alumni

The Wall Street Journal recognizes SFSU as one of the top 25 schools in the nation for social mobility

For the second year in a row, The Wall Street Journal has put San Francisco State University on its list of the top 25 universities in the country for social mobility — basically, how well schools help their students create better futures for themselves and their families. It’s recognition of something SF State has always been about: opening doors and creating opportunity.

The ranking is part of the annual Wall Street Journal/College Pulse “Best Colleges in America” list, which looks at nearly 600 schools nationwide. SFSU has landed in the top 25 for social mobility two years running, showing the lasting impact of an SFSU degree.

So what exactly is “social mobility”? In higher ed, it’s the measure of how well a college helps students — especially those from families without much financial security — move into higher-paying careers and improve their economic situation. At SFSU, that idea is more than a statistic. It’s a mission rooted in access, equity and student success.

You can see it in the numbers: 32% of SF State students are the first in their families to go to college, and 58% receive financial aid. For many, getting a degree here is not just a milestone — it’s a life-changer.

“SFSU was founded on the principle that higher education should change lives,” said SFSU President Lynn Mahoney. “Social mobility isn’t just a ranking for us — it’s the very heart of what we do. We help students gain the skills and confidence to transform their lives, their families’ futures and the communities they go on to serve.”

One alum who demonstrates that is Jessie Peterson (B.A., ’14). Peterson entered SFSU as a former foster youth and joined the Guardian Scholars program, which gave her housing, scholarships, mentoring and, as she puts it, “a family.” Today she’s an appellate criminal defense attorney at the Office of the State Public Defender, fighting for dignity and fairness in the justice system.

“I knew that if I went to SFSU, I’d be supported,” Peterson said. “I just didn’t know how much!”

Peterson’s story (told in the latest issue of SF State Magazine) is just one example of how students’ futures get brighter at SFSU — and why the University continues to be recognized as a national leader in social mobility.

Apply to SFSU and make your future brighter here.

Poh Si Teng honored as executive producer of ‘Patrice: The Movie’ 

San Francisco State University couldn’t be a better place to learn about global culture, diversity and politics. For alumna Poh Si Teng, this campus fostered her journalistic pursuits from the classroom to Malcolm X Plaza, where you can see SFSU’s social justice ethos come to life. Teng (B.A., ’07) won her first Emmy Award earlier this month, as an executive producer of “Patrice: The Movie,” honored for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Creative Arts ceremony. 

“Truly, I couldn’t have chosen a better university and home,” Teng said. “I think back on all the classes and all the professors and all the protests and movements that I was part of, and I’m so proud and glad that I went to SF State.” 

Teng entered SFSU as an international student from Malaysia. She wrote for the Golden Gate Xpress, the University’s student-run newspaper, and she appreciates the diverse, supportive faculty members in the Department of Journalism, including Cristina Azocar, Erna Smith and Venise Wagner. Teng also credits SFSU with helping her land numerous internships that propelled her career.  

“I think about my time at SF State a lot,” she says. “It is foundational to who I am today. I’m so glad that was the first place I landed in the United States, which led me to the path of being a journalist, and then documentary filmmaker.” 

Teng would become a reporter for The New York Times, where she garnered her first Emmy nomination, and later, a documentary commissioner for Al Jazeera English, where she was nominated for an Academy Award for the documentary short “St. Louis Superman.” After a decade in journalism, she left the newsroom and became a grants director for the International Documentary Association. At IDA she created a grant for filmmakers with disabilities, with the support of the Ford Foundation. It was her time working with the disability film community that led her to championing “Patrice: The Movie” at ABC News/Disney. The documentary follows a disabled couple who risk losing their benefits if they get engaged or married. Teng was the lead creative executive at ABC News/Disney who brought the film to Hulu. 

Last year, Teng left her position at Disney/ABC to start her own production company. She is producing a three-part docuseries that she developed, and she is directing a political and medical verité film that is set in the U.S. and Gaza. 

“SFSU gave me the real-life experience of being close to the issues that mattered,” she said, “because the students were living them, whether it was the struggle to pay rent, the fight for disability rights or the weight of America’s foreign wars. I learned not just what to care about, but how to fight. That education continues to guide my work today.” 

Learn more about the SFSU Department of Journalism. 

The Fall/Winter 2024 issue, now available online, includes a look at Alli Gator through the ages and a Q&A with alumna Annette Bening

The Fall/Winter 2024 issue of SF State Magazine marks a momentous occasion: San Francisco State University’s 125th birthday. Now available online, this special issue delves into the rich history, influential alumni and groundbreaking innovations that have shaped the University into what it is today.

Headlining the issue is a captivating Q&A with Academy Award-nominated actress and SF State alumna Annette Bening (B.A., ’80). In this exclusive interview by SF State Magazine columnist Ben Fong-Torres (B.A., ’66), Bening reflects on her time at SF State, her career and the enduring influence of her alma mater.

A feature on the University’s beloved alligator mascot traces its evolution from quirky beginnings to its current status as a sassy symbol of Gator pride. Another powerful story explores how the 1968 student strike that led to the creation of SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies inspired another group of activists — those fighting for LGBTQ rights.  

This celebratory issue also includes:

• “125 Surprising Facts About SF State”: A deep dive into little-known milestones and hidden treasures from the University’s storied history.
• A very personal “My SF State Story” essay by alumna and University archivist Meredith Eliassen (B.A., ’88).
• Updates on dozens of Gators using their SF State degrees to make a mark on the world. 

Don’t miss this extraordinary tribute to 125 years of history, activism and pride. Check out the Fall/Winter issue of SF State Magazine now.

New issue focuses on Gators thinking globally and acting locally (and beyond)

SF State Magazine’s Fall/Winter 2023 issue puts the environment in the spotlight. Now available online, the issue includes articles about the many ways San Francisco State University alumni, students and faculty are working to explore and protect the planet.

In some ways San Francisco State’s best-kept secret, the Sierra Nevada Field Campus gets some much-deserved attention in a feature story about this bastion of earth science, art and learning in the middle of the wilderness. Another feature, “Money Matters,” explores the ways forward-thinking alumni, students and faculty are demonstrating how investors can bankroll environmental sustainability (and turn a profit doing it). The feature “Forces of Nature” offers up 14 ways the University is engaged in environmental stewardship. And a special video feature, “Driven to Help the Planet,” highlights an enterprising student’s efforts to create a mobile “tiny home” using recycled and renewable materials.

The magazine’s departments are filled with environmental angles, too, including a story about a new Sustainable Materials Learning Library that’s helping students get a handle on earth-friendly design. SF State Magazine columnist (and legendary journalist and Gator) Ben Fong-Torres contributes a conversation with alumna Allison Crimmins, director of the federal government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment. The magazine’s Five Questions Q&A department expands to more questions (and more subjects) than usual with a discussion with the three co-directors of the University’s new hub for climate change-related activities, Climate HQ. Alumna Lisa D. White (B.A., ’84), director of education at UC Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology, offers up a very personal “My SF State Story” exploring how her and her sisters’ endowment for scholarships for SF State students honors their remarkable parents, who met on campus in the 1950s. And, as always, the magazine is packed with profiles of amazing Gators, including:

• Activist and “environmental pit bull” (according to The Wall Street Journal) Randy Hayes
• Sustainable gardening expert and entrepreneur Lori Caldwell
• Sausalito Resiliency and Sustainability Manager Catie Thow Garcia
• And many more!

Check out the full issue of SF State Magazine now.

After earning his certificate from the College of Professional & Global Education, entrepreneur Sota Watanabe went on to found two successful tech companies

Sota Watanabe, a former College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGE) International Business student, has been selected one of “100 Japanese people the world respects” by Newsweek Japan for his impressive record as a young entrepreneur. Prior to this, he was selected for the Forbes “30 Under 30 Asia” list in 2022. 

Watanabe was an Economics major at Keio University in Japan and wanted to expand his global business experience. He applied to the International Business Professions program run by ICC Japan. As part of this program he enrolled in CPaGE’s American Language Institute to improve his English. Following completion of the English for Academic Preparation program, Watanabe earned a certificate in the SF State International Business program. This program helped Watanabe develop the knowledge and skills to become a global leader.

“The groundwork for working globally, including English and business skills, was developed while I was in San Francisco. Without these experiences at SF State, I can’t imagine where I would be today. It was an experience that allowed me to experience and interact with cutting-edge technology and broaden my horizons,” said Watanabe.

Welcome event also features remarks by SF supervisors, President Mahoney, other University leaders  

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was a surprise guest at San Francisco State University’s Opening Convocation on Aug. 17, taking part in the ceremonial tradition welcoming faculty and staff to a new year on campus. 

Pelosi began her speech in McKenna Theatre by acknowledging the vital roles of University employees. 

“We have to make sure we are paying our workers well as we sing our praises,” Pelosi said in front of an audience of hundreds. “We want to make sure we respect them.”  

She also praised San Francisco State for its dedication to social justice and democracy. 

“Right now, we have to make sure with all of the challenges that are out there to our democracy and democracy worldwide, that we make decisions that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for all. San Francisco State is about all of that,” Pelosi said. “So I’m proud to bring you greetings from the Congress with respect for you, for the students, for the families, with gratitude to all of you. And just one last thing: Go Gators!” 

Pelosi was not the only elected official in attendance. Two members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Rafael Mandelman and Shamann Walton (MPA, ’10), were also on hand.  

Mandelman said he is optimistic that today’s college students will graduate prepared to face the myriad challenges in society. 

“I, and the city and county of San Francisco, are grateful that you all have chosen to prepare to lead the students here into that non-dystopian future that we all hope remains achievable,” Mandelman said. 

Walton said he is proud to not only have graduated from SF State himself, but also to be the parent of two Gator alumni. He discussed the value of education as “the No. 1 thing that can never be taken away from us.” 

“As Malcolm X said, ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today,’” Walton said. “Your work this year and continuing, of course, is preparing the brightest minds for success ... and [to] change the world.” 

In her remarks, SF State President Lynn Mahoney highlighted SF State’s dedication to focusing on students.  

“I am deeply proud of the ways in which San Francisco State serves as a model of excellence in innovation in teaching, academic innovation and research,” Mahoney said. “Strengthening student learning is a priority for all here.” 

Mahoney also noted the University remains committed to eliminating equity and opportunity gaps among underrepresented populations. 

“The greatest demonstration of our commitment to social justice starts here,” she said. “It starts at home by increasing the success of our students, especially our Black, Latinx, low-income and first-generation students.” 

Other speakers included: Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Amy Sueyoshi, Professor of Biology and Academic Senate Chair Michael A. Goldman, Associated Students President Ersa Rao, California Faculty Association SF State Chapter President Brad Erickson, Staff Council Chair Dylan Mooney and CSU Employees Union SF State Chapter President Sandee Noda. The deans of SF State’s academic colleges and the University librarian introduced 34 new tenure-track faculty members. 

Convocation also featured an awards ceremony honoring distinguished faculty and staff, presented by Neda Nobari (B.S., ’84), board chair of the SF State Foundation. This year’s winners:  

• Excellence in Teaching (Tenured): Paul Beckman, Information Systems 

• Excellence in Teaching (Lecturer): Mohammad HajiAboli, Engineering 

• Excellence in Professional Achievement (Tenured): Dianthe “Dee” Spencer, Theatre and Dance 

• Excellence in Service (Tenured): Nancy Gerber, Chemistry and Biochemistry 

• Excellence in Service (Staff): Phonita Yuen, Metro College Success Program 

Learn more about the Opening Convocation on the Academic Senate website.