For Josephine Desiree Njie, arriving in the United States as an international student meant balancing big dreams with the daunting reality of high tuition costs. That trajectory changed when she became the first African American recipient of the Robert Chang Scholarship at San José City College.
“This wasn’t just financial relief; it was a powerful vote of confidence from the community,” Josephine said. That stability allowed her to pursue her true calling: psychiatric nursing.
Josephine’s career has been defined by innovation in high-stakes environments. After years in emergency and inpatient settings, she became a pioneer of the Behavioral Response Team (BERT) at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. In this role, she helped create new protocols for crisis intervention, ensuring that empathy and clinical expertise are at the forefront of behavioral emergencies.
Today, Josephine is paying that expertise forward in the classroom. Since 2018, she has served as an adjunct faculty member at San José State University, mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals. “Seeing my former students flourish as colleagues is a daily reminder that investing in one student is an investment in the health of an entire community,” she said.
The support Josephine received years ago did more than fund a degree – it launched a career dedicated to mental health advocacy and systemic change. Through her work in the field and the classroom, she continues to break down barriers for vulnerable populations and the students who will follow in her footsteps.