Season's Greetings

We appreciate your dedication to the Cal community in this challenging year. From our leadership conference to Summer Welcome Parties to other virtual events, you have enriched our students and alumni’s experience in an unconventional and innovative way through community outreach, services, and events. We truly appreciate all you do, and we are proud of what you have achieved in the community. 

On behalf of the Cal Alumni Association (CAA) Chapters Department, we wish you a spirited and healthy holiday season and a hopeful year ahead. Go Bears! 

CAA is closed from Wednesday, December 23 through Sunday, January 3, 2021. We will reopen on Monday, January 4.

I was born and raised in Oakland, CA. I have a background in law and philanthropy, but ultimately found my life passion in serving my hometown community by founding a nonprofit organization–The East Oakland Collective–which focuses on racial and economic equity in East Oakland.

What was your undergraduate life like at Cal?
Undergraduate life at Cal was amazing. I participated in many student groups and activities, serving as the Editor-in-Chief of The Onyx Express, Cal’s Black student newspaper. Even though I lived just miles away from home, I had a true college experience living in Berkeley and attending Cal. Cal breathes its rich history of activism and I participated in a lot of activism on campus and locally.  

What are some current projects you are working on?
I am currently working on alleviating food insecurity across Oakland which has deepened due to COVID-19 through large scale meal and supply distribution to unhoused seniors and low income families. I am also working on distributing care kits to COVID-19 positive families in East Oakland. In addition, I am currently appointed by the Mayor of the city of Oakland to the city’s new commission on homelessness. 

How do you tap into your Cal Alumni network?
I am a member of the Cal Black Alumni Association. I joined my local Cal alumni chapter to network and stay connected to fellow alums from different generations. I served on the board of directors for the Cal Black Alumni Association for several years, and I remain active in the chapter’s activities, events, and programs, with a focus of engaging millennial aged alumni. I also connect with fellow alumni from my undergraduate class on social media and LinkedIn. Cal alumni are everywhere and I always find myself connecting with alumni through the course of my work and personal journey. 

Projects
East Oakland Collective
GoFundMe: Not Graves Emergency Shelter Program

What's New from the Alumni Chapters Department

December Chapters Town Hall


It was great connecting with everyone to close out 2020 and we are looking forward to 2021! Cloey Hewlett, CAA Executive Director, and Amy Bartel, Program Manager, The Berkeley Network, were able to join us in this last town hall of the year. Amy is excited to engage with our alumni chapters. She has great resources to connect with professionals to participate as a career expert in fireside chats or education panels. Check out the Alumni Career Network! Click here to watch the December Town Hall recording.

Save the Date: January Town Hall
January 28, 3 – 4 p.m. PST
RSVP

2021 Town Hall Dates
February 25              July 15
March 18                   August 19
April 15                     September 16
May 20                      November 18
June 17                     December 16

360Alumni Training: Thursday, January 21, 2021
How is your chapter engaging with 360Alumni? Hope you find it helpful to plan your chapter’s 2021 virtual events. Be sure to submit your chapter’s up-to-date membership list to us by January 15, 2021, so we can upload these information to further support your engagement with chapter members on the platform. Join us at our follow-up training to dive into 360Alumni deeper. 

In the meantime, be sure to activate your 360Alumni account to check out all the resources and engagement tools we have developed for you!

Tutorial reference here. Please email Sonia Wu for questions.

On Friday, November 27, almost 400 Cal football fans celebrated the 123rd Big Game by attending a free, virtual tailgate hosted on Zoom by CAA and Cal Athletics. While food and beverage were regrettably not among the offerings this year, guests were treated to rare, live-time visits with Chancellor Christ, Athletic Director Jim Knowlton, Oski, the Cal Band, and the prized Stanford Axe. Big shout out to Damon Moore from the Cal Alumni of Los Angeles chapter leading the Cal yells to induce high energy and sprits to the audience!  

Looking for a way to support Cal Students?
Volunteer to welcome incoming transfer students to Cal at our first ever Virtual Alumni-Student Mixer! Help provide incoming transfer students with the opportunity to connect with fellow alumni and get acclimated to Cal!

Golden Bear Orientation
Saturday, January 16, 2021
1 – 2 p.m. PST

Greetings from the CAA Development Department

Thank you for your support throughout the year as we pivoted to virtual programming to continue connecting to alumni around the world. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to The CAA Fund before 2020 ends and help us reach even more alumni in 2021. Together, we rise.

Just in from
the California Magazine
Published by the Cal Alumni Association

Berkeley Chinese Alumni International Association
Berkeley Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum
Nov. 14

The 2020 Berkeley Chinese Alumni International Association (BCAIA) Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum was held on Saturday, November 14. This virtual forum consisted of thought leaders from a wide array of industries and was a great opportunity for participants to gain insight into entrepreneurship and starting your own business, as well as networking with industry experts and tech professionals. We showcased the best of Berkeley in innovation and entrepreneurship with keynote speakers, Max Shen, the department chair of industrial engineering, and SCET Director Professor Ikhaq Sidgu, distinguished alum, Oculus co-founder, and major Cal donor, Jack McCauley. At the end of the event, we had a special networking session in partnership with the Asia Society Young Leaders Group, during which participants formed professional and personal connections with peers.

The Daily Californian Alumni Association
Daily Cal Live! Special Edition: The Big Game
Nov. 23

The special edition of Daily Cal Live! was hosted by Editor in Chief Sarah Harris and former editor in chief Josh Tuen. The Daily Californian’s football beat reporters previewed this year’s Big Game. SFGATE Managing Editor and former Daily Cal sports editor Katie Dowd and bestselling author and former Daily Cal sports editor Gary Pomerantz discussing the ethics of college sports in the age of COVID-19. Los Angeles Times reporter and former Daily Cal sports editor Jim Rainey and special guest Gary Tyrell, former Stanford trombonist of The Play fame!