2010 STARS Hall of Fame
Lisa Ling
Investigative Journalist • Documentary Host
Albert Schweitzer ES | John Barrett MS | Del Campo HS
Lisa Ling is an acclaimed journalist, storyteller, and advocate whose work has brought global attention to some of the most pressing and underreported issues of our time. A proud graduate of Del Campo High School, Lisa credits her San Juan Unified education—and mentors like teacher Jim Jordan—for helping launch her career and inspiring her deep commitment to public schools.
She began reporting as a teenager on Sacramento’s Scratch, and by age 18 was anchoring and producing international stories for Channel One News. From there, she went on to co-host The View, serve as field correspondent for National Geographic Explorer, and report hard-hitting investigations for The Oprah Winfrey Show.
More recently, Lisa created and hosted This Is Life with Lisa Ling (CNN, 2014–2022), a groundbreaking documentary series exploring overlooked American communities. She currently hosts Take Out with Lisa Ling (HBO Max), which celebrates Asian American stories through the lens of food, culture, and identity. Find her at @lisalingstagram.

“I will be forever grateful for the attention I received and the safe environment the district provided and because of those things, I will continue to be a fierce advocate for public schools. ”


