  He is co-author of Filipinos in San Diego (Arcadia Publishing, 2010), and co-editor and contributing author of Crossing Lines: Race and Mixed Race Across the Geohistorical Divide (Alta Mira Press, 2005).  His other writings have been featured in The Journal of San Diego History, Mavin Magazine, and Urban Mozaik Magazine.  Dr. Guevarra is currently completing his book, manuscript, “Mexipino: Mexicans, Filipinos, and the Forging of Multiethnic Identities and Communities.”  His next book project, “Aloha Compadre: Transpacific Latina/o Migrations to the Hawaiian Islands” examines the historical and contemporary Latina/o diaspora to Hawai’i, within the context of changing labor, immigration and ethnic relations.  In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Guevarra serves on several national and international boards, including the Association of Asian American Studies (AAAS), Multiracial Americans of Southern California (MASC), the MAVIN Foundation, and Conducive Magazine Online.  He is currently Vice President of the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), San Diego Chapter.

 

Curtis Lee

Curtis Lee is currently enrolled at the University of Michigan in a Masters and Secondary Teaching Certification Program, working towards a Social Studies credential. A 2007 graduate from the University of San Diego, Curtis majored in History and partook in extracurricular activities such as Phi Alpha Theta (the National Honor Society in History), the University Writing Center as a student tutor, and captained the Men’s Lacrosse Team. He spent the past several years managing an outdoor tourism outfitter in San Diego before getting married and moving to Michigan to start their graduate program.

 

Alberto Millian

Alberto Milian

Growing up in Anaheim, California, at an early age I knew that the study of history was in my future, which prompted me to choose it as my major while at UC Irvine, focusing primarily on Latin American history. The year between graduation from UC Irvine in June 2007 and my first semester at the University of San Diego was spent continuing what I had been accustomed to doing since high school: working with low-income, largely immigrant and first-generation American children. My own experiences, coupled with my observances in the classroom and the community, compelled me to continue studying the role of Latin American migrants in the United States. Although my thesis at USD did not address this matter – choosing instead to investigate British interests in North America from 1815-1845 – it was a topic that continued to draw my attention. For this reason I opted to enter into Cornell’s Ph.D. History Program, expressing my desire to examine the experiences of Latino migrants in the American Southwest from the 1980s to the present. In studying this subject I will explore the interactions between these migrants and the native populations and institutions. By engaging in this process I will be able to better understand how it is that we arrived at the current state of immigrant/native relations, for that is ultimately one of history’s goals: to determine how our past has shaped our present. History can tell us where we have been and, possibly, how we have progressed.

 

Jamey Power

Jamey Power

"USD is a rising star that continues to grow in quality and prominence thanks to its alumni, students and faculty."

Why did you choose to attend USD?

It was (and remains to me) the perfect convergence of attributes: a smaller, liberal arts-based school, Catholic values, location and beauty of the campus…and it was a relatively new school that gave me the chance to be part of something new and on the rise.

How have you used your liberal arts education in your career?

It gave me an incredible foundation in conducting international business: working with people in different cultures, understanding consumers in these different markets and understanding the evolving role of the United States in the world. It also helped me develop as an analyst, writer, and public speaker.

Please share your greatest accomplishment in your professional life.

Helping build our family business J.D. Power and Associates into a global business that affected markets (and consumers) on nearly every continent.

Why are alumni important?

A relatively young school like USD is continuing to develop. In the last 60 years it has developed magnificently in terms of her facilities, her faculty and her programs. One of the next steps for this school to achieve the next level of greatness is to build and enhance the alumni experience. If you think about it, the alumni are incredibly important to USD (and each other) because the USD brand is shaped by the success and impact that her alumni have on society. And, to add even more emphasis, think about why alumni are important to USD:

  1. Alumni are the largest stakeholder group in USD's affairs by number (over 50,000 alumni)
  2. Alumni are the only stakeholder group who will always remain with the university
  3. Alumni are the fastest growing stakeholder group – every year when freshman, transfer students and new graduate students enroll at USD, a couple of thousand new alumni join our ranks

What advice would you give to a prospective student?

Not only does USD provide the same things that I was looking for, but also it has grown in quality, prominence, and facilities. It is unbeatable if you are looking for this type of education.

Describe your favorite memory from USD.

  1. Enjoying some of my classes outdoors
  2. Ultimate Frisbee games on the west field where IPJ is now located.
  3. Learning about the world with history professors Gump and Otte.

Nicholas Vega ('04) is the Director of Exhibitions for the San Diego Historical Society.
Mychal Odom ('04) is Professor of History at South Texas College.
Christopher Padilla ('07) is in the History Ph. D. program at Arizona State University.
Marisea Stanley ('08) is in the History Ph. D. program at Claremont Graduate School.
Steven L. Wilson ('09) is in the Political Science Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison