June 15, 2006

GRADUATION TIPS
University of California, San Diego
June 17, 18, 19, 2006

Previously unannounced: Mike Farrell, known as B.J. Hunnicutt in the M*A*S*H series and more recently as a doctor in the Providence TV series, will be commencement speaker for Eleanor Roosevelt College at 10 a.m. June 19 on RIMAC Field. This is the first graduation in UCSD history to be held on a Monday, and follows five other undergraduate commencements scheduled June 17 and 18. Farrell, a human rights activist for more than 30 years, is currently co-chair of Human Rights Watch in California and an advisor to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. He is spokesperson for CONCERN/America, an international refugee aid and development organization, and has served as a Good Will Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Unusual ceremony : The UCSD Triton Engineering Student Council and the Jacobs School of Engineering will hold an Order of the Engineer Ring ceremony at 6:30 p.m. June 17 in the Engineering “Bear” Courtyard. Participants will accept the Obligation of the Engineer and receive a stainless steel ring to be worn as a symbol on the fifth finger of the working hand. The Order of the Engineer was initiated in the U.S. to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility in the engineering profession, to bridge the gap between training and experience, and to present to the public a visible symbol identifying the engineer. For more information contact Micah Bayless.

STUDENT PROFILES

A trio of young men who met in Media Computing classes at UCSD and produced a full length feature film under the name Wong Fu Productions is among the many outstanding graduates at UCSD on June 17, 18 and 19. Philip Wang of Walnut Creek, Ca., a graduate of Revelle College (2:30 p.m. June 18); Wesley Chan of Millbrae, Ca., a graduate of Sixth College (10 a.m. June 18), and Ted Fu, originally from South Africa, a graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt College (10 a.m. June 19), premiered their feature film, A Moment with You, for an audience of some 500 on June 3 at UCSD. It was the culmination of three years of countless sleepless nights and hundreds of hours of sweat and tears, Wang said, and will lead to their post-graduate relocation to Los Angeles to seriously pursue their film work. “We were bored our first year in college,” Wang said, “so we started making videos on our computers for fun.” This led to a major in film production and a number of videos about college life and UCSD. Chan said the three write the scripts, audition actors, film and direct. Chan describes one video, Yellow Fever, as a comedic short “that examines how Caucasian guys are always able to ‘win over’ Asian girls. Although the acting and humor is over-the-top,” he says, “we learn that an individual’s character is the ultimate deciding factor in relationships, not race.” Local actors and two UCSD students appeared in A Moment with You, which the graduates plan to show at national film festivals and on college campuses. Wang can be reached at 925 708-4473; Chan at 650 580-8147, and Fu at 858 337-9510.

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Lenore McCrory, 54, of La Jolla, one of a small group of older students at UCSD, will graduate from Thurgood Marshall College (8:30 a.m. June 17) with a degree in literature/English and has been accepted into UCSD’s literature doctorate program. A native of Mexico, she came to the U.S. more than 30 years ago to learn English. McCrory says that a younger environment intimidates her, but she always had an adventurous spirit and a thirst for learning, which brought her to the U.S. She is an advocate for the community college program which promotes transfer to UCSD. As well as taking classes at UCSD she is a writing tutor at Southwest Community College, teaching both online and in a classroom. She can be reached at 858 453-4083 (home) or 858 539-3945 (cell).

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Courtney Cross, of Dana Point, an exceptional triple major student (Political Science, Linguistics, History) with a 3.8 GPA, will graduate from Eleanor Roosevelt College (10 a.m. June 19). With a strong record of student leadership, she was admitted to every law school to which she applied and has selected NYU. Her brother, Jordan, graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt College two years ago and was commencement speaker that year. She can be reached at 949 290-5175.

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Stefanie Schmitz, of Milpitas, is graduating from Eleanor Roosevelt College (10 a.m. June 19) with a double major in Language Studies and Music. A clarinet and sax player, she started her own band, Right Foot Blue, in her sophomore year with seven other UCSD students. “I always wanted to start my own band,” she says, “so this was a dream come true.” She also served as director of the Pep Band, comprised of UCSD students, which plays at athletic events. While a student studying abroad in Bordeaux, France, she helped establish a small band at her university which toured and played in local villages. She is the recipient of the Oceanids Award for service based on her outstanding service to the university. Telephone: 858 344-6544