For nearly 50 years, Cal State Fullerton political science alum Raúl Tapia has met and worked with U.S. presidents, politicians and world leaders.
“The debt I owe, the debt I can never repay, is the debt to Cal State Fullerton,” said Tapia, who received CSUF’s President’s Award as the outstanding graduate of the Class of 1972.
After earning his bachelor’s degree, Tapia went on to graduate from Harvard Law School and also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Tapia, the son of a seamstress and steelworker, is the first in his family to graduate from college. Seven years after graduating from CSUF, Tapia became a White House staffer under the late President Jimmy Carter.
The Washington D.C.-based attorney and chairman of Tapia & Associates served as a deputy assistant to the president for Hispanic Affairs. As the liaison to the Hispanic business community, his work focused on issues such as economic development, education and employment.
“I am proud to hold degrees from Harvard. But Harvard didn’t take a chance on me; Cal State Fullerton took a chance on me,” Tapia said.
At age 12, Tapia worked on his first campaign for the mayor of Chino, where he grew up. During his career, he clerked for an associate justice on the Alaska Supreme Court, served as a political adviser, participated in presidential campaigns and became an entrepreneur.
Tapia founded a law firm, a television station in San Antonio, Texas, and a New Mexico FM radio station in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque area. He has served on corporate and nonprofit boards, including as chairman of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.
His work centers on business negotiations, legislative relations and public affairs. Tapia credits his CSUF professors for helping him reach professional success.
“Any success I have enjoyed is because I stand on the shoulders of my teachers and my mentors. That’s why I believe so strongly in the concept of mentorship,” said Tapia, who received the 1994 Vision & Visionaries Distinguished Alumnus Award.
“Institutions are bricks and mortar, but to me, Cal State Fullerton is the people who have lighted my way. I’m just paying it forward.”
Tapia shares his accomplishments, as well as his setbacks, with students in the 20-year Cal State DC Scholars program and guides them on their paths to professional careers.
Students are assigned a mentor through the program’s volunteer alumni network, which has over 600 alums, said Kathryn Buechel, Washington, D.C., liaison and residential faculty.
“The program provides in-person networking, career advice, guidance from an alumnus, and often, opportunities to visit their mentors on-site at work,” Buechel said.
One of Tapia’s mentees is DC Scholar and senior Colson Houck Teal, a CSUF political science major. He interned at the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General and with the United Nations Association of the USA.
Houck Teal is applying to 17 law schools, including Harvard, with Tapia guiding him on his applications.
“Mr. Tapia has a wealth of experience to improve my chances of getting into a good school,” said Houck Teal, who aspires to a public service career.
“He’s shown me it comes down to a positive spirit, a dedication to hard work, and a willingness to take the extra bold step that others would be too afraid to even think of.”
After peering into a courtroom when he was 14, Tapia knew he wanted to become an attorney. Now, he’s committed to helping students like Houck Teal consider higher education possibilities.
“When I came to Cal State Fullerton, I took it as a real opportunity and made the most of it,” Tapia said.