CSUMB celebrates 30th Commencement

CSUMB celebrates 30th Commencment with largest graduating class

By Mark Muckenfuss

She was the littlest graduate. At least she appeared to be. 

Sophia Bravo, decked out in a graduation gown and tasseled mortarboard, stood only knee-high to many of the students gathered for Cal State Monterey Bay’s Commencement on Saturday, May 16, at the Salinas Sports Complex. Just 2 years old, she looked down and fiddled with her stole, which bore the letters, CSUMB. The top of her cap was stenciled with “My mommie did it for me.”

Her mother, Yesenia Aguirre, a double major in sociology and psychology, was receiving her degree and wanted Sophia to be part of it. 

“I graduated with my AA with her in my arms,” Aguirre said. “So, with my BA, she’s walking with me. This is to show her that education is the right path and to always believe in her dreams.”

Aguirre was among nearly 2,000 graduates to cross the stage at the sports complex’s main area, cheered on, under sunny skies, by a crowd of about 14,500 filling the stands. As the rows of blue-robed participants filed in, they passed the Otter mascot Monte Rey, who offered high-fives and fist bumps. A few students even stopped to take selfies, before hurrying back into the procession. 

CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones welcomed the crowd in both English and Spanish before addressing the graduates.

“You have finished your last class. You have worked really hard. You did it!” she said, eliciting a roar of cheers. 

“Always, always remember,” she added, “that you are Otters for life. We celebrate every student’s strength and realize that together we achieve greatness.”

A short program of speeches included an address by Natalie Navarro, the president of the Associated Students, who shared a bit of her own journey at CSUMB in learning to conquer her fears.

“Take in this moment to its fullest,” she told her classmates. “I can’t wait to see the amazing things you do.”

Monterey businessman Ted Balestreri, chairman and CEO of Cannery Row Company, was recognized with an honorary doctorate. Unable to attend the ceremony in person, he appeared via video. 

“I’m so proud to officially be an Otter alumnus,” Balestreri said, before providing the graduates with some advice based on his experience as a successful businessman and community supporter. “Take chances. Go outside that comfort zone and you’ll all be winners.”

Many of the graduates already felt like winners. Prior to the ceremony, as the students lined up behind banners representing their respective majors, they milled about taking photos, sharing stories, admiring the decorations and messages adorning the tops of their mortarboards and, in the case of some, dancing. 

Amber Barron and Stephanie Arellano, both of Salinas, were twirling happily among their friends and classmates. The two friends were receiving master’s degrees in speech-language pathology. 

“It’s an interesting bond you share going through the same program,” said Barron. 

“We helped each other through the rough times and the good times,” added Arellano, recalling stressful nights when they faced assignment deadlines. “We cried and laughed together.” 

Barron said she will soon begin working with children at Salinas Valley Speech Pathology.

“I get to give back to the community that I was born and raised in,” Barron said. “It’s a way to give the younger generation the tools so they can have a voice. It gives them hope for the future.” 

The diversity of CSUMB’s student population was easy to see among the crowd. 

Michael Olaoye came from Nigeria to study computer science, first at the University of Central Arkansas and then CSUMB. He said getting his degree felt like “freedom,” but added that it was not the best thing about his experience.

“The people I have around me are more important than the degree,” he said.

Amit Patel, 61, came back to school after 30 years as an engineer in the high-tech field to get his teaching credential, a dream he had always had. He was recently hired to teach math at Hollister High School. 

“I’ve been wanting to teach for a long time,” he said, adding that he enjoyed his student teaching at Carmel High School. “I’ve been in the classroom for a year, and I love it, absolutely love it.” 

Raith Rougeot, a humanities and communications major, was continuing a family tradition. 

“It’s amazing,” she said, showing off an otter necklace that belongs to her mother. “My mom went to CSUMB in its opening year. I’m graduating exactly 30 years after my mom.”

Heather Rougeot, Raith’s mother, works as an instructional designer at CSUMB.

“She’s my great inspiration,” Raith said. 

For some, the moment of graduation was bittersweet. It meant leaving behind not only the hard work, but fun experiences that filled other moments. 

Roommates Ashley Holland and Anmol Singh, both majored in kinesiology. Singh, of Salida, said they encouraged each other to succeed.

“Everyday, it was like, ‘We can do this. We can get there,” Singh said. 

Holland, of Pinole, agreed, laughing. 

“But toward the end,” Holland said, getting quieter, “it was like, ‘I don’t want it to end.’”

Emotions were high among the parents in the stands as well. Chris Baker, of Morgan Hill, was with his wife Irene, watching their daughter Hannah receive her degree in human development and family science. Baker said neither he nor his wife attended college, but felt it was important that their children did.

“When we got married, we said, ‘We have to make sure our kids go to college to have more of an opportunity than we did,” Baker said. 

Having that come to fruition, he said, “got to me.”

“When I first got here,” he said of arriving at the sports complex, “all the memories of her growing up as a little girl came back. When she got on stage, I screamed and yelled. I kind of lost it.”

After the ceremony, the Bakers, like many families, gathered in a photo opportunity area to capture images of the moment, before making their ways to the parking lots and heading off to new chapters in their lives.