Charter Hill Society

As UC Berkeley alums, Allan and Sydne Bortel know firsthand how exceptional the university is. But a campus tour with their granddaughter, a high school junior at the time, reminded the couple of Cal’s power to shape the world’s brightest young minds.

As the first in his family to go to college, Bak Chan appreciates everything that Cal and its world-class reputation gave him. “I’m forever indebted to the students who uphold and enhance the quality of the university. It’s benefited me immensely during my career,” says Bak, who worked as a mechanical engineer before transitioning into financial management after acquiring his MBA degree from Haas. “And now, it’s give-back time.”

As a Cal student in the 1990s, Bill Tarantino kept busy with the Cal Band, a fraternity, student orientations, and more, all while earning a dual degree in psychology and social welfare. He also had a work-study job in fundraising, where he learned how important philanthropy is to maintaining Cal’s excellence.

More than three decades after graduating from Cal, Dave Clark remains connected to his alma mater as a donor and a Cal parent. “I’ve been a donor every year since I graduated,” says Dave, a portfolio manager, “in the beginning giving very modestly and slowly increasing over the years.”

A proud Cal alum, Dr. Ravi E. Dattatreya says that the doctoral work he pursued at Berkeley changed the trajectory of his life — but it almost didn’t happen at all. It was purely due to donor generosity that the native of Bangalore, India, was even able to attend Berkeley.

More than 40 years after he earned his degree in chemical engineering, Ed Wick remains active in the UC Berkeley community through his philanthropy. “The purpose of my giving to Berkeley is to help a wide variety of students afford the best college education,” he says, “and to encourage and foster education and interest in science.”

José Luis Bedolla is a business owner and patent-holding inventor, but earlier in life he was an undocumented student at UC Berkeley. Lisa, the daughter of Cuban refugees, is the vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the Graduate Division at UC Berkeley.

For Julie and Phil Kamins, a love of UC Berkeley runs deep in the family — as does a desire to give back. “My father, my sister, my son, and I attended Berkeley, and our daughter is a current student,” says Julie, proudly citing the family’s Cal extracurriculars ranging from son Joshua’s work at The Daily Cal to daughter Alana’s co-presidency of Danceworx, the student dance company that Julie herself once led. “Giving back to the community that helped to shape our family and our values is natural and full circle.”

Although Kathleen Stasulis lives far from Berkeley today, she grew up in neighboring Oakland — and knew all about UC Berkeley’s excellence and rich history long before enrolling as a student. “Although my parents didn’t attend Berkeley, we had friends and family who did,” she recalls. “They often hosted a party for the Big Game, so I sort of grew up with the Cal traditions.”

Matt Jacobson’s Cal education started long before he enrolled as a student. “My dad practiced his teaching skills at the family dinner table every evening,” he recalls of his late father, Norman, a political science professor for more than five decades. “I absorbed Dad’s passion for teaching, reverence of education, and dedication to fairness and conscience.”

Even with her busy career as a trademark attorney at Google, Monique Liburd finds the time to give back as a board member for both the East Bay Community Law Center and the Berkeley Law Alumni Association.

Even before becoming a first-generation college student at UC Berkeley, Oscar Olivas appreciated the support that the campus provided him. “I connected with the recruiter, who was later instrumental in launching my career at a Berkeley Haas case competition,” he recalls.

It was during his time at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business — including a pivotal summer internship at Microsoft Game Studios — that Paul Ibarra resolved to parlay his love of video games into a viable career path.

An alum and frequent donor to UC Berkeley, Randy Wu is philosophical about the role of Cal in his life and in society. “Fiat Lux has a double meaning for me,” says Randy, a retired executive who worked in the energy industry and helped develop solar energy projects. “Like renewable energy, Cal is an invaluable resource that is worth many times the investment and deserves our support.”

For Rishi Chopra, the motivation to give back to his alma mater is clear: he simply wants to pay it forward. “By giving, I’m hoping to help keep alive the promise of Berkeley for future generations of students.”

Although Zachary and Joy Liang Kruth hold degrees from private institutions, it’s Berkeley — where Zachary earned his undergraduate degree in political economy — that benefits the most from their philanthropy.