May 2019 Cal Parents Ambassador Newsletter Greetings ambassadors! Congratulations to parents of the class of 2019! We share your pride in your students’ accomplishments and wish them great happiness and success. A special thanks and farewell to ambassadors whose students graduated. We appreciate your dedicated service and welcome your continued involvement, although if you prefer to move on, please contact us so we can remove you from our mailing list. | | | | | Ally Watts, Carmen Reid, Sharon Aprea, Julie Morgan, Marc Aprea at Commencement Breakfast Reception on May 18 | We also recognize the many ambassadors who volunteered during the spring semester.Thank you so much for your outstanding work representing Berkeley at admitted student receptions around the country, advising prospective parents during Overnight Stay weekends, welcoming guests and new Berkeley parents at Cal Day, and helping to run the campus Food Pantry during the final weeks of the semester. | Give to Berkeley – Make a difference by June 30 | Just 30 days remain before Berkeley’s fiscal year close. Thank you to the 6,500 families who have contributed to Cal this year. If you haven’t yet made your gift (or would like to give again), please consider a $150 gift to the Cal Parents Fund (or any area of campus). Your gift to the Cal Parents Fund directly supports student services on campus and benefits ALL students. We recently concluded celebration of Berkeley’s 150th year; check out this inspirational message from Chancellor Christ encapsulating Berkeley’s unique place and opportunity as the world’s leading public university. Fiat Lux! | The Class of 2019 raised an inspiring $73,541 from 1,894 seniors during their Senior Gift Campaign. Graduates presented a check to Chancellor Christ at UC Berkeley’s 150th Commencement. Your students have shown the collective impact of philanthropy. Every gift counts. Join them today and make a gift by June 30. | | Mackenzie Monroe ‘19 and Jesse Gil ‘19, Vice President and President of Cal Student Philanthropy | Chancellor Christ presented with the Senior Gift Campaign check at the 150th Commencement
| If you’d like to make welcome calls to incoming families this August, please sign up here. We will provide you with contact information for up to 10 families in your community. This is a great way to connect with fellow Cal families, provide a warm welcome to Berkeley, and share your first-hand experience as a Cal parent. | Want to be the first to greet and assist students and parents of the Class of 2023 on Tuesday, August 20? Join the excitement on campus by staffing the Cal Parents Info Tent on Sproul Plaza or welcoming the newest arrivals as they check into Foothill Residence Hall on the northside of campus. Click here for shift information and to sign up.
| Ambassadors Make a Difference | Ambassadors Welcome Families Coast to Coast at New Student Receptions! | | Thank you for answering our call for volunteers in March! The Office of Undergraduate Admissions was overwhelmed with our turnout: 46 ambassadors assisted at 15 newly-admitted student receptions from Boston to San Diego. Your enthusiasm for Berkeley was infectious and instrumental in helping prospective families choose Cal. | | Lisa Garrett, Gloria Hayat, Susan Kovinsky, Annette Yu, Monica Garcia, David Sosa at Sheraton Gateway LAX | | Kathleen Wallis, Eileen Hale, Jim Wallis, Nick Morosoff, Tamara Bland at Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino | | Michael Berube, Chris Yum, Michele Tucci at Washington, DC Marriott Metro Center | Overnight Stay Program – Panelists Share Valuable Insight | | Huge thanks to ambassadors who traveled from as far as Los Angeles (Jennifer Claman) and Philadelphia (Alan and Meredith Schnoll) over two weekends in April to field questions from hundreds of prospective parents participating in the Overnight Stay Program sponsored by the Cal Alumni Student Association (CASA). Areas of greatest concern were: academic rigor/competitiveness, housing availability, campus safety, student stress, and forming close friendships in a large school. | | Jennifer Claman, Christine MacDonald, Tammy Chan, Steve Chin on April 14 | | Alan and Meredith Schnoll, Matt Reid, Isabel Rhee, Christine MacDonald on April 28 | | Also, thanks to the ambassadors who participated in the post-panel social hours at Raleigh’s Bar and Grill, which allowed OSP registrants extra one-on-one time to speak with our seasoned parents: Lisa and Calvin Chow, Jennifer and William Fong, and David Pingitore. | | Back Row/LtoR: Jim Wise, Vardeep Kaur, Dineshwar Sahni, David Ortega; Front Row: Matt Reid, Carmen Reid, Marita Chumbe, Christine MacDonald, Rose Hsu, Jyoti Wadhwa | | All hands were on deck April 13 as 32 ambassadors engaged with hundreds of prospective and incoming parents all Cay Day-long, from guiding guests to their seats at Memorial Stadium for the Chancellor’s Welcome Address, to passing out Cal Mom and Dad buttons and brochures on Dwinelle Plaza. Thank you for welcoming our newest Golden Bears to the Cal family! | | Vardeep Kaur and Carmen Reid | | | Former Parent, Peter Ewald still comes back | | | | | Maggie Luning, Tiffany Arrizabalaga, Vasavi Manchkanti, Jennifer Huang, Chris Santa Maria, Michelle Mielke Walsh | | | Marita Chumbe and Alain Chan assist visiting parents | | | | | THANK YOU Cal Day volunteers: Jesús Arriaga and Sandra Patricia Salas, Tiffany and Logan Arrizabalaga, Anu Bhalla-Levine, Alain Chan, Tammy Chan, Lisa Chow, Marita Chumbe, Peter Ewald, Jennifer Huang, Poonam Jandial, Vardeep Kaur, Patti and Jonathan Lim, Christine MacDonald, Ram and Vasavi Manchkanti, Carmen and Matt Reid, Maury McIntyre and Patrick Welborn, Janet Robinson, Steve Stong and Robyn Mitchell-Stong, Chris Santa Maria, Jina Tin, Sachin & Jyoti Wadhwa, Ally Watts, Jim Wise, and Xi Zhao-Wilson! | Berkeley Buzzing for Transfer Day | | In addition to Cal Day which provided a VIP welcome for newly admitted freshman, Berkeley held “Transfer Day,” a special event for newly admitted transfer students to discover all that Berkeley has to offer. Thank you to our transfer parents pictured below, who provided a warm Cal parents welcome! | | Back row: Greg Buechler, Conrad Brenneman (student); Front row: Kathleen Perez, Amy and Carlos Custodio | We are grateful to the 19 volunteers who covered 22 shifts at the Food Pantry, May 6-17. During this critical two-week period (Reading/Review/Recitation week and Final Exam week, respectively), as student pantry staff needed to focus on their exams, Cal Parent Ambassadors kept this vital campus service running. Thank you for helping our Bears roll on! Kudos to: Carmen Reid; Valerie Jung; Elaine Everest; Beth von Emster; Sandra McGonigle; Eileen Ong-Osmond; Kristin Shore; Jyoti Wadhwa; Carolyn Palmer; Barbara Oseroff; Kristine McCabe; Rachel Goldblatt; Julia Viskanta; Perissa Clark; Barbara Grelling; David Pingitore; Joanne Harano; and Patty Cook! A big shout out to Tiffany Arrizabalaga and her son, Logan, for covering six shifts in two days while visiting from Riverside, CA! | | And, special recognition to graduating parent, Carolyn Palmer (pictured above), who has been a devoted supporter of the Food Pantry. In addition to staffing the pantry, Carolyn was the first to answer a call a year ago for volunteers to transport produce on a weekly basis from the Gill Tract Community Garden in Albany to the Food Pantry. Thank you, Carolyn! | Meet the Cal Parents Staff! | Check out the Cal Parents website and Facebook page for more information just for parents. Stay up-to-date with the latest news and events at Berkeley: Berkeley News Center, UC Berkeley Events.If you have problems replying to any links or have questions about the Ambassador Program, please contact Rose Hsu. As always, we are grateful for your continued commitment and enthusiasm for Berkeley! Go Bears! | | | | | | | | | | |
