2025 EVENTS

GOLDEN BEARS IN THE PARK: A SUMMER KICKOFF
JUNE 26th AT THE MILLENNIUM

Join your fellow UC Berkeley alumni on Thursday, June 26th at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion for an unforgettable evening of food, drinks, and live music from Thee Sacred Souls, an R&B/Soul band from San Diego. 

There will be food and drinks available for purchase at the venue, and people are also invited to bring in their own, so this event is free and BYO. 

If you want to listen to Thee Sacred Souls NPR Tiny Desk, you can listen here. 

• When: Thursday, June 26, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

• Where: Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park

• Who: Cal Alumni, friends, and friendly strangers

Whether you come for the tunes, the bites, or just to see who still remembers Fight for California, this will be a Golden Bear summer night to remember. Warm weather, cold drinks, and warmest of welcomes await.

Come as you are, stay as long as you like, and let’s toast to summer, Cal-style. Register here.

SUMMER WELCOME PARTY JULY 27th IN LAKE BLUFF

All alums are invited to the Annual Summer Welcome Party for all Midwest Cal students and their families at Sunrise Beach, Lake Bluff, Ill., on July 27, Noon-4 pm.

Cal alums will be needed to help with the party and mix and mingle with Cal students. Be ready to teach the Cal Fight song to incoming Cal students. This beach has been voted a hidden gem by several magazines, with beautiful views overlooking Lake Michigan.

Registration for this event is required. Please click here for online registration to the 2025 Summer Welcome Party. We hope to see you there this July!

ANNUAL ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT IN
THE LEADERSHIP AWARD (TLA) PROCESS

Beginning this summer, the Leadership Award (TLA) selection process is transitioning from the previous regional model of interviewing to a more centralized approach. With TLA awarding fewer, larger scholarships, local interview events are consolidated into three virtual events hosted by The Cal Alumni Association via Zoom. This allows for a great opportunity to welcome and assist future Cal scholars, consider volunteering for The Leadership Award, reading applications and interviewing student finalists.

TLA Volunteer Dates: sign-up to volunteer 
Virtual Application Reading - June 12 – 18, 2025 (approximately a 2-hour commitment)
Virtual Finalist Interview - July 12, 20, & August 10, 2025 (approximately a 4-hour commitment)

For more info: Marcus Powell at mspowell4@gmail.com

CAL BLACK STUDENT ATHLETE SUMMIT
TAKES PLACE IN CHICAGO

Cal athletes, staff, coaches and alumni met on Thursday, May 22, 2025 for a casual dinner in Chicago as part of the 2025 Black Student Athlete Summit.  It was an energetic discussion about diversity and the challenges of being a student athlete.

CAL VOLUNTEERS AT
NORTHERN ILLINOIS FOOD BANK

The annual tradition of “Cal Volunteers at Northern Illinois Food Bank” took place on May 10th.  The NIFB Distribution Center services 13 Northern Illinois counties and assists thousands of food-insecure individuals each and every day. Alumni volunteered their time in that cause, and then shared a pizza lunch afterwards together.

MIDWEST ALUMS ROAD TRIP TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR CAL RUGBY

Midwest alumni gathered in Indianapolis on May 3 to catch the Golden Bears’ first national championship in rugby since 2017. With a final score of 55-38, it was the highest-scoring national championship match in D1A history.

The Bears have now won 27 College Rugby Association of America D1A college rugby 15s national championships and two Varsity Cup titles, which are considered national championships. The game featured a total of 9 lead changes and finished with 19 unanswered points, so alumni were treated to an exciting game.

CAL ADMISSIONS 2025 YIELD EVENT
SUCCESSFUL IN CHICAGO

Newly Admitted Cal students and their families gathered April 12 at the annual Cal Admissions office Yield event for Chicagoland applicants who were accepted for the 2025-26 school year. Cal alums attended as well to share their student and professional experiences.

2025 CAL ALUMNI CLUB OF CHICAGO T-SHIRTS FOR SALE

Show your Cal spirit in Chicago by purchasing a Cal Alumni Club of Chicago t-shirt for $35 plus shipping. We’ve had alumni wear them at social events, volunteer activities, new admitted student receptions, and Golden Bear football games. Email calalumniassociationchicago@gmail.com for orders.

HOMECOMING DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR 2025

The Cal Alumni Association has shared details for the 2025 Homecoming Weekend. Lectures will allow us to hear from renowned faculty on groundbreaking research, while the Oski Wow Wow celebration on Memorial Glade and the Bear Affair Tailgate will let you celebrate with fellow alums. And the ACC home opener will be the game (this year’s Homecoming opponent is Duke).

Online registration opens in July at homecoming.berkeley.edu. We are encouraged to start making travel plans now.

LIGHT THE WAY CAMPAIGN EXCEEDS $7 BILLION

Thank you to everyone who donated to UC Berkeley’s Light the Way campaign! This multi-year effort, which had a goal of $6 billion, raised more than $7.37 billion – one of the largest of any public or private organization.

The advancement department shared with us that these generous gifts will help make the university a top public education and teaching institution. Everyone contributed to this important work demonstrated by 76% of the donations coming in at $1,000 or less. Here are just a few ways the donations will go to work: 

·       $390 million in graduate student support (fellowships, student aid and more)

·       $1.2 billion in academic investment

·       $28 million in COVID research

·       $719 million in undergraduate support (scholarships and programs)

·       $1.5 billion in capital projects and campus improvements

 For more on the campaign, check out the story here.

About

We are an officially chartered chapter of the California Alumni Association bringing together Cal alums form the greater Chicagoland area and surrounding Midwest states. 

The Cal Alumni Club of Chicago organizes social activities, game watches and volunteer events for Alumni throughout the year. We also work with the University to coordinate and host a Summer Welcome Party for the new Midwest Cal students.

If you are interested in getting involved, sign-up for our events  and please email us at  calalumniassociationchicago<at>gmail.com.  Sign-up for our monthly newsletter below.