“If someone gives me ‘no’ as an answer, I find a different way.” -Josie Lepe
Whether it’s capturing the drama of a touchdown at a football game or the intimacy of a family at their dinner table, Josie Lepe is on a mission to tell stories through photos. An award-winning independent photojournalist, Lepe has worked in the newspaper industry for the past 22 years, with experience ranging from taking digital photos with the latest high-tech cameras to developing traditional film in labs and darkrooms.
While Lepe has deep roots in the Bay Area, her journey was not easy. She crossed the border from Mexico as an undocumented immigrant twice: first as an infant and then later at nine years old. The second time, she was with her cousin and sister and was later reunited with her mother in San Jose. Although she’s moved a few times, Lepe has always found her way back to San Jose. “I identify [San Jose] as my home, even though I’m from somewhere else. I feel like I’m a native of San Jose. It’s kind of like it’s my city. I’m proud of it,” she said. Initially, as an English learner with dyslexia, she struggled in school. Yet that’s where her career path started. “I was able to take an elective for photography, and there I found my passion through photography and the dark room,” said Lepe. “It opened my eyes to a different way to communicate, and it was also my escape.” In those early days, she went to Coyote Creek in San Jose to practice taking photos. She shared, “I would create images that were beautiful in black and white, and even though we were like, ‘It’s the creek, it’s the ghetto,’ it was a way to escape to this fantasy with creating images.”
While Lepe was told she could never go to college due to her dyslexia, she ended up graduating from San Jose State University with a BFA in photography. “I didn’t want to be a waitress, and I knew education was a path to change that,” said Lepe. “Being an immigrant, being poor, I knew that education was going to open the doors to something new.”
More recently, Lepe went back to school for her MFA and graduated in December 2022. “No matter what, I always try to keep moving. Even if there was something where they said ‘No, the door is shut,’ then I’ll try again. If someone gives me ‘no’ as an answer, I find a different way,” said Lepe.
Over the years, Lepe worked odd jobs to help contribute to the family income. At one point, she worked full-time at The Mercury News. Now she splits her time between freelance work— often for The Associated Press and covering sports pieces—and her own projects. She had work featured at the de Young Museum’s 2023 de Young Open and at the San Jose gallery Chopsticks Alley Art (through January 2024).
For her personal projects, La Cena (Supper) is one that is a series of portraits that capture the diversity within the modern-day “Latine” community’s families. “There’s that whole image of the brown people being in a dump, or your house is falling apart, or whatever it is, but not all of us are in that. There are different variations of us. It’s a spectrum,” described Lepe. “Also, we all come from different countries. There are Latin Americans, there are Afro Latinos, there’s indigenous people— everybody is part of that ‘Latines’ group.” Lepe uses the term “Latines” for her work instead of “Latinx,” as “Latinx” always sounded more like a label for an experiment rather than an inclusive term. “ ‘Es’ is basically ‘we.’ It makes us, us. So to me, ‘Latines’ became more of a proper use of the term,” explained Lepe.
Lepe has always found herself documenting subcultures that she sees have not historically been fairly represented. She specifically focuses on women’s empowerment and the story of the immigrant in a positive way. “We always see visual images like the famous images of the drunken guy in Mexico or the prostitute at a bar. But there’s two sides of the story there. There are positive people that are working that are part of society, and we should show that more. I’m more about the positive visual representation,” Lepe said. She previously did a story on women passionate about their cars. “It wasn’t about being the trophy wife or the trophy in the car. It was more about them and their passion about [car] culture,” explained Lepe.
Today, Lepe works with graduate students at Stanford with photography lab work. She hopes that this job will give her more flexibility to spend less time freelancing and more time on her own series and projects.
The vibrancy of San Jose’s creative culture can be found on its streets, in its art galleries, infused in local businesses, and in the work of neighbors who use creativity to connect, reflect, and inspire. The City of San Jose’s Creative Ambassador program awards artists who champion the power of creative expression. Chosen for their commitment to an artistic practice and community engagement, these ambassadors represent a wide range of disciplines and cultural perspectives that capture the city’s creative pulse.
Selected by the City of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affairs through a competitive panel process, each ambassador begins a yearlong role dedicated to uplifting local voices through public art projects, workshops, and storytelling. Their projects are rooted in the neighborhoods of San Jose and are designed to invite hands-on participation from residents—meeting people where they are and inviting them to participate. Whether through film photography, collaborative murals, theater, or zine-making, the ambassadors’ projects offer opportunities for all residents to tap into their unique creative voices and to see their city and each other with fresh eyes.
Their work reminds us that art belongs everywhere—it lives in community.
We are pleased to announce that the City of San Jose 2026 Creative Ambassador applications are now open. APPLY HERE.
Julie Cardenas has always navigated identity, survival, and artistic expression. Born and raised in San Jose, California, to Mexican and Peruvian immigrants, Julie found her early inspiration in the stories her parents carried from their homelands. However, she often felt that narratives like hers, of first-generation children in overlooked communities, were missing from hegemonic reality.
With a BA in literature from UCLA and a master’s in education from Lesley University, Julie taught early arts education for 18 years. She also earned an MFA in comics from California College of the Arts. She is currently working on a 12-part memoir series, Pulguitas (little fleas), which explores food insecurity and cultural identity through childhood meals. “When I had my first child, I was creating in [two] aspects—both giving life to an actual human and then giving life to the stories that I’ve been holding on to for so long,” Julie explains.
Her work spans from comics to painting, with a focus on food and climate justice, sustainability, and housing insecurity. She partners with local organizations to empower others through storytelling. “A lot of my work is memoir, focusing on my own story. But a big challenge for me right now is [that] I see myself as a community artist. So, I look around at the issues and the community and see where I can tell stories,” she says.
As a Creative Ambassador, Julie’s upcoming projects focus on housing issues and sustainable art. She continues to transform memory into powerful visual storytelling, ensuring that voices from her community are heard.
Julie shares, “I’m representing the city of San Jose and its people. I am creating space for their stories to be told [and] enabling them to occupy the right of creation in spaces where those rights are not always respected.”
San Jose-based artist Jessica Gutierrez is a multidisciplinary artist, mother, educator, and graphic designer, dedicated to fostering community and creativity. Her passion for accessible art led her to turn her home into a DIY art space where she hosted free art workshops until the pandemic reshaped her approach.
Jessica’s artwork concentrates on femininity, nature, and empowerment, and she employs flowing linework, organic forms, and symbolic imagery to express growth and resilience. Jessica’s range of mediums include painting, digital illustration, murals, and zine making. She founded Martha Street Art Zine, featuring artists and community-oriented art initiatives.
Multifaceted as a teacher and a mother, Jessica’s art practice is strongly influenced by multiple identities, pushing her to create spaces in which art and motherhood intersect. “I was always doing drawings or paintings of women, and it’s really been more intentional the last few years, as I’ve learned more about my maternal lineage.” As a Creative Ambassador, she created a series of free art workshops for children and mothers, making them accessible through childcare support and collaborations with community organizations. “A lot of the moms that are artists have wisdom and experience in their art practice. They also have a lot to share about how that has shifted their identity and capacities since they’ve had children.”
Through her art and teaching, Jessica continues to inspire and connect artists, mothers, and teachers, reaffirming the values of storytelling, self-expression, and community-building through art. “When I’m not in touch with my creative practice, I think I lose a sense of who I am. Art’s always open for interpretation, but for me, when I’m creating it, the energy I’m putting forth is a sense of power, a sense of compassion, and love.”
Miguel Fernando Ozuna is a dedicated San Jose, California photographer and community organizer with a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Photography and Associate of Arts in Art History from Arizona State University. Working as the Associate Director of Photography at Santa Clara University, Miguel brings his vast creativity to the job.
“I’m a photographer, storyteller. I was born in East LA, but I grew up to be a man in East San Jose, and San Jose to me is my biggest canvas.”
Miguel is also the founder of SJ Shooters, a collective that supports community engagement through photography and captures the beauty of San Jose. As a 2025 Creative Ambassador, Miguel has the opportunity to hone his skills as a community organizer and teach film photography.
Miguel has launched the second season of his community-based project, A Look Thru Your Lens. Originally initiated in 2020, season one of the project engaged 75 photographers over four years and culminated in a September 2024 group exhibition at Noble Gallery in San Jose. Now, with renewed momentum and association with the 2025 Creative Ambassadors, the second season invites 75 additional photographers to document San Jose within a single year.
“I like to see myself as someone who cultivates community, who brings people together. I go places. I meet people. I say, ‘Hi.’ And little by little, we keep building something bigger.”
For Miguel, photography isn’t just about taking pictures; it is also about the importance of inclusion. It is about storytelling, unity, and ensuring that every photographer, regardless of background, has a voice that is heard.
“I do what I say. I’m out there all the time, always documenting, always making. I dream about being a professor one day. So much of what I do is teaching, teaching people how to use the camera, and to slow down and really look.”
Steven Rubalcaba is an artist who is recognized for his innovative style of art, which has an emphasis on sustainability and engagement. Based in San Jose, California, he has been involved in various art projects that transform public spaces and foster collaboration between communities. Steven has created interactive sculptures and murals that facilitate public interaction. “Breathing new life into old and used things became my thing—creating new art from the forgotten and showing people the experience they might have been missing,” Steven shared.
As a Creative Ambassador, Steven strives to respect the city’s diversity and history while highlighting its quieter communities. Currently, he is collaborating with a San José State University class on designing a geometric sculpture for the upcoming SubZERO Festival, using 75 to 100 percent recycled content. Looking ahead, Steven envisions partnerships with builders, developers, and city governments to transform useless materials into public art, merging green initiatives with creativity to reimagine the city.
“Art is my life. And I don’t even call it ‘art.’ I call it ‘creativity,’ because it’s everywhere and it’s in everything,” he said. Through his art, Steven “Nizzotes” Rubalcaba continues to inspire and involve the community, transforming common materials into thought, provoking works of art that foster culture and sustainability.
He shared, “I have been working on new and different things, and I always just remind myself to keep going. And I have found that one thing leads to another.”
For Matthew Casey, the journey to theater was accidental but transformative. Initially attending San José State University for ecology, he later found interest in political science, drawn to the study of human ecosystems. Meanwhile, he was getting increasingly involved in theater, taking on leadership positions that would define his artistic trajectory.
As a production manager for San Jose Stage Company and More Más Marami Arts, Matthew is dedicated to creating meaningful, community-oriented theater. More Más Marami was established in 2008 to help expand access to the performing arts in the South Bay. He explains, “We were all trying to break into the performing industry, but in the South Bay, where there isn’t really a big scene, it’s difficult to get in. So we created a space for ourselves.”
Since its establishment, More Más Marami has been a platform for experimentation in the arts. Their regular programming includes six weeks of script development for local writers that culminate in a staged reading with a director and full cast. Matthew says, “It’s been great to see it evolve from simply developing scripted work to developing full performance pieces.”
As part of his role at More Más Marami, Matthew spearheads the Bay Area Story Archive, a project launched in 2019 to document personal histories from San Jose residents. He is inspired by his own family roots in New Mexico, where multi-generational connections are the cornerstone of local identity and wishes to see that replicated in San Jose.
As an artist, Matthew describes his work as maximalist and sensorial. His signature style isn’t just directing or producing, but curating immersive experiences. He says, “I want to create interesting things with people I care about. For me, theater is about connection between artists, audiences, and the places they inhabit.”