CITY LEADER TO SPEAK AT MISSION COLLEGE GRADUATION

Maribel De La Torre, member of the San Fernando City Council and former mayor of that historic city, will be the featured speaker on June 7 when Los Angeles Mission College awards diplomas to more than 400 degree candidates.

Ms. De La Torre is the second oldest of six college-educated children born to strong-valued immigrant parents. After earning an Associate degree at Mission College, she attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy.

Ms. De La Torre is a founding member of the San Fernando Historic Homes Preservation Group, a citywide association formed to assist residents in the restoration of their older homes. She is passionate about San Fernando’s Old California heritage, local history, and family legacies.

“These are among the city’s most beautiful and valuable resources,” she said, explaining why she has been instrumental in establishing architectural guidelines and a historic preservation program for the City of San Fernando.

Another dream of hers is coming to fruition. One of her first acts as a council member was to propose and spearhead the drive to build a regional aquatics center, which is now under construction in San Fernando.

De La Torre will speak to a class that will include 429 degree candidates, 72 percent of them women. The ages of the graduates range from 18 to 61, with 24 being the median age.

Daniyal Amirhamzeh, who plans to pursue a career in science, is the class valedictorian. This year’s salutatorian is Houry Tanashian, who is earning a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Commencement will begin at 5 p.m. on the campus Quad.

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