Cal Poly graduates celebrate 2017 fall commencement

About 1,000 students celebrated graduation during three ceremonies as part of the 34th annual fall commencement held Saturday at the Cal Poly Recreation Center.

Students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Science and Mathematics were recognized in the first ceremony.

Graduates of the College of Liberal Arts and the Orfalea College of Business were honored in the early afternoon. And students from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and the College of Engineering crossed the stage about 4 p.m.

Komal Ahmad, founder and CEO of Copia, a Bay Area nonprofit-turned-public benefit corporation that tackles poverty by redistributing surplus food to people in need, served as the keynote speaker.

The university estimated about 10,000 visitors would attend the commencement ceremonies.

Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said in a news release that commencement marks a transition in the lives of dedicated graduates.

“They will carry Learn by Doing forward throughout their careers and lives,” Armstrong said. “We celebrate their accomplishments while also recognizing their equally dedicated supporters — family members, friends, teachers, mentors and peers whose support through the years has helped our graduates succeed.”

This story was originally published December 9, 2017 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Cal Poly graduates celebrate 2017 fall commencement."