The San José State University School of Information has been honored with a Silver Anthem Award for Digital and Innovative Experiences in Education, Art & Culture. SJSU iSchool Director Anthony Chow, VR Graduate Student Assistant Kelly Rausch, Assistant Professor Ulia Gosart, and Northern Cheyenne representative Sodizin Medicinebull accepted this distinguished award in New York City on November 19, 2024, recognizing the iSchool’s groundbreaking XR VOICES initiative. 

XR VOICES (Virtual Oases for Inclusive Cultural Exchange and Sanctuary) encompasses three transformative projects: “Seeking Immortality,” preserving Northern Cheyenne language and traditions; “Children Draw War, Not Flowers,” amplifying young Ukrainian voices through art; and “Freedom to Read,” combating book bans through virtual reality. Selected from more than 2,300 submissions across 44 countries, this award celebrates the iSchool’s innovative use of Web 3.0 technologies to preserve cultural heritage and amplify underrepresented voices.

SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson joined the XR Voices team to record a call-to-action acceptance speech. Also participating in this 30-second video were XR VOICES partners Alfredo Alcantar, LTI Lab Manager; Tim Bartolf, XR Libraries VR Developer; Chase Allgood, VR developer, SJSU iSchool alumnus; Adrienne Violett, Woodenlegs Library Director; Sodizin MedicineBull, Student, Chief Dull Knife College; Dr. Ulia Gosart, Assistant Professor; Luida Diadyk, Director of Cherkasy Regional Library; Da’Taeveyon Daniels, Partnership Director for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas; Nick Higgins, Chief Librarian at Brooklyn Public Library; and Nancy Wulkan, Little Free Library, Chair of the Board of Directors. 

This recognition from The Anthem Awards, which celebrates purpose-driven work worldwide, affirms the iSchool’s commitment to leveraging technology for social impact and cultural preservation. The award further establishes the iSchool’s reputation as a leader in the innovative and cutting-edge use of XR technology to develop new immersive and interactive worlds using browser-based virtual reality.

Chow would like to acknowledge the following partners for their invaluable work and support: XR Libraries, Dr. Darra Hofman and Alcantar. In addition, he is grateful for the dedicated graduate students and alumni who contributed to the iSchool’s success: Michele Atwater, Allgood, Nick Beber, Sara Clair, Anna Lyons, and Jonathan Velasquez.