Before UC Berkley, before Stanford, there was SJSU!

While everyone flexes over Ivy Leagues and tech schools, let’s get one thing straight: San José State University is California’s first public university, established in 185..

Started as the Minns Evening Normal School to train teachers, SJSU grew into a powerhouse of intellect, activism, and innovation. This is the campus where Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists for justice at the 1968 Olympics — a protest that changed the world. This is the place where tech, art, sport, and street collide in the heart of the 408.

So next time someone asks where it all started, tell them: Not Stanford. Not Berkeley. Not even close.

It started here. In San José.