(Vallejo, California – April 22, 2017) – Today, the largest number of graduates in the history of ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ received their diplomas. In all, 229 undergraduates and 17 graduates of the master's program crossed the stage. 
 
Commencement speaker Dr. Rick Rigsby advised the cadets to couple the knowledge that they had gained at the Academy with wisdom in the coming years. Rigsby, a Vallejo native, is a motivational speaker, corporate coach, author, former award-winning journalist, and current president and CEO of Rick Rigsby Communications.
 
Rigsby's father, Roger Marion Rigsby, was the inspiration for his book, Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout. The senior Rigsby left school in the third grade to help out on the family farm and taught himself to read and write. Later, worked as a cook at Cal Maritime. 
 
"My father taught me to combine knowledge and wisdom to make an impact," said Rigsby. "Wisdom comes to you from the unlikeliest of sources – often from failure. The person that gets up off the canvas and keeps growing, that's the person that will grow their influence."
 
Recently, Cal Maritime has garnered recognition for its high-achieving graduates and its return on investment for students. U.S. Department of education data show that Cal Maritime alumni rank as the top-earning graduates of any public university in the state ten years after enrollment. A study by the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked the Academy first in the state for raising students from the bottom 20 percent in family income to the top twenty percent.
 

Contact

publicaffairs@csum.edu

ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ is the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast. Located in Vallejo, California, the campus offers undergraduate degrees that prepare students for careers in engineering, transportation, international relations, business, and global logistics. Cal Maritime also offers a master’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number of extended learning programs and courses.