Campus & Community

State Rep. Lori Berman has been tapped to replace U.S. Rep. Brian Mast as the keynote speaker for Palm Beach State College’s morning commencement ceremony Dec. 19.

Berman will speak at the 10 a.m. ceremony for graduates of the Associate in Science, Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science degree programs and certificate programs. Mast was scheduled to speak but is unable to attend because a last-minute session has been scheduled for next week.

PBSC is holding two ceremonies for its more than 2,700 fall graduates, including more than 1,500 who are earning the Associate in Arts transfer degree. State Sen. Bobby Powell, who represents District 30, will speak at the 2 p.m. afternoon ceremony for the A.A. degree graduates. The group includes students who are graduating from the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College. Both ceremonies will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Families and friends who cannot attend the ceremonies can view the live streams on the College’s website —www.palmbeachstate.edu.

Berman has been a state representative for eight years, representing District 90, which includes parts of Lake Worth, Lantana, Greenacres, Boynton Beach and Atlantis.  She has been effective at achieving results in the Legislature. She passed a constitutional amendment that was approved by Florida voters to make solar energy more affordable and create green energy jobs. She also successfully sponsored legislation to help create the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches for spring training for the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros. She has been a leader in fighting for women’s rights. She passed legislation banning employers from discriminating based on pregnancy and introduced a bill to ensure women receive equal pay for equal work.

She has been a lifelong resident of Florida, growing up in Plantation and graduating from Nova High School. She is a magna cum Laude graduate from Tufts University and received her law degree from the National Law Center at George Washington University. She also earned a Master of Laws degree in Estate Planning from the University of Miami. Berman has a long record of community service and has been actively working with many educational and social service programs.

She has served as the chairperson of the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation, chair of the Women’s Caucus, as well as a variety of leadership roles in the Democratic Caucus. Throughout her tenure in the Florida House of Representatives, Berman has tirelessly advocated to ensure all Floridians have adequate health care, that our educational system is properly funded, that women’s rights are protected, and that Florida’s number one priority remains economic prosperity for its citizens.

For more information about commencement, visit www. palmbeachstate.edu/Graduation.