Alumna Mu Sochua with President Wong at the 2015 President’s Dinner and Alumni Hall of Fame Celebration. View the Alumnae of the Year video.
“I don’t choose to live in fear. Fear won’t change anything.”Mu Sochua’s (B.A., ’79) rousing words at SF State’s annual Alumni Hall of Fame Celebration in November were especially moving. Mu, an opposition parliamentarian and human rights activist from Cambodia, has devoted her life to empowering the poor and disenfranchised in her country, continuing to risk steep fines and even imprisonment for speaking out on their behalf.
Mu was just one of five accomplished alumni welcomed into our Hall of Fame with a standing ovation. Their careers — each its own inspiring story — are powerful reminders of the power of an SF State education.
Major General Barbara Brannon(B.S., ’72), who joined Mu in being recognized as Alumna of the Year, has devoted her career to serving and protecting the people of our country. She was the first nurse and the first woman to command an Air Force Medical Center, rising through the ranks to become a major general and the first two-star general chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps.
I was honored to welcome these two incredibly accomplished alumnae into the Hall of Fame along with Asian Health Services CEO Sherry Hirota(attended ’69-’70), a major force in providing high quality health care to the Asian and Pacific Islander community; Kevin Anderson(B.A., ’79), who is playing at the top of his game as University of Maryland’s athletics director; and Tony-winner Daniel Sullivan(B.A., ’62), one of the most respected directors in American theatre today.
It was a great night to be a Gator, and I am already looking forward to the next celebration in 2016. Until then, I hope you will join us at one of the many performances, athletics competitions and alumni events we host throughout the year.
The fearless spirit of the SF State community, on display at our Hall of Fame celebration and also detailed in the pages that follow, reflects the theme of our new comprehensive fundraising campaign: Bold Thinking. Launched in January to help us maintain the highest levels of teaching, research and service, the campaign has already generated nearly 25 percent of our $150 million goal.
Thank you for your generous support of this very special campus. Together, we will continue to make success happen.
Sincerely yours,
Les Wong
President