SAN DIEGO, Sept. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford University announced that the keynote address at its fall commencement ceremony will be delivered by author Dr. Donna Beegle. Ashford's commencement ceremony is set for 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 8, at the Viejas Arena, 5500 Canyon Crest Dr. in San Diego, Calif.
Dr. Beegle is the author of "See Poverty, Be the Difference," and "An Action Approach to Educating Students in Poverty." She brings unique insights from having grown up in the deepest poverty in America and studying and speaking on poverty for over 26 years.
Dr. Beegle's story and work have been featured in newspapers around the nation, on local TV, and on national networks such as PBS. Dr. Beegle had to overcome enormous hardships. After growing up in generational migrant labor poverty and leaving school for marriage at 15, she found herself, at 25, with no husband, two children, little education, and no job skills. Despite these challenges, she went on to earn a G.E.D., an associate's in journalism, a bachelor's (with honors) in communications, a master's in communication with a minor in gender studies (with honors), and a doctorate in education.
Dr. Beegle was selected as the 2008 National Speaker of the Year by the New Mexico State Bar Foundation. In 2010, Portland State University's School of Social Work dedicated the Donna M. Beegle Community Classrooms in her honor. In 2011, she received the 2011 Oregon award for excellence in ethical business practice, and in 2015 she was a named a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Princeton University.
More than 1,290 students are expected to travel to San Diego to receive their diplomas during Ashford's commencement weekend. During the weekend, graduates will have an opportunity to take tours of Ashford's San Diego headquarters and to meet other students and professors at various "Meet & Greet" events.
For more information on Ashford's fall 2017 commencement, visit https://www.ashford.edu/online-learning-experience/graduation.
About Ashford University
Where heritage meets innovation – that's Ashford University. At Ashford, students discover relevant degree programs, innovative technology, and cherished tradition. Ashford offers associates, bachelor's, and master's degree programs online, allowing students to balance life by providing the flexibility to do school work anywhere, anytime. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu, www.facebook.com/ashforduniversity, www.twitter.com/AshfordU, or call Lauren Coartney at 858.513.9240 x11636, or email lauren.coartney@bpiedu.com.
SOURCE Ashford University