WILC Co-Chair Cynthia Larsen: “It's all about finding your passion and purpose”

March 18, 2025

by Alexander Rony

Cynthia Larsen ’88 J.D. ’91 is a big Cal fan. The former teacher and current academic support director met her husband at a punk show at Cal, and the couple named their daughter after architect and famous alum Julia Morgan.

When Larsen returned to the Bay Area from living in Virginia for 25 years, one of the first things she did was reconnect with UC Berkeley. This connection led Larsen to join and eventually co-chair the North Bay’s Women in Leadership Circle (or WILC). WILC is a network of UC Berkeley alumnae who gather to build lasting relationships, hone their leadership skills, advocate for themselves, and foster professional and personal growth.

Larsen spoke to UC Berkeley writer Alexander Rony about her love for Cal and her goals for WILC.

Rony: How would you describe your experience at UC Berkeley and the impact the university has had on your life?

Larsen: It was profound, long-lasting, and instrumental. I met my husband at a punk rock concert at Cal. My mother did not have an opportunity to have a college education, and she wanted me to have security and a rich life in the world of ideas. For me, the most important part of my experience at Cal was the professors and how they pushed me to think in different ways.

For example, I had a professor of American history, Leon Litwack. The class I had with him must have started at 8 a.m., but people showed up because they were so inspired, not only by what he had to say but the way he articulated it. His lecture style was so engaging. Where else can you have a Pulitzer Prize-winning professor tell you stories about history? Additionally, I took a class called Revolutionary Change, and Khatharya Um was the grad student instructor. When I moved back to California, I looked her up, and there she was on the faculty. There’s a sense of family and connectivity that surpasses other institutions, and I'm very proud to be a Cal alum and be a part of that story.

As an academic support director, students and their families turn to you for college advice. What do you tell potential and incoming students about UC Berkeley?

It's all about finding your passion and purpose. That's the most important thing. My job as an educator is to get students away from the data points, where they see themselves as a number, and get them to see what opportunities they could find.

One of my best friends from high school also went to Cal. She's now a linguistics professor in Portugal. She adored her experience at Cal, just like I did. In Europe, there is no liberal arts curriculum. Her son, for example, had to give up music and just pursue engineering, and that means he can't take classes in any other subject areas.

That is the beauty of the Cal liberal arts experience. There is so much cultural richness, and it's all accessible to everyone. In my senior year, I took a class in sub-Saharan African anthropology — way outside anything I'd ever done. It was one of the best classes I took. I loved that class and that professor. So, I advise students to look for what you love and what you get lost in. Cal offers so many ways to take these deep dives and have this fantastic sense of community. I don't think there are many places that offer that level of richness and depth. I feel a debt of gratitude for that experience.

You have expressed interest in gender equity and support for marginalized students. Are there any people or programs at Berkeley that you want to spotlight?

Yes, when I was at Berkeley Law, we had the Disability Rights Clinic. The people who wrote the laws that many Cal students benefit from — and where IEPs [Individualized Education Programs] and 504 plans come from — were at the Disability Rights Clinic. It made me really happy to have been a part of this profoundly impactful legislation that continues to provide accessibility to a lot of students. There's so much intersectionality around race, immigration, and learning differences, and it's because of Berkeley’s history of being the epicenter of disability rights.

What inspired you to join the Women in Leadership Circle (WILC) as a member?

It was the professors. I lived in Virginia for 25 years. The first thing I did after moving back was seek out a connection with Berkeley. I got an email to Cal women alumnae in the North Bay. There was a WILC event with a political scientist talking about polarization. I went, and I was surrounded by women — some who had graduated before I was born and some who had just graduated a year or two ago. The richness of the discussion, the depth, and the clarity that was offered by the professor was the draw for me. The work that's being done is so impactful. It gives you this desire to be a student again in some way.

What are you looking forward to most as a co-chair of WILC’s North Bay Circle?

What I look forward to most is being in communion with other alumnae and figuring out more creative ways that we can support the women who are at Cal now. We’ve talked a lot about mentoring. There will be a student at our next event, and we will have an opportunity to learn about the Social Sciences Career Readiness Internship Program and hopefully provide support, both financially and with our expertise.

How might you convince a woman who is nervous about going to her first WILC event that it's worth attending?

I would say: reach out to either co-chair personally. If you have questions about accessibility or you need a ride, reach out to us. We take care of each other; we value each other. Know that whatever their experiences were at Cal, we want to hear their stories. I invite them to come back, celebrate and share our experiences, bond with other women as Cal alumnae, and participate in the leadership of our school, utilizing all the rich variety of skills and strategies and love that we have for each other and for our university.

You do not have to know a soul. Introverts are welcome. I didn't know anybody who was going to my first event, and within minutes, we were chatting like we'd known each other forever. That is the legacy of Cal. It's a point of pride, and I hope other women who read this will feel that pull, that love of Cal, and come and give WILC a try.

Topics

Alumni topic page, Giving topic page, Social Sciences topic page