The Warrior Head is prominent. So, too, is the Stanislaus State shield logo, a female student and a line of graduates.
Those are among the features depicted in the colorful Stanislaus State Stockton Campus Pride Mural that will greet students when they return to in-person classes.
Created by the artist Cova and funded by Associated Students, Inc. and the University Student Center, the mural fills one courtyard wall in the facility.
“I think as soon as he finished the mural, it brought a lot of life to the space, and I think that was one of our main goals,” said Jennifer Galena-Vasquez, Student Center programs and services coordinator at the Stockton Campus. “It went from being a courtyard in the middle of the building to truly being the campus pride courtyard. In addition to this mural, there’s going to be furniture. It’s going to be a place where students want to study and socialize. I do think it brings a lot of life not just to the courtyard, but to the building itself. We want it to bring excitement to students and have them feel they are part of the Warrior family and bring that connection between both of the campuses.”
Other additions are planned, including more furnishings to create other comfortable gathering spots inside the building as Stan State works to enhance the Stockton Campus.
“I think the Stockton Campus was a place where you came and took classes and went home,” Galena-Vasquez said “We’re working on adding murals and adding study spaces. We really want students to call this place their own and really utilize it. Hopefully, it will change the dynamic of what the Stockton Campus. Along with the events and services we’re adding, it will feel more like a campus.”
Galena-Vasquez is becoming a proud member of the Stockton Campus and Stockton proper. A product of Redwood City, she earned both a bachelor’s degree (communications studies) and master’s (educational counseling) from Stan State and as a student served as chair of the University Student Center (SC) Board before beginning her professional role in 2020, just before the start of the pandemic.
As a student in Turlock, she participated in a few SC-sponsored events in Stockton but didn’t have a real feel for the Stockton Campus. Until now.
“We want to offer a space for students who want to be part of the Warrior family but can’t make it all the way to Turlock, people who want to get an education, but don’t want to go far from home,” she said. “Because we are an extension of Stanislaus State, it gives more people from the Central Valley an opportunity to be a part of the Warrior family, which is something I like.
“There is an effort being made to realize we are one University with two campuses.”
The mural is a beginning, and one that strikes Galena-Vasquez when she looks at the colorful images. She said she loves the color and the life it brings to the courtyard.
“I really like the Warrior looking over the graduating students,” she said. “It symbolizes no matter after graduation, you’re a Warrior for life.”
