Cal State Dominguez Hills will award an Olympic gold medalist who graduated from the university with an honorary doctorate at a graduation ceremony next month.
Carmelita Jeter, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 4×100-meter relay, will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the university and the California State University board of trustees on May 17. She will receive the degree at the commencement ceremony for the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing, for which she will be the keynote speaker.
Jeter is one of six Cal State Dominguez Hills alumni serving as keynote speakers to about 3,600 students receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Jeter was part of the U.S. team that won gold in the women’s 4×100-meter relay during the London Olympics, beating Jamaica and Ukraine. She also won a silver medal in the women’s 100-meter race and a bronze in the women’s 200-meter sprint during those games.
The Southern California native graduated from Bishop Montgomery High School, in Torrance, where she played basketball and competed in track and field. Jeter then went to Dominguez Hills; she received her bachelor’s degree in physical science in 2006.
Jeter set five records while sprinting for Dominguez Hills’ track team — records that still stand today. She was also a six-time All-American. She’s the most decorated female athlete in the university’s history. In 2016, she was inducted into the NCAA Division II Hall of Fame.
Off the track, Jeter has been involved with numerous community and philanthropic efforts, such as the Healthy Compton initiative, a citywide program promoting healthy lifestyle choices. She’s also used her platform to raise awareness of breast cancer, with which her aunt has been diagnosed.
Source: Daily Breeze
