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News Release December 10, 2008 Media Advisory What: Boise State graduate stories When: Commencement, 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19 Where: Taco Bell Arena Boise State University will host its Winter Commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19 in Taco Bell Arena, with President Bob Kustra officiating. About 600 students are expected to participate, with 1,350 eligible for 1,420 degrees/certificates and 249 eligible for honors, including 156 cum laude, 65 magna cum laude and 28 summa cum laude. This group represents a wealth of individual stories, a few of which are presented below. Contact information is provided, but arrangements must be made in advance for interviews the day of commencement. Please plan to arrive at least 45 minutes early so a representative from the office of Communications and Marketing can assist you in locating particular students or university officials. Compelling Graduate Stories Kermit Hale is a 60-year-old student who found himself in a difficult situation several years ago. After high school, he skipped college in favor of joining the armed forces. But after a lifetime of work as a delivery driver and warehouse worker, he found himself without employment and too young to qualify for Social Security. His longtime friend Sam Robison talked him into taking classes with him at Boise State. Hale’s decision to enroll led him to explore his affinity for writing — he is an English major with a writing emphasis — and to help other students achieve their goals. He tutors as part of the Student Success program, which helps students in similar circumstances (first-time freshmen, people returning to school, etc.) and plans to continue his tutoring work after he graduates. Hale and Robison have provided each other tremendous emotional support. Both have suffered health problems during their time at Boise State, but their sense of humor keeps them going. They co-wrote a humor column for the student newspaper, the Arbiter, and now are doing an internship together for Big Tree Arts. Kermit Hale can be reached at kermy3689@gmail.com. Martha Salas has worked at Boise State for more than 10 years, seven of which she spent juggling family life, classes and her job at the College Assistance Migrant Program as she worked toward a degree in multi-ethnic studies. But the long road of one- and two-class semesters has paid off; Salas will be the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. From here, she would like to continue working at Boise State and ultimately begin work on a master’s degree. Martha Salas can be reached at 426-3203 or msalas@boisestate.edu. Xiangli Li will be the first graduate of the doctoral program in electrical and computer engineering at Boise State, where he also received his master’s degree. He has worked as an engineer for Motorola Electronics in Tianjin, China and currently is a senior characterization engineer for Micron Technology in San Jose, Calif. Xiangli’s research focuses on the design and characterization of CMOS image sensors, and many of his published papers involve patents or patents pending. Xiangli Li can be reached at (408) 660-2721 or xianglili@u.boisestate.edu. For more information, contact Erin Ryan, communications specialist, at (208) 426-4910 or erinryan@boisestate.edu. Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu.
Last reviewed on Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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