Academics
I did not attend college after high school; I worked and traveled for several years, and started my academic path at Shoreline Community College in 2006, while attending the Ashtanga Yoga School. I never really thought much about using my education as a way to secure employment; it was always about learning and understanding the world and myself. After a year and a half at Shoreline I took two years away from college, from 2008-2009. During this time I started my first yoga school in Lewiston, Idaho. Unfortunately, the global financial crisis of 2008 led to the closing of my yoga studio; I chose this time to restart my academic path at Eastern Washington University while teaching yoga at Gonzaga University.
I was hesitant to choose any kind of major; after all it was not the degree I was interested in. I learned from several different professors, in different fields, during my undergraduate degree. After transferring to Western Washington University I became interested in economics and conflict; mostly in the form of policing, war, and racial conflict. I wanted to understand what caused human beings to fight against each other, and wether or not that process was productive. There were many times when I would read well beyond what the course required; this led me to become very interested in the underlying philosophies that provide thought foundations to the cultures around the world. I developed a distrust of history, and a reliance on logical inference, and theories that could be tested repeatedly. During my undergraduate degree I received 2 C grades; one of them was from a professor that kicked me out of class for disagreeing with their perspective, and the other was from an excellent professor who guided me through my capstones. Unlike other students, my final year of my undergraduate was spent traveling to Compton, California, and researching causes of violence, as well as social anomie (my favorite sociological topic).
My graduate degree was a mess. I started the MBA program excited to learn a specific program, but the program director resigned days before the program started, and the University lost accreditation for some time (so I heard) which caused me to have to retake several classes while the university clumsily rebuilt the program under near (reluctant) leadership. During this time the previous format of the entire program was updated. Many of the classes went from a 3 credit “module” system, to a 4 credit standard class structure; this is why my transcript includes both as I completed both. Several of the same classes I took (earlier in my degree) were the same ones I retook later, even from the same professor. There was one class I took 3 times due to a mixup. It was quite silly, but the program graduate requirements no longer accepted the 3 credit modules I had earned under the previous regime, so by the time I graduated from a 60 credit degree, I had 96 credits (1/2 of the first program plus the entire second program). I am thankful for the learning, but it was really a waste of time to retake all of those classes, and it really showed that even a business school can be disorganized.
It was really an annoying degree and looking back I wish I wouldn’t have finished it (that just isn’t my style though). Despite the ineptitudes of the program, I was able to learn from some very savvy professors, and like I did in my undergraduate degree, I was able to spend time after class learning more about subjects I was interested in, particularly as it related to global economics, business ethics & sustainability, and finance. Notably, there were classes that I received below average grades (such as two C grades) during a quarter where I was retaking classes; the University had me restart my program, and the dean told me I did not need to retake those classes or worry about the grades (since I had already passed them). I took the advice and did not finish some of the coursework for these classes I had already taken, only to find the Cs ended up on my permanent record. My graduate GPA shows much lower than it would have been had the program I attended remained organized and not changed while I was attending. After negotiating with the dean of the graduate school, I was awarded the degree despite the lack of coherence of the program. The experience was a lesson in self reliance.
Degrees
Masters of Business Administration | Western Washington University
Bachelors of Arts Sociology | Anthropology Minor | Western Washington University
Awards
Deans List: Fall 2006, Winter 2007, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Fall 2009, Winter 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2012
MBA Association Explorer Award (in recognition of autonomy, ambition, and authenticity)
Non Traditional Student Scholarship
Completed Coursework
Undergraduate credits: 199
Graduate credits: 96
Shoreline Community College
ANTHR202. Cultural Anthropology
ANTHR201. Biological Anthropology
BIOSC108. Anatomy and Physiology
ENG101. Composition and Expository Prose
ENG102. Research Writing
PHIL102. Contemporary Moral Problems
PSYCH100. General Psychology
PSYCH202. Neurological & Biological Psychology
HUMAN111. Ancient World Cultures
ASL101. American Sign Language
Eastern Washington University
AAST214. African American Culture
ANTH439. Peace, Violence, and Culture
ANTH497. Anthropology of Cults and New Religions
ANTH497. Anthropology of Stimulants and Intoxicants
SOCI101. Introduction to Sociology
SOC470. Social Change
AAST375. African American Cinema
CSBS310. Social Theory
HONS398. Medical Anthropology & Viral Epidemiology
Western Washington University
ANTH338. Economic Anthropology
ECON206. Microeconomics
COMM220. Communication Theory
LING331 Semantics
THTR201. Cinema
ENG202. Literature Writing
SOC210. Research Methods
SOC268. Gender and Society
ANTH456. War and Human Rights
LIBR201. Library and Research Strategies
ENG313. Critical/Cultural Theory
ENG354. Nonfiction Writing
ENG370. Language
ENG260. Sociolinguistics
LING314. Phonetics
LING321. Syntax
SOC215. Social Statistics
SOC302. Classical Social Theory
SOC352. Criminology
MATH112. Functions & Algebraic Methods
SOC400. (Capstone 1) Studies in Racial Conflict, Structural Violence, and Socioeconomic Stratification
GEOL101. Introduction to Geology
MATH156. Business and Economic Pre-Calculus
SOC363. Law & Social Stratification
SOC456. Seminar in Military & Police Structure
SOC400. (Capstone 2) Studies in Racial Conflict, Structural Violence, and Socioeconomic Stratification
SOC400. (Capstone 3) Studies in Racial Conflict, Structural Violence, and Socioeconomic Stratification
SOC480. Teaching Sociology (Teachers assistant in SOC310. Social Theory)
SOC390. Global Families
ANTH303. Qualitative Methods in Anthropology
ENVS203. Physical Geography
Masters Degree | Western Washington University
Modules (16 credits each)
MBA514. Managerial Foundations
MBA515. Internal and External Forces
Classes (4 credits each):
MBA502. Microeconomics
MBA594. Professional Management
MBA504. Statistical Methods
MBA507. Managing Organizations and People
MBA506. Corporation Information Systems Management | 4.0
MBA510. Financial Accounting
MBA503. Macroeonomics
MBA511. Managerial Accounting
MBA508. Operations Management
MBA524. Management and Leadership Skills
MBA505. Business Finance
MBA509. Marketing Management
MBA532. Marketing Strategy
MBA595. Global Economic Strategy
MBA541. Managerial Finance
MBA598. Business Consulting Capstone
Academic References
Dr. Fred Strange. Anthropology. Eastern Washington University. 509-359-7926. fred.strange@ewu.edu
Dr. Ron Helms. Sociology. Western Washington University. 360.650.7927. ron.helms@wwu.edu
Dr. Earl Benson. Finance. Western Washington University. 360.650.3375. earl.benson@wwu.edu
Dr. Stephen Globerman. Economics. Western Washington University. 360-650-7708. stephen.globerman@wwu.edu
Aric Mayer. Masters Degree Consulting Capstone Advisor. Western Washington University. aric.mayer@wwu.edu