Overview
- Billie Jean King will take part in Cal State LA’s commencement as a history graduate and is slated to deliver the ceremony address.
- The tennis pioneer first attended the university from 1961 to 1964 before leaving to pursue a professional career.
- She returned after a review of her transcripts showed she had one year left and she completed the coursework online while on the road.
- Her senior-year studies included LGBT political history and the history of Latin American women, and she met with incarcerated students through Cal State LA’s Prison Graduation Initiative.
- King, who won 39 major titles and founded the Women’s Tennis Association, says becoming the first in her immediate family to earn a college degree is among her most meaningful achievements.