Judy Rickard didn’t realize she was a lesbian until graduate school. The 73-year-old spent the next 50 years of her life fighting for LGBTQ rights. “I always knew I was different but I didn’t know what that was,” Rickard told San José Spotlight. “If you’re different and you know it, it’s one thing. If you’re...
Welcome to In the Spotlight.
This monthly feature spotlights the people who make San José an incredible place to call home. From unsung heroes to former city leaders and politicians who’ve disappeared from the public eye, we catch up with San Joseans who are doing amazing things — and we share the awe inspiring stories behind their struggles and successes.
We are telling the unique, ever-changing, diverse story of San José. One person at a time.
Who should we feature next? To nominate someone for our next In the Spotlight profile, email [email protected].
Silicon Valley entrepreneur reimagines education
One Silicon Valley entrepreneur is devoting his life to create programs where students think outside the box and take ownership of their learning. Bill Zhao is the founder of Harmony Plus, which provides in-person and online classes for students and executives across the United States and abroad. Professors from universities including UC Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, MIT...
Nathan Ganeshan feeds the hungry, serves the homeless in San Jose
After years of serving those without homes on the weekends, Nathan Ganeshan was sure the simple act of feeling clean and refreshed would not only renew their spirits but grant them dignity. He set out fundraising and planning. Then, as he watched a truck hauling a trailer with showers into the First Presbyterian Church’s parking...
Affordable housing champion Katherine Harasz is ready for the next chapter
The outlook on the availability of affordable housing in San Jose was grim even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Still, Katherine Harasz of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority found a way to get as many people as she could housed. “Just seeing people enjoy a new park or seeing people have an apartment or...
A bodybuilding pastor: Homeless advocate Scott Wagers is unapologetic about his calling
A muscle T-shirt wearing, bodybuilding rabble-rouser may not be the typical image of a church pastor, but Scott Wagers said he had a calling to help the homeless to bring him closer to God — and get him arrested from time to time. Wagers, 55, has worked on behalf of San Jose’s homeless for three...
San Jose author Thomishia Booker aims to inspire Black children
Mimicking the voice of a young boy, singer and actress Jill Scott read aloud from a children’s book on Netflix. “I am Brown Boy Joy, always reaching for the sky,” Scott whispered excitedly. “I walk into a room with my head held high!” As she read from “Brown Boy Joy,” one of three books written...
Conservation more than the sum of its parts for Deb Kramer
Not many people knew about the Coyote Creek watershed before Deb Kramer began leading a local effort to protect it. Now, Coyote Creek and the nonprofit dedicated to its preservation are setting the standard for environmental advocacy in the South Bay Area. Kramer took the reins at Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful in 2014 and has...
Vietnamese art and culture gain exposure with San Jose’s Chopsticks Alley
For Trami Cron, sharing Vietnamese art and culture is about more than creating community. It’s also about helping people focus on something positive. “We find that during these difficult times, there needs to be a light,” she said. “There needs to be some laughter and smiles.” As chief editor and founder of Chopsticks Alley Art,...
Milan Balinton puts service, mentoring at the center of his leadership
When COVID-19 — and the panic of the pandemic — hit the South Bay, Milan Balinton was at the local Walmart buying grocery carts full of food and supplies nearly every day, but none of it was for him. The supplies were for the people he serves as the executive director at the African American...
Celso Batalha gets low-income San Jose students excited about science
When he’s not instructing students at Evergreen Valley College, physics and astronomy professor Celso Batalha is working with a much younger set — teaching children as young as elementary school-aged that no matter what their background, they, too, can reach for the stars. Batalha came to the Evergreen campus in 2003 just as the San...