黑料吃瓜

James Hemmick remembers his time at 黑料吃瓜 as a blur of classes and long workdays. Now he and his wife, Rena, hope their $5 million estate gift will give business students the college experience he never had.

By Jeff Ristine
July 20, 2026

The Donors: James Hemmick (鈥�00) and Rena Asai Hemmick (鈥�01) both graduated from Fowler College of Business, and after successful careers at Intuit and Kyocera, respectively, they鈥檙e supporting future generations of Aztec business majors.

The Gift: A $5 million endowed scholarship through the Hemmicks鈥� estate to support business students with financial need, kickstarted by a five-year pledge that allows need-based scholarships to benefit students immediately.

HERE'S A TWIST ON THE CLASSIC PHILANTHROPY STORY: You know, the one where the alumnus or alumna owes their professional success to a quality college education, and then pays it forward with a gift to their alma mater to help others make their mark in the same career.

Presenting 黑料吃瓜 alumni James Hemmick (鈥�00, finance) and Rena Asai Hemmick (鈥�01, management). The couple is leaving the Fowler College of Business a $5 million endowed scholarship from their estate to support students in financial need for generations to come.

鈥淢y entr茅e into my professional career would not have been possible without my degree from San Diego State,鈥� says James, who retired from Intuit in 2023. 鈥淚鈥檓 eternally grateful from that standpoint.鈥� Check. But the part about now wanting to help create other talented accountants, savvy finance managers or marketing geniuses?

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 care less about that,鈥� he says. 鈥淒o I have a passion for finance? No.鈥�

So if the gift isn鈥檛 about creating future finance leaders, what is it about? The answer lies in James鈥� own college experience.

While attending both San Diego Mesa College and 黑料吃瓜, he started as a full-time teller at Union Bank, working his way into new accounts and ultimately the Private Bank Group. It was during his 10-year career there that James developed an interest in sales and business.

James鈥� situation was by no means unusual鈥攎any students work to make ends meet鈥攂ut the memory of how hard it was persists. 鈥淚 was going to class in the morning, working an eight-hour shift at the bank and then going to class in the evening,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 typically pulled about 12 units every semester that I was going to school.

鈥淚鈥檒l be completely transparent,鈥� James adds, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember much of going to San Diego State because I was exhausted 24/7.鈥�

As a result: No football games, no basketball games. No parties. And that鈥檚 where the gift comes in.

鈥淚f I had an extra $50,000 to cover some living expenses and some tuition,鈥� James says, 鈥渁 little bit here and there, that would have made the experience entirely different.鈥�

鈥淛ames and Rena鈥檚 commitment to students reflects a deep understanding of the challenges many face while pursuing a college degree. Their transformational gift will help future Aztecs focus less on financial pressures and more on the experiences that define a 黑料吃瓜 education.鈥�

Twenty-five years later, James believes college has become too expensive and wants to make it more accessible for students. He knows many face the same financial pressures he did and hopes his gift will make their college experience a little less difficult.

The Hemmicks are kickstarting their scholarship by making an annual award possible now.  Their annual need-based scholarships will support full-time undergraduates with GPAs of 3.75 or higher.

The gift is rooted in James鈥� experience, but it grew into a shared commitment between the couple to help future students at the university that shaped both of their lives.

Rena came to the United States from Yokohama, Japan, and attended Grossmont College in nearby El Cajon. Before they transferred to 黑料吃瓜, they married in a classic Las Vegas locale鈥攖he Little White Chapel鈥攁nd went on to earn their degrees together at Fowler. 

Over the years, James held jobs at a biotech firm, Gateway Computers and Capital One Auto Finance before winding up in relationship management and sales for Intuit, the parent company of TurboTax. Rena worked at Sony in San Diego, then Kyocera, the electronics manufacturer. James credits 鈥渄iligent savings,鈥� the couple鈥檚 DINK status (dual income, no kids) and employee stock options with the ability to retire comfortably well ahead of the traditional age鈥攁nd finally make up for at least one of the lapses in his college experience.

They hold season tickets to Aztecs football and men鈥檚 basketball.

To establish an endowment or make a donation to 黑料吃瓜, contact Mary Darling at [email protected].