Hats off at OCC

COSTA MESA ? It took a near-death experience to set Leon Skeie on the path to becoming an Orange Coast College faculty member ? even if the experience wasn’t quite his.

More than three decades ago, the physical education professor was a steelworker, pulling in a handsome salary. One day, he was working on a high beam when one of his co-workers fell to the ground. Skeie had undergone training in sports medicine, and he was able to administer aid to his colleague before the paramedics arrived.

Shortly afterward, Skeie abandoned construction for a lower-paying job in sports medicine ? which had been his original passion. When he addressed OCC’s 58th graduating class on Thursday, he offered a simple message: Don’t let the bottom line get in the way of your dreams.

“Most of the choices you’ll make in life will be about money, but they should really be about your passions and your goals,” he told the crowd. “You’re going to spend the rest of your life doing something. It might as well be something you really love to do.”

On a cloudless day at the Orange County Fairgrounds’ Pacific Amphitheater, Skeie was one of three featured speakers addressing OCC’s largest-ever commencement. At the two-hour ceremony, Skeie and student Katherine Wyman offered keynote addresses, while state Sen. Jack Scott, a former OCC administrator, also made remarks.

The 2,222 students honored were an all-time record for OCC, shattering the campus’ previous mark from two years ago. In 2004, 2,015 students crossed the podium, with 1,524 receiving associate in arts degrees.

According to spokesman Jim Carnett, enrollment at OCC was down slightly this year from last. The increase in graduates, he said, was a result of the college pushing more students toward receiving degrees.

“There are a lot of students who will go to OCC and then transfer without actually graduating,” Carnett said. “There are some who will not even petition to graduate. They get their units done and then go to a four-year school, but the school in the last several years has been really encouraging students to apply for graduation.”

At the ceremony, OCC President Robert Dees presented two awards to members of the college community. Scott received the Outstanding Citizen Award, while Del J. Heintz, vice president of government affairs for Comcast Cable Commun- ications, took an honorary associate in arts degree.

“This is only a stepping stone,” Scott told the students. “It’s a great achievement on your part. It represents a great amount of diligence and hard work. But I urge you to keep on learning.”

Wyman, the only student speaker, said that attending OCC had opened her eyes to many new interests, from academics to volleyball. An astronomy major, she plans to attend Sonoma State University in the fall.

“These years have all brought us closer to the discovery of our individual selves,” she said in her remarks.

A moment later, she offered a specific example to the crowd: “I learned I like public speaking. Really, it’s not so bad! I’m imagining you all naked.”KENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Michael Fabian, right, waves to friends and family members alongside Krystle Beltran during the OCC graduation ceremony. dpt.26-occgrad-kt-CPhotoInfoPM1RBO7720060526izuq0uncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Michael Fabian, right, waves to friends and family members alongside Krystle Beltran during the OCC graduation ceremony.