South Asians @ SJSU: 1930s to 1990
Did you know that Ram Bagai, ’35, was one of the first South Asian students at SJSU? His parents were among the earliest South Asian families to immigrate to the United States in 1915.
From the 1930s, when most of South Asia was under British rule, students from what became independent India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and later Bangladesh, came to study at SJSU, then known as San José State Junior College. The Spartan Daily carried stories about these students and their experiences. This exhibit demonstrates how welcoming SJSU has always been to international students and how students from a fast evolving sub-continent brough their unique cultural richness to SJSU campus.
The SJSU King Library will continue to build this digital exhibit. If you are of South Asian origin and you or a family member graduated from SJSU between 1930 and 1990 and would like to share your Spartan experience, please fill out this form or email Community Engagement Librarian Mantra Roy at mantra.roy@sjsu.edu.
Get involved today to honor the contributions of past generations and inspire future South Asian Spartans.