900 Students Take a Walk

It was a day filled with smiling faces and accomplishment as 900 Cal State San Bernardino students graduated during the university’s 15th annual fall commencement on Saturday, Dec. 12. “Remember this day. Remember every moment of it. Remember the feelings of accomplishment and anticipation. Remember the voices of the friends, family members and faculty who are here to cheer you on,” CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales told the graduates, their families and friends, who filled the university’s Coussoulis Arena during two ceremonies. The December commencement is especially well-attended by out-of-state and international students who have completed their studies in fall and are likely unable to return for the traditional June graduation, which usually averages about 3,000 graduating students. Professor's Kenneth Shultz, who was the bearer of the ceremonial mace in the morning ceremony and Professor Julie Paegle, bearer of the mace in the afternoon, both asked the audiences at the beginning of each commencement exercise for a moment of silence to remember the victims and their families of the Dec. 2 San Bernardino terrorist attack. The morning ceremony featured graduates from CSUSB’s colleges of Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Sciences while the afternoon ceremony featured the colleges of Arts and Letters, Business and Public Administration, and Education. “Let the confidence that is swelling in your heart today carry you proudly through every day of your life,” Morales said. “You have just achieved something extraordinary. Just over 30 percent of all Americans have a four-year or higher university degree. You have joined the ranks of the best and the brightest in this country.” Dylan Rout, 22, who graduated with a B.A. in Marketing, expressed his struggles and hardships, "Being able to graduate with a four-year degree means the world to me." Currently working full-time for Hanger 21, Rout hopes to gain as much experience as possible and use his degree to create a better future for himself and his family. His five-year plan is to obtain a management position as a specialist event coordinator. Morales praised the graduates for their dedication. “I am fiercely proud of you,” he said. “I am so impressed by the quality of your work and because I know about the personal sacrifices so many of you have made to earn your degree. Some of you held full-time jobs while pursuing your studies. Others divided their days between going to school and raising a family. And many of today’s graduates are the first ones ever in their family to earn a college degree.” Ciarra Lavaris, 22, graduated with a B.A in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. She shared that her journey has been full of long nights studying but, in the end, it was all worth it. She is the first college graduate in her immediate family. In closing, Morales offered his own tribute to the graduates. “I want to thank you. Thank you for gracing this university and all our lives with your energy, your enthusiasm, and your boundless spirit.” Graduate Myrna Overstreet Spear, who graduated with a Master’s in Education Administration, currently works for the Rialto Unified School District, where she hopes to be a principal in the future. To current students she shares, “You should seek out a role model, someone who has already been there, ask questions, set your goals, and don’t feel disenfranchised because it’s all about what you do with your life as an individual. Remember anything is possible.” CSUSB graduate Christopher Gardner said, “You got a dream.. You have to protect it. People can't do something themselves; they want to tell you -you can't do it. If you want something, you have to go get it. Period.” CSUSB is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. Archived online videos of both ceremonies may be viewed on the Office of Strategic Communication’s Video Library website at https://advancement.csusb.edu/strategic-communication/campus-services/video-library.