Ten Spartans Selected for Apple NextGen Innovator Mentorship Program

Ten San José State students have been selected to participate in Apple's Next-Gen Innovators Mentorship program, a ten-month opportunity that pairs college sophomores and juniors with mentors from Apple's hardware engineering team. Students engage in structured monthly collaborations, receive career guidance, practice interviewing and resume building skills, and gain valuable insights into careers in hardware engineering.

Apple has partnered with 23 colleges and universities across the country to offer personalized one-on-one mentorship, collaborative learning experiences, and exposure to a wide range of technical careers.

The inaugural SJSU cohort was recognized on Monday, October 27 with a kickoff event at the Diaz Compean Student Union that brought together students, members of the Tower Foundation Board of Directors, and Apple representatives.

"We proudly celebrate ten exceptional San José State University students selected to join the Apple Next-Gen Innovators Mentorship Program. These students represent the spirit of SJSU - curious, determined, and ready to lead in the fast-evolving world of tech innovation," said SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson. "We are deeply grateful to Apple for their partnership and commitment to fostering the next generation of engineering talent. Collaborations like this strengthen the bridge between higher education and industry, ensuring that our students not only learn but thrive as future leaders in their fields."

The president also shared that more than 2,000 SJSU alumni list Apple as their employer. This year's Next-Gen Innovators are:

• Alex Yue, '27 Electrical Engineering
• Andrew Ou, '27 Mechanical Engineering
• Bradley Haraguchi, '28 Computer Science
• Jason Kim, '28 Computer Science
• Jerome Foronda, '27 Mechanical Engineering
• Joon Hyuk Song, '28 Electrical Engineering
• Kevin Tsoi, '27 Computer Science
• Marl Jonson, '28 Computer Science
• Sandra Ramirez, '27 Mechanical Engineering
• Yi Hao (Ronald) Li, '27 Computer Science

"I learned about the program during an introductory meeting for Engineering Student Leaders," said Bradley Haraguchi, '28 Computer Science. "The biggest value of having an Apple mentor is gaining perspective, learning what works and what doesn't without having to find out the hard way. I was also pleasantly surprised to find my mentor's background in research and quality assurance complements my work as a research assistant and vice president of the AI and Machine Learning Club. I have already been meeting with them for a little over a month now, and I hope to continue to refine my plans for the future and improve my current work via their expertise."

Sandra Ramirez, '27 Mechanical Engineering, shared that she had never heard of engineering as a potential career until she'd graduated from high school. "Being a Mexican female in engineering is very intimidating," she said. "Throughout my journey [at SJSU], I've come to discover that this isn't just about me. This is about my community and inspiring other students, especially other girls, to pursue careers in STEM. So this opportunity of getting a mentor at Apple is a big deal to me. I love to design hardware, and my mentor is a designer for hardware, so I'm hoping to learn more about his journey and how the industry works."

Fellow mentee Marl Jonson, '28 Computer Science, grew up in Martinez, California, the child of Filipino immigrants who juggled full-time work while going to school. "The chance for me to pursue an undergrad degree without having to work, and also starting off at a four-year [university], makes me really try to grab onto everything that I can. When I heard about the mentorship program, I was super excited to apply, and I owe it to myself to make the most of the connections I now have at Apple."

Tower Board member John Baird, founder of Velocity Coaching and longtime Apple consultant, shared that he started his career as a professor of marketing at San José State, before transitioning into tech. He encouraged mentees to "engage in healthy debate and build your curiosity" in their interactions with their Apple mentors.

"Credibility at Apple comes from delivering on your word," he said. "If you say you're going to do something, do it and deliver; that is the best way to establish credibility."

Chris Vieira, leadership executive at Apple, credited SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson with being one of his most influential mentors during his time as a technology director at CSU Fresno.

"None of us gets to where we are in our lives alone," Vieira said. "We need to lean on each other. I suggest not only to lean on your mentors, but to lean on each other. Remember that everything we do at Apple is really rooted in our values around education, accessibility, the environment and the customer experience. We have one mission statement: Build the best technology to enrich people's lives. As long as you focus on that mission, you're going to do incredibly well."

Sheryl Ehrman, dean of the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering, echoed their excitement.

"I'm excited to see our students participating in Apple's Next-Gen Innovators Mentorship program and I'm grateful to Apple for their support," she said. "Through their mentors, students will be learning about careers in hardware while building their professional skills. SJSU students are already well regarded in Silicon Valley for being ready to work, and I think this experience will enable our students to be even more effective from day one, whether their future employer is Apple or any other organization."