COMMENCEMENT 1988

Cal State L.A., held its 41st commencement Saturday. More than 3,000 undergraduate degrees and 780 master’s degrees were awarded.

Speaker: Edward James Olmos, actor and former Cal State L.A. student, said: “The way to solve teen pregnancies, the drug problem, crime and gangs, high school dropouts--all the problems I’m asked to speak on around the country--is through education. The hardest thing for students to do is not to chase after money. Students should follow their values--truth, love, generosity--and the money will follow.” Olmos also challenged all graduates whose parents had not graduated from high school--almost half--to encourage their parents to complete their educations.

Other Graduations:

Caltech’s 94th commencement was held Friday at the Beckman Mall on campus. A total of 453 diplomas were awarded, including 146 doctoral and 123 master’s degrees.

Speaker: Robert L. Sinsheimer, visiting associate in biology, told the graduates: “It’s fine to make use of your technical expertise, but you should always be aware of the context. Engineers and scientists need to learn to comprehend--and to match wits with--the advocates of world views very distant from your own.”

Cal Poly, Pomona, celebrated its 32nd annual graduation Saturday. KNBC Channel 4 news reporter David Garcia spoke. A total of 2,814 degrees were awarded, including 296 graduate degrees.