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‘As the sun rises, so do our Roadrunners’

NSME students celebrate accomplishments at commencement ceremonies

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 23^rd, 2023

Years of late-night study sessions, weekends buried in homework and long hours in the classroom all led up to one moment that made everything it took to get there worth it.

For California State University, Bakersfield students, that payoff came this weekend with commencement, celebrated over three ceremonies on the campus’ main soccer field, where graduates took their triumphant walk across the stage in front of proud family members and friends.

Among the roughly 1,700 graduates who participated in three ceremonies on Friday and Saturday were students from CSUB’s School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. The school’s undergraduates were recognized in Friday morning’s ceremony and its graduate students honored in a separate ceremony that evening.

“This morning – just as the sun was beginning to light up the sky - you made your momentous journey to this beloved campus,” said CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny at the morning ceremony. “And that is as it should be: For as the sun rises, so do our Roadrunners!”

In the early morning hours, before the ceremony began, students came to campus dressed in graduation regalia. They took their seats in front of the stage draped in CSUB’s blue and gold. Nursing students Nathalie Hernandez and Cecilia Aspeitia-Fleming took the final moments before they would cross the stage to think about what the occasion meant to them.

“It shows me I’m able to accomplish what I set my mind to,” Hernandez said. “I watched my brother and his wife graduate and set it as a goal for myself. It’s surreal to be in their shoes now. It’s making me tear up.”

Hernandez and Aspeitia-Fleming, both first-generation college students, were already registered nurses when they decided to earn their bachelor’s in nursing too. Hernandez, a nurse in Kern Medical’s emergency department, said it was important for her to earn a higher degree, and she hopes to put it to use as a professor in the future. Aspeitia-Fleming, who works in the catheterization lab at Kaweah Health in Visalia, plans to later earn her doctorate to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

“It’s been a long journey to get here,” Aspeitia-Fleming said. “I’m happy knowing I can do it. It shows my kids they can do it too.”

Nursing students Nathalie Hernandez and Cecilia Aspeitia-Fleming

Megan McCullah-Boozer, a natural sciences major, worked in marketing for 10 years before deciding to go back to school. Her bachelor’s degree is the first stop toward her goal of teaching science at the secondary or community college level. In the fall, she will begin CSUB’s master’s in biology program. Her work isn’t yet done, but commencement was an important checkpoint on her journey.

“It’s a complete reinvention of my life,” McCullah-Boozer said. “This is a celebration of my hard work. I did it! I changed my trajectory. I’m excited to be able to share that with my kids. I couldn’t have done it without family support.”

Computer engineering student Christian Gonzalez said he enjoyed his time at CSUB, despite COVID interrupting the traditional college experience for him. Gonzalez is currently looking for work in IT.

“It feels good to have school finally done,” Gonzalez said. “Now life starts, I guess!”

The Earlimart resident was encouraged to attend CSUB by his brother, who also earned his degree from the university. The first-generation college student said he wanted to make his parents proud.

“It was fun. It was hard. It was stressful,” Gonzalez said of earning his degree. “I’m glad I did it. It was worth it.”

‘As the sun rises, so do our Roadrunners’

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Footnotes

Story and photo within story by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME); gallery photos by EJ Medellin, multimedia student assistant

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FootNotes

Story and photo within story by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME); gallery photos by EJ Medellin, multimedia student assistant

Migrant education champion shaped thousands of students’ futures

‘As the sun rises, so do our Roadrunners’

NSME students celebrate accomplishments at commencement ceremonies

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