UROP Team
Dr. Andrew Carter
Program Director
Dr. Andrew Carter is the program director and co-creator of SJSU UROP. With a passion
for fostering the intellectual growth and innovation of the next generation of scholars,
Dr. Carter seeks to empower underrepresented undergraduate students via engagement
in diverse research experiences.
As program director, he is responsible for managing day-to-day programmatic operations,
including facilitating faculty/student research partnerships, advising UROP peer mentors,
and leading the program’s campus and community outreach efforts. Dr. Carter also spearheads
UROP’s curricular vision; he developed and teaches the year-long, 4-unit curriculum
(EDLD 10 & 11).
Dr. Carter is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Recreation.
His research interests include health disparities, food systems, community-based participatory
research, and intercultural communication. A primary feature of his work explores
how Black farmers challenge norms, power inequities, and structural barriers in the
agriculture industry to preserve their cultural legacies and use farming as a vehicle
to address broader social, public health, and economic disparities across the Black
diaspora. He has published work in disciplinary diverse academic journals such as
Health Communication, Communication Theory, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise,
and Health, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and Critical Public Health.
Dr. Andrew Carter
Program Director
Dr. Andrew Carter is the program director and co-creator of SJSU UROP. With a passion
for fostering the intellectual growth and innovation of the next generation of scholars,
Dr. Carter seeks to empower underrepresented undergraduate students via engagement
in diverse research experiences.
As program director, he is responsible for managing day-to-day programmatic operations,
including facilitating faculty/student research partnerships, advising UROP peer mentors,
and leading the program’s campus and community outreach efforts. Dr. Carter also spearheads
UROP’s curricular vision; he developed and teaches the year-long, 4-unit curriculum
(EDLD 10 & 11).
Dr. Carter is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Recreation.
His research interests include health disparities, food systems, community-based participatory
research, and intercultural communication. A primary feature of his work explores
how Black farmers challenge norms, power inequities, and structural barriers in the
agriculture industry to preserve their cultural legacies and use farming as a vehicle
to address broader social, public health, and economic disparities across the Black
diaspora. He has published work in disciplinary diverse academic journals such as
Health Communication, Communication Theory, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise,
and Health, Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, and Critical Public Health.
Dr. Patience Bryant
Partners Coordinator
Dr. Patience D. Bryant (she/they) is the SJSU UROP Partners Coordinator. She plays
an integral role in connecting UROP with campus and community stakeholders and supporting
the program's university communication outreach efforts, strategic vision, and thought
partnership.
Dr. Bryant is the inaugural director for Black/African American Equity at San Jose
State University, where she also serves as the campus Interim Deputy Diversity Officer.
Prior, she served as the director for student conduct and ethical development at California
State University, Long Beach, where she oversaw the creation and implementation of
the university’s first restorative justice program, WAVE (Welcoming Accountable Voices
and Education), and served as the university’s chief judicial officer. Dr. Bryant
holds a doctorate in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University
and previously worked at the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University, Commerce,
where she led the introduction of restorative justice to their traditional student
conduct process. Dr. Bryant has been featured as a contributing author in multiple
books including: Black Women Navigating Historically White Higher Education Institutions
and the Journey Toward Liberation, Student Conduct Practice (2nd Ed) and the ACUHO-I/ASCA
collaborative book Conduct and Community: Residence Life Practitioners Guide, as well
as has served as a track coordinator and faculty member for ASCA’s Donald D. Gehring
Academy. They have been a member of the ASCA board of directors and previously served
as the 2022-2023 president for the Association for Student Conduct Administration.
Jahmal Williams
Program Founder
Jahmal Williams is the founder of SJSU UROP. Williams brought the idea of the program
to campus and spearheaded its creation and early infrastructure in fall 2019. He supports
UROP's strategic vision and is an active thought partner in programmatic decisions.
On campus, Williams currently serves as the Director of DEI Partnerships and University-Community
Liaison. Jahmal joined the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion during the summer
of 2023. In this position he is tasked with developing a strategic approach to the
University's efforts to intentionally collaborate with BIPOC communities throughout
the area to address racial historical harms. He has been with SJSU since 2014 and
previously held positions as the Program Director of the Black Leadership and Opportunity
Center (BLOC), and as one of the Assistant Directors at Peer Connections, the campus
hub for tutoring and mentoring.
Felicia McKee-Fegans
Programs Coordinator
Felicia Mckee-Fegans is the SJSU UROP programs coordinator. Felicia oversees all programmatic
financial and administrative decisions. Her tasks include onboarding faculty and student
support, managing student hiring processes and federal work study and financial aid
allocation.
Felicia has served the SJSU community for the past 18 years and joined the Office
of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in July 2020 as Executive Assistant to the Chief
Diversity Officer and Diversity Program Specialist. She earned her B.A. in Psychology
from the University of Southern California and her M.A in Counselor Education from
San Jose State University. In addition to administrative support, she assists in designing
and presenting training for campus constituents and has worked with leadership from
various employee affinity groups to design a support program for these organizations
through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Prior to joining the ODEI team,
Felicia worked in University Advancement, during which time served on several university
task forces and committees, advised student organizations and was a lecturer in Sci
2, a freshman course aimed at developing study skills, time management, and personal
growth needed to transition from high school to university. She currently serves as
chair of the SJSU Black Faculty and Staff Association and sits on the planning board
for the Black Graduation Celebration and the African American College Readiness Summit.
Valeria Foxworthy-Gonzalez
Peer Mentor
Valeria Foxworthy Gonzalez (she/her/they/them) is a proud alum of 2022-23 UROP Cohort.
They are pursuing a bachelor's of arts degree in anthropology and minor in interdisciplinary
studies. In the program, and beyond, she has had the opportunity to work with Dr.
Ali Mehran in his research regarding Socio-Economic Drought in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
River Basin. This work has helped Valeria continue to develop research skills that
she has been able to use for research in general in her undergraduate career. The
project with Dr. Ali Mehran is also an opportunity to apply the theories and soft
skills learned in the UROP program to on-the-field research. Valeria looks forward
to working with the UROP team to help prompt the program as well as demystify the
college-going experience for underrepresented and first year students at San Jose
State University.
Wendy Siguenza
Graduate Student Assistant
Wendy Siguenza (She/Her/Ella) is a currently a Graduate Student for the Master’s of
Social Work program at SJSU. She received her Bachelor’s of Art in Sociology with
a minor in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2019. Before pursuing
a MSW, Wendy was a Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisor at SJSU for culturally-based
organizations (NPCH & USFC) where she advised and created programming events to increase
recruitment efforts and strengthen student leadership. Wendy hasn’t always worked
in higher education though, prior to moving into her role at SJSU she worked as a
college academic advisor for middle & high school students through college prep programs
like GEAR UP & EAOP in Watsonville, Ca. Wendy is now pursing a master’s program in
hopes of being a school social worker for K-12 schools or in higher education. Wendy
is now the Graduate Student Assistant with UROP and supports website and social media
development in hopes to recruit more undergraduate students into the program.
Dr. Patience Bryant
Partners Coordinator
Dr. Patience D. Bryant (she/they) is the SJSU UROP Partners Coordinator. She plays
an integral role in connecting UROP with campus and community stakeholders and supporting
the program's university communication outreach efforts, strategic vision, and thought
partnership.
Dr. Bryant is the inaugural director for Black/African American Equity at San Jose
State University, where she also serves as the campus Interim Deputy Diversity Officer.
Prior, she served as the director for student conduct and ethical development at California
State University, Long Beach, where she oversaw the creation and implementation of
the university’s first restorative justice program, WAVE (Welcoming Accountable Voices
and Education), and served as the university’s chief judicial officer. Dr. Bryant
holds a doctorate in conflict analysis and resolution from Nova Southeastern University
and previously worked at the University of Mississippi and Texas A&M University, Commerce,
where she led the introduction of restorative justice to their traditional student
conduct process. Dr. Bryant has been featured as a contributing author in multiple
books including: Black Women Navigating Historically White Higher Education Institutions
and the Journey Toward Liberation, Student Conduct Practice (2nd Ed) and the ACUHO-I/ASCA
collaborative book Conduct and Community: Residence Life Practitioners Guide, as well
as has served as a track coordinator and faculty member for ASCA’s Donald D. Gehring
Academy. They have been a member of the ASCA board of directors and previously served
as the 2022-2023 president for the Association for Student Conduct Administration.
Jahmal Williams
Program Founder
Jahmal Williams is the founder of SJSU UROP. Williams brought the idea of the program
to campus and spearheaded its creation and early infrastructure in fall 2019. He supports
UROP's strategic vision and is an active thought partner in programmatic decisions.
On campus, Williams currently serves as the Director of DEI Partnerships and University-Community
Liaison. Jahmal joined the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion during the summer
of 2023. In this position he is tasked with developing a strategic approach to the
University's efforts to intentionally collaborate with BIPOC communities throughout
the area to address racial historical harms. He has been with SJSU since 2014 and
previously held positions as the Program Director of the Black Leadership and Opportunity
Center (BLOC), and as one of the Assistant Directors at Peer Connections, the campus
hub for tutoring and mentoring.
Felicia McKee-Fegans
Programs Coordinator
Felicia Mckee-Fegans is the SJSU UROP programs coordinator. Felicia oversees all programmatic
financial and administrative decisions. Her tasks include onboarding faculty and student
support, managing student hiring processes and federal work study and financial aid
allocation.
Felicia has served the SJSU community for the past 18 years and joined the Office
of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in July 2020 as Executive Assistant to the Chief
Diversity Officer and Diversity Program Specialist. She earned her B.A. in Psychology
from the University of Southern California and her M.A in Counselor Education from
San Jose State University. In addition to administrative support, she assists in designing
and presenting training for campus constituents and has worked with leadership from
various employee affinity groups to design a support program for these organizations
through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Prior to joining the ODEI team,
Felicia worked in University Advancement, during which time served on several university
task forces and committees, advised student organizations and was a lecturer in Sci
2, a freshman course aimed at developing study skills, time management, and personal
growth needed to transition from high school to university. She currently serves as
chair of the SJSU Black Faculty and Staff Association and sits on the planning board
for the Black Graduation Celebration and the African American College Readiness Summit.
Valeria Foxworthy-Gonzalez
Peer Mentor
Valeria Foxworthy Gonzalez (she/her/they/them) is a proud alum of 2022-23 UROP Cohort.
They are pursuing a bachelor's of arts degree in anthropology and minor in interdisciplinary
studies. In the program, and beyond, she has had the opportunity to work with Dr.
Ali Mehran in his research regarding Socio-Economic Drought in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
River Basin. This work has helped Valeria continue to develop research skills that
she has been able to use for research in general in her undergraduate career. The
project with Dr. Ali Mehran is also an opportunity to apply the theories and soft
skills learned in the UROP program to on-the-field research. Valeria looks forward
to working with the UROP team to help prompt the program as well as demystify the
college-going experience for underrepresented and first year students at San Jose
State University.
Wendy Siguenza
Graduate Student Assistant
Wendy Siguenza (She/Her/Ella) is a currently a Graduate Student for the Master’s of
Social Work program at SJSU. She received her Bachelor’s of Art in Sociology with
a minor in History from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2019. Before pursuing
a MSW, Wendy was a Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisor at SJSU for culturally-based
organizations (NPCH & USFC) where she advised and created programming events to increase
recruitment efforts and strengthen student leadership. Wendy hasn’t always worked
in higher education though, prior to moving into her role at SJSU she worked as a
college academic advisor for middle & high school students through college prep programs
like GEAR UP & EAOP in Watsonville, Ca. Wendy is now pursing a master’s program in
hopes of being a school social worker for K-12 schools or in higher education. Wendy
is now the Graduate Student Assistant with UROP and supports website and social media
development in hopes to recruit more undergraduate students into the program.
