This year, the Cabrillo College graduating class — the 66th — is 1,599 students strong.
This is among the largest graduating classes in Cabrillo’s history.
Graduates received their degrees as is customary at an in-person graduation ceremony Friday, May 30, at Carl Conely Stadium in Aptos.
The ceremony included the first graduating class of apprentices in Cabrillo’s history.
In addition, more than 361 graduates and non-graduates will transfer to four-year universities.
This year, Cabrillo awards 1,287 A.A. degrees and 578 A.S. degrees, according to spokeswoman Kristin Fabos.
Some students graduated with more than one degree.
In addition, 365 students graduated with a unique degree offered by the California Community Colleges for transfer into the CSU system. Students who earn this degree and meet the California State University minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a CSU.
Renee DeLisle: Pister Award Winner
“I’m incredibly proud of our students,” said Cabrillo President and Superintendent Dr. Matt Wetstein. “Not only do we have one of the largest graduating classes in recent history, but we have our first class of graduates from Cabrillo’s Apprenticeship Program, who will enter the workforce in high-demand fields of Healthcare and Computer and Information Systems. This milestone underscores how community colleges continue to be the workforce engine of California and our nation.”
Of the 27 apprentices enrolled in Cabrillo’s Apprenticeship Program, 11 graduate this year. Two are in Computer Information Systems, and the remaining nine are Community Health Worker students.
Cabrillo graduates earned 312 certificates of achievement and 56 skills certificates.
This year’s graduates range in age from 17 (a dual-enrolled high school junior) to 79 years with an average age of 28.
In this class, 59.8% are females, 37.1% are males, and 1.5% are non-binary.
A record 330 students graduated with a 4.0 grade point average—straight As.
Another 252 students graduated with high honors (3.75-3.99 GPA), 300 with honors (3.5-3.74 GPA) and 544 with honorable mention (3.0-3.49 GPA).
Abigail Hinds: Baskin Scholarship Winner
A notable 31 students graduated as Honors Scholars, students who have completed all required courses for transfer to a four-year college or university, and at least 15 units of honors coursework with a GPA of 3.4 or higher.
Students are transferring widely to competitive universities which include (with information to date): Cal Poly SLO, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz, among others.
Peggy and Jack Baskin & Karl S. Pister Scholarship Recipients
The Peggy and Jack Baskin Award is given each year to a Cabrillo graduate in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. This year’s recipient is Abigail L. Hinds.
The UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) 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 is Renee DeLisle.
The ceremony began with a processional of the Governing Board, faculty, and staff, and members of the graduating class, followed by a welcome from Vice President of Student Services Dr. Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah.
The Cabrillo Chorale, under the direction of Cheryl Anderson, sang the national anthem.
Cabrillo College President and Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wetstein, Cabrillo Faculty Senate President Dr. Victoria Bañales, and Cabrillo Classified Employees Union President Tasha Sturm gave their congratulatory remarks to the class.
President of the Student Senate Mia Nachazelova and Student Trustee Cody Jarvis shared their experiences.
Travaris Harris, vice president of instruction, presented the graduating class and Cabrillo Board President Christina Cuevas conferred the degrees and certificates and recognized transfer students.
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Cabrillo College, founded in 1959 with locations in Aptos and Watsonville, offers over 100 academic and career technical education programs. It is ranked No. 1 in transfers to UC Santa Cruz.
