What do you think of when you read the word “alumni”? Is it a word couched in the past—memories of campus, classes, and other nostalgia—or can it represent an active state of being, a role through which we stay engaged with our alma mater and alumni worldwide, for life? The Cal Alumni Association (CAA) believes that keeping alumni connected to UC Berkeley is central to our mission, and there are few better ties to our esteemed university than the students and recent graduates who represent the future of our alumni community.
Supporting our future alumni takes form in ways as diverse as our community itself. This spring, CAA has hosted discussions on planning for professional success and alumni perspectives on a Cal education during Cal Day; assembled campus experts to inform alumni how we can support our vulnerable immigrant students at CALIFORNIA Live!; and celebrated Cal’s graduating class, and their transition to alumni-hood, at our first-ever Senior Send-Off event. Our Southern California Alumni Chapters are now raising funds for the Golden Bear Express, providing low-income students without transportation a way to move to Cal this fall. Through our renewed Cal Advocacy program, alumni are fighting for state funding for higher education needed to continue Cal’s legacy of excellence for both these students and those yet to come.
It is our responsibility to ensure that a Berkeley education doesn’t stop at graduation. One crucial way CAA supports our newest alumni is through the resources offered by our career-development program, The Berkeley Network. This spring, The Berkeley Network launched the Alumnae Career Advancement series, which supports bright young women emerging from Berkeley along their chosen career paths. Our top-attended Career Connections events have included entertainment-industry networking in Los Angeles and an off-campus trek to Google, and our consulting, HR, and diversity and inclusion sessions have been areas of great interest to our Cal students. Our hope is that mentorship and networking events like these will help recent graduates connect with the great expertise and power held within our alumni community.
We are proud to now welcome the Class of 2017 into our Cal alumni family. May you stand tall, rise high, and shine brightly.
Fiat Lux,
Clothilde Hewlett ’76, J.D. ’79
CAA Executive Director
