After years of late-night study sessions, busy class schedules and weekends taken over by homework, more than 700 students took their final steps as California State University, Bakersfield students on Dec. 14 by crossing the commencement stage, turning their tassels and becoming college graduates.
Mechanics Bank Arena was awash with blue and gold as excited graduates and their proud families found their seats ahead of the ceremony. Among those walking this fall were nearly 100 students earning degrees from programs in the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME).
“We come together this evening because the students you see on the floor of this arena heard the future calling, and they were brave enough to answer that call,” CSUB President Dr. Lynnette Zelezny told the crowd.
Four biochemistry students waiting for the ceremony to start said they were excited to be graduating and relieved to have finished the demanding program.
For Emma Gillian, commencement was an important milestone in a longer educational journey. She will soon attend Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University. Gillian expressed her gratitude to the biochemistry department for helping her succeed.
“I’m a student with a disability, and they have been super supportive,” she said. “As I get ready to go to med school, they have been supportive. Even when we were stressed, the professors have been very helpful.”
A few rows ahead of the biochemistry students was a group of electrical engineering students, all commenting that they couldn’t believe they were finally done with college.
“It doesn’t feel real,” said Brooklyn Yaws, before asking her friends, “Do you guys feel like that?”
Though this fall’s graduating seniors have been back on campus for the last few semesters, they still remember all too well the challenges posed by remote learning during the pandemic.
“It was really stressful because of COVID and hard classes,” said Jakelyne Amezcua. “But it makes it so much more rewarding to be done.”
As a scholar-athlete, Caroline Benke had her work cut out for her, splitting her time between volleyball games and electrical engineering projects.
“It was a struggle, but everything was worth it,” she said.
While nearly 100 NSME students walked the stage to accept their diploma, so too did one of their instructors. Dr. Chengwei Lei, an associate professor of computer science, earned an additional graduate degree, officially completing the Master of Business Administration program over the summer.
A believer in lifelong learning, Dr. Lei wanted to demonstrate to his students the importance of never giving up. He often tells his students to keep learning as much as they can and that nothing learned will ever be wasted. As a professor, Dr. Lei has attended many commencement ceremonies, but this one was extra special.
“The feeling is so different when I walked the stage as an MBA student with my computer science students,” he said. “I feel like I am a part of them. I am not just waiting for them at the finish line but running with them and passing the finish line with them. When they recognized me and called my name, I could see the amazement on their faces. I felt so good when I talked back to them: ‘See, I told you. We both did it. Never give up, and eventually we will reach our destination.’”
The fall commencement ceremony was the first that Dr. Jane Dong has attended since starting as the dean of NSME in July. From her seat on the stage, she was able to see the students as they crossed the stage with proud smiles on their faces.
“I was excited to see many NSME students walking across the stage during the commencement,” Dr. Dong said. “This is a great demonstration of our students' resilience, hard work and drive to excel. I am confident that with these merits our graduates will shine in their future careers. I am looking forward to seeing their impact on our communities and on our region in the future.”
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