Photos of the first USC graduation ceremony at the Coliseum in 71 years
USC graduates cheer on the field of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Friday morning during the first of the university’s 14 commencement ceremonies in seven days for the classes of 2020 and 2021.
The field of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was filled with USC graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 on Friday as they participated in the first of USC’s 14 commencement ceremonies.
About 1,500 students celebrated their graduation Friday morning, and a total of 21,000 will take part in twice-daily commencement ceremonies over seven days. Students were spaced eight feet apart on the field, and spectators were distanced in the stands at the Coliseum, which last held a USC commencement ceremony in 1950.
Al Seib was a photographer and videographer for the Los Angeles Times from 1984 to 2022. His photos have won numerous awards from national and international photographer associations. Seib’s work has helped win four Pulitzer Prizes for breaking news reporting awarded to The Times’ staff: the Los Angeles riots in 1993, the Northridge earthquake in 1995, the Southern California wildfires in 2004 and the San Bernardino shootings in 2016.