USC Commencement 2006: L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa to Speak
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will deliver the commencement address at the University of Southern California’s 123rd graduation ceremony on Fri., May 12.
USC President Steven B. Sample will confer more than 8,000 degrees on graduating students in ceremonies starting at 8:30 a.m. in USC’s Alumni Memorial Park.
About 40,000 parents, family and friends are expected to attend the ceremonies, which will also culminate USC’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of its founding. The event will be simultaneously Webcast on the Internet, enabling families around the world to watch and listen.
At the ceremony, biological sciences major Kavitha Sivaraman will be recognized as valedictorian of the USC undergraduate class of 2006. Biomedical/electrical engineering major Aaron Wong and international relations/Spanish major Kathryn Neeper will be recognized as class salutatorians.
After delivering the commencement address, Villaraigosa will receive an honorary degree from USC.
The 41st mayor of Los Angeles, Villaraigosa is a native Angeleno who was raised by a single mother. He began working as a volunteer in the farm workers’ movement when he was 15.
A graduate of the People’s College of Law, Villaraigosa earned his bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA. He has been a distinguished visiting fellow at USC’s Southern California Studies Center and he often speaks about leadership to undergraduate classes at USC.
Villaraigosa has served as assembly speaker in the California State Assembly and on the Los Angeles City Council. He took office in July 2005 on a platform that emphasized fixing the city’s shortcomings in education, transportation, public safety and economic development.
Also receiving honorary USC degrees:
Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corp. of New York. Gregorian is a renowned scholar and author, a former president of the New York Public Library and Brown University and a former provost of the University of Pennsylvania.
Herbert G. Klein, retired vice president and editor-in-chief of Copley Newspapers. Klein is a long-serving USC trustee and alumnus and was White House communications director under President Nixon.
Dushanka V. Kleinman, rear admiral and assistant surgeon general, U.S. Public Health Service and deputy director, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Kleinman is America’s first female chief dental officer in the Public Health Service.
For more information about USC’s commencement activities, please visit https://www.usc.edu/dept/pubrel/specialevents/commencement/.
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From the University of Southern California Media Relations office
3375 S. Hoover St. Suite H201, Los Angeles, CA 90089-7790
Tel: 213-740-2215 Fax: 213-740-7600
