U.S. Rep. Mike Honda graduated from San Jose State University in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and Spanish and earned a master’s in 1974. From 1965 to 1967 he served in the Peace Corps, working in El Salvador.
What was most memorable about attending San Jose State?
San Jose State was a wonderful place for me to literally grow up. There were many memorable times. The first was involving a professor named Dr. Charlie Smith, who taught biology. Being a young person and lost on campus, he called me by my name and from that day forward I felt like I really belonged to that campus. I also remember seeing Luis Valdez, with his big mustache, long hair and this big old cigar standing on a soapbox on Seventh Street talking about the social justices. He was one of the first to bring attention to the farm labor movement. The other memorable moment was being there when Tommie Smith, Lee Evans, Bobby Poynter and John Carlos all were part of the famous Olympic gold medalists and the silent civil rights protest.
Who inspired you most at San Jose State?
On the college campus, it was probably the president of San Jose State, Bob Clark, and his wife, Opal. They made the institution very human. He was the president but was able to talk to students in a way that made us feel very important on the college campus. The other was Dr. Paul Sakamoto, a dean of students. Having an Asian-American on campus was a big deal for me, and it made me feel like things were important to the university where Asian-Americans were concerned.
If you could give one piece of advice to yourself as a college student, what would you say?
Not to be worried about all the amount of time it takes to earn a degree. A lot of times, I think that people get discouraged and feel rushed because they see everybody else moving forward. Everybody has their own clock, and success is determined by how well you understand what you learn and how well you apply it.
– Lisa Fernandez, Mercury News
