A crowd of more than 10,000 CSUN graduates, their families and friends heard from a special alumnus at this year’s Honors Convocation ceremony on May 9. Doug Emhoff ’87 (Communication Studies), the nation’s first Second Gentleman of the United States and husband to former Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, was greeted with applause and cheers from the students seated on the University Library Lawn and their guests who packed the stands.
CSUN President Erika D. Beck congratulated the graduates and introduced the former Second Gentleman.
“What strikes me most about Doug Emhoff is that neither his title nor his success define him — his values do. He is someone who genuinely believes in the power of possibility, in the obligation that comes with opportunity, and in the responsibility each of us carries to use what we’ve built for something bigger than ourselves. CSUN is proud to have been part of his journey.”
“It’s so meaningful for me to be back in front of this library, back at CSUN. This is not just where I earned a degree. This is literally where my life changed,” Emhoff said.
In his keynote address, Emhoff congratulated the students, who were invited to participate in Honors Convocation for meeting high cumulative GPA requirements. Emhoff, who was raised in New Jersey and moved to Los Angeles as a teen, reminisced about his time at CSUN as an undergraduate.
“This university gave me access to a serious education, gave me confidence, it gave me direction. It gave me a path. And that is the power of affordable public higher education. It does not just award degrees — it changes the trajectory of lives. I know that to be true, because it changed mine,” he said.
Like many students, Emhoff said, he worked while pursuing his undergraduate degree, including jobs at a nearby restaurant and at the Topanga Plaza mall.
“I was doing my best to just keep moving forward, even when the future felt uncertain and at times, to be honest, pretty far out of reach,” Emhoff said. “Law school, at that time, just felt like a long shot.
“But somewhere along the way, I started to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could do it,” he said. “Maybe I could set a goal that felt almost outrageous at the time and actually get there. You know what? CSUN helped me get there.”
Emily Maciel, a journalism major, was among the honors students at the event. She said it was gratifying to hear from the distinguished alumnus, as she focuses on her career goal to work for a professional sports team.
“What he said was really inspiring, because he was here at CSUN and is now doing great things,” Maciel said.
After graduating from CSUN, Emhoff went on to earn a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, and he later specialized in media, entertainment and intellectual property law. While serving as Second Gentleman, Emhoff also taught at the Georgetown University Law Center.
In his speech to CSUN’s newest graduates, Emhoff encouraged them to participate in democracy, as they work toward their personal and career goals.
“You don’t have to have your whole life figured out,” he said. “But you do have to stay engaged in your workplace, in your community, in your family and in your country. In the lives of people who need someone to stand with them, make the choice to be a leader.”
Honors Convocation kicked off Commencement 2026 events on campus, which will culminate in seven ceremonies over four days, starting Friday, May 15.
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