San Francisco Mayor London Breed to deliver 2020 Commencement address

San Francisco State University will hold its 119th Commencement ceremony online Thursday, June 18. The virtual Commencement — a first for the University necessitated by the spread of COVID-19 — will recognize more than 7,700 graduating students. San Francisco Mayor London Breed will deliver the Commencement address.

This year was unlike any other in the University’s history, and the Class of 2020 has persevered through an unimaginable disruption, says San Francisco State President Lynn Mahoney. “I’m looking forward to celebrating the accomplishments of a class that showed grit and determination throughout its final semester,” she said. “And I’m delighted that Mayor Breed has agreed to join that celebration.”

The virtual ceremony will be the first of two Commencements for the class of 2020. In a University poll asking what kind of 2020 Commencement ceremony was preferred, students said they wanted both a virtual ceremony at the end of the semester and a second in-person celebration later, when social distancing restrictions have eased. “Our graduates should be proud of their accomplishments, and we look forward to celebrating them again in person when it’s safe to do so,” Mahoney adds.

Graduates, their family and friends will be able to watch the June 18 ceremony live on SF State’s Commencement website starting at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony will be archived on the University’s YouTube Channel. In the meantime, the University will be celebrating graduates throughout June on social media and the Commencement website. Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #SFSU2020.

Commencement Speaker

London Breed, the city’s 45th mayor, was sworn into office in 2018. She’s the first African American woman in the city’s history to hold the office. Prior to serving as mayor, she spent six years as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, including three years as board president. In her two years as mayor, she’s focused her attention on housing the unhoused, making housing more accessible for low- and middle-income residents and creating new employment development opportunities.

Breed was raised by her grandmother in Plaza East Public Housing in the Western Addition. She graduated with honors from Galileo High School and attended the University of California, Davis, earning a B.A. in Political Science/Public Service. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.