“It is great to be home,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said as she took the stage at the Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series in November. Bass, a 1990 graduate, spoke about civic engagement and leadership in a wide-ranging speech and panel discussion.

The mayor focused on some of her team’s accomplishments in her first year as mayor, and urged students considering a career in public service to dial in on solving problems, not just talk: “Do you want to make a point, or do you want to make a difference?”

That distinction has animated the mayor’s term in office so far, as she remains laser-focused on tackling the city’s homeless crisis and other boots-on-the-ground issues. Her visit to CSUDH came amid the shutdown of Interstate 10 following a massive fire beneath a downtown overpass. Caltrans and city workers had the freeway open less than 10 days after the fire, after initially estimating it could be shut down for months.

“I hope that many of you, especially students, think about public service as something that you want to dedicate your life to,” Bass said. “There are so many issues that we have in our city and in our country to deal with, and you bring all of the talent.”

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