LOS ANGELES — Christine Devine pulled double duty at the ninth and final ceremony of the Cal State Los Angeles commencement at the Shrine Auditorium May 21.
First, the longtime Fox 11 journalist covered five paroled members of the university’s Prison Graduation Initiative before and after they crossed the stage to receive their bachelor’s degrees. She later took the same stage to receive the inaugural President’s Award for her journalistic commitment to telling the stories of the underserved, the disenfranchised and the overlooked.
“This award is given to someone who helps propel the mission of Cal State L.A.,” university President Berenecea Johnson Eanes said. “The awardee is an ambassador and a champion. Few people embody the spirit of this award more than Devine. Her ongoing coverage of social work, foster care and those incarcerated or formerly incarcerated exemplifies what it means to have stewardship of the L.A. community.”
Devine literally went from the press box to the stage to receive the award from Eanes. She went from telling a story to being the story.
“It’s quite the honor to receive the inaugural President’s Award from the first woman president at Cal State L.A.,” Devine said in an interview prior to receiving the award.
The 16-time Emmy Award winner is best known for her long-running “Wednesday’s Child” adoption segment, which has led to more than 455 foster children finding adoptive families since 1994. Devine also authored the book, “Finding a Forever Family: A News Anchor’s Notebook on Adoption within the Foster Care System.” In 2009, she received a congressional award for her work.
Devine also has been documenting the progress of the university’s Prison Graduation Initiative, the first in-person bachelor’s degree completion program for incarcerated students in California. To date, the program has graduated more than 50 students from the California State Prison in Lancaster. The program also has expanded to the California Institution for Men and the California Institution for Women, both in Chino.
“She has helped the program’s profile grow within Los Angeles and within California,” said Bidhan Roy, Prison Graduation Initiative program director. “A lot of people in prison watch Christine. I’ve received so many letters, so many phone calls from people around the state saying they were inspired by her coverage and that they want pursue education themselves.
“She’s had a tremendous impact in that way — for our incarcerated students and for our future students.”
Four program graduates who have been paroled — Casi Amezcua, Edwin Cruz, Kunlyna Tauch and Dallas Wright — participated in commencement. They previously received their bachelor of arts in communication during a prison graduation ceremony last December.
A fifth student, Nicole Carroll, attended a commencement ceremony earlier in the day to receive her bachelor of arts in sociology. She was paroled from the California Institute for Women in 2023.
“[Devine] sheds light on our stories,” Wright said. “You really don’t see these types of stories in the news. There are a lot of things about people in prison and people coming out of prison that are misunderstood. For her to go out of her way to tell our stories speaks volumes.”
Devine’s story-telling methods stem from her upbringing. In her speech, she spoke about her adopted younger brother, who struggled to overcome a difficult childhood, was incarcerated, and died of an overdose at the age of 33.
“I do all these stories with a passion, and a curiosity, and a compassion that come from my own family,” Devine said. “I feel like [my brother] looks down on me with guidance and with wisdom, and he’s cheering me on. I do every story with him in mind, and youth in mind.”
In 2021, Cal State L.A. conferred an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters on Devine.
