Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be Keynote Speaker at San Francisco State University Commencement May 28
The Speaker of the House will address more than 30,000 at University’s 118th graduation ceremony
San Francisco, CA ‒ April 29, 2019 ‒ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be the keynote speaker at San Francisco State University’s 118th Commencement on Tuesday, May 28.
Speaker Pelosi will address the more than 8,500 undergraduate and graduate students receiving their degrees as well as an expected 30,000 guests. The graduation ceremony will be held at San Francisco’s Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park) for the fifth year in a row.
Nancy Pelosi is the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, having made history in 2007 when she was elected the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Now in her third term as Speaker, Pelosi made history again in January 2019 when she regained her position second-in-line to the presidency, the first person to do so in more than 60 years. For 31 years, Speaker Pelosi has represented San Francisco’s 12th District in Congress.
In addition, the University will honor three individuals with special awards. The President’s Medal will be bestowed upon businessman Allam El Qadah and the late educator and author Joseph L. White, “the father of black psychology.” Novelist, feminist and University of California, Berkeley Professor Emerita of English Maxine Hong Kingston will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts.
The graduate procession begins at 5:30 p.m., with the Commencement ceremony starting at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks will close the event at about 9:30 p.m.
Live updates and photos from the ceremony will be posted to the University’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat accounts. Graduates and guests can tag their Commencement posts on social media using the hashtag #SFSU2019. More details are available online at commencement.sfsu.edu.
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About San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a doctoral public university serving students from the San Francisco Bay Area, across California and around the world, with nationally acclaimed programs that span a broad range of disciplines. Nearly 30,000 students enroll at the University each year, and its more than 321,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and beyond. Through them — and more than 1,800 world-class faculty members — SF State proudly embraces its legacy of academic excellence, community engagement and commitment to social justice. For more information, visit sfsu.edu.