With a warm welcome from the Chico heat, friends and family gathered to celebrate the commencement of the class of 2026 for the College of Communication and Education. The excitement could be felt and heard as students marched into the stadium.
Sabrina Gutierrez, a graduate of a Bachelor’s in Media Arts Design and Technology in Production, said she was excited to be there after all the ups and downs.
“I felt like I wanted to give up, but I am finally here and everything was worth it,” she said. “No matter how hard it is, no matter how long it takes you, you should always achieve your goals.”
Chico State faculty took turns giving their gratitude and congratulations to the graduating class.
“Today is the best day to be a wildcat,” said Leslie Cornick, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, as the ceremony began.
Student speaker Millie Kinnamont, a Communication Studies major, talked to the class about her journey to Chico.
“I was completely alone, fresh out of high school. And nothing could have prepared me for how hard that was,” she said. “But then I found out that Chico has this crazy ability of bringing people together.”
The other ceremonies include:
- Friday, May 15, at 7 p.m., honoring the College of Agriculture and the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management.
- Saturday, May 16, at 9 a.m., honoring the College of Business and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. (Ceremony 1)
- Saturday, May 16, at 7 p.m., honoring the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. (Ceremony 2)
- Sunday, May 17, at 9 a.m., honoring the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the College of Natural Sciences.
The Orion wants to give a special thanks to graduates Lexi Lynn, Nadia Hill, Sean Shanks and Chris Hutton for all of their dedication and hard work they have put into our program. They have set great examples for future journalism students.
Alexa Lima and Josephine Bowman can be reached at [email protected]
