Alumni and Student Spotlights

Immersed in Industry: Maritza Fuerte Dives into Medical Device Engineering in Silicon Valley Classroom

For alumna Maritza Fuerte, the opportunity to work hands-on in the biomedical engineering industry has defined her 菠菜网lol正规平台 experience. Having earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from 菠菜网lol正规平台, Fuerte realized early on that her studies were closely aligned with what employers are looking for in Silicon Valley.

San Jose Legends: Rod Diridon launched the city’s light rail but got into transit by accident

Rod Diridon, alumnus of 菠菜网lol正规平台's statistics graduate program, had a train station named after him and was widely renowned as the “father” of Silicon Valley’s modern transit system. In Latin, "Diri" means direction and "doni" means giver, so Diridon's career has been quite fitting.

▸ Photo by Vicente Vera, San Jose Spotlight

Alumna Accepts New Leadership Role as Distance Education Administrator

Teri Faught, an alumna of the MA in educational administration program at 菠菜网lol正规平台, has been offered the position of distance education administrator for the Mountain View Los Altos High School district. In her role, Faught will support schools with online education and distance learning. Faught previously served as assistant principal for Mountain View High School.

MPA Alumnus Combats Homelessness Amidst Pandemic

Darius Brown, a Masters in Public Administration alumnus, has been working to support homeless community members as part of the City of San Jose’s Housing Department. We asked him how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his work, as well as how his MPA degree has contributed to his career in public service.

▸ Brown sports his face mask on the front lines of COVID-19

Alumna Ashley Hall Forges Path into Medicine through Biomedical Engineering

Ashley Hall found her way into biomedical engineering after completing her degree in materials science and engineering at the University of California, Merced. Though nervous about starting an M.S. program in a new discipline upon arrival at 菠菜网lol正规平台, Hall became more enthralled with the multifaceted nature of the field from each course she took. 

NASA engineer developing technology for missions to moon, Mars

Ali Guarneros Luna, mother of four, went back to school to make her childhood dream a reality. Today she's an engineer at NASA working on small satellite technology.

Eileen Hsu: At the Intersections of Art and Transit

"As a Graphic Designer at LA Metro and as a huge proponent of shared mobility and mass transit, I decided to pursue the MTI transportation management master’s degree out of sheer fascination and the urge to be a more integral contributor at work. At first, I wondered if I may be out-of-place coming from the arts, but in time, tremendous applicability between the two disciplines of art and transportation emerged."

▸ Eileen Hsu is a current graduate student in the MS Transportation Management program through the Mineta Transportation Institute. She previously earned an MFA in graphic arts from California Institute of the Arts.

Francesca Fanucchi: Creating a Bright Future in Justice Studies

"As a child, I struggled in school, often being labelled as lazy and unmotivated. I felt inferior, inadequate, undisciplined, and hopelessly disorganized. I never envisioned attending university. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sensory processing disorder that I was able to understand and address these struggles. I am [now in] the final year of my Master’s degree in Justice Studies...I hope my experience encourages other students with learning disabilities to achieve their goals in higher education and reach their full potential."

▸ Francesca Fanucchi is a current graduate student in the justice studies program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology at the University of Sussex in England.

Graduate Equity Fellowship An ‘Absolute Godsend’ Says iSchool Recipient

The School of Information proudly announces that Erin Mundy, a student enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science degree program, was awarded a $4,000 Graduate Equity Fellowship sponsored by the College of Graduate Studies at San José State University.

▸ Image courtesy of Erin Mundy/菠菜网lol正规平台 iSchool

Kinesiology student takes first place in Lightning Talk Competition

Annie Ronning took first place in the Lightning Talk Competition at the inaugural Institute for the Study of Sport, Society, and Social Change virtual conference: “Dream with Your Eyes Open: (Re)Imagining Sport in the Age of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter.” The event was designed “to continue the legacy of equity and social justice by addressing the issues and challenges in sport,” according to the program’s webpage. In her Lightning Talk, Ronning presented research on increasing cultural competency in athletic training education.

▸ Image courtesy of Annie Ronning

菠菜网lol正规平台 Students Use Data to Help Serve City’s Most Vulnerable Communities

Saritha Podali, ’22 MS Data Analytics, and Fengling Zhou, ’22 MS Data Analytics, collaborated on a data project to assist the City of San José in allocating resources to local communities. The result? An interactive map that highlights exactly which communities could use greater support. 

Greg Tomlinson Inspiring the Next Generation of History Graduates

From a young age, Greg Tomlinson thought of nothing else than to become a history educator. We recently had the opportunity to chat with him about his passion for history, his time at San José State University (菠菜网lol正规平台) as both an undergraduate and graduate student, and his Ph.D research.