It’s not every legislator who can deliver the keynote address for a college graduation and also perform on the piano at the commencement.
But Rep. Cyrus Habib is no ordinary legislator, and he demonstrated that at Benaroya Hall in Seattle May 18 when he discharged those dual duties at the second annual graduation ceremony of Western Governors University – Washington. More than 500 graduates received degrees, nearly twice the number in the Class of 2012.
Visit the school’s Facebook page to watch a video of Rep. Habib’s speech and also a clip of him rehearsing “Summertime,” the George Gershwin standard he played on the grand piano at the event.
WGU Washington was endorsed as the state’s first non-profit, all-online university by an act of the Legislature in 2011. The Legislature this year extended eligibility for State Need Grants to WGU Washington students.