Global Spartan Photo Contest 2025 Winners!

One of the many activities that happens during Global Spartan Month is our Global Spartan Photo Contest. This year we had 49 amazing photo and narrative submissions from students who have experience in one of our study abroad programs and our international students. The Global Spartan Month Planning Committee selects the winner of the Most Impactful Narrative prize and also determines our set of finalists. Finalists then have their photographs and narratives posted on our Instagram pages, at the Global Spartan Fair and at the Global Games event. Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo entry and to all those who voted. Congratulations to all our finalists and a special congratulations to our winners.

 

First Place

Sharat Hiremath

Nature’s Teddy Bear with Tusks

This photo is special to me because I personally love Lord Ganesha, who symbolizes wisdom and new beginnings. Seeing this elephant reminds me of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, where we welcome and honor Him with devotion. I admire elephants for their intelligence and gentle nature, and this image takes me back to childhood visits to temples where I watched them being worshipped and cared for.

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Second Place

Hitomi Tassone

Mitama Matsuri

I took this photo during a spontaneous late-night outing with friends near the end of my semester abroad. It was from one of the summer festivals, or “matsuri,” that I had attended while living in Tokyo, reminiscent of the matsuri from my childhood. The lanterns illuminate the path to the torii, the umbrellas reflect the summer’s rainy season, and the people gather to enjoy a cultural celebration.

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Third Place

Brittany Ngo

Jiufen A-Mei Teahouse

This photo is taken in front of A-Mei Teahouse in Jiufen, Taiwan. Jiufen is a town located in northeastern Taiwan and is known for its looming mountains, narrow alleyways, and teahouses. Tea is deeply ingrained in Taiwanese culture, and I had the opportunity to visit A-Mei Teahouse and experience a traditional tea ritual while learning about how tea is farmed in the high mountain regions.

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Best Narrative

Rutuja Nemane

Miles Away, Yet Home Within

This photo depicts devotion, connection and pride. The beautifully adorned Ganesh idol, symbolizing wisdom and new beginnings, stands at the heart of our celebration. Ganesh Visarjan at SJSU turned a farewell into a homecoming. The dhol beats echoed our cultural roots, and every step carried unity. It reminds me that culture knows no boundaries, it lives wherever hearts unite to celebrate it.

2025 Global Spartan Month Fair

Each March, we celebrate the benefits of international education and cultural exchange through a series of events we call Global Spartan Month (GSM). There are many ways to participate in GSM, from attending events that get you to make connections with people from around the world, to learning more about opportunities to study in another country, to participating in workshops that will help you broaden your global mindset. Our biggest event is our GSM Fair.

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Interview Waiver- Update

Effective February18, 2025, the Department of State has revised the visa interview waiver policy, reversing the prior policy update that went into effect on December 21, 2023. You can read more details about the new policy here. You can also refer to NAFSA’s webpage, which provides more in-depth details regarding this change. Please note that this new policy may impact visa application wait times, so please make certain to check information on the websites of embassies and consulates for the most up to date process and wait times for visa renewals.

 

Spring 2025 ISSS Events So Far…

It’s close to being a month since the Spring 2025 semester has started! (that’s crazy!) ISSS has had many events in this short amount of time (about 30)! We had our Global Spartan Welcome for the new incoming international students and Campus Tours lead by our Global Leaders in the few weeks ahead of the spring semester starting, then once the semester started we had our staple International Welcome and Grad Panel Networking events just to name a few. Below are some of the events that we wanted to highlight. We will have many more events during the semester so keep a lookout on our Instagram page (@sjsuinternational) and our events webpage for all of our upcoming events!! March is Global Spartan Month where there will be many different kinds of events, a fair and many opportunities to connect with fellow Global Spartans!

International Grad Panel & Networking 

For this event we had around 62 attendees! They were able to listen to a group of international graduate students share about their experiences here at SJSU and share any work experience they may have had or experiences searching for a job. Our panelists this year were Suhaa Ahmed an Urban Planning major from India, Ambarish Govindarajulu Kaliamurthi a Computer Engineering major from India, Bokyung Kang a Counseling & Guidance major from Korea, and Dimple Mulchandani a Biomedical Engineering major from India. After the panel, students were able to mingle, network and speak with staff from the Career Center.

 

 

 

 

International Welcome

At the start of the semesters, we host an International Welcome event to welcome in new and returning international students. This semester’s theme was Back to Childhood. About 60 students were able to join us in playing throwback games from childhood, connect with other students and also learn about other cultures! Students had fun playing Passing the Pillow (Hot Potato), Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and Rochambeau Train! Special shout out to the committee leads: Sanya Mandhyan, Piero Miranda and Dimple Mulchandani!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global Connections: Kick Off

Global Connections is a weekly meetup where each week we focus on a different theme. Students can come  to connect with people from around the world, explore cultural topics, and learn tips for improving your overall well being. It is open to all students. In Spring 2025 we’ll meet every Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PT). Please refer to the schedule on our webpage for all the topics and locations!. Everyone is welcome! For our first Global Connections of the Spring 2025 semester we had a Kick Off event where we had a large turn out! We were able to have meaningful conversations, play games, eat some snacks. Our next Global Connections will be focusing on Fun & Games on Feb 17, Come game with us!

 

Global Leader Chats

Our Global Leader team facilitated chats that covered different topics from tours to advice. This semester we’ve had Global Leader Chats with topics that included, Making Friends & Getting Involved, Time Management, and Study & Job Search Tips. Each chat has had great turn out and great conversions! Our last 2 Chats (Time Management, and Study & Job Search Tips) will happen on Feb 19  and Feb 24 respectively so you still have time to join and experience a Global Leader Chat!