Last week, California State University, Bakersfield celebrated more than 1,900 students earning their degrees with a trio of commencement ceremonies held on the campus’ main soccer field.
Walking the stage at two of those ceremonies were students from CSUB’s School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, with undergraduates honored on Friday evening and graduates honored on Saturday morning.
At the start of each ceremony, CSUB Interim President Dr. Vernon B. Harper Jr. addressed the crowd of students and their families. Though the college experience is unlikely to be a fairytale for even the most studious of scholars, Dr. Harper pointed out the parallels between pursuing an education and any great story.
“From the first day of school in August to the final exams in May, each academic year is like a saga,” Dr. Harper said. “Along the way, there are a few plot twists to keep things interesting, some amazing new characters, and perhaps the need for a couple of rewrites. But today is the ‘happily ever after’ that makes it all worth it.”
For undergraduate biology students Jessica Tiscareno and Alyse Gabaldon, the education saga will continue with a sequel. Tiscareno is onto Loma Linda University for dental school and Gabaldon will return to CSUB for the biology master’s program in the fall. Still, Friday’s ceremony marked an important milestone in their stories.
“I’m ready!” Tiscareno said of graduating. “It feels nice to finally reach this. It’s a nice treat at the end. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Both Tiscareno and Gabaldon are first-generation students and said the day was just as exciting for their families as it was for them. Tiscareno said her parents had been talking about her upcoming graduation nonstop.
“The amount of pictures that have been taken is a lot!” said Gabaldon, who hopes to become a wildlife biologist. “They’re really excited.”