​California Senator Kamala D. Harris, only the second African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate and a leading progressive voice, will deliver the commencement address to UC Berkeley’s 2018 graduating class.

This will be the first time Harris, a graduate of Howard University and UC Hastings College of the Law, has spoken at a UC Berkeley commencement ceremony. This year’s takes place Saturday, May 12, at California Memorial Stadium.

“My parents met at UC Berkeley when they were active in the civil rights movement, so this university will always mean a great deal to me,” Harris said. “I look forward to speaking to these young people who are on the verge of the next chapter of their lives and represent the future of our country.”

The Californians, a group of UC Berkeley students responsible for planning parts of the commencement exercises, nominated Harris to speak to an audience of about 40,000 — graduates, proud parents and guests.

“She embodies a lot of the ideals that the UC Berkeley campus embodies,” said Jessica Li-Jo, a graduating cognitive science major and president of the group’s Senior Class Council. “She is very fearless and vocal, and she shares her opinions about issues in the news. And at UC and UC Berkeley, we are usually like that as well. We fight against any injustices that we see.”

​Everett Daley, a St Mary native living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has gone back to those independent, creative days and has produced a cart that looks like a blast from the past, but with a twist. The cart has a driver named 'Mr Cool Ride'.

ORIGINAL DESIGN
The original cart consisted of two pieces of board. Wheels made of sundry materials were affixed to the end of the shorter piece of board. The longer piece was affixed to the centre of the shorter piece, with pins that allowed it to move freely.

At the other end of the longer piece of board, there was a steering that was connected by a piece of cord or wire to the shorter piece of board with the wheels, which turned into the direction that the steering turned to. One hand controlled the steering, while the other pushed the longer piece of board.

Jamaican-born Natalliah Whyte broke the Auburn University Tigers women’s 60m indoor school record as she finished third in 7.12 at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Whyte’s school-record time of 7.12 broke Jamaican Kerron Stewart’s 11-year old mark of 7.14 set in 2007. Whyte also became Auburn’s highest freshman finisher at the NCAA Indoor meet. 

“Today my only aim was to remain composed, execute and finish the race,” Whyte said. “At the line before the starter said ‘on your mark’ the only thing in my head was ‘get to the line, get to the line, get to the line’ and that’s what I did. I’m very happy. It’s my first indoor national meet. I ran a personal best, set a school record and finished third. I’m overwhelmed.”

Whyte finished ahead of Jamaican colleague, Jonielle Smith, who was fourth in the women’s 60m in a time of 7.19.

Source: Auburn Tigers

Jamaican-born Dr. Odette Harris has made history by becoming America’s second African-American female professor of neurosurgery. Stanford’s department of neurosurgery announced her promotion on Tuesday.

Harris joins Lu Chen as the second female professor in the department of neurosurgery at the School of Medicine.

Harris, who specializes in traumatic brain injury, has served as the director of brain injury in the department of neurosurgery and the associate chief of staff of polytrauma and rehabilitation at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Health Care System since 2009. Harris is also a Clayman Institute Faculty Research Fellow and was awarded the William P. Van Wagenen Fellowship Award from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.