For Immediate Release
May 24, 2011

Cañada to Honor Academic Achievement at Saturday's Commencement Ceremony

The annual ceremony will be held in the campus quad at 10 a.m.

Cañada College will recognize the academic achievement of more than 700 graduates at its annual commencement ceremony to be held on Saturday, May 28 at 10 a.m.

This year’s commencement speaker is Mr. Gao Zhangsheng, Consul General of the Consulate General of China in San Francisco. Mr. Gao is a ranking diplomat of the People’s Republic of China with close to three decades of experience in enhancing international relations between China and other countries and regions. He has helped China in promoting cultural exchange and goodwill among peoples and businesses on key posts that he has held. Mr. Gao believes in promoting international exchange and cultural connection activities as he thinks these are vital for education, the economy, and world peace.

The San Mateo County Community College District has long promoted international education for its students. In recent years, Cañada students have had the opportunity to study abroad in Egypt, London, and Florence. Next year, a group of Cañada students will study in Costa Rica. The college is working to expand study abroad opportunities to China.

The college will honor three valedictorians. They are Brenda Herlihy, a multimedia art and technology major; Alex Ramos, a veteran who returned to school and majored in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in natural science and mathematics; and Natalie Wills, a sociology major.

Menlo Park’s Kyle Schwab will be the ceremony’s student speaker. He will describe what the college has meant for him personally and for other graduates. Schwab has served as a tutor in ESL, Spanish, financial accounting, English and history at the college and was awarded the History Department Student Achievement Award. He plans to transfer to UCLA to finish his degree in business.

Cañada College President Thomas C. Mohr will also be honored with emeritus status. President Mohr, who joined the college in 2005 after a lengthy career as a high school teacher and administrator, will be retiring at the end of the academic year.

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340