Contact Us
Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment (CAPISE)
Email: capise@sjsu.edu
Main Phone: 408-924-3674
Office Location
Diaz Compean Student Union
Room 1520 (next to Veterans Resource Center)
Mailing Address
Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment
San José State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0196
Are you a SJSU class or high school/community college group interested in physically
visiting us? Scroll down for more information.
Meet Our Team
Professional Staff
Jinni Pradhan, Ph.D.
Program Director
Pronouns: she/her
jinni.pradhan@sjsu.edu
Jinni Pradhan is the inaugural Program Director for the Center of Asian Pacific Islander
Student Empowerment at San José State University and has been working in Multicultural
Student Affairs for nearly 10 years. She is a second-generation South Asian, Nepali
American, born and raised in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. She did
her undergraduate education at the University of San Francisco, and has a Master's
degree (M.A.) in Communication from University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a Doctorate
degree (Ph.D.) in Cultural Studies from University of California, Davis. Jinni is
a huge pop culture and media fan and enjoys watching Japanese dramas, anime, and Marvel
films. She also likes to explore different cultural foods and languages, and has varying
levels of fluency in English, Japanese, and Nepali. In her position, she promotes
the academic and personal growth of Asian and Pacific Islander students by leading
the CAPISE team to provide culturally-relevant programs and services through the center
and advocating for resources that support student retention and success on campus.
Melody Vang, M.A.
Interim Program Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her
melody.vang@sjsu.edu
Melody is the interim Program Coordinator for the Center of Asian Pacific Islander
Student Empowerment at San Jose State University. Originally from the neighborhoods
of Santa Ana and the Fresno area and being of Hmong descent, Melody is also a first-generation
graduate and values the endless opportunities education and knowledge can bring. As
a proud San José State University alumni, Melody was originally accepted into the
Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering and changed her major to join the College
of Social Science where she found her true calling in the Department of Psychology
and flourished as a Spartan. After graduating from San José State University, Melody
went on to receive her Master's degree at Pepperdine University's Graduate School
of Education and Psychology and has previously been featured in Harvard Business Publishing
Education. She is also currently a psychology professor for Pepperdine's Online Psychology
Master's Program. She is a huge Kobe Bryant fan and during her free time she loves
to play basketball, piano, travel, and dance at local studios. She listens to latin/hip-hop
& rap/RnB music, watches anime, sews, and likes to learn new things. In her position,
Melody supports Asian and Pacific Islander students in getting connected to resources
that support their holistic success, works with the CAPISE team to develop culturally-relevant
programs, and fosters community and belonging through coordinating the center’s operations.
2024- 2025 Student Staff
Community Organizers (organizing programs)
- Anishka Chauhan (she/her)
- Yong Ooi (all pronouns)
Community Marketing Specialists (managing social media & marketing outreach)
- Ida Kheang (she/her)
- Cammy Tan (she/her)
Community Operations Specialists (supporting admin and logistics)
- Karla Nguyen (she/her)
- Seven Soriano (she/they)
Visiting CAPISE?
CAPISE is a brand new department at SJSU. At this time, CAPISE is unable to:
- Host large impromptu visits (more than 10 people) from SJSU classes, visiting schools and pre-collegiate programs (due to space constraints).
- Host student panel presentations (due to space constraints).
- Lead any campus tours at this time. (We recommend that you reach out to the SJSU Student Outreach and Recruitment (SOAR) department regarding campus tours.)
If you are planning in advance to visit with a large group, please email us a minimum of four (4) weeks in advance, and someone from our professional staff will reach out to you to see if and how we can support your group.