With a demonstrated drive toward outstanding citizenship and engagement in her campus and community, Cal State LA women’s soccer student-athlete Faith Baumgartner has been named the 2020-21 CCAA Impact Award recipient.
Created in 2015-16, the Impact Award recognizes a single CCAA student-athlete who has exemplified leadership through participation in community service and engagement activities while maintaining dedication to academics and athletics. Selections are made by the Conference’s 12 Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC).
Baumgartner, a nursing student hailing from Benecia, has been exerting her influence on her team and throughout her community throughout her four years in Los Angeles. But during the 2020-21 year, her leadership and commitment to public health has been ramped up to an even higher level.
“As a coach, you don’t always get to coach student-athletes who are driven to succeed despite
great adversity,” remarked Cal State LA head coach Erik Garcia. “One doesn’t always get to coach young women who beam with pride knowing how far they’ve come and how hard they’ve worked to get where they are. Faith is all of these things and I’ve been lucky to witness this journey of hers.”
Upon the COVID-19 surge in November 2020, hospitals became severely understaffed and this resulted in the patient-to-nurse ratio to increase tremendously. Due to families not being able to be at the patient’s bedside, this also exposed patients to increased risks of falling and pressure wound injuries. Heeding the call from Kaiser for prelicensure nursing students to help, Baumgartner provided patient care in multiple units in need from medical-surgical and orthopedic patient care to cardiology, critical care and liver and kidney transplant units. She also volunteered and assisted with patient care at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital for three 12-hour shifts in their “clean” emergency department, bringing her skills learned in the classroom into a clinical setting during a vital time in the pandemic.
“Her dedication to academic, athletic, personal, and professional growth has been remarkable to see over the last four years,” added Coach Garcia. “Her leadership, along with our other captains, has helped keep our team together during these unprecedented times. Faith showed great commitment to serve her teammates and her community as a front-line worker during this pandemic. She is a great example of excellence in the classroom and hard work on the field. Her impact on this team goes beyond the stat sheets and beyond the school newspaper story.”
Along with her work on the front lines in her chosen field of study, Baumgartner volunteered both with her team and independently throughout the 2020-21 school year. Working with Matthew Turner Elementary School, she organized and led a group of five high school students to weed, maintain, water and garden their campus beds. Spending her summer and weekends working in the dirt, the gardens allow for teacher lesson plans in life science, biology, gardening and insect identification cultivating the next generation to get involved in STEM education.
Another project at Matthew Turner included cleaning, sorting and delivering lost and found clothing to low income families and children in the foster care system with donations to the Solano County and Contra Costa Receiving Centers, reinforcing her commitment to serving others in all aspects of life.
“We take pride in giving back and raising awareness for not only our athletic programs, but the issues facing our local community,” explained Golden Eagles’ assistant athletic director for compliance and student-athlete services Dr. Demetrus Caldwell. Any time our student-athletes are able to provide service to the community, it is a great reflection on our department and institution. For Faith to be on the front line assisting those in need during the pandemic, from assisting her local school community garden, and mentoring young girls through education and sport is commendable. She truly exemplifies what the student-athlete experience should be.”
A student in the Honors College, Baumgartner thrives in the classrooms of Cal State LA, twice earning the department’s annual Female Academic Achievement Award. She’s also been recognized on multiple CCAA seasonal and annual All-Academic Teams while making significant contributions on the pitch for the Golden Eagles.
“We are so proud of Faith’s leadership,” added Cal State LA director of athletics Dr. Daryl Gross. “She continues to make significant impacts off the field and has been a voice for so many important causes. Her recognition is well deserved and truly reflects her character and work ethic.”
Baumgartner is expected to graduate in 2022, and plans to return for a fifth season of competition this fall. She is the first Golden Eagle to be recognized as an Impact Award recipient, and the second women’s soccer winner.
In order to be considered for the CCAA Impact Award, candidates must participate in community service and engagement activities as a member of their team as well as outside of team activities, and demonstrate activities that exemplify leadership.
CCAA Impact Award Winners
2015-16: Lindsey Armstrong, Cal State Dominguez Hills (women’s soccer)
2016-17: Haley Kroll, Chico State (women’s cross country/track & field)
2017-18: Andrew Dirks, UC San Diego (men’s track & field)
2018-19: Claire Wayne, Chico State (softball)
2019-20: Nadia Torkman, Chico State (women’s track & field)
2020-21: Faith Baumgartner, Cal State LA (women’s soccer)