Leadership in Action | Cal State LA

The Honors College supplements its courses with experiences in the Los Angeles community. We have leadership opportunities, such as our Honors Ambassador Program, experiences that help us to "Read Los Angeles" and thus treat our community as a text we study and engage in, and Events that we sponsor on and off campus. In the Honors College, we learn beyond the classroom, and look for opportunities for our students to work with their local communities, gain partnerships with local organizations, and practice what it means to be a leader.

Oxford Consortium Workshops

Every year Honors College students participate in workshops through the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights.

Past participants include Michael Zitser, Veronika Katona, Alexis Ramirez, and Cindy Nguyen.

Theater major Alexis Ramirez attended in March, 2025 and shares that “Going to Oxford was an amazing eye-opening experience. Hearing not only from the guest lecturers and faculty but from my fellow students taught me much about myself and my goals as an artist.” Nursing student Veronika Katona notes that "Over the week that we spent in Oxford, I had the chance to network with like-minded students from across the country, and learn about some of the most urgent issues in our world today as well as how we can initiate meaningful action. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to improve my understanding of what it means to be an advocate for others." Cindy Nguyen, biology major and chief of staff for the ASI Executive Committee 2024-25 emphasizes just how valuable getting off-campus and abroad can be, noting that "what I learned was beyond what a lecture or a textbook could give. I learned about building community, organizing for change, the impact we can make on others, and so much more that has encouraged me to reflect on how I want to make a difference on others as I continue the pathway into my own career."

Honors opportunities are supported in part by funds endowed in support of the Honors College by former President James Rosser.

Partners in Peace

The Honors College at Cal State LA is honored to join the inaugural Partners in Peace cohort, an initiative launched by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) in partnership with the Nobel Peace Center. This program recognizes NCHC member institutions for their efforts in creating, implementing, and assessing honors-level curricular and co-curricular projects that highlight the work of Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The Honors College joins in this work through co-curricular conversations regarding Nobel Peace Laureates, Leadership opportunities within and beyond the Honors College, and participation in the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, most recently in Monterrey, Mexico, in Fall, 2024. The Honors College expects to participate in events in Oslo, Norway, in May, 2026.

World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates

Approximately every eighteen months, the World Summit gathers Nobel Peace Laureates, students, faculty, and community members from around the world. The Summit is an essential gathering for human rights and peace around the world. Thanks to its partnership with Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, and endowments dedicated to the Honors College, Cal State LA sent its first delegation in Fall, 2024, and anticipates its next delegation in 2026.