Caps High, Spirits Higher: Nearly 8,600 Spartans Graduate This Spring

This spring, nearly 8,600 San José State students earned their degrees, joining a tribe of Spartan alumni 350,000 strong. Over the course of 11 commencement ceremonies from May 20-22, graduates and their families crossed the stage at the Provident Credit Union Event Center at SJSU.

"Graduates, before you rise to walk across this stage, I want to leave you with one final challenge," said SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson in her commencement address. "You are living in a world that is being rapidly reshaped by artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, algorithms and technologies we are only beginning to understand. And yes some of you may very well live and work in space. As you look ahead, you must ensure that you remain the human in the loop and in the lead."

Honorary Degrees

Two Spartans received honorary degrees from San José State in recognition of their illustrious careers and service to the community. The late Ben Nighthorse Campbell, '57 Physical Education , was recognized posthumously by President Teniente-Matson at his celebration of life in April.

A decorated U.S. Air Force veteran and three-time U.S. national judo champion who captained the 1964 Olympic judo team, Campbell later served in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, becoming one of the highest-ranking Native American officeholders in U.S. history. He also became the first and only American Indian to chair the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Campbell served in the Colorado General Assembly from 1983-1986, then was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987. He was the only Native American to serve during his tenures in the House of Representatives (1987-1993) and the U.S. Senate (1993-2005). Campbell also chaired the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission) and received honors, including the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom and Japan's Order of the Rising Sun.

At the College of Social Sciences commencement ceremony on May 22, pioneering clinical psychologist Alan E. Kazdin, '67 Psychology, will be awarded an honorary doctor of science. The Sterling Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University, Kazdin is widely recognized as one of the most influential child psychologists of the past 50 years. His groundbreaking work in the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of severe aggressive and antisocial behavior in children, including the development of evidence-based interventions such as parent management training and cognitive problem-solving skills training, has fundamentally shaped the field.

Beyond academia, Kazdin's leadership in addressing the global mental health treatment gap through innovative and scalable models of care has advanced international conversations around access to mental health services. A former president of the American Psychological Association, Kazdin has authored 52 books for parents and professionals, and his free online Coursera and Yale parenting course has reached tens of thousands of learners worldwide.

Outstanding Senior Award Recipients

Geoffrey Agustin, '26 Computer Engineering

In addition to earning multiple President's and Dean's Scholar honors and receiving the University Governance and A.S. 55 Awards, Geoffrey Agustin served as both the director of communications and vice president of the Associated Students Board, where they improved transparency and student engagement by significantly increasing social media reach, enhancing website accessibility and implementing a Board Member Accountability System. Agustin's technical and research work reflects a commitment to societal impact, notably through a senior capstone project using electroencephalography (EEG) technology to improve emotional interpretation in mental health counseling. Augustin consistently prioritizes long-term institutional improvement and meaningful, lasting change through culturally significant initiatives like the Filipino American History Mural. Described by Director of Academic and Institutional Effectiveness Priya Raman as "one of the most exceptional students I have encountered," Agustin "brings a level of intellectual depth, clarity and confidence that is striking."

Katelyn Sofia Gambarin, '26 Political Science

A dedicated champion of civic engagement, Katelyn Sofia Gambarin has maintained an impressive 3.89 GPA while serving in multiple leadership roles across campus, including president and CEO of Associated Students. From lobbying elected officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. on issues impacting California State University students to collaborating with organizations like SJSU Votes, the Institute of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement and the Filipino Alumni Network, Gambarin has contributed to university life and served as a voice for students. An active member of Alpha Xi Delta, Order of Omega and Pi Sigma Alpha, Gambarin also served the greater community through internships with California State Assemblymember Ash Kalra and with Representative Zoe Lofgren in her Washington, D.C. office. An advocate for students at the institutional, state and national levels, Gambarin has lobbied elected officials on issues such as affordability, Title IX and financial aid.

Outstanding Thesis Award

Aung Paing, '25 MS Chemical Engineering, is receiving the Outstanding Thesis Award for his thesis, "Dissolution of Polypeptoids Photoresists Based on Critical Ionization Theory." His thesis research was conducted within the Center for High Precision Patterning Science (CHiPPS), a U.S. Department of Energy Frontier Research Center led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), where he was advised by SJSU Associate Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering Dahyun Oh and LBNL Chemist Senior Scientist Frances Houle. Oh says that his "findings not only advance the fundamental understanding of resist polymer dissolution, but also direct experimentalists to consider the required fraction of solvable polymer when designing photoresist." A graduate of Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, Paing worked in the oil and gas industry and in operations management at a nationwide home appliance distribution company in Burma before moving to the U.S.

Relive the excitement in the stories below.