From the Editor

As a child, I liked to sketch out my dream house on my father’s lined graphing paper. A mechanical engineer, he showed me the shorthand that architects use to depict doors, windows and spiral staircases. It amazed me that the first step to envisioning a new future was simply committing it to the page. The blueprint, my father always said, made the path to new beginnings possible.

Blueprints demonstrate progress. Nowadays, when I interview Spartans about their experiences at San José State and beyond, it's clear that higher education outlines not just one, but several blueprints to follow. How else can a basketball player with a degree in radio, television and theater become a broadcast journalist for the Golden State Valkyries, the Bay Area’s new WNBA team? Blueprints enable coalitions like the Filipino American History Mural Committee to formalize a vision for sharing powerful stories. Speaking of powerful: Few writers have laid as strong a foundation for aspiring artists as Amy Tan, whose books teach us that every image and every character has the potential to leave an imprint.

And as for the campus itself, there is no clearer blueprint than the Campus Master Plan, which envisions several exciting approaches for future Spartans.

The Washington Square spirit will always live on in the way we tell stories. We are pioneers, innovators, teachers, scientists, engineers, artists, philosophers, technologists, nurses, researchers. When Spartans graduate, they are sketching their next steps as leaders, neighbors, entrepreneurs or academics, creating their own new beginnings. We hope you’ll delight in their journeys and cheer them on as they accomplish great things.

In gratitude to my fellow writers, editors, designers, artists and Spartans,

Julia Halprin Jackson Managing editor, SJSU Magazine