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>> Hi, I'm Rhonda Staley-Brooks, president and CEO of big brothers Big Sisters. I was
born in England, my father was in the military and so I was there for a short stent - 6 months.
When I turned 5 my dad got stationed here in Sacramento.
Gosh I remember going there, hanging out over there. I lived in Sutter Hall my first semester
here. A couple of my girlfriends stayed in here, and we were here. I used to live in
this dorm, probably before you guys were born. I was on the floor with all these girls and
I was like - oh boy, this is something different and which they're all my friends today. I
would recommend living in the dorms to anybody, there's no excuse not to get to class on time.
I mean literally, you could roll out of bed walk across the street and you're at school.
Second of all you feel part of the campus. AMC
Oh Nice! This is amazing.
I wanted to work for children not with children necessarily. I followed my passion; I didn't
let the paycheck define me. Define where you want to go don't let it be defined for you,
and I think that was the most important piece of where I am today.
Line-up, we're ready. Well I graduated in 95' and I had 2 graduations
on the same day. I had the University graduation at 2 O' Clock, and then I had the black graduation
at 6 O' Clock. For me of course, I had to go get my hair done [laughs]. And got to put
that cap and gown on, and I didn't really want to take it off.
[Crowd talking] My husband is Bruce Brooks and we met here
at Sac State Through a mutual friend. [Crowd clapping]
Sac State gave me this job I call Big Brothers Big Sisters. I change the lives of children
daily, that's what I get to do, that's why I love to go to work. Not a lot of people
have those jobs where they can say �I'm truly making a difference� and I get to
say that I am. I was a bossy little child so I needed to
be a boss of somebody; bossed my older brothers around.
Set! Go! I didn't ever think I wanted to be a CEO of
an organization; that came over time. Good Catch! Woooo!
I've got Big Brothers Big Sisters where I've been 20 years. In two-thousand and twelve
we came out above, way above our operating budget and that was when the time when many
businesses were closing. You know, being part of the community and letting them know that
we're still there. We're happy to say that we just celebrated 50 years at Big Brothers
Big Sisters. I'm a community based organization, I live
in this community, I work in this community, I'm raising my children in this community.
So it's important that I give back. I just feel that in all the people that I know, that
stayed in Sacramento who work at corporations whether they work at Intel or VSP or they're
probation officers. They got their learning here at Sac State and they put it back into
the community that they live. You have to give back to those who gave so much to you
and my life was defined by being here on this campus.
I'm Rhonda Staley-Brooks, and I was made at Sac State!