Meet the Graduate
Meet Karlee, a Kinesiology major, graduating from San Jose State University, class of 2021! Karlee is originally from Fresno, CA. When asked why she decided to attend SJSU, Karlee replied “San Jose State University gave me the opportunity to share my collegiate athlete experience with my family. My parents provided everything I could have needed to become a D1 athlete, so it meant everything to find a program that they could be relatively close to. On the one occasion they didn’t travel to either my sister or my game, they watched both live streams from home. This led to my favorite moment: my parents watched my sister and I in live time score our first collegiate goals on the same night. We like to say God is pretty cool like that.”
Q&A Time
What is your favorite thing to do in the summer?
“Ultimately, living each day like it’s own adventure. I love going to my hometown for the summer and being around family. Then, there’s the enjoyment of going on trips.”
If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
“Congenial, challenging, courageous”
Why did you decide to take graduation photos?
“Grad photos are a way to share the celebration. Earning a degree takes a village, so it means a lot to share commemorative photos with my loved ones.”
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your life?
“My mission for life is to faithfully serve the Lord and lovingly challenge myself and others. I want to do that through sport, because the amazing things the mind and body can do in a competitive environment points to God’s love and design for all people.”
What’s something my readers would be surprised to learn about you?
“I do not like taking photos. Insecurities have made standing in front of a camera out of my comfort zone. However, the Lord has been so kind to remind me that I should look at myself through His eyes. It’s a continual process to get comfortable, but great photographers help make it an amazing experience!”
What’s your favorite quote or saying?
A great Bible verse is “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor”. Outdo has the Greek root of the word “compete”. Imagine a world if we competed as strong in loving each other as much as we did with sports, careers, etc.!
The Shoot
Karlee and I were originally supposed to shoot in 2021, when Karlee graduated. However, covid has a way of changing plans and that never happened. However, I am always glad to photograph grads, regardless of what year they graduated.
Karlee made quite the entrance, as she came through campus roaring on her skateboard. We started by taking some photos in front of tower lawn. Karlee was wearing a cowboy straw hat, and requested a few photos with the hat on, which made for some fun photos.
Next, we walked over to the 7th street plaza, to take some photos in front of the mandatory palms. One of the best things about taking your photos post graduation is that there is no one on campus. We literally had the plaza all to ourselves for our shoot. Karlee also had her soccer championship rings and her soccer jersey, so we incorporated a few shots with both as well.
Below are some of our favorite SJSU grad photos with Karlee. Enjoy!
I could not have asked for a better graduation photo experience! Sergio did an amazing job with confirming the appointment, scheduling the time/ location, and getting the photos downloadable asap. As someone who doesn’t like having photos taken, it was a very fun and comfortable experience. He was very generous with time and photo selection. To have a photo shoot that have shots that lasts a lifetime, you need to book with Estrada Photos!
Karlee
Estrada Photos is wedding and portrait photography company based out of Sacramento California, with coverage expanding throughout greater parts of the Bay Area. We specialize in weddings, family portraits, senior portraits, and engagement sessions. In addition, we take pride in capturing each of our clients personality, and creating beautiful imagery that will last a lifetime. For more information about our services, click here.
