Cuesta College’s 60th annual commencement ceremony will take place on May 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. on the San Luis Obispo County campus.
“It’s really just a chance for them to celebrate their accomplishments with friends and family and get a little recognition from Cuesta before they go on to the next step,” said Meghan Fay-Mitchell, the administrative assistant to the Vice President of Student Success and Support Programs. “If you’ve put in the work to get a degree or get a certificate, it’s worth celebrating that.”
According to the Cuesta website, graduation is split into five groups, categorized by area of study. The group a student registers in determines when they walk and receive their diploma. The commencement overall will be held in 30-minute increments.
“For any students who have work or other commitments outside of school, they should RSVP for any group that works best for their schedule,” Fay-Mitchell said. “It’s more important for us that you get the experience of walking than it is for you to walk in a specific time, having to skip work or other commitments for it.”
Fay-Mitchell also gave advice to students who are receiving more than one degree, in the same or in different group categories.
“In a lot of cases, we have students who are getting multiple degrees at the same time: they might be getting an AA and a certificate, and they might not be in the same area of study. You don’t need to walk in both,” Fay-Mitchell said. “What I would recommend is pick one, and that can be either the one where you feel like you have friends or classmates you want to walk with, or if there’s one that just fits better for your schedule. That’s totally fine.”
Cuesta College’s website also highlights important deadlines for students participating in commencement.
The next deadline is for registering to actually participate in commencement. The Commencement RSVP information is on Cuesta’s website on the commencement page, and needs to be completed by May 16, one week before commencement.
Commencement regalia will be sold at Cuesta College’s bookstore starting later in April, and will be needed by every single graduate to participate in the ceremony. Regalia will also be available to purchase online through the bookstore.
Fay-Mitchell also talked about what friends and family of graduates should know before attending.
“We will have seating on a first-come, first-serve basis, so if it’s totally packed, it might be standing room only but there’s no limit on the number of guests a graduate can bring,” Fay-Mitchell said. “We’ll have some seating reserved for anyone who has ADA accommodations they need.”
Fay-Mitchell also said that all commencement guests will have free parking in Lot 5, and there will be staff with golf carts for any friends and family who will need assistance to the ceremony. The ceremony will also have ASL interpreters, and a livestream for anybody who wants to watch the ceremony remotely.
After the ceremony, there will be an area to take photos with a backdrop as well as free “Cuesta College Alumni” license plate holders all located at the Stork Gym patio.
Cuesta’s commencement ceremony has been mentioned as the staff’s favorite event of the year. Interim Division Chair and Academic Counselor Heidi Webber talked about how commencement is a great way to celebrate the achievement of earning a degree.
“Something magical happens when you put on that cap and gown and you walk across the stage and staff and faculty are there,” Webber said. “It’s a symbolic way to honor all the hard work that you’ve done up until this point.”
Webber also highlighted the many emotions that faculty, staff and administrators feel seeing students they have personally worked with participate in the ceremony.
“I absolutely love the experience,” Webber said. “Just to see them happy and celebrating the accomplishments that they’ve made, and the goals that we set from the beginning when they first come in, all the way through to whatever job or transfer follows them after.”
Other than faculty, staff and administrators, friends, family and students on Cuesta’s campus are also excited to participate in the commencement ceremony.
For two brothers, soon-to-be Cuesta College graduates, participating in the ceremony shows their gratitude towards the school, and helping them with their future endeavors.
“I have really enjoyed my time at Cuesta,” Jonathan Thompson said, who will be graduating with an associate transfer degree in political science. “It has really set me up for a great future.”
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to attend this amazing school that stands out above the rest,” Joshua Thompson said, who will be graduating with an associate transfer degree in communications.
For more information about Cuesta’s Commencement ceremony, visit the commencement page on Cuesta College’s website.
