For many at Mt. San Jacinto College, graduation is a celebration of obstacles overcome
HEMET – Some new graduates of Mt. San Jacinto College describe overcoming obstacles, including doubt and insecurity about whether they were college material, and for others, earning the degree was a matter of persistence and carving out time to take each class.
Amid what Dennis Anderson, the college’s interim vice president for instructional services, called some “amazing stories,” the Class of 2008 reached their community college goals Friday.
A record 1,046 students received associate degrees or certificates, up from 852 students in 2007. College officials estimated about one-third of them participated in the ceremonies under balmy skies at the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre in Hemet.
Diane Boss, 62, started her college education in 1970 and over the years took classes to enhance her job skills for different careers.
She received an associate’s degree in business administration but figured she had taken enough units at Mt. San Jacinto and UCR that “I could have had my bachelor’s if I focused on just doing one thing,” she said by phone earlier this week.
“I never really had the opportunity to just go to school. I always worked full time,” said Boss, an administrative associate for the college’s fundraising foundation. She took career-oriented classes, and as her career changed so did her classes. She earned a public relations certificate at UCR and a fundraising certificate at Mt. San Jacinto.
The country-western dancer and kayaker, who lives in the country south of Hemet, will take a break next semester before setting more college goals, she said.
Among those who did not participate in the cap and gown ceremonies was Anthony Carbajal 20, who chose to work his pizza restaurant job to earn money for expenses to transfer to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He plans to major in business with a minor in communications. He earned a management certificate at Mt. San Jacinto.
“I’m trying to save up money. I’m trying to pick up shifts,” he said by phone earlier in the week.
Carbajal echoed remarks made by graduation speaker Julian Alcazar, thanking their mothers for support and describing learning obstacles. Alcazar took advantage of math tutors, and Carbajal got help in math and English at the college’s Learning Resource Center.
Carbajal credits counselors, faculty and tutors with influencing his college success. “I’ve just grown so much at Mt. San Jacinto. Leaving high school, I just wasn’t ready for college,” said the Murrieta High School graduate. “I worked my way up, and they helped me achieve confidence.”
California Secretary of Education David Long in his commencement address talked about the importance of setting priorities in 840 months, the average person’s lifespan. Long is a former superintendent and county schools chief in Riverside County.
In an emotional moment during the ceremonies, the college awarded an associate’s degree in computer information systems posthumously to Timothy Waters, 51, of Hemet, who battled a brain tumor and died within a day of completing his last college assignment March 13. His only son, Brad Waters, accepted the degree on his behalf.
Reach Gail Wesson at 951-763-3455 or gwesson@PE.com
