Christine Devine pulled double duty at the ninth and final ceremony of the Cal State LA Commencement at the historic Shrine Auditorium on Wednesday, May 21.
First, the longtime FOX 11 Los Angeles journalist covered five paroled members of the university’s Prison Graduation Initiative (PGI) before and after they crossed the stage to receive their bachelor’s degrees. She later took the same stage to receive the inaugural Presidential 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 LA,” President Berenecea Johnson Eanes said. “The awardee is an ambassador and a champion. Few people embody the spirit of this award more than Dr. 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 President Eanes. She went from telling a story to being the story.
“It’s quite the honor to receive the inaugural Presidential Award from the first woman president at Cal State LA,” 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 has also been documenting the progress of PGI, the first in-person bachelor’s degree completion program for incarcerated students in California. To date, PGI has graduated more than 50 students from the California State Prison, Los Angeles County in Lancaster. PGI has also expanded to the California Institution for Men (CIM) and the California Institution for Women (CIW), both in Chino.
“She has helped the program’s profile grow within Los Angeles and within California,” said Bidhan Roy, PGI’s 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 PGI 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 the graduation ceremony of PGI’s third cohort at the California State Prison on Dec. 5, 2024, one of several events Devine has highlighted for FOX 11.
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 CIW in 2023.
“[Devine] sheds light on our stories,” said Wright. “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 compassionate way of telling stories stems 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 LA conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters on Devine.
Her numerous honors also include the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Angels in Adoption award, two Gracie Allen Awards from the American Women in Radio and Television, the Society of Professional Journalists’ Anna Quindlen Award for Community Service, Volunteers of America Los Angeles’ Media Volunteer of the Year award, the Child Welfare League of America award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Century City Chamber of Commerce.
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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.
