‘The stage is yours’

134 NSME students among those who graduated on Dec. 13

By California State University, Bakersfield

December 17^th, 2025

College can feel like a whirlwind, with schedules packed full of classes, homework, internships, clubs and more. Students rush from moment to moment, semester to semester, trying to meet every requirement to finish in time. But on the day that they finally graduate, arriving early to find their seats, the pace slows for a moment of reflection on everything it took to get them there.

Over two ceremonies at the Dignity Health Arena on Saturday, nearly 1,000 students graduated from California State University, Bakersfield. Among them were 134 from the College of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME).

One of those students was Avelina Olmedo, a computer science major who likes getting things done early. After years of home-schooling, she graduated high school at 17 and is now earning her college degree at just 20 years old. She received an early job offer back in June to work as a web developer at Linean. And on Saturday, she had taken her seat in the arena with more than an hour to spare, giving her time to consider the significance of the day.

“People would ask me how I feel about graduating, and I’d say, ‘Well, it definitely feels bittersweet but ask me at the end of the semester and I’ll probably have a different answer,’” Olmedo said. “Now, I’m feeling ready. I’m excited. It will be a fun new chapter.”

Chase McCullough and Robert Flores, both electrical engineering students, were also celebrating the conclusion of one era and the start of the next.

“It feels good that all the hard work we put in is finally going to pay off,” Flores, 23, said. “It was a lot of pressure being the first in my family to go to college, but now that it’s done, I feel proud that my family gave me this opportunity and I made the most of it.”

Flores hopes to earn his Fundamentals of Engineering license soon and go on to work in control systems in automation or manufacturing.

McCullough, 22, will be working at A-C Electric, where he interned in the summer of 2024 and has been working as a construction project aid since his internship ended. With a job already lined up, McCullough said he feels like he’s “speeding right through” the college-to-real life transition. Fortunately, he knows his time at CSUB has prepared him well for what’s next.

“I had a very good time at CSUB, everything went smoothly,” he said. “Everybody is really kind, the professors are really helpful. I enjoyed all my classes and feel very confident that I got a lot of out of them too.”

Chase McCullough and Robert Flores (first and second from left, respectively) with electrical engineering classmates John Ramos and Ruby Diaz

For geology major Garrett Cooper, his experience at CSUB took him well beyond the campus and even the surrounding community. Cooper was among the group of students that geology professor Dr. Anthony Rathburn took on a research cruise to the Labrador Sea and Arctic Ocean off the coasts of Canada and Greenland.

“The research trip was a lot of fun,” he said. “We were at sea for about 35 days. I learned a lot working with well-known scientists. I got hands-on experience working on a team. It was a really cool, eye-opening experience.”

If international, seafaring research sounds out of reach for incoming students, Cooper promises his experience and others like it are all entirely possible for anyone willing to put in the work.

“If someone can do it, you can do it,” Cooper, 33, advised. “Be your biggest supporter.”

Among Cooper’s supporters cheering him on at commencement was his father, a geologist himself. Cooper, who will return to CSUB to pursue his master’s degree, said he hopes to make his family proud.

Jasmine Garcia, a public health major, was excited to be finishing this chapter of her life too. Garcia, 22, served as the vice president of the Public Health Society club and worked in the advising centers for both NSME and the College of Social Sciences and Education. She will return to CSUB to earn her master’s degree in public administration.

“I’ve loved my time at CSUB,” Garcia said. “All the professors and staff are very welcoming. I’m proud to say I went to CSUB.”

Jasmine Garcia, left, and public health classmates

Garrett Cooper, right, with geology classmates Maggie Izumi and Tyler Garza

During Saturday's ceremonies, Associated Students Inc. President Anthonio Reyes addressed the graduates, reminding them that the sacrifices their families likely made for them make up the foundation of their future success. He encouraged them to pay it forward by helping the next generation of students by offering mentorship or guidance.

“But today, the stage is yours,” he said. “You get to stand up here knowing that you earned it. Everything you overcame to reach this stage is worth celebrating. Through it all, you showed resilience and heart, and what it means to come from this community. Carry that pride with you wherever you go and let it remind you what you’re capable of becoming.”

President Vernon B. Harper Jr. also addressed the students before they crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. Looking ahead to a new year, he told them he couldn’t imagine a more optimistic way to begin 2026 than with a college degree in their hands and on their resumes.

“But, graduates, as valuable as your college degree is, you are leaving CSUB with much more than a piece of paper,” Dr. Harper said. “You are launching careers or the next steps in your education with the knowledge, enlightenment and new ideas you acquired at this university. And there is no instrument of progress in the history of the world more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”