Three commencement ceremonies were held May 15 and 17 at the two campuses of Mount St. Mary's College, with more than 500 degrees presented altogether.

On May 15, 347 bachelor's degrees were awarded at the Chalon Campus in Brentwood. And, in separate ceremonies at the Doheny Campus downtown May 17, 61 master's degrees and 125 associate of arts degrees --- plus 19 graduate certificates in specialized study --- were presented.

Commencement speakers included Val Zavala, KCET-TV vice president of news and public affairs and an MSMC board trustee, who addressed bachelor's recipients, families and friends at Chalon, and Dr. Diane Halpern, president of the American Psychological Association and professor at Claremont McKenna College, who spoke to master's recipients at Doheny.

"What you have acquired in your experience here is priceless," Dr. Halpern told the graduate students, noting that the ceremony marked "the commencement, the beginning of the rest of your life."

Observing that oppression is sadly in place in many parts of the world, she pointed out that education is a powerful weapon in the face of oppression, citing Afghanistan where the government prohibited education for women. "There is no better way to oppress a people," she said, "than to deny them an education."

Having worked actively in children's psychology, Halpern urged the students to mindful of the commitment to service embraced in Mount St. Mary's 80-year-old tradition. She reminded students that an "education means you do more than just rearrange your prejudices."

"I hope you will dedicate some of the wisdom you have gained to work on the social problems that are before us," Halpern said. "I hope that you will refuse to be indifferent about something of importance, whether it is the million of people in this country without health insurance, or the 13 million children here who live in poverty."

"You future," she added, "is not just a gift --- it is an achievement and an adventure."