Raised in Berkeley, Harris is the daughter of two college professors and civil rights activists who instilled in her a strong commitment to justice and public service.

Since taking office Harris has aimed to prosecute crime while also maintaining a commitment to rehabilitation and preserving civil liberties. She has increased felony conviction rates to 67 percent, the highest in a decade; secured a 40 percent increase in state prison sentences; and more than doubled the conviction rate for felony gun trials to 90 percent in 2006. She also assembled a special team to pursue tougher gun charging policies and worked with state and federal officials to secure funding for programs to combat gang violence and prosecute juvenile gun crimes and adults who furnish guns to minors.

Harris' commitment to improve rehabilitation and ensure social justice is demonstrated in such innovations as the Back on Track offender job training program, the expansion of community courts and free legal clinics in immigrant neighborhoods.

Statewide, Harris helped author AB3042, which ensures that a conviction for a sexual offense with a minor is punishable with an additional year in prison if the victim was a prostituted minor. Harris has also taken on the perpetrators of the modern-day slave trade by co-sponsoring the California Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which makes human trafficking in California a felony. One of the most comprehensive in the nation, this measure addresses intrastate trafficking and combines both civil and criminal remedies to combat the problem.

"I am honored to be selected to speak to the graduates of a university known for its commitment to social justice," Harris said. "I know there will be many in this graduating class who are taking their first steps toward public service, and I want to encourage them to take up a lifelong commitment to their communities."