​​Angelina Aliberti Ruggie and Lawrence L. Ruggie both graduated from the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1922. Mrs. Ruggie completed a degree in social work at Boston University in 1926 and went on to obtain a graduate degree from the University of Southern California Graduate School of Social Work in 1937. The Ruggie family's interest in the humanities inspired them to provide an opportunity for exemplary students to pursue their dreams at the California State University.​