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

Headshot of Jinni Pradhan

Jinni Pradhan, Ph.D.
Program Director
Pronouns: she/her

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 students by leading the CAPISE team to provide culturally-inclusive programs and services through the center and advocating for resources that support student retention and success on campus. 

 

Headshot of Ingrid Mapanao-Racho

Ingrid Mapanao-Racho, MSW, MPH
Program Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her

Ingrid is the Program Coordinator for the Center of Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment at San José State University and brings over 10 years of experience in community engagement, student success programming, and culturally inclusive practices across higher education, nonprofit, and public sectors. A proud second-generation Filipino American from East Side San Jose, Ingrid is excited to be back in the Bay Area after spending the last decade in Philadelphia. She holds a dual Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health from Temple University and a B.S. in Health Science with a Minor in Public Relations from San Jose State University. During her time at SJSU, Ingrid was an active student leader involved with Akabayan of SJSU, Alpha Kappa Omicron Sorority, and the Peer Health Education Program—experiences that shaped her passion for student-centered and culturally grounded work. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, long walks, grabbing coffee/matcha/boba with friends, karaoke, and spending time with her cat, Elliot.

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.)

For Fall 2025, we request that you please defer to SJSU's Student Outreach and Recruitment department regarding campus visits. We will not be able to support any visits during this time.