Commencement

33RD ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT JUNE 16 AT EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Edmonds Community College held its 33rd annual commencement ceremony Friday, June 16, at 7:30 pm in the Seaview Hall gymnasium.

The college awarded nearly 1,500 degrees and certificates in career fields, liberal arts transfer, general studies, and high school and GED completion. The oldest graduate is a 73 year old earning a paralegal degree while the youngest is a 17 year old earning a college transfer degree.

The Keynote speaker was Washington State Supreme Court Justice Faith Ireland. She was elected to her state post in 1998 after serving 15 years as a King County Superior Court judge. An attorney for many years, Ireland was a founding member of the Washington Women Lawyers, Washington Trial Lawyers Association Judge of the Year, and was named Chinese Man of the Year for helping found the Wing Luke Asian Museum. She recently competed in the USA Powerlifting Women's National Championships in Texas. She is a graduate of the University of Washington, Willamette University School of Law, and Golden Gate University.

Two students spoke at commencement:

Bina Bogati, 23, from Nepal, graduated with her Associate of Arts and Science degree in Computer Science and plans to continue computer studies at Western Washington University. She is proud to be the first woman in her family to finish college and plans to return to her country working to help others get an education. She works in the Student Programs office and has been involved in many campus activities.

Lawrene Lee, 40, of Lynnwood, earned her AAS degree and got her Paralegal program degree last year. A full-time employee at the college, she plans to transfer to Central Washington University's Law and Justice program on campus and then go to law school. Born in Philadelphia, she is the last of eight children in her family to become a college graduate, and her mother was a college dean. Lee's 21-year-old son attends Temple University.