Boatamo Ati Mosupyoe, the director of Sacramento State’s Black Honors College was awarded the CSUs Wang Family Award for Outstanding Staff Performance on Jan. 28, 2026. She is the third Sac State faculty member to receive the honor since its creation in 1999.

“My first thought was that I am humbled, I’m grateful and I’m really thankful for Dr. [Luke] Wood for nominating me for this award,” Mosupyoe said. “I’ve been on this campus for so many years and it happens after decades.”

Mosupyoe and four other recipients received a plaque and a $25,000 prize during a ceremony in Long Beach.

“Some of my students went with me and a lot of noise was made by the students. The chancellor introduced me and congratulated me for my work,” Mosupyoe said.

Sacramento State is proud to congratulate Dean Boatamo Ati Mosupyoe, recipient of the prestigious 2026 Wang Family Excellence Award for Outstanding Staff Performance.

“Dr. Ati,” as she is affectionately known on campus, was the driving force behind the launch of the nation’s… pic.twitter.com/iBjQrIbiTM

— Sacramento State (@sacstate) January 28, 2026

Mosupyoe has worked in education for over 45 years, beginning her career in South Africa before eventually joining Sac State. Over the years, she has held several positions, from the associate dean of Resource and Program Management to the head of the Department of Ethnic Studies as well as the director of the Cooper-Woodsen College Enhancement Program.

She was also selected to be a member of the CSU chancellor’s task force on ethnic studies. The 22 person task force outlined recommendations to the CSUs on how to implement ethnic studies courses throughout all CSU campuses.

“It was a 10-year involvement. We were defining what ethnic studies was because it was under attack at the time,” Mosupyoe said. “We came up with around 10 recommendations, one of them being that ethnic studies should be made a requirement.”

That recommendation became law in 2020 with the passing of AB 1460, which requires all CSU students to complete a three-unit ethnic studies course to graduate.

Now, Mosupyoe leads the BHC, a program created to improve Black student retention at Sac State. She was selected by Wood to head the new program.

RELATED: Sac State launches Black Success Initiative and Black Honors College

To join the BHC, students must have a 3.5 GPA at the time of application and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher to remain in the program. Currently, the average GPA for a BHC student is 3.49.

The BHC also has a high retention rate, with 94% of students continuing with the program after a semester. Mosupyoe credits this early success to being in Student Affairs.

“During my time at Cooper-Woodsen College Enhancement program, the success rate was between 95% to 99%, but the needle was not moved because I could only serve 50 students at a time,” Mosupyoe said.

Placing BHC within Student Affairs allows students to have easier access to resources and gives students a more streamlined way to communicate with administration.

Mosupyoe also advocates for BHC students through her own network that she created through the 25 years working at Sac State. Elijah Martin, the outreach and admissions coordinator for BHC, said her work with other faculty is always with the BHC students in mind.

“Her connections is really what makes the Black Honors College thrive, she brings faculty in to teach and she works with the deans of other colleges to make sure we get class selections,” Martin said.

The network also includes donors who have supported BHC by giving various supplies, including a new refrigerator and 25 laptops that students can borrow.

Interest in the college was immediate. Although they originally intended to admit only 50 students in fall 2024, the growing applications resulted in the admittance of 80 students that semester. The fall 2025 class was the largest class admitted so far, with 262 students accepted into the program.

Students studying at the Black Honors College study room Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. In fall 2024, the first 80 students were admitted into the college. (Vanessa Gomez)

Naomi Thrower, a third-year deaf studies and American Sign Language major, was one of those first 80 students. She learned about BHC through an expo showcasing historically Black colleges and universities in high school. In the college, Thrower takes two additional classes alongside her Sac State coursework and attends mandatory study hours and leadership seminars.

“They bring in opportunities for scholars on different pathways, for internships, one time they brought in Kaiser to talk to students in the health science field,” Thrower said. “I feel very encouraged by this program.”

All students admitted after the first cohort are required to complete a minor from one of several preselected minors.

Shamara Thompson, a third-year health science major, learned about BHC while attending Sierra College. After transferring to Sac State, she was given a choice of four different minors, including real estate, health and leadership or artificial intelligence management. All BHC students are required to pick a minor from several designated choices.

“I was ok with minoring, I wanted to see what it offered because I had been looking into minoring and I was happy with it,” Thompson said.

No students from the Black Honors College have graduated yet. The first cohort of first-time students was admitted in 2024 and the first class of transfer students are expected to graduate this year.

Despite earning the award, Mosupyoe said she plans to focus on strengthening the BHC at Sac State.“I will be happy to see other replications of Black Honors College in other colleges, but I want to focus here,” Mosupyoe said.

Thrower said she appreciates Mosupyoe’s involvement in BHC.

“She calls us her ‘pride,’ she’s really invested in our advancement and making sure we are comfortable in CSUS,” Thrower said.