Washington Square: Fall 2024

I’m happy to share the fall issue of Washington Square: The Magazine. I’ve contributed countless profiles and features over the past eight years, and was honored to serve as the managing editor for the first time this fall.

The fall issue of Washington Square: The Magazine honors a century of Spartans.

This issue, available in print and online, celebrates a century of Spartans by honoring legends past and present and highlighting current leaders whose work inspires and amazes us. The magazine is a culmination of creativity, effort, innovation and pride. This issue wouldn't be possible without our dynamo writers Cassie Myers, Michelle Smith McDonald, Lesley Seacrist and Amy Villa; art director and designer Pourya Nadimi, branding expert Michelle Frey, photographers Robert C. Bain and Jim Gensheimer, my former boss (and recent editor himself) Kenneth Mashinchi, and many others.

There are lots of amazing stories to choose from, but here are a few that I especially enjoyed writing:

  • Kogura Gifts: A Family Legacy Built on Resilience, which features Professor Emeritus of History Robert Kumamoto and tells the story of a family business that survived World War II and COVID

  • A Story of Library Joy, which features MLIS graduate Mychal Threets, whose positive messages about literacy, librarianship and mental health inspire me daily

  • The Photography of Belonging, which features the artwork of SJSU alumnus and Associate Professor of Photography Binh Danh

  • Earth, Wind and Fire in the Redwoods, which shares how five San José State artists contributed work to the first-ever Art About program in Big Basin State Park in the Santa Cruz Redwoods, offering new approaches on forest restoration and renewal

I also recommend the following great pieces written by my colleagues:

As always, I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from all of these wonderful people.

Washington Square: Spring 2024

I am thrilled to share the latest edition of Washington Square: The Magazine! This was one of our most ambitious issues, featuring more than 30 stories across nine colleges.

Animation by Pourya Nadimi.

I wrote about a few different colleges, including:

The Connie L. Lurie College of Education

The College of Humanities and the Arts

The College of Social Sciences

Additionally, I wrote a profile of university archivist Carli Lowe, whose transformative approach to archives includes a social justice lens, focusing on voices often excluded from history. I also got the chance to visit SJSU alumnus Bill Hare’s recording studio in the hills above Milpitas. Hare is celebrated in the world of recording a capella music, and is credited with helping inspire the “Pitch Perfect” franchise. There’s also a piece describing the Grad Slam competition hosted by the College of Graduate Studies, a competitive event for graduate students that challenges them to present their research in three minutes and one slide.

As always, I am grateful for the chance to meet such interesting people and learn how our faculty, students and alumni are changing the world.

Fall '23 Washington Square is live!

I’m delighted to share the latest issue of Washington Square: The Magazine, which showcases the stories of San José State students, alumni, faculty and partners who are invested in community-engaged learning and workforce development.

Washington Square: The Magazine

In this issue, you can:

  • Read about the newly opened Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISB), which has eight floors of fume hoods, lab space and classrooms to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, research and learning.

  • Learn about San José State University’s well-established tradition of community engagement through programs like the Center for Community Learning and Leadership and CommUniverCity, which encourage Spartans to seek service learning opportunities that not only contribute to their academic and professional development, but also enrich their lives and offer needs-based support to fellow San Joseans.

  • Discover “best kept secret in aviation”: SJSU Aviation offers students a great range of experiences and career opportunities.

  • Learn about the Timpany Center’s heated pool and therapeutic services, which make fitness accessible to all abilities, has fulfilled its mission “to create an inclusive space for people to thrive.”

  • Delve into the 50-year history of San José Taiko co-founders Roy and Patti Jo “PJ” Hirabayashi, ’77 MUP, community organizers who fell in love while collaborating with fellow activists to establish an Asian American Studies Department at San José State in 1970.

  • Discover what ChatGPT failed to recognize about PR guru Jon Iwata, ’84 Public Relations, who believes the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), business and corporate social responsibility presents an opportunity to serve the public good.

  • Read how the COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for qualified special educators dramatically, expanding pre-existing inequities for teachers and students alike. San José State’s Special Education Department is creating opportunities for future teachers to shape more inclusive classrooms.

  • Get to know an accomplished scientist with a passion for public service, Robin López, ’18 MS Civil Engineering, who is shifting the narrative about civic engagement by expanding what it means to have a seat at the community table.

Read these and more online at sjsu.edu/wsq.

Spring 2023 issue of Washington Square

I’m thrilled to share the spring 2023 issue of Washington Square: The Magazine from San José State University.

Animation by Pourya Nadimi of SJSU.

In this issue, we take a deep dive into climate science and the ways current and former Spartans are making their mark on the world in a big way. From the depths of the ocean to the sky above, answers to some of the world’s biggest questions are emerging here at SJSU.

A few stories of which I am especially proud:

Photo courtesy of SJSU Athletics.

Beyond the Shakeout: The transition from sports to careers outside athletics often represents a sudden shift in identity for student-athletes. SJSU’s Beyond Sparta program offers personal and professional development opportunities for student-athletes to help them make the leap.

Illustration by Jennifer Guo.

 Climate Science: On Thin Ice: Nationally recognized climate scientist and alumna Jennifer Francis’ research demonstrates how global warming is fueling extreme weather worldwide.

Kate Forrest. Photo by Anwyn Hurxthal.

 Forrest Fire: Fire weather researcher Kate Forrest contributed to groundbreaking research analyzing factors that contribute to California’s extreme fires — demonstrating how climate change knows no borders.

Justise Wattree

Justise Wattree. Photo by Robert C. Bain.

A Picture of (Public) Health: Award-winning undergraduate researcher Justise Wattree, ’23 Humanities, believes public health research is critical to healing the world.

Alexander Payumo (left) at his lab at SJSU. Photo by Robert C. Bain.

The Heart of the Matter: The Alexander Payumo Lab at San José State investigates the regenerative potential of the mammalian heart.

Nidhi Mahendra (left) at the Spartan Aphasia Research Clinic. Photo by Katelyn Ennis.

Speaking of Equity: San José State University Professor and Chair of Communicative Disorders and Sciences Nidhi Mahendra is empowering people with language loss.

Dancer and choreographer Gabriel Mata. Photo by Keay Edwards.

Dancing Out of the Shadows: Choreographer and dancer Gabriel Mata creates opportunities for artists to share their stories, regardless of immigration status, sexuality, ethnicity or any other identity.

Photo by Robert C. Bain.

Once a Spartan, Always a Spartan: Proud Spartan alumna Valerie Gonzalez now leads the Alumni Association.

I am forever grateful for the opportunity to learn from Spartans.

Cutleaf anthology, SJSU news

Transformative Spartans, the Book Project & COVID Life

I keep a five-year diary where I write one sentence a day, every day, over a five year span. Starting March 13, 2020, I began a quarantine tally to see how long we would be living from home, telecommuting and tele-learning and tele-living. I made it as far as 450+ days before I gave up counting, depressed by how seemingly permanent the pandemic has felt.

And yet, and yet, and yet: My big kid started in-person (masked and socially distant) kindergarten this fall! And my 1-year-old is in daycare. And Ryan is teaching in person. And I am occasionally on campus and have even started conducting the first of many in-person interviews for stories. I got both doses of the Pfizer vaccine as soon as I could and eagerly await my booster shot. I can’t wait until my kiddos are both vaccinated as well.

The weather is finally starting to change, and though I know fire season is far from over, I can’t help but feel hope. Play On Words’ first-ever virtual show was a huge success! The persimmons on our tree are changing colors. And I have renewed my focus on fiction by enrolling in Lighthouse Writer’s Book Project, where I’m working with a small cohort to complete my manuscript by 2023. (Fingers crossed!).

And finally, there are the achievements of SJSU students, faculty and alumni that I’ve gotten to interview recently. A few highlights:

Grateful for the opportunity to shine a spotlight on these wonderful Spartans.

Spring/Summer Storytelling

I feel grateful to have had the chance to chat with some truly amazing folks this year at San José State. Here are a few recent storytelling highlights:

I really am lucky to collaborate with a wonderful team of communicators who help me shape the stories of our community.

Welcome 2021

Well, 2020 is finally over. A long and relentless year, marked by social isolation, unrelenting political unrest, and worst of all: the loss of more than 340,000 American lives to the Coronavirus. The number is so big that it is almost impossible to fathom—it’s about six times the population of my hometown, gone.

When I need comfort, when I need consolation, when I need hope, I always turn to words. Poems by Philip Levine, Jack Gilbert, Naomi Shihab Nye. Novels that provide escape yet challenge me to think. Podcasts and radio interviews and white noise.

And yet: 2020 brought me a beautiful, healthy son, cheeks apple-red, smile big and full of wonder. 2020 brought us the first Black, southeast Asian woman vice president. 2020 brought us long days stuck with our “pod,” the people with whom we have quarantined, our worlds both small and intimate. 2020 forced a laser focus on our immediate environs, on the food we eat, the projects we can create when stuck inside for weeks, months at a time.

I find myself at a crossroads in my professional life as a writer. I want more than anything to tell meaningful stories of meaningful people. I want my words to create meaning. Inspire action. Over the past four years I’ve been lucky enough to interview Spartans whose stories have moved and compelled me. I plan to continue doing so, but it is hard not being on campus. Here are a few recent stories I’m proud to share:


My goal this year is to focus on gratitude. To not take any of this for granted: our air, our water, our limbs, our songs, our dinners together, every day that dawns bright and new. I hope to listen more and talk less, to value the power of my voice. I hope to write more fiction, to judge myself less, to continue devouring audiobooks, to pick up the pace on my sauntering runs. But more than anything: I hope to hope.

on beginnings and endings

The year of great change doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

This month, our country made history by electing the first woman vice president, Kamala Harris, who is Black and southeast Asian. Two weeks have passed and I am still absorbing this news, exciting and hopeful as it is. The 2016 presidential election left an indelible impact and the past four years have left a lingering, chronic state of anxiety and fatigue. Still. On Saturday, November 7, when president-elect Joe Biden was deemed the winner by AP, Fox News and CNN, I ran into my daughter’s bedroom and started sobbing on her chest, murmuring, finally, we won. She was only six months old when Trump was elected. (I was in such denial.) When, at last, I had the words to tell her what had happened, that we had made history, that maybe our postcards had made a difference, that we had a woman vice president, and a woman of color at that, she responded by saying, “Why haven’t they always been women?”

Seems like my feminist reading list is working.

Our work is far from done, of course. There are more books to read and bills to lobby and Senate races to win in Georgia. And we must wear our masks and stay, every day, in the comfort and safety of our bubble until a safe vaccine is distributed. The pandemic is still rearing its ugly head. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism all still exist, are all deeply entrenched in our institutions. There is no rest for the righteous. We knew that already.

This election, this pandemic, and the birth of my son earlier this year have forced me to evaluate the impact I can have on the world. What stories can I tell? What impact can they have? How can strengthening my voice affect positive change?

As part of this exploration, I have redesigned my site to better showcase my 10+ years writing professionally. My publications page links to several places where I have published works of short fiction, nonfiction, interviews and poetry. The featured work page shares a few of my favorite features and profiles that I have written for Washington Square, San José State University’s alumni magazine. More can be found on the WSQ and SJSU newsroom sites, as well as my personal LinkedIn page.

While Play On Words remains in suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic, we do hope to return to regular programming once it is deemed safe to do so in person. No matter where I go or what I do, I will always be committed to promoting the work of artists and writers whose voices inspire me.

Our work is just beginning.

2020

Well. this year has been a doozy.

2020: The year of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) global health pandemic, the year we lost Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as well as countless Black lives at the hands of the police—Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and so many more. 2020: The year we can’t leave our homes, can’t go to school or work in person, can’t go to restaurants or museums or live concerts or host friends and family in our homes. The year of increasingly disastrous wildfires, especially in California. As of September 2020, we have lost more than 200,000 American lives to COVID19, and our current president is still campaigning to audiences who do not wear masks or observe social distancing. It is a hard year to remain optimistic.

And yet: 2020 is the year I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. My son’s joy—and to be frank, his oblivion to all the insanity going on outside our home—has kept me going these past several months. While I have had to take a break from writing fiction and producing Play On Words shows, I am proud of the articles published at San Jose State University’s Washington Square magazine and blog this past year. They include:

Despite the challenges that this year has posed, I am hopeful that we can bring some positive change to our nation—and ultimately the world—come November. Please vote, if not for me, then for my son and daughter.

Stories that Inspire and Amaze

This spring I had the opportunity to interview a number of amazing Spartan scientists. Among them:

Finding One's Way: Proprioception and Biological Research: How do we use sensory information to move, balance, and position ourselves? Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Katherine Wilkinson developed a neurophysiology lab at SJSU to explore how and why the human body interacts with the world around us.

Solving DNA Puzzles, One Worm at a Time: How do neurons transmit messages throughout the body? How are memories formed? Miri VanHoven’s neurogenetics lab at San Jose State explores big questions.

Geology From the Ground Up: SJSU Assistant Professor of Geology Kim Blisniuk explores how geologists measure seismicity and communicate earthquake risk to the communities that could one day be affected.

Evan Low’s American Dream: Evan Low, ’03 Political Science, was the youngest openly gay mayor of an American city.

Fire, Water and Spirit

This year, I’ve gotten the opportunity to write about wildfire researchers, stem cell scientists, pioneering STEM educators, a MacArthur genius, and the first woman to receive tenure in SJSU’s chemistry department—to name a few.

I will never look at a forest the same, thanks to the expertise and wisdom of SJSU’s Associate Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science Craig Clements. He shared his experience collecting data 100 feet from the plumes outside Paradise in November 2018, accompanied by an undergraduate and a graduate student researcher. Check out our spring/summer feature “On Fire” to learn more.

Sculptor and artist Titus Kaphar sees art as an opportunity to shed light on history—and to examine and challenge commonly accepted narratives. The founder of a collaborative artist space in New Haven, Kaphar is a true visionary.

What exactly is STEM education and why does it matter? I had the chance to interview a number of teachers at San Jose’s AdVENTURE STEM middle school, as well as the dean of SJSU’s Connie L. Lurie College of Education, chemistry professor Lionel Cheruzel, and Intel’s Rita Holiday. Read more on Washington Square.

SJSU alumnus Marc Slattery studies how the chemistry of marine invertebrates could help scientists understand how to develop drugs. The professor of pharmacognosy and environmental toxicology at the University of Mississippi was awarded the 2018 Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement in recognition of his work.

The Stem Cell Internships and Laboratory-Based Learning program at San Jose State offers graduate students experience in stem cell research labs while they pursue their degrees, preparing them for competitive careers in academia, biotech or research.

In March 2019 I had the opportunity to meet pioneering professor/scientist Ruth Yaffe, who started teaching in SJSU’s chemistry department in 1957, later becoming the first tenured woman professor in the department. A pioneering chemist with a love for Great Danes, it was a pleasure to learn more about her.

The Olympic Project for Human Rights, 50 Years Later

I’ve had the opportunity to write for a number of universities over the years, but what makes San Jose State University stand out is its legacy of social justice. I’ve been privileged enough to devote my last few months to interviewing a number of alumni who were involved in the civil rights movement at SJSU 50 years ago. I pursued each of these stories because I believe now, more than ever, it is critical to elevate voices of American change, especially those who have benefited communities of color, first-generation college students and the women and men who go on to inspire future generations of change-makers.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Mexico City Olympics, in which Spartan athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved fists on the medal stand in a civil rights salute. As members of SJSU’s Olympic Project for Human Rights, spearheaded by Harry Edwards and Ken Noel, their lives and stories have been well documented over the past five decades. This made me wonder: what about the women of the OPHR? Who were they and how did they contribute? What did they go on to do?

While pursuing this story, I had the pleasure and honor of learning from Sandra Edwards, Mary Noel and Gayle Boze Knowles, three alumnae who volunteered with the movement. Together with their friend Rochelle Duff Davis, they distributed OPHR material at track events, managed correspondence and helped spread word of the movement on campus and beyond. All four of them went on to become teachers, principals and educators. Coincidence? I think not. Learn more about these amazing women at Washington Square.

I spent a few months researching the history of SJSU’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), which was one of the first such programs in the state. I am grateful to S.T. Saffold, Debra Griffith, Judge Robert Rigsby, Erika Cortes, Gabriel Reyes, Humberto Garza, Teresa de la Cruz, and countless others for sharing their experiences with me. You can read all about the history and future of SJSU’s EOP on Washington Square.

In early June I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with Mary and Ken Noel, educators and activists who devoted their years at San Jose State to recruiting and supporting first-generation black college students. Ken co-founded the United Black Students for Action with Harry Edwards, and later the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Mary became a teacher, principal and school board member, and to this day the couple remains dedicated to supporting education. I was compelled to write both a profile on Mary and a story on Ken.

San Jose State will be recognizing the 50th anniversary of the famous Mexico City salute with a special town hall sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change. Harry Edwards, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos will be joined by Wyomia Tyus, as well as two of the Olympic rowers who supported the OPHR at Mexico City, Nate Boyer, the Green Beret who has supported Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest, and a number of journalists and academics. I’m grateful to work at a university that supports a productive conversation around civil rights, and even more excited that I’ve gotten the chance to learn from a number of these people firsthand.

Washington Square Spring/Summer 2018: The movement toward equity

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.

Women in sport

This year I've enjoyed the incredible privilege of interviewing a number of woman athletes who graduated from San Jose State University. Over the past several months I have sought out women of different generations who have competed at the collegiate, national, Olympic and professional levels--women who have created opportunities for subsequent generations before, during and after the passage of Title IX. I'm proud to share their stories:

Margaret Jenkins, '25 Education, threw discus in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam as a member of the first women's track and field team representing the United States. She pitched for her high school baseball team, which lost only one game, participated in two Olympic Games, collected more than 100 medals throughout her career and was inducted into three halls of fame before her death in 1996 at age 92. Read her story here.

"Small acts of defiance make change," says Carolyn Lewis, '70 Kinesiology, '70 Teaching Credential. The four-sport collegiate athlete became a coach and athletics administrator and helped create SJSU's Gender Equity Plan. Read her story here.

Record-setting gymnast Thomasina Wallace, '12 Kinesiology, says "20 percent of the sport is talent and 80 percent is how mentally prepared are you to perform your routines while others are judging you." Read her story here.

SJSU alumna and LPGA golfer Tracy Hanson supports athletes who face significant obstacles, including abuse and performance acceptance, in their pursuit of sport. Read her story here.

"To see women perform at high levels, and to hear those women speak and present themselves, I think changes a lot of people's opinions and outlook on women," says Gay MacLellan, '83 MA Kinesiology. Read her story here.

"Sport is a great equalizer," says Dana Dormann, '90 Finance. Now associate head coach of SJSU's women's golf team, Dormann competed on the team that took Spartan golf to victory in the 1987 NCAA Championships. Read her story here. 

"I came from a family that didn't put any boundaries on gender," says two-time Olympic medalist swimmer Lynn Vidali Gautschi '76 Kinesiology, '77 Teaching Credential. "I had no idea that only 25 percent of women in the United States were in sports at that time. Read her story here.

Olympic medalist Marti Malloy, '10 Advertising, '15 MS Mass Communications, says training with legendary judo coach and @SJSU alumnus Yoshihiro Uchida gave herperspective on social justice in athletics -- and helped her dismiss stereotypes about women in sports. Read her story here.

Champion fencer Stacey Johnson, '80 Public Relations, has made it her mission to “speak actively for women.” As the first woman president to hold a four-year term as president of the U.S. Fencing Association, it is thanks in part to her efforts that women fencers could finally compete in all three disciplines of the sport at the Olympic level. Read her story here.

I feel incredibly lucky to meet and learn from such talented and hardworking individuals here at San Jose State. I hope this is just the beginning! 

Washington Square: Fall/Winter 2017

I'd like to share links to San Jose State University's alumni magazine, Washington Square.

This fall's theme is health and innovation. Check out great articles about the future of mobile health, our San Jose State of Healthcare feature, or my profile of SJSU's first woman athletic director, the multitalented Marie Tuite. I was also delighted to chat with the fabulous Netta Conyers-Haynes, who is now Facebook's head of internal communications for North America, Matthew "Levee" Chavez, creator of Subway Therapy, and packaging professor Fritz Yambrach, creator of the Fritz Water Vest. I like to think that microbiology professor Cleber Ouverney is SJSU's Bill Nye, especially if you read up on his year spent in the Amazon rainforest. 

Spartan up, my friends, Spartan up!