ALUMNI AWARDS GALA

Honoring
Our Community

Established in 1973, the Alumni Awards are presented by California State University, Los Angeles in recognition of personal achievement, professional success, or humanitarian service. Recipients are those who have attained prominence in their chosen fields and have brought pride to the University.

President Berenecea Johnson Eanes hugging an alum onstage at the 2024 Alumni Awards Gala

Alumni continue writing the story of Cal State LA

On April 5, 2024, Cal State LA celebrated the achievements of 12 distinguished alumni at its Alumni Awards Gala. The event brought together generations of Diablos and Golden Eagles, who returned to campus to honor these remarkable individuals and their contributions.

Meet our 2024 honorees

Alumni Awards Nominations

Alumnus/a Award of the Year - awarded to a graduate who brings recognition to Cal State LA through professional achievements and through community and University service.

College Alumnus/a Awards - awarded to a graduate from each of the academic colleges who brings recognition to Cal State LA through successfully applying his or her education in a chosen field and through his or her community and University service. Nominees for a particular college must be graduates of that college.

  • College of Arts and Letters

  • College of Business and Economics

  • College of Education

  • College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology

  • College of Ethnic Studies

  • College of Natural and Social Sciences

  • Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services

Alumni Family Award - awarded to members of the same family who graduated from Cal State LA, in recognition of their professional achievements and contributions to the University and their community.

Golden Eagle Award – awarded to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of alumni who are graduates of the past ten years.

Alumni Awards Selection Criteria

To honor the achievements of Cal State LA’s diverse population of alumni, the Alumni Awards Gala selects alumni in all areas of professional achievement who bring recognition to the University and the Alumni Association; serve the community and/or civic organizations, and contribute to Cal State LA.

Alumni Awards Process Guidelines

To receive consideration, all materials must be submitted to the Cal State LA Alumni Association by Friday, September 8, 2023, following the nomination guidelines. Nominations are reviewed by the Association’s Alumni Awards Screening Committee. The Alumni Awards criteria are what the selection committee uses to evaluate nominees and finalists are forwarded to the Alumni Association Board of Directors for approval. In the case that a nominee is selected for Alumnus/a Award and any of the other Alumni Award categories, preference will be given to the latter.

Award recipients will be announced to the public only after each selected recipient has been notified and confirmed.

Acceptance of the award is contingent upon attendance at the Alumni Awards Gala in spring 2024.

Nomination Requirements

To be considered for an award, please complete the form in full, and submit attachments that support criteria areas. If submitting your nominee for more than one award, please submit a separate form and set of attachments for each award.

Attachments are limited to one page per nomination, single-sided. Include background materials (e.g. curriculum vitae, letters of recommendation, etc.) or other attachments only if they help to highlight one or more listed criteria. Include materials to give a complete picture of your nominee’s accomplishments, but keep the nomination as concise as possible. All materials submitted will be reproduced in black and white only for distribution to the screening committee.

Suggestions for Nominators

For attachment(s), please format sections of your nomination to coincide with criteria areas. This will help the screening committee members know which criterion an attachment is meant to highlight. Please make your nomination materials attractive and easy to read. Graphics or fancy layouts are not necessary. We suggest using double line spacing and easy-to-read fonts (12-point or above). Be sure to address all criteria.

If submitting a nominee for more than one award, it is suggested that you submit two different sets of attached materials. As the criteria for each award are different, different points can then be highlighted in each nomination. If submitting your nominee for only one award, choose the award for which his/her achievements most closely match the award criteria.

To view the previous Cal State LA Alumni Award Recipients, please click here.

If you have questions about the Alumni Awards nomination process, please contact the Alumni Association at (323) 343-2586 or [email protected].


The next Alumni Awards Gala and nominations timeline will be announced at a later date. For questions or additional information, please contact Maria Ubago, associate vice president for alumni relations, at [email protected] or (323) 343-2586.

View the list of former honorees