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Class Notes: 2008

Class of 2008
Jex on a snowy mountain

Jessica (Jex) Huang (B.S. ’08) is climbing the world’s highest volcano (elevation 22,615′) above sea level to raise funds and awareness for the non-profit Range of Motion Project, after receiving corrective surgery and regaining mobility from their own range of motion disability. All alumni are welcome to follow along as they try to enable more people in becoming more mobile and enjoying the outdoors: https://give.rompglobal.org/jmoves4accessiblenature

Class of 2008 Michael Thomas

Michael D. Thomas of nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. has been named a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Visionary by the Los Angeles Times. The publication highlighted prominent thought leaders in the California business community who prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion policies within their respective sectors. Michael is a principal in the firm’s Orange County, California office where he focuses his practice on representing employers on various employment law and corporate diversity matters. 

Class of 2008

Jessica Castillo Vardaro, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at San José State University, won the Animal Welfare Institute’s Christine Stevens Wildlife Award in 2021. She is assessing the American pika population’s vulnerability to various threats, including climate change and livestock grazing, through genetic analysis of their fecal pellets. She received a bachelor’s in conservation and resource studies from Cal.