By Cynthia Hubert

November 07, 2024

Noel Mora was a star in the making from the moment he stepped onto Sacramento State’s leafy campus.

As an undergraduate, Mora served as president of Associated Students Inc., representing more than 31,000 Sac State scholars. Throughout his academic and professional career, he has worked to promote civic engagement, help underrepresented students succeed and organize campaigns for financial aid reform.

His star status is now official. For his impressive history of serving Sac State and the larger community, Mora has received the Rising Star Award from the Sac State Alumni Association. He and five others will be honored at the Distinguished Alumni Awards reception and dinner on Nov. 7.

As a student, Mora juggled his academic workload with his service on committees focused on social justice and educational equity, among other issues. He won statewide awards for his efforts with Sac State’s campus Vote Center, one of the first projects of its kind in the nation.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in Government in 2018 and a master’s in Public Policy and Administration in 2021, he launched his professional career on the Sac State campus.

Currently, Mora works as community partnership coordinator in the Community Engagement Center, where he helps students pursue academic internships, service-learning opportunities and community-based research. He also is president of the University’s Latinx Alumni chapter. He previously served as program coordinator for Sac State’s Serna Center.

“Noel’s tireless dedication to community service and his willingness to take on leadership roles across a diverse range of organizations demonstrate his unwavering commitment to fostering positive change and creating a brighter future for the Sacramento region.”  -- Frances Palu, Ethnic Studies lecturer

Off campus, Mora is a trustee for the Natomas Unified School District, where he is the first Latino male and first openly LGBTQ+ trustee, and vice chair of The Stonewall Foundation of Greater Sacramento.

Frances Palu, a Sac State Ethnic Studies lecturer who nominated him for the award, called him “a beacon of hope and inspiration” and a caring role model to those around him.

“Noel’s tireless dedication to community service and his willingness to take on leadership roles across a diverse range of organizations demonstrate his unwavering commitment to fostering positive change and creating a brighter future for the Sacramento region,” Palu said.

Mora is a lifelong resident of Natomas and a first-generation college graduate. In his role as a school board member in Natomas, he strives to support students who face cultural, financial and other obstacles by helping them gain access to higher education and trade schools.

Receiving the Rising Star Award, Mora said, is humbling. It also affirms his commitment to his broader goals.

"I feel very grateful to be chosen for this award, especially considering how much Sacramento State has already given me: two degrees, a fulfilling career and tremendous personal development," he said.

Through his work at the University and beyond, Mora said, he wants to make sure that others have similar opportunities for success.

For more information about the Distinguished Alumni Awards, visit the Alumni Association web page.