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Ruben Navarrette, Jr., Will Headline UC Merced’s 2008 Commencement Ceremony

April 18, 2008

MERCED - Syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette, Jr., a
sought-after expert on ethnicity and national origin, will address
the University of California, Merced, Class of 2008 at their
commencement exercise on May 23.

Navarrette is a native of the Fresno/Sanger area and a
second-generation Mexican-American who attended Harvard for his
bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He now writes for the editorial
pages of the San Diego Union-Tribune and is one of only about ten
Hispanic syndicated columnists in the United States. He has also
appeared on numerous national news Web sites, television shows, and
radio shows as a commentator. He is the author of “A Darker Shade
of Crimson: Odyssey of a Harvard Chicano.”

“We’re very pleased Ruben Navarrette has accepted our invitation
to address the graduates of UC Merced this year,” said student
organizer Kamilia Dews. “We think a lot of our grads will identify
with elements of his background from their own experiences, and
even more importantly, all of us will be inspired by his successes.”

Commencement will be at 10 a.m. May 23 on the quad at UC Merced.
The ceremony is open to graduating seniors and their invited guests
and is not a public event. (Interested journalists should R.S.V.P.
to the UC Merced Office of Communications at

communications@ucmerced.edu
.)

This year’s student speaker will be Sonia Salazar, who is
receiving a bachelor’s degree in literature. Salazar works in the
Joseph E. Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center; was an orientation
leader; served as a student government Senate member; and
participated in the UCDC program interning in the Public Defenders
Office last fall.

For more information about Commencement 2008, visit

http://commencement.ucmerced.edu/
.


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