Dr. Egbe-Etu Etu (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San Jose State University (SJSU). Also, he is the Co-Faculty Director of the Generation of Aspirational Leaders Program (GoAL). He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit in 2021 and his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Covenant University, Nigeria, in 2016. His research interest centers on the development of use-inspired machine learning models to solve challenging business problems in healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. The main aim of his research is to develop decision-support tools that will help business professionals do their best work, improve resilience and overall system performance while minimizing errors. He is a member of the Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IEOM), Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineering (IISE), and SAVE International. In 2020, he received the IEOM Annual Conference Best Paper Award in the Healthcare Systems track. Dr. Etu plays video games (specifically PlayStation), watching soccer (proudly supports Manchester United) and loves cooking.

Etu is the Faculty-in-Residence for our Apartments Community (CVA & CVB) and our Theme Communities CELL and Black Scholars Community (Joe West). 

Dr. Johnny Carlos Ramirez (he/his/el) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department at San Jose State University (SJSU). Before arriving to SJSU, Dr. Ramirez served as an IRISE postdoctoral fellow at the University of Denver (DU) and teaching professor of their newly launched Critical Race & Ethnic Studies (CRES) minor program. He is a third generation Chicano, who grew up in low-income barrios of the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire in Southern California. Also, Dr. Ramirez is a first-generation transfer student, who was the first person in his family that achieved his dream of becoming a college graduate. His research examines social justice youth development programs and how Chicana/o/x youth resistance can be used as a prevention/intervention strategy to prevent the high pushout/dropout rates and dismantle the school-to-prison nexus. For nearly 20 years, he has worked in youth development programs as a Program Director, mentor, youth organizer and community activist. Profe Johnny’s background consists of a deep commitment to social justice issues which is reflected in his work as both as an activist and scholar. He has dedicated his life to the empowerment of Students of Color, so that they may realize their own power and to develop the leadership skills necessary to build a movement for transformative change. Profe Johnny's interests are rooted in a genuine desire to learn about diverse cultural spaces that reflect artistic and political expressions. He loves attending community events, cultural celebrations and ceremonies that highlight diverse languages, food, dance, and music. Likewise, his hobbies include going to concerts, theater shows, lowrider car shows, Djing, creating Hip Hop music, and bike riding at the beach while watching the sunset.

Johnny is the Faculty-in-Residence for our First-Year Communities (Washburn, Joe West, CV2, and CVC) and our Theme Communities Sustainable Spartans and Rainbow Village (Joe West).

Dr. Lesther Papa (he/him/siya/esuna) is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department and is faculty in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. His research focuses on the cognitive and emotional experience of students when they witness racial and ethnic microaggressions in college classrooms. He also has worked clinically with children and families at various sites from community sites to centers for persons with disabilities. He was recently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Child Trauma Research Program through the Tipping Point Mental Health Initiative where he provided mental health services to students at a public charter school in Richmond, California. Dr. Papa is originally from Hawaii but has lived in Arizona and Utah before coming to the Bay Area. He is a big gamer and has a range of hobbies ranging from baking to makeup art. His favorite video games are Nintendo games like Smash Brothers and Splatoon 2 and he is a big fan of games like Dominion and Magic: The Gathering. He is also a Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master and would love to introduce new players to the D&D realms. Dr. Papa is a first-generation college student with immigrant Filipinx parents and has experience trying to manage cultural expectations while also following his dreams. He loves building relationships with students and empowering them to pursue what will bring them joy and meaning.

Lesther is the Faculty-in-Residence for the Apartments Community (CVA & CVB) and our Theme Communities Arts Village and Rainbow Village (Joe West).

Dr. Matthew Faulkner (he/him) is a third-year assistant professor of finance in the Department of Accounting and Finance in the Lucas College and Graduate School. His research interests include corporate finance and behavioral finance...how to make decisions to run a company and the psychology influencing that decision, for example, how do our past experiences influence our future decision-making. His teaching interests are corporate finance and business valuation. In addition to academics, he maintains a CFA® Charterholder and is a FINRA arbitrator. Dr. Faulkner strives to live by a quote from his Dad: "Never let your memories be greater than your dreams". Dr. Faulkner grew up on a tiny beach town on the coast of North Carolina. He has also lived in Valencia, Spain and Miami, FL before coming to San Jose. Dr. Faulkner once gave a fist bump to Bill Murray, swam with dolphins, saw an east coast sunrise and west coast sunset on the same day, and gave a speech in front of 5,000 people. The shortest version of a long list of hobbies include golf, basketball, guitar, painting, swimming, reading and spending time with his brother, also Dr. Faulkner.

Matthew is the Faculty-in-Residence for our First-Year Communities (Washburn, Joe West, CV2, and CVC) and our Theme Communities BUILD and Arts Village (Joe West). 

Dr. Riana Betzler (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy. Previously, she held research and teaching fellowships at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Cambridge, and the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (in Vienna, Austria). She is interested in questions that arise at the intersection of science and society, such as: How do our human values shape the way that we study the natural world? How do scientific claims about the way the world is relate to ethical claims about what we should do? At the moment, she is especially obsessed with these questions as they arise in empirical research on empathy. Riana is originally from New York but is also an avid traveler who has lived in several different countries (India, Germany, Austria, and England) and visited many more. In her spare time, she loves to take photographs, to explore the outdoors, and to share food and good conversation with friends and family.

Riana is the Faculty-in-Residence for our First-Year Communities (Washburn, Joe West, CV2, and CVC) and our Theme Communities CELL and Sustainable Spartans (Joe West).

Dr. Yolanda Wiggins (she/her/hers) is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences where she teaches sociology of education and research methods. Her research interests center on the family, higher education, race, and class with a focus on how Black college students balance both academic responsibilities and family obligations. Currently Dr. Wiggins is conducting research with computer science and computer engineering professors at SJSU on ways to increase underrepresented groups of students’ participation in STEM fields.  Dr. Wiggins also engages with the public, for example, on public radio as a scholarly source on postsecondary education, in order to increase understanding in addressing inequalities in educational outcomes. In Washington, D.C., she partners with community and parent leaders to advocate for structural and policy changes in D.C. Public Schools. Dr. Wiggins has worked for a wide-range of organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation. Her recommendation to students: go where the opportunities take you! You belong in every space. Don’t limit yourself! 

Dr. Wiggins is a native of Washington, D.C. and proudly reps the east coast! In her spare time, Dr. Wiggins enjoys traveling, hiking, roller skating, karaoke, and salsa dancing. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Wiggins knows firsthand just how intimidating interacting with professors and finding on campus support networks can be. She looks forward to building lasting relationships with students! 

Yolanda is the Faculty-in-Residence for our Apartments Community (CVA & CVB) and our Theme Communities BUILD and Black Scholars Community (Joe West).