Jared Height

Pronouns: He/Him

Major: Public History 

Year: Graduate Student 

Hometown: Van Wert, OH

Academic Senate Graduate Studies Subcommittee (Student Representative), Social Sciences Dean's Student Advisory Council (Member), Sonoma State University History Society (President), Sonoma State History Journal (Editor-In-Chief), Anthropology Club, Learning and Academic Resource Center (Tutor), History (Embedded Tutor), Oxford Consortium for Human Rights Fellowship

I have so many fond memories of my experiences at SSU, from all the great club activities I have done with the History Society and Anthropology Club to the rewarding opportunity of serving as a tutor at the Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC). Perhaps the one I consider my favorite is the time spent working on the Sonoma State History Journal (two semesters) with a group of people dedicated to publishing the best volume we could. It was a learning opportunity about how print and digital publications operate, and it rewarded us with an enriching experience in team building, effective communication, and collaborative problem-solving. In the end, the journal we produced turned out great and our group was very proud of our achievement.

Being a returning, non-traditional student has been the most challenging part of my educational journey. The first time I attended college was almost 30 years ago, when nearly everyone in my classes was around my age. At first, when returning to school a few years ago to complete my bachelor's degree, I thought it would be difficult to make friends on campus, find common interests with much younger classmates, and engage in social activities. But I was wrong. Everyone at SSU has been welcoming and engaging with me, regardless of my age. Joining social activities and campus clubs helped me overcome my anxiety about fitting in with my younger peers.

As most people have done, I chose Sonoma State over other schools for a variety of reasons: cost, location, class size, campus appeal. However, one thing that stood out was the quality of education I would receive from the dedicated faculty. It is for this same reason that I chose to continue with my graduate degree at Sonoma State University as well.

Professor of History Steve Estes