I am a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. I was born and raised in Virginia and came to California in the ‘90s, where I settled and attended Cal for undergrad and law school. I live in the Bay Area with my husband Deech, a local real estate agent, and our daughter Arroway. I am proud to work for the University of California at the Office of the President as the Systemwide Associate Director of Compliance.
What was your undergraduate life like at Cal? My undergraduate life at Cal was intense! It was also a lot of fun. For the first few months, I struggled to get my footing, but finding community with other Native American undergraduates and the guidance of the Native American student support staff helped. I still reflect on some of my favorite classes and professors – Joseph Meyers, Tribal Sovereignty; Laura Nader, Controlling Processes; Alex Filippenko, Astronomy and how much of a positive impact they had on my undergraduate experience. My time at Berkeley in undergrad and law school instilled in me a lifelong pursuit of knowledge.
What advice would you give your undergraduate self? Looking back, I would tell myself not to feel guilty about not being everything to everyone all the time. It was a challenge balancing all extracurricular student activities from student government, affinity groups, and conferences on top of studying. In hindsight, I should have allowed myself more downtime.
Shanda Hunt ’01 B.A., J.D. ’04 making Frybread for a fundraiser with the
What life lessons did you learn at Cal that still impact your daily life? To be proactive. From proactively seeking out the community support I needed to get through rough patches, proactively seeking out faculty mentors, and proactively seeking out opportunities to grow my knowledge in specific areas beyond the classroom and coursework. The mindset of not sitting back and waiting, but pursuing a goal or new connection, has served me well in my career and friendships.
What are some current projects you are working on? I serve on the steering committee for the UC Office of the President’s Native American, Indigenous, and Pacific Islander Staff Association. We are currently planning events for Native American Heritage month, UC multicultural day, and 2023 events. Professionally, I am part of a small team curating a three-day, in-person, Compliance & Audit Symposium with over 45 sessions focused on emerging trends impacting higher education. It is an exciting opportunity to bring together over 350 UC audit and compliance colleagues, national experts, and federal government speakers to build community and share best practices.
Shanda Hunt ’01 B.A., J.D.’04 taking a photo of her children, Arroway and Ryan,
at The Native Community Center at Anthony Hall (left to right).
How do you tap into your Cal Alumni network? I have enjoyed attending and participating in the planning of Berkeley Law alumni events over the years. I am looking forward to participating in the newly formed Native and Indigenous Alumni chapter to help mentor new Cal students. I recently joined the Native and Indigenous Alumni to stay connected to the part of Cal that meant the most to me in undergrad and law school. Without the support and community I received from the Native American Undergraduate Program and the American Indian Graduate Program, my experience at Cal wouldn’t have been the same. I want to make sure I can help give back and support the new Cal Native American students. While working with my alumni chapter, I have been surprised to hear from other alumni about the career paths they have taken after graduation. I think oftentimes, we have a path or picture in our minds of what we should do with our degrees after graduation, so meeting folks who graduated from Cal and have gone on to have fulfilling careers in so many unexpected ways is an exciting part of being involved in the alumni chapter.
Any additional information about yourself you would like to add? I am fortunate to live a few minutes from Cal and to work for the University of California. I come to campus for work several times a year, and I bring my daughter to campus most weekends so she can skateboard with her friends, soak in the beauty of the campus, eat a slice of pizza at LaVals, and dream big about attending Cal in the future. I met my husband while attending Berkeley Law, we got married at the Lawrence Hall of Science at the top of campus, and I have held several positions at Cal throughout my career. I also met two of my lifelong best friends at Berkeley Law. It's safe to say we are big fans of Cal.
Shanda Hunt ’01 B.A., J.D.’04 and Demetrius (Deech) Chapin-Rienzo’s J.D.’03 wedding at the Lawrence Hall of Science.
