CAA Announcements

It may be surprising that Donna Hitchens M.A., J.D. ’77—who became the first openly lesbian judge elected to the bench in the United States and spent 20 years of her career on the California Superior Court bench—never dreamed of becoming a lawyer, nevermind a judge.

In any society, people play specific roles. Some are leaders, some are nurturers, some are creators, and some are builders. All are important. However, in a time of crisis, the demand for specialized roles goes up. During a pandemic, doctors, nurses, and first responders become especially important. And keeping the public informed—now more than ever—is just as crucial.

The Cal Alumni Association (CAA) is proud to announce that California magazine has won highest honors in the 2020 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards. The quarterly publication claimed the Grand Gold for alumni magazines published 4x/year or more. Other winners in the category include the magazines of Dartmouth (Gold), Notre Dame (Silver), and the University of Pennsylvania (Bronze).

In 2018, the San Francisco Foundation funded the first set of African American Initiative (AAI) scholarships. Administered by the Cal Alumni Association (CAA), these scholarships were awarded to 28 undergraduate students in 2018 and 12 first-year students in 2019 in support of UC Berkeley’s commitment to Black and African American student success.

Margaretta Lin M.A. ’91, J.D. ’91 says she has a weird superpower. It’s a bit like x-ray vision. Whenever she sees a crisis, she can immediately see opportunities for justice. It’s always said that with great powers come great responsibility, and Lin hasn’t let her power sit dormant. Now a lawyer and serial social justice entrepreneur, Lin says she found herself at Cal and learned there how to yield her power. And as with all people with superpowers, there’s always an origin story.

Every spring, the Cal Alumni Student Association (CASA) hosts the Overnight Stay Program (OSP) for prospective UC Berkeley students. OSP is a student-run, on-campus weekend event featuring student and alumni panels, campus tours, an overnight dorm stay, and a hike up to the Big C. With its unique student-to-student perspective, OSP offers admitted students a taste of Berkeley, allowing them to decide if Cal is the right fit for them.

Mikela Lazari ’20 projected herself as a leader at the start of her undergraduate career and has been thriving as a leader ever since. She is a two-time recipient of the Cal Alumni Association’s Leadership Award, a one-year, merit-based scholarship that recognizes undergraduate students at UC Berkeley who demonstrate innovative, initiative-driven leadership. Since 1934, students have competed for the scholarship, forming a diverse and dynamic annual cohort of leaders whose work is relevant and inspiring.