‘The great hope of this region’

CSUB to graduate nearly 2,000 Roadrunners for spring 2023

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 3^rd, 2023

The dream of a college degree will become reality for nearly 2,000 California State University, Bakersfield students in May, when the university confers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral diplomas for the 2023 spring semester. Another 330 students will receive teaching credentials, addressing the urgent need for qualified leaders in local classrooms.

“Walking across the commencement stage is a magical moment that celebrates years of hard work and sacrifice,” said CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny. “Our students are the great hope of this region and country, and we know they will exemplify the CSUB values of integrity and service when they leave this university to write the next chapter in their lives.”

CSUB will confer diplomas on participating graduates at three ticketed commencement ceremonies at the Main Soccer Field on campus:

8 a.m. Friday, May 19: Undergraduate ceremony for the schools of Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, and Social Sciences and Education; 630 students have registered to participate in the ceremony.
6 p.m. Friday, May 19: Graduate and credential ceremony; 411 students have registered to participate in the ceremony.
8 a.m. Saturday, May 20: Undergraduate ceremony for the schools of Business and Public Administration, Social Sciences and Education, and Academic Programs; 647 students have registered to participate in the ceremony.

Some 1,611 undergraduate students will earn degrees this spring, adding to the 1,169 Roadrunners from the fall ceremony, bringing the total for the entire academic year to 2,780. In addition, 317 students will receive master’s degrees, up from the 183 students in the fall. Three students will earn doctoral degrees in educational leadership, bringing the total for the academic year to five.

For the first time ever, CSUB will confer a bachelor’s degree in public health after launching the new major in the fall of 2021 in response to the region’s critical need for public health experts.

Karla Herrera enrolled at CSUB in 2019 as a pre-nursing major but changed her focus to public health in 2021. With the help of faculty and staff, she was able to identify many major requirements that had been satisfied, allowing her to graduate on time.

“I’m very excited and it feels very special to be the first one,” Herrera said. “I just hope that I can set a good example for others wanting to be in public health, and I hope I can put a good word out for what a public health student looks like and make some good things happen in the community.”

For the first time since 2019, CSUB will confer two honorary doctorate degrees.

The late Cesar Chavez will be honored for leading a civil rights movement that started in the fields of Kern County and extended around the world. Members of the Chavez family will be present to receive the honorary degree from President Zelezny at the Saturday morning ceremony.

“The recognition is an honor for our family and all of us in the farmworker movement,” said CSUB alumnus Andres Chavez, grandson of the late labor leader and executive director of the National Chavez Center in Keene. “But when my grandfather received recognition like this, he was oftentimes a little uncomfortable because he knew there were many who worked alongside him whose names are lost to history. We accept this on behalf of all those folks and share this honor with them.”

Irma Carson, who graduated from a segregated high school, will be present at the Friday morning ceremony to receive an honorary doctorate for the many firsts she recorded as an African-American woman in the region, culminating with her leadership on the Bakersfield City Council.

“I feel grateful that I was even considered,” she said. “To the people I’ve influenced, I say to follow your dreams, be involved in the community, be an activist and help people when you can.”

The School of Social Science and Education will award 1,027 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics will award 344 bachelor’s and master’s degrees; the School of Business and Public Administration will award 326 bachelor’s and master’s degrees; and the School of Arts and Humanities will award bachelor’s and master’s 231 degrees. Some 330 teacher credentials also will be awarded.

“This is something special that is a rare and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said CSUB Antelope Valley student Carmen Zenteno, who is earning her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and teaching credential after a 30-year gap in her college career. "Not only is being a college graduate something I thought had passed me by, but sharing this experience with my kids has made the entire journey that much more unique and worth it.”