Alan Llavore

Only a handful of aspiring journalists of color were admitted each summer into the Summer Program for Minority Journalists, run by the Robert C. Maynard Institute of Journalism Education, at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). The summer-long program provided real-world learning for beginning reporters, and Alan Llavore (Public Affairs/ Communication Specialist, Office of Strategic Communications) was one of two dozen new college graduates accepted into the program in the summer of 1984. This once-in-a-lifetime experience, recalls Alan, affirmed his passion for telling stories.

Journalism was not an unfamiliar career path to Alan, his uncle worked in the newspaper industry and his cousins also pursued newsroom careers as well as public relations. Although Alan jokes that he chose journalism because he was not great at math, choosing journalism felt like continuing a family tradition. As a second generation Filipino-American, Alan earned his bachelor’s degree in Journalism at Cal State Long Beach. Covering major events like the 1984 Democratic National Convention where he interviewed individuals like Angela Davis, Alan holds several years of experience in the industry. Alan’s career experience in journalism spanned across several cities in the United States including, Connecticut, New York, and California where he eventually landed in Riverside at The Press Enterprise, a local newspaper.

In the fall of 2001, Alan began working at Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB) as a publications coordinator for the Office of Strategic Communications (formerly known as Public Affairs). As a writer and frequent collaborator with the department graphic designers, Alan became immersed in the digitization of news media. This led him to become the de-facto editor of Inside CSUSB, the university’s daily news source for campus and community events, announcements and programming.

If you were to ask Alan what he considers to be the best parts of working at CSUSB, he would reply that writing for CSUSB is always exciting because there is something new happening every day. “You learn so much about the faculty, staff, students and their stories,” explains Alan, “and there is a recurring theme of community that is consistent across the stories I’ve covered.” Of all of the stories that Alan has covered, his interview with Dr. Richard Addante, an associate professor of psychology at CSUSB, shares Addante’s experience as a participant in a NASA simulated mission in the summer of 2017 (read the story).

“These are the stories that matter,” says Alan, “These stories are what make this University a light in the community. The students and faculty are helping to define the future and every opportunity we get, we share what we do.”

To Alan, it is a privilege to witness a diversity of ideas present within the CSUSB community as well as the wealth and breadth of ideas that emerge in the stories he’s covered. According to Alan, Universities are often seen as inaccessible and monolithic institutions, so his proudest accomplishment is telling the stories of students, faculty and staff who are doing important things and breaking that perception.

“My job is to show the campus off and tell our neighboring community that this is a good University, I’m helping to push this message along, and I get to tell this story.”

Alan’s hard work does not go unnoticed as he was one of two recipients of the 2018 President’s Outstanding Employee Award. At the 2018 Fall Convocation, Sam Sudhakar, Vice President of Informational Technology Services, shared with the campus community accolades from Alan’s award nomination which described Alan as “exceptionally knowledgeable and collaborative” and “a team player, who possesses a pleasant and often humorous demeanor, always seeking to give the best of himself and working for the greater good of the campus.”

In that moment, Alan recalls hearing the word “marquee” as the nomination was being read which was immediately followed by his thought of “don’t fall” when he went to receive his award. “There were a lot of people nominated so to be selected was an honor, I just want to do the best job I can do for the community,” commented Alan.

Serving CSUSB and the local community is what continues to inspire Alan in his work, “In the region that we serve, we get to help define the future for this community.” With each story written, edited and shared, Alan is leaving his creative paw print at CSUSB.

About Alan:

In addition to his work, Alan enjoys shooting photography and engaging in outdoor activities. As a former track and field athlete, Alan continues to run marathons (when he can) and enjoys participating in CrossFit. Community is important to Alan and so, when able, he enjoys spending time with his family in San Diego as well as leading the music department at his church where he serves as an associate pastor.