Denise Rockenstein– Staff reporter
LAKE COUNTY ? Commencement ceremonies at Yuba Community College Clear Lake Campus began Friday with the sixth annual Grad Breakfast. The day continued with certificate presentation in the afternoon and degree announcement in the evening.
“This is an exciting day,” Dean Bryon Bell said in welcoming the graduates to the breakfast. “I like starting this day with our Grad Breakfast. It gives everyone a chance to share and interact with other graduates.”
Comically, Bell congratulated the graduates and thanked those who contributed the commencement ceremonies” coordination. He also thanked Robert Cabreros and his culinary students, who prepared a delicious breakfast for the graduates.
Wendy Coleman held the honor of Student Speaker at the breakfast. Coleman, who was the recipient of a Soroptimist Women”s Opportunity award earlier this year, has been a student at the college since 2006 and served as a student peer on the campus. She obtained a degree in Business Administration later that evening and plans to continue her education at Sacramento State University. Her ultimate goal is to own her a bed & breakfast on the coast. She is the first in her family to graduate college.
“For many of us graduating tonight this is the end of a very long journey, a journey that as been full of obstacles and bumps along the way,” Coleman said. “Like some of you, when I started this journey I tried to use any excuse to get out of it: ?I”m not smart enough” ?I can”t afford to go” and all the excuses in between.”
Coleman continued, “Now as a peer advisor for Yuba one of the things that I tell new students is that they have already gotten past the hardest part. They made it in the door.”
Following Coleman”s speech, Bell presented certificates for academic recognition. Academic Achievement awards for grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.5 to 3.74 were presented to Regina Amaral, Jon Davison, Beth Jenkins, Anthony Lewis, Ana Montanez, Benjamin Timmons, Melissa Warner and Brad Wight. High Academic Achievement awards for GPAs of 3.75 to 3.99 were presented to Wendy Coleman and Christie Greenfield. Distinguished Academic Achievement awards for perfect 4.0 GPAs were presented to Maxx Bartlett and Nicole Doud.
The breakfast concluded with a musical “kazoo-along” composed and led by Dr. Harry Lyons and Rick McCann.
The song dared graduates to take a stand, lend an ear and continue to persevere. “We dare you to come back and fight: to change what is wrong into what might be right. And if our tired old eyes could see what you”re thinking of, we”d double dare you to think like you did when you thought well at Yuba. We double dare you,” the tune concluded.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
