The San José State University School of Information will be celebrating its graduating students at two ceremonies in May. One will be virtual while the other will be held in person. Dr. Anthony Chow, director of the School on Information, commented on the ceremonies as a “wonderful time to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and we are extremely proud of all of them.”

Each year, the iSchool director invites a dignitary or dignitaries to address students and prepare them for the next step in their journey. The May 2022 celebration will feature Patty Wong and Eileen M. Vidrine as the invited convocation speakers.

Wong is the current president of the American Library Association and the first Asian-American to hold the position. She has won several awards including the 2012 ALA Equality Award and the 2013 California Library Association Member of the Year Award. Wong is also a lecturer at the School of Information and has taught online courses in the Master of Library and Information Science degree program.

Vidrine is the chief data officer at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Vidrine started her career in the U.S Army in 1986 and was soon commissioned for the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Program. In 1993, she earned her Master’s degree in Science and started working as a principal systems analyst. Vidrine has also previously worked for the Office of Administration, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the White House.

Graduating students will also hear from their peer Kristin Peace, the recipient of the Ken Haycock Award for Exceptional Professional Promise that is given to an iSchool student who “exhibits the most exceptional professional promise for leadership.” Peace plans to work to provide equitable information access and make a positive impact in her community. “My librarianship goals have grown from a generic idea of connecting people with books to a specific passion for open access research, reference services and bibliographic instruction,” said Peace.

The virtual convocation celebration will be held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time on May 20, 2022. Immediately following the live speeches, attendees will be invited to watch a student-produced video featuring the Class of 2022. Additionally, the iSchool recognizes its graduates on its virtual convocation website, where graduates have the option to create a profile and leave celebratory remarks.

The in-person formal graduation is hosted by the College of Professional and Global Education. It will be preceded by a reception from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time in the Student Union Ballroom at San José State University on May 27, 2022. The graduation ceremony is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.