SJSU Salzburg Scholars | 2014–2015
Rishidhar
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Matthew
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Jeramiah
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Judith
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Sharanjit
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Inderpal
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Jessica
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Debby
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Samina
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Gabriel
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Hillary
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Jose Ramil
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Joyce
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Teklehaymanot
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Rishidhar BommuFrosh
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Phi Theta Kappa Honors Student (2013) and Humanities Honors Student, Rishi aspires to make his mark in Silicon Valley. He started developing electronic applications in tenth grade and had his first IOS publication in 2012. One application, named Rusher, served as a quick GPS Navigation utility and provided its users with fast address searching. Rishi is also a professional magician and has given various charity shows in India and the United States, leaving his audiences with smiles. Prior to enrolling at SJSU, Rishi founded two clubs in his high school. He also attended Ohlone College at the same time and managed to complete one year of college prior to his high school graduation. He is confident in his major field of Computer Science, ready to explore other fields and to experience a global understanding of himself, SJSU, and the World.
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Matthew DiwataSenior
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Jeramiah DowJunior
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Judith DurdenSenior
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Sharanjit JohalGraduate Student
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During her studies as a Master of Public Health candidate at San Jose State, Sharanjit has played a dynamic role in assessing and improving the health of her communities through her work as an intern at Stanford University’s School of Medicine (2013), as well as through her service as a founding/current member of the UC Berkeley chapter of The Bhagat Puran Singh Health Initiative (BPSHI) (2011-present). At SJSU, she works closely with her mentor Dr. Kathleen Roe (2010 Salzburg Fellow), who has been instrumental in cultivating Sharanjit’s passion, expertise, and skill set. Sharanjit was an active member of Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education (CalSERVE) (2007-2011) during her undergraduate years at UC Berkeley, where she received dual Bachelor’s degrees in CRS: Health Science and Policy Management and Legal Studies.
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Inderpal KaurJunior
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A two-time SJSU President’s Scholar (2013, 2014), Inderpal is also a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society (2012-present); Phi Kappa Phi (2014-present); and Psi Chi (2013-present), the International Honor Society of Psychology. She has also been a member of ASPIRE (2011-2012), an advising program at San Jose State and was a student of the Humanities Honors Program (2011-2013), which led her to minoring in Humanities. Inderpal is a volunteer at the Bill Wilson Center (2013-present) and is also a research assistant for one of her professors (2014-present). In her spare time, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and drawing.
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Jessica MassieJunior
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In High School Jessica received Lamps of Knowledge awards for her participation in the Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Programs, a varsity letter for her participation in soccer, music achievement awards for her participation in the audition-only Chamber Choir, and a service award for more than 50 hours of tutoring service a semester. She also worked as the Lead English Tutor (2010-2012) for Vintage High School’s Study Buddy Program. At San Jose State Jessica has held leadership positions (2009-2012) in the Asian Culture Club, the Humane Society Club, SynergyLit Club, and Crusher Crew. Outside of academics Jessica has interned at the Lincoln Theatre in Yountville (2013), where she promoted the theatre through marketing. Jessica is currently treasurer of the Global Studies club (2014) and a student of the Humanities Honors program (2012-2014).
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Debby NgJunior
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Phi Kappa Phi (2014), President’s Scholar (2013, 2014), and Dean’s Scholar (2012, 2013), Debby is co-founder and current treasurer of the Humanities Club at SJSU (2013-2014). She was also a student in the Humanities Honors Program (2012-2013). A dedicated and passionate student pursuing her career in education, Debby is actively serving her commun-ity as a current Reading Partners literacy tutor at Horace Mann Elementary School, as well as a classroom volunteer. She was also a Lowell High School JROTC cadet for four years, where she was Battalion Executive Officer (2011) and Company Commander (2010); and a four-year member of Lowell Drum Corps, Tom Leader (2011). Debby is fluent in Cantonese and attended Chinese school for 13 years. She was recently selected in a feature story for the SJSU Honors Convocation (2014).
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Samina Patel-SharpJunior
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A member of Phi Theta Kappa (2011), Golden Key Society (2013), and Phi Kappa Phi (2014), Samina has also been a recipient of the Annette Horn Memorial Scholarship (2012) and the JM Long Scholarship (2012). She is currently the Student Vice President of Phi Kappa Phi; Treasurer of Jesse Frey Community Gardens; and Founder of Willow Glen Fruitopia, an early stage nonprofit organization that provides no-cost and locally- sourced fruit to underserved communities. Samina has also studied 16th century British history, economics, and foreign policy at the University of Oxford (UK) and has travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Professionally, she developed over 15 years of cross-functional workflow and efficiency expertise with her former employers at IBM, Reactrix Media Systems, and Ernst & Young LLP. Upon graduation, Samina hopes to attend law school.
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Gabriel RodriguezJunior
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Ever since he began attending San José State, Gabriel has been involved in organizations and community service. He has worked at the Associated Student’s Cesar Chavez Commun-ity Action Center, Grace Community Center, the LGBTQ Youth Space, Californians for Justice, and the LUPE summer program. In addition, he has been involved in Queers Thoughtfully Interrupting Prejudice (QTIP), EL PAIS, Movimiento Estudiantil Xican@de Aztlán (MEXA), and Gente Unida. Currently, he is the Director of Intercultural Affairs for Associated Students. He also advocates for students who are from underrepresented backgrounds – such as LGBT, disabled, and ethnic/cultural students. All of these groups focus on how to improve the lives of people, specifically the acceptance of LGBT people or opportunities for more people to be involved in higher education.
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Hillary SchaufSophomore
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A recipient of a President's Education Excellence Award (2010), Hillary’s diverse life has given her a multifaceted skillset. She has prepared and served food at a local homeless shelter as part of her involvement with the California Scholarship Federation (2005-2009); and has worked as a stage manager, actor, and make-up artist for a theater group of 30+ people (2008-2010). She has also worked as a caretaker for a child with disabilities (2011) and is currently a long-distance truck driver and customer service representative for Groovy Moving (2012-present). A student in the Humanities Honors Program (2012-2014), Hilary received the Wobber Scholarship for academic excellence (2013).
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Jose Ramil SenerisGraduate Student
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Jose Ramil is Project Lead for the Spartan Tethered Europa ExpLorer (Project STEEL), where he leads a team of students in the design, development, and fabrication of a micro-class remotely-operated underwater vehicle. He also works as the Exo-Brake Fabricator with NASA Ames and a team of his peers on the TechEdSat series of small satellites. Since 2012, Jose Ramil has been the Public Policy Director for the San Francisco Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). From 2011-2012, he served as the SJSU student Branch Chair of AIAA. He is also a member of the SJSU Quidditch group. During summer 2014, he will be working at The Tech Museum of Innovation as a member of the Maker Corps, ensuring that every child is a Maker.
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Joyce SuenFrosh
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Joyce is currently a student in the Humanities Honors Program and intending to major in Health Science. She is also actively involved in several community service groups. These include the Health Science Honor Society, which promotes academic excellence as well as being involved in the community through volunteer work; and Project SHINE, which is a student organization that connects students with volunteer opportunities to work with seniors. She was first exposed to community service when she was an intern for Kaiser Permanente’s Office of Public Affairs and became passionate about community relations by working with health professionals. In addition, Joyce would like to visit many countries so she can develop a broad understanding of different cultures and communities to become more globally well rounded.
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Teklehaymanot YilmaSenior
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Currently a New Student Mentor at San José State and also a Development Intern at the Asante Africa Foundation, Teklehaymanot has devoted himself to campus involvement during his student career on campus. This included service as a Resident Advisor for two years, which he spent educating up to 200 residents about the importance of global and multi-cultural competence. It also included his service as the Publication and Sustainability Chair for the Pacific Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls in 2012. In that role, he assisted in the overall planning and execution of the PACURH conference that hosted over 500 students from 20 universities in the Pacific region. After studying abroad in Lille, France, TK interned for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo where he worked on fundraising, campaigning, and constituent outreach. In 2014, he was awarded an Associated Students 55 Leadership Award for his contributions to the SJSU community.