On May 26, Cabrillo College honored 1,429 graduates and 295 transfer students in an in-person graduation ceremony at Carl Conelly Stadium — grads who met their goal despite the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the CZU wildfire, despite flooding.
For the third straight year in the college’s 64-year history, more than half the graduating class — 51% — was Latinx.
Among those recognized: Veteran Thomas Ghio, who was accepted into Yale University as a transfer student. At Yale, he will study molecular biophysics and biochemistry, to prepare for medical school on his way to becoming a surgeon.
“Reflecting on my Cabrillo experience, one aspect that truly stands out is my invaluable interactions with the faculty and staff,” said Ghio. “When I joined Cabrillo in spring of 2021, it was evident that the teachers and counselors were genuinely invested in their students’ success. Their dedication and support played a significant role in shaping my academic journey over the past five semesters.”
This year, Cabrillo awarded 1,117 A.A. degrees and 494 A.S. degrees. In addition, 292 students will graduate with an Associate’s Degree for Transfer (AA-T/AS-T). Students who earn this degree and meet the California State University minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a CSU.
Noteworthy: 61% of the AA-T/AS-T recipients at this federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution are Latinx.
Student Trustee Devinè Hardy
“I’m incredibly proud of our students,” said Cabrillo College President and Superintendent Dr. Matt Wetstein. “For the third year in a row, 51% of our graduates are Latinx, and this year, 61% of our students earning associates degrees for transfer into a CSU are Latinx, meaning they are transferring at a higher rate. Additionally, to have a student veteran accepted into Yale University, where the transfer acceptance rate is .08%, is monumental. There are so many milestones to celebrate this year!”
Cabrillo graduates also earned 309 certificates of achievement and 156 skills certificates.
The Class of 2023 comprises graduates ranging in age from 15 to 77 years, with an average age of 27.
The class was 63% female and 36% male.
The Class of 2023 contains a record 273 students graduating with a 4.0 grade-point average, a 39% increase over last year.
And 214 students graduated with high honors (3.75-3.99 GPA), 240 students with honors (3.5-3.74 GPA) and 496 students with honorable mention (3.0-3.49 GPA).
A notable 65 students graduated or transferred as part of the Honors Transfer Program, a learning community for highly motivated students seeking rigorous academic coursework in a supportive and cooperative environment.
Of those 65 students, 37 graduated as Honors Scholars, having completed at least 15 units of honors courses with a minimum 3.4 transferable GPA.
And 22 students were certified for the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), which gives priority admission into the UCLA College of Letters and Sciences for fall 2023.
In addition there were seven UC Irvine Honors-to-Honors students.
Students are transferring to competitive universities, which include (with information to date): Yale University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, with others awaiting decisions from NYU and Stanford University.
The Peggy and Jack Baskin Award is given each year to a Cabrillo graduate in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields. This year’s recipient is Marlize Velasco, one of Cabrillo’s UCLA TAP-certified students. Marlize is transferring to UC Santa Cruz, and majoring in politics.
At the ceremony, she urged kindness and added: “Keep pushing forward even when the odds are against you.”
President of the Student Senate Denisa Rozsypalova, a Czech student living in California, cited the challenges of the pandemic.
Student Trustee Devinè Hardy, a non-traditional student motivated by the pandemic shutdown to return to college and finish her degree, said, “Always know your why.” One of her whys is advocating for those who have no voice.
The UC Santa Cruz Karl S. Pister award is an up to $20,000 scholarship given to a Cabrillo Student planning to transfer to UCSC. This year’s winner: Tymothie Hale, who is majoring in psychology.
The ceremony began with a processional of the Governing Board, faculty, and staff, and members of the Graduating Class of 2023, followed by a welcome from Vice President of Student Services Amy Lehman-Sexton. The Cabrillo Chorale, under the direction of Cheryl Anderson, sang the national anthem as well as Cielito Lindo (Lovely Sky).
Wetstein, as president, gave congratulatory remarks, as did Cabrillo Faculty Senate President Anna Zagorska, and Cabrillo Classified Employees Union Second Vice President Ariba Alston-Williams.
Dr. Robin McFarland, interim vice president of instruction, presented the graduating class and Cabrillo Board President Adam Spickler conferred the degrees and certificates.
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To view the ceremony, see www.cabrillo.edu/events/graduation-ceremony/ or Cabrillo’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF-mVv_qgRY