Giving Back
Cal Poly Athletics holds a special place in the Bakers’ hearts, acting as family and always there to welcome them at any event or game. The surrounding Cal Poly community is tight-knit, constantly supporting the student-athletes in their academic success, athletic performance, and professional development. Connecting Mustangs with successful businesses is another way our supporters have paid it forward with future Cal Poly generations.
“If anyone wants to get involved, I can’t think of a better way to give back than to volunteer time or funding to a local university. If you want to be a part of a family, this is the best way to do it. It benefits the students, the community of San Luis Obispo, and those who give always feel great about the impact they’ve made.” -Judi Baker
Rick remembers a situation at work where he needed intelligent engineers who could assist him on an important project that upcoming June. Working for a prominent engineering firm at the time, his human resources department was taking too long with the recruiting and interviewing process, so he went straight to a source that was overflowing with talent. After a phone call with Cal Poly Engineering’s Department Head, Rick had 20 impressive Mustang resumes on his desk. Rick confidently expected these almost graduates to be up for the job since Cal Poly’s “learn by doing” curriculum is directly applicable to realistic workflows.
Creating a Better Future
Rick has stayed connected with Cal Poly over the past 30 years by advising in the Aerospace Engineering Department and mentoring one of the Cal Poly Men’s Basketball sophomores, Kyle Colvin. Kyle is an Engineering student-athlete with high hopes to identify his specific sector of interest and round out his skill set with a Master’s in Business Administration for his fifth year of eligibility.
Kyle notes that Rick has been extremely helpful in his professional development, providing advice on engineering careers post-graduation. Rick is a great fit for Kyle because he has shed light on professional lessons learned as he navigated the different sectors of his engineering development. A connection like this gives our student-athletes confidence to succeed academically and apply their knowledge in a professional setting once they move past their athletic career.
“There are many people out there who want to see us succeed, so they’re willing to donate their time to help us talk through our professional development. Rick helped me understand that I need hands-on experience early-on in my career. As a student-athlete, I don’t have much time to do internships or get jobs. We constantly have practices, games, and school, so there is not a lot of time for professional development. Rick encouraged me to work an internship every summer that is realistic with my basketball training schedule. He helped me take a step back from my sport and realize I need real-life experience to succeed as an engineer.” -Kyle Colvin
To make a donation, please contact Jenna Tognazzini at jtognazz@calpoly.edu or donate online here.
