Toyaacan Danza Azteca, above, performed at the School of Social Ecology's award-winning event. Below: Tresa Hightower, John Gutierrez, Mimi Ko Cruz and Dean Jon Gould at the event last year. Cruz and Hightower are the event's co-chairs and are busy planning this year's event. Gutierrez served as the emcee last year. Photos by Karen Tapia.
First-ever event bestowed premier accolade for educational advancement
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) announced today that it has bestowed one of its highest honors on UC Irvine for the School of Social Ecology’s first-ever Día de los Muertos celebration.
The Nov. 2, 2023, event in and around Irvine Barclay Theatre received Grand Gold recognition from judges for the global nonprofit’s 2024 Circle of Excellence Awards, the premier accolades for educational advancement.
“Wow! The Día de los Muertos event by University of California, Irvine really exemplifies how a university should do and execute a culture event at their institution,” COE Awards judges stated. “Extremely well received event because of its authenticity and ability to connect with its larger community. Kudos for incorporating of student groups/talents and music throughout. Great work, UC Irvine!”
"Wow is right,” reacted School of Social Ecology Dean Jon Gould upon hearing the news. “We are honored and delighted by CASE's recognition of our initiative. This was truly a team effort and representative of Social Ecology’s mission. I'm so pleased for our staff who envisioned and carried out this novel event, and we're already excited for the next year."
That staff includes Mimi Ko Cruz, director of communications, and Tresa Hightower, development analyst, who served and continue to serve as co-chairs of the event. The event's 2023 planning committee also included: Teresa Anaya, director of sales, events and promotions of Northgate González Market; Maria Cervantes, executive director of the UCI-OC Alliance; adelí durón, UCI Latinx Resource Center director; Manuel Gómez, UCI emeritus vice chancellor of student affairs; John Gutierrez, senior vice president of the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Angeles Honorato, community and wellness coordinator of Northgate González Market; Victoria Rocha, program coordinator of UCI's Latinx Resource Center; Stacy Skwarlo, UCI School of Social Ecology director of development; Genevieve Barrios Southgate, director of community programs at Bowers Museum; and UCI School of Social Ecology students Brianna Duran, Phillip Hernandez and Michelle Sanchez.
“At UC Irvine, Latinos make up 25% of the student population,” Cruz noted. “UCI’s School of Social Ecology has the most Latino students (46%), so it was and is fitting for the school to host a free and public Día de los Muertos celebration. Together with our sponsor, Northgate González Market, our school was able to honor our Latino community with a respectful and festive event. More than 1,000 members of the community attended the well-received event, at which we featured dance, musical performances, a student-created altar, and a lively concert by the two-time Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Divas. The crowds were treated to free traditional foods, as well as sugar-skull decorating and face painting. We also created an online altar, open to anyone who wanted to honor a deceased loved one.”
“The Mexican holiday, traditionally celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2, is a joyful event that cheers the soul, and that was our aim,” she added. “Those in attendance learned about the special tradition and left enlightened.”
This reaction from a 51-year-old real estate agent, who attended the event, summed it up best: “The Mariachi Divas were amazing. The tamales were so good. We loved the face painting, all the activities, and the beautiful altar. Everyone was so positive. I was able to introduce my daughter to something traditional from our heritage. The most important thing was the amazing cultural representation. What an opportunity to inspire kids like my daughter to aspire to be students at UCI.”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary year, CASE uses the COE Awards to celebrate colleges, universities and schools whose talented staff advanced their institutions with ingenuity and resourcefulness. Teams from 600 institutions in 28 countries entered the awards, submitting 4,223 entries for 2024. The 93 award categories span all advancement disciplines, including magazines and publications, fundraising campaigns, alumni initiatives, special events, marketing, leadership, video and more.
“As we mark CASE’s 50th anniversary this year, we are taking time to celebrate our members across the globe,” says CASE President and CEO Sue Cunningham. “Examples of their remarkable work are evident throughout the Circle of Excellence Awards. We applaud the achievements and innovation of advancement professionals across all sectors and all regions—work in schools, colleges and universities that advances education and thereby transforms lives and society."
This year's volunteer judges from CASE’s membership selected 486 exemplary entries for bronze, silver, gold and Grand Gold recognition. Winners were chosen for overall quality, innovation, use of resources, and the impact on the institution or its communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff.
— Matt Coker