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.”

The proud parents of a Cal graduate, Jennifer and Doug Claman maintain a big-picture approach when it comes to supporting the university. “We give to Cal because of our personal commitment to higher education and because of Berkeley’s perpetual pursuit of academic excellence,” says Jennifer. “Where else can you find Nobel Laureate-only parking spaces?”

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.

“I have Berkeley in my blood,” jokes Judith Bloom, and she’s not exaggerating by much. The former Cal undergraduate student met her late husband, Dan ’61, during her first week on campus. They later married, settled in town, and raised two children.

As a Cal undergraduate, Karena Man came to revere the University Library through both her studies and her part-time job shelving books at Doe Library. “The Library is a treasure,” she says. “How many would offer a 19-year-old who had never traveled overseas by herself the opportunity to look at 200-year-old maps?”

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.