CAA Announcements

Marco Ponce ’12

Being a volunteer for The Achievement Award Program (TAAP) hits close to home for Marco Ponce ’12. He was a former TAAP recipient, and he says it was a major reason why he decided to come to Cal. The conversations he had with alumni volunteers and staff from the Cal Alumni Association before committing to Cal were what sealed the deal.

“Some things in life: you cannot put a price tag on them. The value of being around like-minded people, people who come from the same background as you and have the same aspirations as you—I don’t think you can put a tag or value on it.”

On Sunday, June 30, 2019, more than 600 Cal alumni, faculty, students, and friends joined together to march at the 49th annual San Francisco LGBTQ+ Pride Parade. The Cal Alumni Association (CAA) partnered with UC Berkeley’s Gender Equity Resource Center (GenEq) to lead the Cal contingent of marchers for the third year in a row. This special year also marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a catalyst of the gay rights movement.

In late April, I had the privilege of traveling to Sacramento to discuss the inclusion of higher education in California’s state budget. I joined UC Berkeley leaders like Chancellor Carol Christ and UC Regent Jason Morimoto ’02 to meet with those working on the budget to advocate on behalf of students and their needs.

While Lily Espinoza Ploski ’98 had always known that she wanted to attend UC Berkeley, she never imagined that she would pursue several more degrees after graduating from Cal: an A.A. in liberal studies, a master’s in student personnel administration, and an Ed.D. in educational leadership.

“Never in a million years did I imagine I’d go to school this much,” Lily laughs. She still has one degree to finish, but already promised her son it would be her last. “I told my son to remind me that I’d already said, ‘This is my last one!’” Lily adds.

Since my time at Berkeley (1968–72), I have made it a point to return often, be it for a night at the Faculty Club, a concert, ballgame, or—best yet—simply a quiet seat on Sproul Plaza watching the changing of classes as the Campanile tosses out its tunes. A seat on the plaza is my own Brooklyn Ferry, free of charge and without the tossing tides. It’s so reaffirming to watch the legions of students pass by, just as I passed through Sather Gate in the late 60s and if my experiences at my alma mater are any indication, it is thrilling to imagine the difference that professors will make on those who pass through Sather Gate.