Cuesta College graduates celebrate with SLO drive-thru ceremony. ‘So much to be proud of’
Cuesta College held a drive-through commencement ceremony on Friday afternoon to celebrate its 2021 graduating class.
The event, which began at 2 p.m. and ended at around 4 p.m., was held at the community college’s San Luis Obispo campus off Highway 1. Those who could not attend in person were able to watch the graduation ceremony online.
A total of 1,250 graduating students drove in their cars to the stage at Parking Lot 5, got out and walked across to receive their degrees from Jill Stearns, Cuesta College superintendent and president. Then the graduates got back into their cars and drove away.
Members of the Board of Trustees threw confetti as graduates passed through a pair of green, black and gold balloon pillars and crossed the stage decorated with a row of pots of yellow, white and purple flowers. Honking car horns mixed with the stately strains of Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance.”
Some graduates gussied up their cars, while others decorated their mortarboards. Cougie, Cuesta College’s cougar mascot, could be seen sporting a black graduation robe.
Friday’s celebration marked the end of a tumultuous school year experienced by students, teachers and employees. The COVID-19 pandemic forced most of Cuesta College’s classes into a distance learning format starting in March 2020.
Although many classrooms reopened in the fall and spring for in-person instruction at Cuesta, some classes and services have remained virtual.
Cuesta College graduate Yusbely Delgado Medrano told The Tribune that attending community college during the global coronavirus pandemic was difficult.
The former Atascadero High School student said there were times when her online classes seemed impossible, and her grades slipped as she tried to stay motivated to continue. But Medrano has encountered challenges before and found ways to break through boundaries.
“I am a first-generation student. None of my family members have gone to college. My parents haven’t even graduated middle school,” Medrano said. “They didn’t know what it really took to go to college. So by the time I graduated high school, I was literally at ground zero. I had no financial aid or any help at all.”
Fortunately, Medrano qualified for the Cuesta Promise scholarship program, which guarantees new San Luis Obispo County high school graduates two fee-free years at Cuesta College.
During her time at the community college, she served as a senator and activities director for the community college’s student government and president of the Dreamers United Club, which helps and supports undocumented students. She also worked with Immigrants Rising and is currently creating an online guide for undocumented students looking for colleges or universities that will support them.
Medrano said going to Cuesta College made her realize how much she can do.
“I could have just gotten my associates’ (degree) and moved on from there,” Medrano said. “But I learned that I’m capable of many more things.”
Now, Medrano is looking forward to attending UC Davis and pursuing a degree in communications with minors in sociology and psychology. Medrano has her sights set on medical school to one day, with plans to become a pediatrician.
“I want my siblings and my cousins and anyone who is able to listen to my story that it really is possible. I want my parents to know that their sacrifices were not taken for granted, that I’m grateful for everything they’ve done for me,” Medrano said. “And I want everyone else out there to know that nothing can stop them, that it is completely possible to achieve a higher education.”
Another Cuesta College grad, Daniel Moreno, said he surprised himself with how he spent his time at the community college.
When he started at the school two years ago, Moreno discovered that he could apply his studies in his major — business administration — to his jobs as a tutor and at the financial aid office. Working the two jobs wasn’t easy, he said, especially as he was packing a full course load while taking care of his sister at home in Paso Robles.
“To be honest, I still can’t believe I was able to do all that,” said Moreno, a first-generation college graduate. “There was definitely times over this last year with COVID that I felt I wasn’t going to make it on all my classes, like I was going to lose my straight As, my honors.
“I’m shocked that I’m here now. I’m really happy.”
Moreno worked as a senator for Cuesta College’s student government and was instrumental in bettering the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
“While I was at Cuesta, I wanted to make students feel comfortable,” he said. “I would see others in the financial aid office or wherever and they were uncomfortable or didn’t feel safe asking for help, maybe because they didn’t know English or because they were ashamed. And I just always wanted to make them feel at home, and that they’re not alone and that I was going to help them.”
Moreno plans to attend Cal Poly in the fall and hopefully graduate from the university with a bachelor’s degree.
Who graduated from Cuesta College in 2021?
In a prepared statement, Stearns congratulated Cuesta College’s graduating students on their accomplishments.
“You have so much to be proud of, and your graduation date will forever shine on your resume, showing your perseverance, dedication, and preparedness for excellence in whatever comes next,” Stearns said.
The community college awarded a total of 1,602 degrees to graduates this year, including 478 associate in arts degrees and 282 associate in science degrees. Transfer students received 523 associate in arts degrees and 319 associate in science degrees.
Of this year’s graduating class, 607 students came from San Luis Obispo County high schools.
Of those, a record-breaking 369 graduates were recipients of the Cuesta Promise program.
A total of 26 students from graduated Cuesta College with a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA). Of the other graduating students, 185 had 3.75 to 4.0 GPAs and 206 had 3.5 to 3.74 GPAs.
Sixty of the graduates had no high school diploma, instead previously passing the General Educational Development test, or GED.
The oldest Cuesta College graduate in 2021 was 71 years old, while the youngest was 16 years old.
And a total of 22 U.S. military veterans earned their degrees on Friday, representing the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy.
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
