Commencement

Commencement Speaker Rick Steves

Rick Steves is the owner of Europe Through the Back Door a travel tour company based in Edmonds, host of a public television series and author of 24 European travel books.

Steves advocates for smart, independent travel that will increase people’s understanding and appreciation of different cultures, broaden their perspectives and teach them new ways to measure quality of life.

He also assists people who cannot afford to travel. Locally, he supports Pathways for Women / YWCA, which provides emergency housing for single mothers and their children. Internationally, he assists Bread for the World Institute, a citizens' lobby organization that works to eliminate world hunger.