UC Regent and first-gen graduate brings inspiring story to graduation
This year's School of Social Ecology commencement just got a powerful headliner.
Maria Anguiano, vice chair of the UC Board of Regents, will deliver the keynote address Sunday, June 14 — and her story is one worth listening to.
A first-generation college graduate who grew up in National City, Anguiano has built a career at the crossroads of education, technology and social impact. She's the kind of leader who doesn't just talk about expanding access to opportunity — she's actually done it.
At Arizona State University, she launched a lifelong learning initiative that reached over a million learners across 140 countries. As Vice Chancellor at UC Riverside, she managed an $800 million budget and pioneered groundbreaking work on cost transparency in higher education.
Her resume spans the UC Office of the President, CFO of ed-tech startup Minerva Project, a senior advisory role at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and finance positions at Barclays Capital and Deloitte. She currently serves on the boards of the James Irvine Foundation and the KIPP Foundation.
Fluent in Spanish and deeply shaped by her family's immigrant roots, Anguiano holds an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.
“We couldn't be more fortunate to welcome Regent Anguiano as our keynote speaker,” Dean Jon Gould said. “Her journey — from a first-gen college student to UC Regent and global education leader — is exactly the kind of story our graduates need to hear. Most of our students are first-gen themselves, and having someone stand before them on one of the most important days of their lives and say, 'I was where you are, and look what's possible,’ is priceless.”
— Mimi Ko Cruz