After receiving feedback from recent graduates about the absence of a commencement speaker for the December commencment, the ASG made sure that the ceremony held this May would include a prominent figure at the podium. United States Senator Mark Udall will travel to Grand Junction during the weekend of graduation to send off the class of 2014. According to ASG President Ariel Diamond, Senator Udall was a perfect fit because of his ties to the Western Slope.

“When searching for a graduation speaker, you want to find someone who cares about the concerns of the graduating students and also cares about the community the students are coming from,” Diamond said. “Senator Udall is very active in this region, and I think he will do a great job with being able to relate to students.”

Senator Udall is a Colorado native and has represented the centennial state in the United States Senate since 2008. As a member of the senate, Udall participates in three influential committees: Armed Services, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Energy and Natural Resources. His strongest ties to the Grand Valley come from his work as the chair of the National Parks Subcommittee, where he and Congressman Scott Tipton are currently working together to redesignate the Colorado National Monument as a national park. He also spent much of his adult life on the Western Slope as a course director and executive director for the Colorado Outward Bound School.

According to President Diamond, Udall did not hesitate to oblige when asked if he was willing to speak to the graduates of 2014.

“We reached out to Senator Udall, and he was more than happy to come,” she said. “I think it’s a huge honor that he is making an effort to come across the state just for our graduation.”

Diamond also explained the unique opportunity graduates will have to hear from one of the men who makes decisions that affect their place in the journey they are about to embark on.

“Having a state senator who is working on pressing issues in our society and the economy and the job market we are about to enter is a great person to have speak to our graduates.”

The commencement ceremony will take place Saturday, May 17, at Stocker Stadium.

mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu