First Graduate

The following are stories of leaders in the community who were the first in their families to graduate from college and descriptions of their accomplishments and contributions to the community.

Richard A. Carranza
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2012

As Superintendent for Instruction, Innovation and Social Justice Richard Carranza leads the implementation of the district’s equity-focused strategic plan.

Under his leadership, student achievement has increased significantly, and he has overseen a redesign of the district’s central office as well as the implementation of a core instructional curriculum to create more equitable educational results for all students.

Carranza has completed doctoral coursework through Northern Arizona University and is currently pursuing an Ed.D degree through Nova Southeastern University in Educational Leadership. Having entered the public school system speaking no English, Carranza has experienced, first-hand, the transformational power of access and equity in providing a rich and rewarding education to all students.

Bobbi Silten
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2011

Since 2005, Bobbi Silten has served as chief foundation officer at Gap Inc. She was recently appointed to the White House Council for Community Solutions by President Barack Obama.

Silten leads the Gap Foundation and oversees its work creating opportunities for underserved youth and women. Silten heads Gap Inc.'s global community investment and involvement programs that seek to bring innovative solutions to social challenges.

Under Silten's leadership, Gap Inc. has launched several new signature community programs: P.A.C.E., an education program for female garmen works; This Way Ahead, a youth job readiness program; Plan Ahead, an 18-week course on college and career preparedness; and the Gap Inc. Leadership Initiative, a leadership-building program for Gap Foundation's community partners.

Prior to joining Gap Inc., Silten spent 10 years at Levi Strauss & Co., with more than five years as President of the U.S. Dockers brand. Silten also worked for 11 years in advertising with such clients as Levi, The Clorox Company and Nintendo. Silten holds a bachelor's degree in Social Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Sara Martinez Tucker
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2009

Sara Martinez Tucker served as the Under Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, the nation's top higher education official. Confirmed by the Senate on Dec. 9, 2006, she oversaw all policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid. Previously, Tucker served as CEO and president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, where she raised $280 million for scholarships and community outreach programs to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees. Prior to this, she spent 16 years at AT&T where she became the first Latina to reach its executive level.

Tucker earned a bachelor's degree with honors in journalism and a master's in business administration with high honors at the University of Texas at Austin.  Among her many awards and honors, Time magazine named her one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in the United State in 2005. She currently serves on American Electric Power's Board of Directors, the Wal-Mart External Advisory Council and the University of Notre Dame's Board of Trustees.  

Larry Stupski
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2010

Larry Stupski is Co-Founder of the Stupski Foundation and a longtime champion of First Graduate. A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, Stupski lead the Charles Schwab Corporation for 18 years. As vice chairman and president/CEO, he helped Schwab become a pioneer of investment services for individuals. In 1996, he co-founded with his wife Joyce the Stupski Foundation to enhance opportunities for public school children nationwide. In addition to being chair of the Foundation, Stupski also serves as board member of Teach for America's Finance and Executive Committees, as well as board member of EdVoice.

Steve Miller
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2010

Steve Miller is CEO of Andre Agassi Foundation for Education and Agassi Graf Holdings. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Miller became the first in his family to graduate from college when he earned a B.S. in English Literature and Physical Education from Bradley University. Among Miller's many accomplishments, he was director of Global Sports Marketing at Nike, president/CEO of the Professional Bowlers Association, and CEO/executive chairman of the board of Power Plate International. Miller sits on the boards of USA Track & Field, the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, and other organizations. He is a member of five halls of fame.

Carol Bartz
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2008

Carol Bartz is the former chief executive officer and president of Yahoo! Inc. Before her appointment to Yahoo!, Bartz served as executive chairman of the board of Autodesk, Inc. Bartz was chairman, president and CEO of Autodesk for 14 years and stepped down in April, 2006. During her tenure, the company diversified its product line and grew revenues from $285 million to $1.523 billion.

Bartz previously held positions at Sun Microsystems, most recently serving as Vice President of worldwide field operations and an executive officer of the company. Before joining Sun, she held product line and sales management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation and 3M Corporation.

Since her appointment to President Bush's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Bartz is one of a select group of industry leaders that is expected to play a key role in shaping and setting the government's high tech agenda ranging from R&D funding to new broadband incentives. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Cisco Systems, Network Appliance, and the Foundation for the National Medals of Science and Technology. Bartz holds an honors degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Robert J. Birgeneau
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2006

Robert J. Birgeneau became the ninth chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, in 2004. An internationally distinguished physicist, he is a leader in higher education and is well known for his commitment to diversity and equity in the academic community. He is also the first member of his family not only to earn a college degree, but graduate from high school as well.

Before coming to Berkeley, Birgeneau served four years as president of the University of Toronto. He previously was dean of the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he spent 25 years on the faculty. He is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences, has received many awards for teaching and research, and is one of the most cited physicists in the world for his work on the fundamental properties of materials. March 18, 2006, Birgeneau received a special Founders Award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A Toronto native, Birgeneau received his B.Sc. in mathematics from the University of Toronto in 1963 and his Ph.D. in physics from Yale University in 1966. He served on the faculty of Yale for one year, spent one year at Oxford University, and was a member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories from 1968 to 1975. He joined the physics faculty at MIT in 1975 and was named chair of the physics department in 1988 and dean of science in 1991. He became the 14th president of the University of Toronto on July 1, 2000. At Berkeley, Birgeneau holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Physics in addition to serving as chancellor. (from the UC Berkeley, Chancellor's website; photo by John Blaustein)

Hilda L. Solis

Since her confirmation in 2009, Hilda L. Solis has served as Secretary of Labor in the Obama Administration. Prior to that appointment, Solis represented the 32nd Congressional District, which includes portions of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, for four terms. Before becoming a member of Congress, she served eight years in the California state legislature.

In August 2000, Solis became the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues in California. In 2003, she became the first Latina appointed to the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce where she is the Vice Chair of the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee and a member of the Health and Telecommunications Subcommittees. She was also a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. In March 2007, Solis was named a member of the newly created House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Solis is Vice Chair of the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee and serves as a Senior Whip, as well as a Regional Whip for Southern California. She also served her third term as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Task Force on Health and the Environment. In 2007, Solis was appointed to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as the Mexico United States Interparliamentary Group.

Solis graduated from the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with a bachelor's degreee. Later, she earned a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. (excerpted from the Congressional website of Hilda L. Solis and HildaSolis.org)

Alejandro Toledo
First Graduate's First in Family Honoree for 2007

Alejandro Toledo was President of Peru from 2001 to 2006. He was elected in 2001 defeating former President Alan García. Toledo came to international prominence after leading the opposition against President Alberto Fujimori. During the five years of the Toledo presidency, the Peruvian economy grew at an average of six percent, one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Inflation averaged 1.5 percent and fiscal deficit went as low as 0.2 percent. After his presidential term, Toledo left Peru and came back to the United States where he was invited by Stanford University to be a fellow of the Center for Advanced Studies.

Toledo is one of sixteen children of a family of indigenous campesinos in the town of Cabana, province of Pallasca, Ancash department. He grew up in Chimbote, a city on Peru's northern coast. His father was a bricklayer and his mother was a fishmonger. As a child, he worked shining shoes. Toledo studied at the local state school, G.U.E. San Pedro. At age 19, with the guidance of members of the Peace Corps, Toledo enrolled at the University of San Francisco on a one-year scholarship. He completed his bachelor's degree in economics by obtaining a partial soccer scholarship and working part-time pumping gas. Later on, he attended Stanford University, where he received a Master's in Economics, a Master's in Education, and completed his PhD in Education (in 1992) at the Stanford University School of Education. (from WikiPedia)