The Peralta Colleges are home to many extraordinary individuals who consistently exceed expectations in their service to students, employees, and the community. The whimsically named "Flying Pig Awards" were established to celebrate such achievements – those that defy expectations and embody the true spirit of Peralta.

Peralta Community College District Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson presented the awards during the Chancellor's Report at the May 14, 2024, Board of Trustees Meeting. Here is the first cohort of Flying Pig Award Winners with comments by Chancellor Gilkerson:

• Amine Boughzala for the remarkable contributions you've made in The Welcome Center at Laney College where you excel as a student worker, being patient, nimble, and good with people. You actively support the success of each student, and your collaborative work with colleagues has elevated the standard of excellence for the entire Welcome Center team.
• Brock Drazen for coaching at Merritt College, where you are recognized as an "above-and-beyond track and field coach and mentor.” Your encouragement and support of athletes, which includes school performance as well as prowess on the track, is inspiring student-athletes not just for success on the track but also to have a positive impact on society.   
  
• Hope Lane at Laney College, where you serve as President of the Laney Classified Senate. You've done the impossible at least twice, including your efforts to honor colleague Rene Rivas by renaming the Laney College Classified Lounge in his honor, and in helping organize the first-ever Peralta districtwide Classified Professionals Professional Development Day. Peralta is better off now with a Rene Rivas lounge and districtwide Classified Professional development days. 
• John Nguyen at Berkeley City College, where you are the first-ever Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Basic Needs. While there have been many shifts in administration, you remained unwavering in your commitment to supporting students and helped BCC become the first college in the district to hire a Basic Needs Coordinator. Your perseverance, advocacy, and willingness to take on more tasks and responsibilities have improved campus life and culture at BCC and Peralta. 
• Kyla Oh for the remarkable contributions you've made in teaching at Laney College, where you have impressed colleagues with a new curriculum in the math department for Data Science classes that enhance the data science literacy of students and workers. Your thought leadership as part of the Equity in Calculus project to rework math assessment practices to be more equitable and mitigate institutional barriers is inspiring.   
• Nicholas “Nick” Shere for the remarkable contributions made in Accounts Payable at the District Service Center, where you process invoices for DGS and Capital Projects. Your thought leadership during the PeopleSoft upgrade, where you helped solve problems and make us more efficient has been noticed and makes Peralta a better place. 

All of these winners display dedication and actions that align perfectly with Peralta's mission of “advancing social and economic transformation for students and the community through quality education, rooted in equity, social justice, environmental sustainability, and partnerships." Their unwavering commitment serves as an inspiration to us all. By metaphorically "making pigs fly," they epitomize the exceptional individuals who make Peralta a truly special community.

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you for your tireless efforts to improve the Peralta community! Special thanks to District Graphic Design Specialist Marcus Creel for coming up with the design of the award, and to Levi Williams and the Laney College Fab Lab for bringing the design to life.