Ceremony Took Place Friday, May 19 at Carl Conelly Stadium
Cabrillo College honored its 58th graduating class of 1,117 students during a formal commencement ceremony conferring degrees and certificates. This year Cabrillo awarded 691 A.A. degrees, 405 A.S. degrees, 125 certificates of achievement, and 184 skills certificates. The Cabrillo College Class of 2017 is comprised of graduates ranging in age from 18 to 70 years with a median age of 28. Of the total graduates, 65% are females and 35% are males. As a Federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, 42% of Cabrillo’s graduating class is Latino.
The Cabrillo College Class of 2017 contains 65 students who graduated with a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA), 116 students who graduated with high honors (3.75-3.99 GPA), 187 who graduated with honors (3.5-3.74 GPA) and 448 who graduated with honorable mentions (3.0-3.49 GPA).
A record 82 students graduated as part of the Honors Transfer Program, having completed all of the courses required to transfer, including at least 15 units of honors coursework, while also maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA. Of those 82 Honors Transfer students, 32 of them graduated with high honors (3.75-3.99 GPA). Of Cabrillo’s Honor Transfer Students, 11 of them have been accepted into the UCLA College of Letters and Sciences. Honors Transfer Student Brenda Garcia has been awarded the Baskin Scholarship to attend UCSC
Honors Transfer students have also been accepted into other four-year universities including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Berkeley, among others.
This year, 253 students graduated with an Associates Degree for Transfer (AA-T/AS-T) Transfer Degree, a special degree offered for the first time four years ago by California Community Colleges. Students who earn an AA-T or AS-T Degree and meet the California State University (CSU) minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a CSU.
Following the processional and the National Anthem sung by the Cabrillo Chorale, Cabrillo College Vice President of Administrative Services Victoria Lewis welcomed participants and guests. Cabrillo College President and Superintendent Dr. Laurel Jones and Cabrillo Faculty Senate President Dr. Robin McFarland gave their congratulatory remarks to the Cabrillo College Class of 2017.
Vice President of Instruction Dr. Kathleen Welch presented the class of 2017 highlighting inspiring stories of graduates in the 2017 class who have overcome adversity in achieving their degrees.
Dr. Ekua Omosupe, English Instructor, Dr. Francisco Iniguez Becerra, Spanish Instructor, Matthew Halter, Biology Instructor, and Nancy Stucker, English Instructor, read the graduates’ names.
