Cal State LA welcomes incoming students with inaugural pinning ceremony

More than 200 incoming students took part in Cal State LA's inaugural pinning ceremony during the New Student Convocation on Saturday, Aug. 22.

The convocation, held at The Luckman, launched a new university tradition welcoming incoming students to the Golden Eagle community ahead of the fall semester.

Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Provost Heather Lattimer, and Patrick K. Day, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, shared words of encouragement with the incoming class.

"Cal State LA is a place of legacy and part of what makes it great-perhaps the most important thing about this place and this legacy-is our students," Day said. "Students, we are inviting you to be a part of the future of your university. This is your university now. You are a Golden Eagle now."

Cal State LA alumnus Carlos Illingworth '04 also returned to his alma mater to offer words of inspiration to the university's newest Golden Eagles as they began their journey as members of the Cal State LA community.

"Some of the most important doors in my life opened at Cal State LA and I walked through them even though I didn't expect them, so don't confuse your current circumstances with your future potential," said Illingworth, who is senior director of community relations at the Tournament of Roses and executive director of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation. "I encourage you to walk through the doors that present themselves to you at Cal State LA. And you will grow as a person and leader."

Illingworth also encouraged students to build genuine relationships and be mindful of the lasting impression they leave on others.

"Look around. You don't know it yet, but some of the people sitting around you may become your closest friends, your future colleagues, your business partners, your mentors-or the people who one day help you through the hardest moments of your life," he said. "So don't rush through your years at Cal State LA. Be present for them. And protect your reputation because it will walk into rooms before you do."

Following the remarks, student leaders guided the new Golden Eagles through the inaugural pinning, marking their entry into the Cal State LA community. The incoming cohort was then formally presented to the president and provost.

The celebration concluded with a performance by the Cal State LA Cheer Squad and cohort photos on The Luckman Street of the Arts. Afterward, students gathered with their new classmates for a free barbecue at the South Village residence hall.