A Bridge to the Future: SJSU and Adobe Unveil the Elevate Career Hub

The partnership between San José State University and Adobe is a vital collaboration that has flourished since SJSU was officially designated a Creative Campus in 2020. The scale of this commitment is reflected in the significant investment from Adobe Inc. and the Adobe Foundation, which has provided over $4 million in grants to the university to date.

The partnership reached a new milestone on March 25, 2026, during the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Elevate Career Hub, sponsored by Adobe. SJSU leadership, elected officials and Adobe representatives came together at the event on the SJSU campus to celebrate a shared commitment to workforce development and student success. Beyond the official ceremony, the space came alive with student ambassadors interacting with professionals and showcasing their creative projects, demonstrating the real-world impact of digital literacy. San José Councilmember Anthony Tordillos pointed to the bigger picture, framing the Hub as a vital bridge between higher education and industry, helping students envision their place in the professional world.

Amy White, Adobe Foundation's Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility labelled the Career Hub as an investment for the future, saying, "It is the space that serves as a big hug to students - an assurance that they're not navigating rapid technological change alone and ensures Spartans remain on the cutting edge to be the ones shaping the future."

This initiative was first surfaced by Mo Ramos, senior program manager at Adobe, who stated that "in today's era of rapidly shifting technology, digital fluency is no longer optional and AI literacy is quickly becoming baseline." Ramos acknowledged the significant challenge that staying updated with the latest digital trends can pose for students when entering a workforce that now demands AI-ready skills and technical fluency. To address this gap, the Elevate Career Hub sponsored by Adobe launched as a dynamic, inclusive campus space bridging the divide between academic creativity and professional technology.

Raymond Lam, Adobe trainer and instructional designer, described the space as a physical anchor where a diverse community of students, faculty, staff and industry professionals can meet, collaborate, create and showcase their skills. Inside the space, that vision can be seen in real time. Student ambassadors were actively demonstrating projects, walking professionals through their work and showing how Adobe tools are being used in practical, creative ways.

The relationship between SJSU and Adobe has created a robust professional pipeline that connects classroom learning directly to industry expectations, evidenced by the 500+ SJSU alumni currently employed at Adobe and the 25+ interns hired in the 2024 fiscal year alone. Today, the partnership continues to thrive through active student leadership, with 232 Creative Campus Student Ambassadors working to integrate digital storytelling and technical expertise across the campus community.

Executive Director of the Career Center Bobbi Makani shared that by offering hands-on learning experiences and a hybrid setup for workshops and events, she believes in the Hub as a "catalyst" for student success, providing the tools and environment necessary for students to envision themselves in the real world while mastering the storytelling and digital literacy skills essential for the future of work.

"This is a space where students aren't just learning tools; they're learning how to apply them in ways that matter," said Makani. She also highlighted that the Career Center had been running programming tied to the Hub for over a year, building momentum and proving that this wasn't just a new space, but an expansion of something that already existed.

Now officially open on the first floor of Clark Hall, the Elevate Career Hub sponsored by Adobe offers students a dedicated space to refine portfolios, experiment with AI tools and collaborate. Simply check in at the front desk to start exploring the resources designed to take your career to the next level.