CSUEB English grad owns successful B2B web marketing firm

Dianna Huff ’86, ’93 tells college students that you don’t always know where life will take you.

She started her journey at Cal State East Bay in nursing but that didn’t go as she planned.  After struggling in science classes and receiving low grades, she decided to give business school a try. Nope. That wasn’t a good fit, either, she said.

It wasn’t until she lucked into an English course with Professor Robert V. William that Huff found her passion. It was William’s praise of her writing that gave her the confidence to choose English as her major. The degree taught her to think strategically, research, analyze well thought out plans, analyze business Web sites and support with evidence.

“One of the things that California State University, East Bay is good at is creating people who work – either for themselves or others – and who sustain the economy,” said Huff.  She currently lives in New Hampshire where she owns her own company, DH Communications, Inc., a business-to-business Web site marketing firm.

Her advice to CSUEB students, “Keep learning constantly, this doesn’t mean you need to go back to school but you should always keep learning in whatever career you end up in.”

Read previous blog story on Huff, “English grad Dianna Huff wins gold for marketing work”

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Alumni Spotlight: Dianna Huff

This English grad teaches students that you don’t always know where life will take you. Dianna didn’t begin her college career in the English program; instead her journey at California State University East Bay (CSUEB), began in nursing that didn’t go as she planned. Before earning both her Masters and Bachelors degrees in English, she struggled in her nursing courses and received low grades; this is something all so familiar to students. After she found out that nursing wasn’t right fit, she gave business a crack and it still wasn’t the right fit.

It wasn’t until she started taking English classes to boost her GPA, when she inspired by Professor Williams, a premier story writer, that she found her passion for English. It was Professor William’s praise of her writing that gave her the confidence to choose English as her major. The degree taught her to think strategically, research, analyze well thought out plans, analyze business websites and support with evidence.

Diana said she had a late start and her first job was an office manager for a manufacturing company. She originally thought she was going to end up teaching high school but she went to a guidance counselor and took the career assessment test and discovered at that point marketing communications was the perfect fit.

Dianna states that one of things that California State University, East Bay is good at is creating people who work – either for themselves or others – and who sustain the economy. Dianna currently lives in New Hampshire with her fifteen year old son, who she spends much of her time with when away from work. Dianna originally grew up here in the Bay Area in Alameda, CA. She’s owned her own business since 1998, DH Communications, Inc.www.diannahuff.com a business-to-business Website marketing firm. Dianna’s advice to students, “Keep learning constantly, this doesn’t mean you need to go back to school but you should always keep learning in whatever career you end up in.”