Alumni Resources
Extra Yard for Teachers
This fall, we partnered with SJSU Athletics and the College Football Playoff Foundation to celebrate the incredible work of our alumni teachers through the Extra Yard for Teachers program. In conjunction with Donors Choose, each teacher was awarded a grant to support their classroom projects. If you know an alumni teacher who should be considered for the Fall 2025 recognition, please complete the nomination form.
Lurie College Alumni Classroom Art Showcase: What COMMUNITY means to me!
Take part in this opportunity to showcase your students' talents and insights while also building connections with other Lurie College alums. We are seeking artistic expressions to showcase what COMMUNITY means to your students! Using supplies provided by SJSU, you'll encourage your students to represent their interpretation of community as a painting or drawing. Then submit student artwork to SJSU for our Alumni Classroom Artwork Showcase.
Up to 50 alumni classrooms are eligible to participate and five lucky classrooms will be celebrated with a pizza party! Selected art pieces will be on display throughout Sweeney Hall at SJSU. Full details and the interest form can be found here.
Celebration of Alumni Excellence
Photography: Florian Pilsl
Our alumni engage in transformative work across a range of educational and community spaces and each year we look forward to the opportunity to celebrate their brilliance and dedication, and to learn with and from each other. Stay tuned for our 2026 schedule!
Past Events:
View the 2025 event program here
View the 2024 event program here
View the 2023 event program here
If you are interested in learning more, and for ways to get involved, please contact janene.perez@sjsu.edu
Distinguished Alumni
Each year we are honored to recognize an alum that embodies the priorities of community engaged, culturally sustaining, holistic, and interdisciplinary work. Learn more about our awardees below!
- 2025: Lan Nguyen
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Lan Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees with roots in Cambodia Town of Long Beach, California, and is now residing in San José. She is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, community organizer, and educator. She teaches ethnic studies with a focus on anti-assimilation to newcomer immigrant youth in the Bay Area, and teaches Introduction to Asian American Studies at San José State University. To follow her passion for culturally relevant education and uncovering hidden histories, Lan has served as a curriculum writer for several projects such as the statewide Vietnamese American Experiences Model Curriculum, Ethnic Studies for Multilingual Learners Professional Learning Community, and the AAPI Perspectives Oral History Project. Lan earned a Bachelors of Science in Education at Northwestern University, Masters of Arts in Asian American Studies at UCLA, and both a Single Subject: Social Sciences Teaching Credential and Masters of Arts in Teaching at San Jose State University.
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- 2024: Matteo Enna
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Tayo Enna has been teaching Kindergarten at STEAM@Stipe Elementary School for the past 18 years and he is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco in the Teacher Education Program. Tayo's dedication extends well beyond the classroom evidenced by his development and implementation of Anti Racist Parent Workshops with a range of school districts to bridge communities and families together. In 2022, he developed The Young Black Scholars Club as an after school program for Black and biracial students in K-3rd grade. Tayo is a proud Spartan, earning his Bachelor’s in Social Science, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from San José State University.
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- 2023: Nancy Gutierrez, EdLD
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(Photo credit: Jim Gensheimer, 2023)
A proud SJSU alumnus, Dr. Gutierrez earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership & Administration in 2005. She went on to earn a Doctor of Education Leadership (EdLD) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Gutierrez is currently President and CEO of The Leadership Academy, a role she’s held since 2018, and co-author of the recently released Stay and Prevail: Students of Color Don't Need to Leave Their Communities to Succeed.
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Stay Connected!
SJSU Lurie College of Education alumni can take advantage of the numerous opportunities to actively participate in the continued growth of the college! Connect with us to:
- learn about continued professional development support as a new alumni
- volunteer to participate in college activities (alumni panel, mentoring, etc.)
- share your professional highlights - we want to showcase your work!
- receive updates on alumni events and networking opportunities
Complete the alumni update form today!
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Give a Gift to Lurie College
Our college has been preparing educators for over a century and a half through rigorous undergraduate and graduate study and professional credentialing programs. Our programs have prepared some of the best, brightest, and most committed educators in the Bay Area and beyond. Alumni can partner with us on a range of fundraising priorities, including:
- Supporting our SJSU Lurie College Scholarships. Our scholarships decrease financial barriers and future debt for our students, which allows them to focus on their education and increases the retention efforts of remaining in their profession after graduation.
- Building up our Financial Hardship Grant Fund. When our Lurie College students experience unforeseen financial hardships, they can apply for this grant to address acute needs. Since 2019, we've been able to provide over 150 grants to students to support their continued enrollment.
