FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 3/17/00 | Contact: Diana Smith, 719-389-6138

COLORADO SPRINGS -- United States Congresswoman Diana DeGette, a 1979 Colorado College alumna, will speak during Colorado College's 2000 commencement ceremony.

DeGette served two terms in the Colorado House of Representatives and was elected to Congress in 1996. In her first year, she influenced legislation affecting health care for children, the regulation of tobacco and smoking, and the protection of the environment. She was also elected to a leadership post in the Democratic party as western regional whip for the House of Representatives.

After graduating from Colorado College, DeGette earned her J.D. at NYU Law School in 1982. She returned to Denver to practice law, focusing on civil rights and employment litigation. She received an alumni honorary degree from Colorado College during opening convocation 1998.

Recent commencement speakers have included U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, and Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau.

Colorado College's commencement is scheduled for Monday, May 22, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on campus. For more information, call Diana Smith at (719) 389-6138.

Click here to see a complete history of commencement speakers at Colorado College.

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