Michele Ruiz, former KNBC anchorwoman and member of the College of Communications' Dean's Advisory Board, served as the commencement speaker on Saturday, May 28. Ruiz earned her degree at CSUF in communications in 1988.

Ruiz is a five-time Emmy Award honoree and four-time Golden Mike recipient. She joined KTLA in 1991 where she spent seven years as a field reporter for the morning news and co-hosted a weekly public affairs program. She joined NBC4 as a general assignment reporter in 1998 and until recently, co-anchored weekday editions of the "Channel 4 News" with Chuck Henry.

Ruiz has received 19 Emmy nominations during her career. In 2003, she won two Emmys for her work on NBC4 news specials "Journey to Africa" and "LA Riots: Rubble to Rebirth." She has received numerous honors, including two Golden Mikes, for her work on NBC4's "Beating the Odds" series, and in 2002 was presented the LA Press Club Award for a series on autism.