Director’s Chair
Cal Connection – The Mission of CAA
This year, the Cal Alumni Association leaned into a shared aspiration: becoming the #1 alumni association for the #1 public university. Interim Executive Director Kirk Tramble shares the plan.
Donor Impact: Enriching the Lives of Students and Alums Alike
This past year, donor contributions supported our Alumni Scholars Program, awarding 212 new, deserving students across our five different scholarships.
Introducing Interim Executive Director Kirk Tramble ’93
As a proud member of the Class of 1993 and former President of the Board, I know firsthand the value of our Berkeley experience and the bonds that unite us.
A Moment for Healing, a Time for Action
In May of 2020 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, in the regular course of her day, saw police activity and then saw a man in pain. She stopped, pulled out her cell phone, and began recording. During the trial, Ms. Frazier expressed, “When I think of George Floyd, I see my father, my brothers, my cousin, my uncle. They are all Black. It could have been them.”
From the Executive Director: History Has Its Eyes on Us
I write this after watching the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States and the swearing-in of the first female and Black vice president. Though still operating at physical distances from one another, we, in many ways, have grown closer together through the shared experiences of life during a pandemic, social unrest, and the transition of leadership in our nation’s capital.
From the Executive Director: At the Forefront of Civil Rights
Women have long been at the forefront of civil rights. As we commemorate the past 150 years of women at Cal, we are offered a chance to reflect on the legacies of resilient women who laid a strong foundation for UC Berkeley. Throughout our university’s history we find women leading us forward: teaching respect for human life, fighting for progress, and creating avenues for change.
From the Executive Director: UC Berkeley Is Changing the Paradigm
UC Berkeley is changing the paradigm. Through innovation, we rise to meet our shared challenge—to connect our community during these virtual times. Our approach strengthens our commitment to raising the next generation of leaders and ensuring the diverse voices of our students and alumni are heard.
A Message from Our Executive Director: Let There Be Light
“Oh Freedom!”—the song you just heard—was what my mother sang with the Freedom Riders. She trained in Philadelphia and traveled to the South to engage in nonviolent resistance alongside Martin Luther King Jr. As an eight-year-old girl, I marched in the March on Washington. So, I speak to you today not only as Cal Alumni Association’s executive director, but also as a wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother who comes from a family involved in the fight for civil rights in the United States of America.
From the Executive Director: Community Unites to Face Our New Reality
Our students and alumni are demonstrating their commitment to supporting the next generation of trailblazers in thoughtful and solution-oriented ways, in spite of the challenges they themselves face.
A Letter from the Executive Director | Spring 2020
Dear Cal family, We know that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a tremendous impact on the personal lives of all those in our global Cal community. Your ongoing connection and collective support is invaluable as we face challenges together during this time of uneasiness and unpredictability. We must demonstrate our commitment to uplift all […]
Director’s Chair: Spring 2020
At UC Berkeley’s winter 2020 commencement, I celebrated Maria Smith ’20, who I had the privilege of meeting and mentoring when she worked as a student assistant for the Cal Alumni Association’s Alumni Scholars Program.
Update from the Cal Alumni Association on COVID-19
I am reaching out to you, our Cal alumni community, to encourage our ongoing connection during this time of uneasiness and unpredictability. Our collective support is invaluable as we move forward and face the challenges together.
