A 2016 graduate of the MFA in photography program at SJSU, Dan Fenstermacher regards
his camera as a tool of activism. In Puerto Rico, Fenstermacher used photography to
uplift survivors and raise awareness of Hurricane Maria's aftermath in 2018.
For alumna Maritza Fuerte, the opportunity to work hands-on in the biomedical engineering
industry has defined her SJSU experience. Having earned both her bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from SJSU, Fuerte realized early on that her studies were closely aligned
with what employers are looking for in Silicon Valley.
Rod Diridon, alumnus of SJSU'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.
Teri Faught, an alumna of the MA in educational administration program at SJSU, 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.
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
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 SJSU, Hall
became more enthralled with the multifaceted nature of the field from each course
she took.
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.
Current Students
Semahegn (second from the left) and his UCLA team display a prototype of a robot that
can facilitate household organizational tasks.
"I developed a microfluidic system for sensitivity and continuous bacteria detection
from aqueous solutions. In some parts of the world, they don’t have clean water, so
we are doing research on how we [can] filter contaminated water by using this system.
I’m from Ethiopia—that motivates me to do this research.”
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (SJSU) as both an undergraduate and graduate
student, and his Ph.D research.
