"If you can change one person, you can change the world" is how I live my life, thanks to San José State University. I'm Zeke Staples, a graduate student in sports management kinesiology with an undergrad degree in kinesiology and a minor in African American studies. I am writing to share with you why I think SJSU is one of the greatest universities in the world and to urge you to join me in supporting the Student Affairs Fund. By investing in the student experience, you can help San José State impact the lives and futures of countless students.
My San José State education has already taken me places I otherwise could never have gone. In South Central Los Angeles where I grew up, it's risky just to walk down the street. Most of the guys I know back home are either in jail or dead. However I will not be just another statistic because of SJSU and my resolve to take full advantage of all the opportunities it provides. Neither will my brother, who I've moved up here with me to major in business at San José State.
The Student Affairs Fund helps students get the support they need on the road to college and while they're on campus.The life-changing and academically rigorous Transition to College Bridge Programsets eligible first-time freshmen on the path to successful collegiate careers and personal fulfillment by building academic and learning skills, and establishing and nurturing a culture of excellence. Your support also ensures ongoing student services through theDisability Resource Center, the Career Center and the Mediation Center.
Your investment in the Student Affairs Fund also enables students to take advantage of many individualized opportunities for personal and professional development like Greek life, student body government, academic advising and retention services, diversity and inclusiveness activities, counseling services and leadership training.
I've benefited from leadership training, and worked in centers supported by the Student Affairs Fund. I assisted with physical therapy and the rehabilitation of patients in the Student Health Center, and worked in the Scott Gadway Academic Center with athletes who were struggling academically. One athlete in particular stands out in my mind. He was kicked off the team, but I mentored him and worked with his teachers through Operation Graduation, a program that stresses scholastics over football. With the extra help, the football player received his first 4.0 G.P.A. and is now back on the team!
Academic excellence and the football program are why I chose to attend San José State. I earned a starting position on the football team before the season even began. To supplement my scholarship, I assumed the role of administrative assistant in Student Success Servicesand helped facilitate study hall, an opportunity your investment in the Student Affairs Fund makes possible for students. I earned the respect of the other athletes I mentored because I held them accountable to high standards. I also drilled into them the mantra "education is graduation" and the reasons they were at SJSU -- to be educated, graduate and make America a better place.
My mom is the reason it is so important for me to help people. She broke her back to make us happy and still found time to volunteer with Pop Warner football for over 15 years. During that time I saw firsthand how at-risk youth who are involved in activities are motivated to stay out of trouble and do positive things. This is precisely why I joined, have been a leader, and will always be active in SJSU's Iota Phi Theta fraternity. Besides our fundamental academic excellence commitment, my fraternity focuses on community service. Our motto is, "If asked, we're coming." Our college tour brings busloads of inner city and low-income students to campus where we show them a way of life they haven't seen. We help them realize a better future can be theirs by setting a goal to attend and graduate from college.
These and other opportunities are available for all San José State students. This is why I think SJSU is such a great university. And the camaraderie here is amazing. Thirty thousand people in an area only six square blocks means that people in various majors, athletes, students involved in Greek and other organizations, and people of various cultures, lifestyles and viewpoints bump into each other, bond and enjoy activities together.
Thanks to San José State and all of the programs and services your investment in the Student Affairs Fund enables, I have great plans for my future. No matter which career I pursue after I get my teaching credential and doctorate in education -- head coach, athletic director, mayor, or maybe even president of this great university -- I will effect change by working to improve the community.
Remember, if you can positively affect just one person, you can change the world. Imagine what investing in over 30,000 students will do. Don't miss this opportunity to partner with San José State to invest in the future. Give to the Student Affairs Fund today.
Thank you,
Zeke Staples
Go Spartans!
P.S. The return on your investment will be immeasurable. More than 6,000 hard-working people of diverse cultures graduate each year, many of whom are the first in their family to attend college. SJSU graduates are well-prepared for successful futures because you care enough to give to the Student Affairs Fund.
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