James Cameron

World-renowned director, writer, and producer, James Cameron has invented memorable worlds and fantasies that continue to make history. Cameron, the son of an engineer and artist, attended Cal State Fullerton after his family moved to California when he was 17. He majored in engineering; however, uncertain about his life path, dropped out of the university, married, and drove a truck to earn money that would eventually buy him filming materials. Cameron pursued his interest in cinematic art, after seeing Star Wars, and spent hours in the library at the University of Southern California studying filming techniques. After many difficult gigs under various directors, Cameron decided to take his ideas and make them his own. He finally got his big break with the 1984 film, The Terminator, and has been especially successful recently with his latest release of the hit, Avatar. Cameron has won over a dozen awards for his visionary work.

Kevin Costner

Despite having to move often, Kevin Costner finds his roots in Southern California. After several moves due to his father's work, Costner found himself back in California for college at Cal State Fullerton. He attended the university from 1973-1978, taking acting classes five days a week. Costner graduated with a business degree in 1978. Post-college he married and took a marketing job in Orange County where he was given advice to follow through with his passion for acting. After a rough career path of giving tours in Hollywood and working on a fishing boat, he finally got his big break when he was asked to film the 1985 film, Silverado. His career took off from there and Costner is now in the process of filming Django Unchained directed by Quentin Tarantino, along with a few other small-scale films.

Kira Bruno

Ms. Bruno graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1989 and has since been busy with her career, family, and community service.  Currently she is the CEO of FORTIS Resource Partners, LLC, and she has previously worked with such companies as Accoountants Overload and Remedy Intelligent Staffing.  Her community service includes service on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Orange County.  Clearly, since her graduation at CSUF, she has had a long and successful career.  Read more about Ms. Bruno in the links below.

Nadya Suleiman

Not all of Fullerton's graduates have been successful due to their civic-mindedness or success at business. One person who has gained infamy is Nadya Suleiman, otherwise known as the Octomom. She attended and graduated in 2006 from CSU Fullerton with a degree in Child and Adolescent Development. She is currently back in the news with claims that she was drugged when she consented to the procedure that implanted 12 embryos which led to her octuplets.

Ed Royce

Another notable alumni that graduated from CSU Fullerton's business program with a BA in Accounting is Ed Royce. Congressman Royce was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2002 and is currently representing California's 40th Congressional District which encompasses Fullerton.

Richard K Davis

Possibly one of the biggest success stories from CSUF, Davis graduated with a BA in economics and is currently the CEO of U.S. Bankcorp.  According to Forbes.com, last year his total compensation package was close to $19 million!  Davis worked his way up in the banking industry over the last 35 years; he started as a teller at age 18.  Davis is clearly an example of what can be done with an innovative mind, a clear work ethic, and a BA from CSUF.

What we are about

This blog is designed to follow some of the more successful and/or famous CSUF Alumni.  By highlighting their current positions and activities we hope to encourage students in their quest to graduate and emphasize what can be accomplished with a degree from CSUF.