The M.S. Kinesiology program at San Jose State University (SJSU) allows graduate students to gain skills in a variety of areas and get hands-on research experience within their interest.

We connected with two graduate students in the M.S. Kinesiology program, Sports Management concentration, and they both highlighted SJSU’s premier Silicon Valley location, the resources SJSU and their program provides, as well as the outstanding faculty. Dhwanil Shah and Ivanna Anderson-Villela are graduating this upcoming Spring 2024 and they already have skills and relevant career experience to add to their resume,

Research & Diversity and Equity

Dhwanil Shah | ’24 M.S., Kinesiology

Dhwanil and Ivanna both spoke about the graduate student research support they received from their program and the various leadership opportunities they took on while in their program. Dhwanil worked on a research project in Sports Psychology this past April, “I had an opportunity to work on and present on the importance of teaching diversity, equity and inclusion in youth sports at a Sports Psychology conference in Long Beach.” Dhawanil said it was the faculty’s support and guidance that allowed him to develop his intellect for the research field.

Ivanna is particularly interested in the research of Sports Ecology, which will be the focus of her upcoming thesis. She told us, “I have brought to the attention of professors and classmates the importance of sport ecology and how it is a fundamental subdiscipline of sport management, motivating me to continue to research this area.” Ivanna is currently a graduate research assistant on diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM graduate education and athletic mentoring. After graduation, Ivanna plans to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree. It was the university’s and program’s exposure to sports marketing and analytical methods that allowed her to find a new passion for research and continue her education.

Belonging and Community at SJSU

Ivanna Anderson-Villela | ’24 M.S., Kinesiology

From joining clubs to bowling at the student center SJSU offers graduate students the opportunity to feel right at home. There is always something for everyone.

Dhwanil spoke to us about his passion for Cricket and how it led him to create a Spartan Cricket club, “the club provides students an opportunity to learn and play the sport of cricket on campus – cricket is an extremely popular sport among the commonwealth countries and the club provides a sense of belonging in a community with a common passion.”  Finding a community and connecting with peers was what instilled a sense of belonging for Dhwanil.

Faculty Support

Both Dhwanil and Ivanna shared how the Kinesiology faculty’s supportiveness allowed them to build an impactful education at SJSU. 

Ivanna highlighted the attention and support she receives from faculty, “the faculty in the sport management program truly care about the students and do an incredible job developing students academically and professionally. Connecting with them (faculty) will allow them to guide and help you succeed.”

Dhwanil said that the faculty created a sense of belonging to him, “The Kinesiology faculty has been very helpful and welcoming since day one and I am grateful for them in making it a smooth transition for me.”

On Why They Chose SJSU

There are many reasons why graduate students choose SJSU. Our surveys indicate that students may choose us because of the uniqueness of programs, the lower cost compared to other universities, and the premier Silicon Valley location that offers connection opportunities across the Bay Area.

For Dhwanil, we see these reflected in his own reasoning for choosing SJSU, “San José State University’s location played a major role in my decision, located in the heart of Silicon Valley and in the state of California – a frontrunner in sports and home to many professional sports franchises. Having previously worked for over 5 years in amateur and semi-professional sports, I felt it was the right moment to take the next step in my career. And the Sport Management graduate program appealed the most to me as it provided the perfect opportunity to further develop and sublimate my personality and to grow my knowledge in the field.”

Ivanna highlighted SJSU’s social justice and equity in the sports management world,  “I chose SJSU because it provides the best education possible for students to be prepared for a successful career in the sports industry, healthcare

settings, academia, and other establishments. This university also instills a sense of professionalism and commitment toward social justice, equity, and respect in sports and the world. I knew SJSU would help me achieve the educational objectives offered such as having the capacity to expose myself to the sports industry while using analytical methods in research. During my time at SJSU, my career path has changed for the better.”

Both Ivanna and Dhwanil feel ready to continue their professional journey or go onto a Ph.D. after graduation because of the support, resources, research and experiences that both their program and SJSU offered them. We cannot wait to see where their graduate education at SJSU will take them and how they will transform their communities!

Vanessa Segura-Casillas is the 2023-2024 Dr. Hector and Catalina Garcia Graduate Endowed Scholarship recipient. Congratulations!! Read why she is honored to receive this scholarship.

Vanessa Segura-Casillas | ’24 M.A., Counseling & Guidance

“It’s an honor to be a recipient of this scholarship and to be recognized for my love and commitment to serving my community. I will continue to positively impact Hispanic and underserved communities by supporting students in their academic journeys. As a future school counselor, I strive to empower Hispanic youth in following their aspirations and pursuing higher education despite their obstacles. Choosing to pursue my M.A. in Counseling & Guidance at SJSU has been a wonderful experience. The knowledge I have gained and the connections I’ve made are immeasurable. Having opportunities like these to apply to scholarships that recognize the hard work and dedication of SJSU students is how we can get closer to bridging the equity gap in higher education.”

From left to right: Hung Tong (21′ M.S., Statistics), Jimmy Nguyen (20′ M.S., Statistics), Madhumita Roy (19′ M.S., Statistics), Mary Keonouphet (19′ M.S., Statistics), Jeffrey Lee (18′ M.S., Statistics).

We recently had the pleasure to speak with a few graduates of the M.S. Statistics program about their experience at San José State University. In our conversation, key features stood out that highlight the wonderful opportunities their program offers. The M.S. Statistics program allowed them to gain research experience, gave them a sense of community and belonging, and helped them build connections that led to their career. 

Research Experience Opportunities 

The Statistics program at SJSU offers unique research opportunities for its students. When I spoke with Hung Tong, he mentioned that he was able to complete two research projects and had two journal publications while in his program:

“During my studies, I was able to complete two research projects on developing new cluster analysis methods for data sets with outliers and missing values, which then resulted into presentations at the workshop Models and Learning in Clustering and Classification in Catania, Italy (one online in 2020 due to COVID and one in-person in 2022) and two journal publications.”

Mary Keonouphet also received hands-on experience, which she spoke to me about, “I personally chose to collaborate with a faculty member on a research project, which turned out to be a wonderful learning experience and helped me build rapport with an expert in the field.

Community and Belonging at SJSU

Two students, Madhumita Roy and Hung Tong highlighted the support, the community they built, and why SJSU was the right choice for them.

Madhumita Roy, said “The department was extremely supportive when my friends and I founded the data science club. They provided us with access to resources and helped us host club meetings. The department’s support and encouragement played a crucial role in my success and development during my time at SJSU.”

Hung Tong said, “If I had to choose again, I would definitely choose SJSU again. Despite being located in a high-cost-of-living city, SJSU is very affordable and offers great teaching quality. I probably wouldn’t have been able to get into a doctoral program without all the guidance, support, and time investment from the faculty here. After the program, I really found myself more mature in terms of knowledge, research interests, and career goals.” 

Connections in the Bay Area

Both Madhumita Roy and Jeffrey Lee spoke about the benefits of SJSU’s location, which allowed them both to network with professionals all over the Bay Area, and led to potential job opportunities. 

Jeffrey mentioned how SJSU’s location was vital for the connections he made, “SJSU’s location benefited me in that it was feasible to network with professionals, as well as, students from other schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and to continue building up relationships with my professors and classmates at SJSU. This included networking at professional conferences in the Bay Area, student clubs within SJSU, and clubs at other colleges. Some of the connections I made directly impacted my career and led me to my actuarial internships as well as a full time actuarial job.”

Madhumita spoke about the individual connections she made, “Attending SJSU provided me with the opportunity to make great connections with individuals in the data field, many of whom I still keep in touch with today. These personal connections have been valuable resources for me in terms of getting advice, learning about new trends and developments in the field, and even potential job opportunities.” 

What are Statistics Graduates up to?

Graduates of the M.S. Statistics Program have landed careers in various fields and gone on to pursue a Ph.D. 

Here’s a snapshot of their life after graduation:

• Madhumita Roy (19′) currently works as a Data Scientist at Rec Room, a fast-growing VR gaming startup.
• Jimmy Nguyen (20′) works as a Senior Data Scientist at LinkedIn.
• Hung Tong (21′) went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Statistics at The University of Alabama. 
• Jeffrey Lee (18′) is an Actuarial Analyst at State Compensation Insurance Fund. 
• Mary Keonophet (22′) is a Data Analyst at International Rectifier.

The M.S. Statistics program and SJSU gave these graduates real-life experience, connections, and a community which opened the door to many opportunities. 

Jinann Alzaghari (23′ M.S., Chemical Engineering)

Jinann Alzaghari has called SJSU her home since her undergraduate years. Now, a current graduate student, Alzaghari details how the university has shaped her personal and educational journey. 

Choosing to continue her graduate education at SJSU was an easy decision for Alzaghari, “I chose to study at SJSU specifically because of my relationships with the professors. The smaller class sizes allowed me to form close connections with them, which has proven to be very beneficial in my time at SJSU. For example, the industry connections that my professors have has helped me obtain internship opportunities and work toward my career goals.” It was her positive undergraduate experience that solidified her decision to apply to the Master of Chemical Engineering program to invest in her education, further her knowledge, and develop her research skills.

Community, Belonging and Research at SJSU

SJSU offers a plethora of resources and valuable connections that help students throughout their education, as well as organizations that help provide a sense of community and belonging. 

“My involvement in student organizations such as the Muslim Student Association and American Institute of Chemical Engineers has allowed me to dedicate time to my social life and form a community of peers with similar interests and aspirations.” For Alzaghari, these resources and organizations are what allowed her to “grow holistically.” 

The Master in Chemical Engineering program offers students the opportunity to develop their research skills in laboratories, which is one of the reasons Alzaghari chose the chemical engineering program. Alzagahri’s interests currently lies in “conducting research in the field of carbon capture and storage, with the goal of optimizing techniques to reverse greenhouse gas emissions and combat the effects of climate change.”

After graduating this spring, Alzaghari hopes to continue using and developing her research skills in the field of carbon capture at a start-up in the Bay Area. SJSU gave her the resources she needed and we cannot wait to see what she will accomplish.

At San José State University, research is at the forefront. Our graduate students have opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research that speaks directly to each student’s passion.

Lucia Znamirowski is a current graduate student studying a Master of Fine Arts in Pictorial Art. She spoke to us about two research projects she has been involved with and how SJSU professors have made a meaningful impact throughout her graduate education.

Lucia was involved in a two-year research project, titled: “The San Jose Story Map Project.” This research project, she tells us, “aims to use the power of stories to reveal San José in a new and different light,” as well as highlight the history and culture of San José. Not only was she able to work with professors Rhonda Holberton and Revathi Krishnaswamy, but in this project she was able to take a role as a Project Manager, an opportunity that allowed her to be the lead, and work more closely with the professors and project.

Lucia calls another research project she was part of particularly insightful, “The Future Farmers exhibition: Bones, Tones, and Phones.” The show was produced as part of a month-long residency at SJSU, which she says, “aims to engage geologists, ceramicists, sound artists, printmakers, and the SJSU marching band, in a series of explorations and actions focused on soil.” The two soils they looked at were: “Corcoran clay from the San Joaquin Valley, which bears evidence of the agricultural history of the Central Valley and the current reality of drought across the state, and a JSC-1A Lunar Soil Simulant, a volcanic ash whose chemical composition closely resembles lunar soil, which proposes the possibility of life beyond earth.” She worked closely with Shaun O’dell on this project as a graduate print assistant. 

We asked Lucia why taking part in these research projects was imperative for her graduate studies, and she said, “working closely with artists and assisting on projects has been an invaluable resource to my practice as an Artist.”

Why SJSU?

What excites Lucia the most about her research and her SJSU program is “the professors. Working with professors, such as Rhonda Holberton, has pushed me into a generative environment to create my thesis. The support I received was through working on projects at SJSU and creating curriculum for new classes in the art department.” Because she is a current teacher, her tuition was waived, which is another reason why she chose SJSU.

“The professors at SJSU have allowed me to peek behind the curtain and they’ve continued to mentor me as I begin to transition out of SJSU,” Lucia said. As for her next steps after completing her degree, Lucia said she is open to all possibilities. By participating in research, graduate students are given the opportunity to transform not only their lives, but on a local and global level, too, and Lucia was able to do that.