Photo: Courtesy of Berkeley Hillel
Behind many of Berkeley’s most generous gifts is an inspiring story. This is certainly true of the philanthropic paths of two sets of Cal parents.
A welcoming place for Jewish students
Mindy and Robert Mann P ’17 care deeply about the well-being of Jewish students and the excellence of Berkeley’s Jewish studies programs. They demonstrated that devotion with a recent gift to support the Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, along with the activities and a renovation project at Berkeley Hillel, the center for Jewish life. They even underwrote a hotline at Hillel that delivers chicken soup to ailing students.
Beyond the Manns’ clear passion for Berkeley, their generosity reflects a desire to dispel perceptions that it is an unwelcoming place for Jewish students. They had heard such concerns through their Los Angeles-area community and became worried when their daughter, Merissa ’17, prepared to enter the university.
Reaching out to campus officials, “we were impressed with how receptive Cal was,” says Robert. As a result, the Manns have hosted several yearly events for new Cal parents covering Berkeley’s Jewish-oriented programs and services. The gathering has reassured several hundred parents that Berkeley is “a friendly place to be,” says Mindy.
Robert says Merissa had an “absolutely wonderful” time at Berkeley, where she studied art practice, received two Hillel fellowships, facilitated workshops for fraternities and sororities on consent in healthy relationships, and was the first recipient of the multidisciplinary Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation.
“Berkeley not only needs our money, but deserves it,” says Robert, who, like Mindy, contributes leadership as a member of the Cal Parents Board.
Giving back to Gilroy students
Ricardo Mora ’88, P ’20 has a similarly strong allegiance to Berkeley — one that arose from his own narrative as a Cal student. “Berkeley was the transformational experience of my life,” says Ricardo, the son of Mexican immigrants and the first in his family to attend college.
Now a partner at Goldman Sachs in New York, Ricardo is changing the lives of undergraduates from his rural hometown of Gilroy, California. In 2002, he and his wife, Kelli Kenny-Mora P ’20, created the Mora Family Scholarship. To date it has helped 15 needy students with funding for everything from laptop computers to housing.
“With this scholarship, I am able to attend classes with a clear mind, knowing that my being here is not a financial burden on my family.” — Christian Lustre ’16, past recipient of the Mora Family Scholarship
Ricardo first set his sights on Berkeley when he and other gifted 5th graders from Gilroy visited the campus. Returning to make good on his dream, he double majored in economics and sociology. He not only learned from world-class professors but discovered how to succeed at a large, complex institution — skills he still uses today.
“My life literally went from this small town to what I do now,” says Ricardo. “It all started at Berkeley.”
With their oldest daughter, Ava ’20, attending Berkeley, the Moras are keenly aware of the university’s constrained resources and even more motivated to lend a hand. They serve on the New York Chancellor’s Council, and Ricardo is a member of the Board of Visitors, an advisory group to the chancellor. Separately, Kelli also co-founded Orphaned Starfish, a nonprofit that develops vocational centers in orphanages throughout Latin America.
“Anywhere in the world you go, people know Berkeley,” says Ricardo. “Cal has this bigger-than-life reputation that we have to protect.”
