I was delighted to contribute to the spring/summer 2018 issue of Washington Square, San Jose State University's alumni magazine. The theme this spring was moving toward equity. San Jose State has quite the legacy of social justice and it was an honor to explore some of these topics with notable alumni, faculty and community members. I enjoyed writing a feature on SJSU's first Olympian, Margaret Jenkins, as well as profiles of alumna and speech pathologist Dr. Pamela Wiley, who developed a program that pairs young men with autism with law enforcement. I also learned a lot from SJSU Physics and Astronomy Professor Peter Beyersdorf, whose research on black holes contributed to a major discovery in 2015. Dr. Marilyn Easter of SJSU's Lucas College and Graduate School of Business has developed an amazing program for undergrads called Generation of Aspirational Learners--it was a pleasure chatting with her as well.
Other notable features written by fellow contributors include a great piece on the Silicon Valley housing crisis and an exploration of the impact of movements such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #BlackLivesMatter and #NeverAgain.
I learn from every issue we create and from every person I interview. I hope their stories inspire.