2017 Commencement - Morning Ceremony

- Welcome CI family and friends to our 2017

graduation celebration, and congratulations to our students

on this significant academic accomplishment.

We hope your time here at Cal State Channel Islands

has been transformative, and we wish you all the best

in your future endeavors.

Don't be a stranger!

Stay connected to CI through

our alumni and friends association.

Now sit back, enjoy your day,

and keep reaching for the stars.

- Ladies and gentlemen.

Commencement at California State University Channel Islands

is marked by the tradition of ringing a navy ship bell.

On loan today from Naval Base Ventura County.

Which signals the official beginning of our ceremony.

As we celebrate students today and the inspiration

and knowledge they have gained from our faculty

it is also appropriate to acknowledge the valuable

contributions staff have made in the success

of our students and the university.

The staff member selected by the university president

to ring the bell is chosen for his or her excellence

in work carried out throughout the year.

This year's staff honoree is Rosario Cuevas.

Rosario began work at CSU Channel Islands

during the planning phase in 1999.

When the campus was referred to as CSU Northridge

at Channel Islands.

She has held a number of positions in a variety

of departments since then, and currently serves

as the operations analyst in extended university.

She holds a bachelor's degree in history

and a master's degree in education

from California State University Northridge.

Rosario has watched the university grow and develop

around her, and has taken advantage of the opportunities

that being part of a new university has to offer.

She delights in being one of the first pioneering

homeowners in University Glen,

back in 2003 prior to its full build out.

In 2002, Rosario was the first chapter president

for the California State University Employees Union,

CSUEU, and served in that capacity a variety of times

over the years.

She is also a proud founding member and current

executive board member of Chilfasa, the Latino/Latina

faculty and staff association.

Rosario currently serves as the founding chair

for the newly formed staff council.

In this role she represents staff from across campus.

Rosario greatly enjoys being a part of the CSU

Channel Islands family and looks forward to growing

along with the university as it continues its service

to our region in the years to come.

(bell ringing)

Thank you Rosario.

Now we will have the sounding of a conch shell.

We do this to remember always that we are building upon

the knowledge base of the indigenous people

who first inhabited this land.

It is my pleasure to introduce Raudel Banuelos,

director of facility support for our campus

and the Chumash elder and vice tribal chair

of the Barbareno Ventareno band of Chumash Mission Indians.

(conch blowing)

Thank you Raudel.

(applauding)

I now ask that you please remain seated

as we begin the procession for the class of 2017.

(cheering)

(upbeat orchestral music)

("Pomp and Circumstance" by Sir Edward Elgar)

(cheering and applauding)

- Good morning.

I am Dr. Cynthia Wiles, professor of mathematics

and chair of the academic senate

for California State University Channel Islands.

Will the faculty marshals please come forward

for the presentation of the gonfalons?

Thank you.

(cheering and applauding)

I would ask that everyone please remain standing,

or sorry, please rise for the invocation to be given

by the Reverend Canon Jerome Cailer

and remain standing for the presentation of colors

by the Oxnard High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officers

Training Corps and the singing of our national anthem

by CI President's Scholar Madison Gwen.

- Let us pray.

Gracious creator of the universe,

source of all we know and seek to understand,

the one in whom we live and move and have our being,

we offer thanks on this occasion for the educational

experience offered by California State University

Channel Islands.

For President Beck, her faculty, administration, and staff.

For the achievements of our graduates.

For unlimited opportunities to learn and grow

and continue our skills and knowledge

for the benefit to the world about us.

On this day dedicated to our graduates,

may the knowledge learned and relationships formed

guide them successfully to achieve their dreams.

May they perceive that our common human calling

for freedom and prosperity requires integrity,

honesty, and empathy as well as creativity,

inventiveness, and productivity.

May they be aware that the essentials of love,

compassion, and justice are the most effective tools

for creative living.

And may these chiefly motivate their actions.

May they discern their success in woven fabric

of intersecting threads where open hearts

and open minds meet the challenges of daily living.

We pray today that our graduates will be ready

to seize every opportunity, respond to any need,

and serve the common good.

Not only for personal benefit, but for that of all

inhabitants of our social, political, and ecological world.

Oh holy one, with hearts and minds filled with joy this day,

we give thanks and pray that our graduates will use

their inner strength to fulfill their dreams

in the exciting adventure tomorrow brings.

May we say amen.

- Amen.

- Present!

("The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key)

♫ O say can you see

♫ By the dawn's early light

♫ What so proudly we hailed

♫ At the twilight's last gleaming

♫ Whose broad stripes and bright stars

♫ Through the perilous fight

♫ O'er the ramparts we watched

♫ Were so gallantly streaming

♫ And the rockets' red glare

♫ The bombs bursting in air

♫ Gave proof through the night

♫ That our flag was still there

♫ O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

♫ O'er the land of the free (cheering and applauding)

♫ And the home of the brave

(cheering and applauding)

- Nailed it, beautiful.

- Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.

Thank you Reverend Cailer.

The Oxnard High School Air Force Junior ROTC,

and Madison Gwen for your participation today

in our commencement ceremony.

(cheering and applauding)

(speaking foreign language)

Welcome to you all.

Especially to the class of 2017.

(cheering and applauding)

Our commencement ceremony today celebrates

the achievements of our largest graduating class.

2261 strong.

(cheering and applauding)

Commencements, in their very naming, refer to beginnings,

and yet a commencement also represents change.

Indeed, this is our first commencement following

a significant change in our national government,

a change some welcomed and others feared.

Earlier this month we celebrated the change in leadership

of our own institution with the investiture

of President Erika Beck.

And now we rejoice over a change in your status

from students to graduates.

(cheering and applauding)

This ceremony provides a chance to pause and reflect

on changes that have been long in development

and that will have impact far into the future.

Your presence here at commencement in your stylish

black robes and mortarboards is due to your completing

journeys you set out on years ago.

Your paths may have been rocky and steep at times.

They may have been washed out or had bridges out of repair.

But now, through your perseverance and the support

of your families, friends, and classmates,

you've arrived at this destination.

But the destination is really a portal.

One you step through in a symbolic celebration of change

that continues beyond this day.

In that change we recognize both accomplishment

and ongoing struggle.

One family's story illustrates the joys and the challenges

inherent in the pursuit of higher education.

For years, Hector and Sara Garcia lived in Camarillo

with their three daughters.

The oldest became the first in the family to attend college

when she enrolled at CSU Channel Islands in 2010.

Oh the changes that brought this tight-knit

and home-focused family.

Stephanie became a peer mentor throughout CI's first

HSI grant, developing leadership skills

and forming connections to her university.

As her need to study and her desire to participate

in extracurricular activities kept her at school

long hours, she had to constantly negotiate her choices

with her mom,

who nonetheless supported her.

For example, heating up her meals hours after

the family dinner time.

Imagine the family consternation when this first born

daughter announced she'd been accepted for a year

of study abroad in Chile.

Again her parents, while fearful, supported her choice.

Stephanie shared her hard-won knowledge about

higher education with her younger sisters,

both of whom sought out academic and leadership development

opportunities of their own.

The result?

Today, all three sisters hold bachelor's degrees

from CSU Channel Islands.

(cheering and applauding)

Vivian, who is graduating today, is a magna cum laude

graduate with program honors in biology and I am told

both mother and father are ecstatic for her success.

Indeed, for all three daughters' successes.

And their paths continue.

This fall Vivian and middle sister Evelyn

will both begin master's programs at two different

CSUs in the Bay Area.

We thank the Garcias, and by extension all the families

here today for trusting us to guide their students

along this part of their paths.

With you we celebrate their accomplishments.

These accomplishments bring pride, joy, and some fear

for the future.

Beyond individual and familial changes,

the changes facing our communities, our state, nation,

and world also bring their own set of challenges.

And yet today we are optimistic.

With hope for the future.

We are setting 2261 new graduates loose in the world.

Graduates who have learned how to learn

and how to be curious.

Graduates who know how to work collaboratively

to tackle big, meaningful questions.

Graduates who are the witnesses to the benefits

of diversity and who have enriched perspectives

and compassion through embracing our mission pillars.

You, our CI graduates, carry with you the gifts needed

not only for your own individual successes,

but also those needed for your contributions

for making our world safer, healthier, better understood,

more beautiful, and more just.

Congratulations class of 2017.

(speaking foreign language)

(cheering and applauding)

And now let's hear from some of our students.

To further our mission of graduating students

with an international and multicultural perspective,

it is my pleasure to call forward

two graduating students who will provide

a welcome greeting in a second language.

I would like to first introduce Ana Avandano Torres.

(cheering and applauding)

Ana will be speaking Zapotec, which is an indigenous

language from a region of Mexico.

Ana is a resident of Oxnard and a graduate of

Maxa el Portal Leadership Academy.

Today Ana Avandano Torres is earning a bachelor's degree

in sociology.

(cheering and applauding)

(speaking foreign language)

(cheering and applauding)

- Thank you Ana.

And now I am delighted to introduce Maria Marzicola.

Maria is a resident of Santa Barbara

and a graduate of San Fernando High School.

Today she is graduating with degrees in Chicano studies

and Spanish.

(cheering and applauding)

(speaking foreign language)

(cheering and applauding)

(cheering and applauding)

- Thank you Maria.

Finally, it is my pleasure to introduce our interim provost,

Dr. Daniel Wakely.

(cheering and applauding)

- Thank you Dr. Wiles.

I have the honor of introducing the platform party today.

I would ask that you please hold your applause

until all members have been introduced and are standing.

Ladies and gentlemen of the platform party,

please stand and remain standing as I call your name.

The Reverend Canon Jerome Cailer

who provided the invocation.

Singing our national anthem, Madison Gwen.

Madison is a CI President's Scholar pursuing

a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education.

De Los Santos, CI staff member and graduate student

who will be singing the alma mater at the conclusion

of the ceremony.

Our graduating students who provided a welcome greeting

in a second language, Ana Avandana Torres, Maria Marzicola.

Michelle Noyes, ASI student government president

and our student speaker who you will hear

more about later.

My fellow members of the president's cabinet.

Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs,

Ms. Isabel Trinidad.

Vice President for Student Affairs,

Dr. William Gregory Sawyer.

Vice President for Technology and Innovation,

Dr. Michael Berman.

Vice President for University Advancement,

Ms. Nicole Ipac.

And Chief of Staff to the president,

Dr. Genevieve Evans Taylor.

My academic colleagues on the stage.

Program directors for master's in education.

Dr. Jeanie Greer, Dr. Tina Itkanin, Dr. Charles Weiss.

Our preceremony announcer, Dr. James Meriweather.

Faculty who will be announcing the names of our graduates.

Dr. Beatrice Deoca. (cheering)

Dr. Marie Francois, Dr. Georgina Guzman,

and Dr. Elizabeth Hartung.

Also joining us on the platform we have

our honorary doctorate recipient Joe I. Mendoza.

He is the director of special populations educations

support department for the Ventura County

Office of Education.

Joe Mendoza has dedicated his life

to advocating for the education of low income children,

the underserved, often invisible migrant population.

You will hear more about them later on.

Our honorary marshal, Professor Don Rodriguez,

who lead our commencement professional by carrying

the light of learning.

The light of learning symbolizes the university's

commitment to a life of the mind and the central role

played by our outstanding faculty.

The honorary marshal is selected by the president

for demonstrating an extraordinary commitment

to our students and the university.

A first generation college graduate,

Professor Rodriguez was the founding chair

environmental science and resource management program

here at CI, growing the program from three majors

to 162 majors during his tenure.

Dr. Rodriguez has been coinvestigator on numerous

HSI STEM grants, has lead student field investigations

in Mexico and continues to involve CI students

in his work in Costa Rica.

He received his doctorate of philosophy from

Colorado State University and is currently a member

of the world commission on protected areas.

He has been recognized twice by students at CI

with the Maximus Award for outstanding faculty

member of the year and continues to work across disciplines

to engage the community.

He joined the faculty at CI in 2003 and is retiring

this year.

Chair of the academic senate and chief university marshal

Dr. Cynthia Wiles.

From the California State University board of trustees,

faculty trustee and professor of computer science

at CSU Northridge, Dr. Steven Stepanek.

And the president of California State University

Channel Islands, Dr. Erika Beck.

Please join me now in recognizing this esteemed group.

(cheering and applauding)

Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen of the platform party,

please be seated.

I would also like to recognize some special guests

in the audience and ask that you please hold your applause

until the end.

Will our deans, associate and assistant provosts,

assistant and associate vice presidents please stand?

Will members of the university's foundation board

and site authority please stand?

Next is a group that is critical to the success

of our student.

It is my privilege to invite all of our distinguished

faculty to please stand.

Finally-- (cheering and applauding)

We would like to take this time to welcome representatives

from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors,

elected and municipal officials, educational partners,

donors, and our neighbors from Naval Base Ventura County.

Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedule

to join us on this special day.

Thank you.

(cheering and applauding)

We are delighted to welcome you and recognize our

graduating students who are here today to celebrate

our academic achievements and who will begin

the next chapter of their lives.

Congratulations to the class of 2017.

(cheering and applauding)

We commend each one of you for successfully

completing the requirements to earn your master's,

bachelor's degree, or credential.

Representing yet another milestone for the university,

the first baccalaureate candidates for global studies

carried in a banner, would you kindly join me

in congratulating them as well?

(cheering and applauding)

We also wish to congratulate those who joined us

here today, your family and friends.

They have likely been the same people who were by your side

supporting and encouraging you to achieve

this tremendous goal.

(laughing)

At this time, I also want to take a moment

to acknowledge several members of the CI faculty

who have helped to build some of the excellent programs

students are graduating from today.

The following faculty members are retiring

following distinguished service to the university.

Harley Baker, in psychology.

(cheering and applauding)

Jeff Daugherty in applied physics.

Emeritus profession Nien Shang Wong in History.

Karen Jensen in nursing.

And Don Rodriguez in environmental science

and resource management.

(cheering and applauding)

In addition, I want to recognize Marilyn Buchanan,

who has served as interim dean in the school of education

and professor of education, and emeritus professor

of sociology Beth Hartung,

who has served as assistant provost.

Both are retiring at the end of the academic year.

All of you have my deepest appreciation for your efforts

on behalf of our students and the CI community.

Next we have the pleasure of hearing

from our honored guest from the California State University.

Please join me in welcoming trustee Steven Stepanek.

(applauding)

- Thank you Professor Wakely.

It's a pleasure for me to be here today

and to bring greetings to all of you

from the entire California State University system.

I extend congratulations to everyone

who is graduating today.

As citizens and now alumni of California State University

Channel Islands, I encourage all of you to continue

to support the university and its mission.

As a member of your community continue to support

the CSU by helping those in need and letting them know

the path to get to college.

Show them the road ahead and how earning a college degree

can be the most important step towards a brighter future.

Be proud that you are joining more than three million

CSU alums as you cross the stage today.

Finally, as a graduate of the CSU,

be an ambassador for the system.

Let your friends, colleagues, legislators,

and community know how important the CSU has been to you

and how they can join with you in supporting the CSU.

Again, congratulations and best wishes to all of you.

(cheering and applauding)

- Thank you Trustee Stepanek.

Ladies and gentlemen, I now have the distinct honor

and pleasure of introducing the president

of California State University Channel Islands,

Dr. Erika D. Beck.

(cheering and applauding)

- Good morning class of 2017.

(cheering)

It is an honor to stand before you today

as the president of California State University

Channel Islands on this momentous occasion.

Before I begin I would like to take a minute

to recognize the passing of an integral member

of the CI community.

Hank Lacayo was a Ventura County icon

and a staunch CI supporter.

He dedicated his life to making other people's lives better,

from children to senior citizens

and just about everybody in between.

He spent nearly a half century of his life

as an advocate for the underserved and the working class.

He led an extraordinary life advising US presidents,

governors, and elected officials.

Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

listening to Dr. Martin Luther King deliver his

I Have A Dream speech and marching alongside

his friend Cesar Chavez to raise awareness

of the rights of farm workers.

He was an early and important friend of this university,

serving as a founding member of our president's circle

and on our foundation board.

He was instrumental in founding our Hank Lacayo

Institute for Workforce and Community Studies.

CI awarded Hank an honorary doctorate in 2012

in recognition of all he had done for the university

and for the entire region.

This commencement ceremony was one of Hank's

favorite events.

He always sat in the front row with his dolphin cane,

enthusiastically cheering our graduates.

I am honored that I had the opportunity

to get to know this remarkable man.

He is dearly missed.

In recognition of Hank I would like to ask

that we observe a moment of silence.

Thank you.

I am delighted to be attending my first

commencement ceremony at Cal State Channel Islands.

(cheering and applauding)

And what an amazing year it has been.

This fall, we welcomed the largest freshman class

in our history, more than 1,000 freshmen joined us

on campus, and today you are making history

as the largest graduating class in our history.

(cheering and applauding)

2261 students will be receiving their diplomas today.

That is amazing.

We've also experienced a host of additional accomplishments

this year.

Our nursing program was ranked 11th best out of 127 programs

in the entire state of California.

Go nursing! (cheering and applauding)

A team of our computer science students placed third

in the nation in a NASA swarm-a-thon competition.

They were competing against 19 other colleges

from across the region and the nation

designing algorithms for robots that are going to Mars.

Let's give them a hand.

(cheering and applauding)

Several of our MBA students placed in the top 100

in the international business simulation competition

called The Business Strategy Game,

competing against universities from around the world.

(cheering and applauding)

And these are just a few examples of the stellar work

of our faculty and our students this year.

As I entered campus for the first time this year,

I engaged in a listening tour, getting to know

the CI community.

And in that tour some of my fondest experiences

were meeting and speaking with all of our students.

And of course, at the same time, mastering the art

of taking selfies.

It's not as easy as you think.

Many of you are the first in your families

to attend college.

And through our conversations this year,

I heard so many inspiring stories.

Stories of success following deep personal struggle,

stories of transformation and extraordinary

academic accomplishments guided by your faculty.

You have persevered.

And remained unwavering in your commitment

to the highest academic ideals.

I have admired your dedication and I have delighted

in watching you transform into leaders

right before my eyes.

It is my hope that your time here

has not only changed your own lives, but that your friends

and your family have been impacted as well.

By watching your success I hope that your brothers

and sisters, cousins, and even your own children

will be inspired by your accomplishments

and follow in your footsteps.

No pressure friends and family, but we would like to see

all of you on this stage one day as future dolphin alumni.

(cheering and applauding)

In this way, perhaps without realizing it,

you have all become leaders.

Being a leader does not require a formal title.

It requires action.

And so as you leave our campus I hope that you will

never hesitate to take the action that your heart tells you

is right for you.

I hope that you will remember that you came here

to fulfill your greatest aspirations.

You have the degree.

Now you just need to get out there

and make those dreams a reality.

You have worked tirelessly for this moment

and you have earned it.

Celebrate today.

But tomorrow, begin your new journey

and blaze your own trail.

Don't follow the directions

that anyone else has provided for you.

Unless of course you're in Bell Tower,

in which case follow the directions very carefully

or you will never, ever make it out of that building.

(cheering and applauding)

Trust me.

(laughs)

Today is also a time to recognize the individuals

who have helped you to reach this milestone,

so graduates let's thank the friends and family members

who are here with you today and have been with you

along your journey, who have helped to support you

during your studies.

(cheering and applauding)

And let's hear it for the faculty and the staff

who have guided you to this very moment.

(cheering and applauding)

Congratulations to each and every one of you.

We are so very proud.

Thank you.

(cheering and applauding)

- Thank you President Beck.

It is now my pleasure to introduce today's

student speaker, CI student government president

Michelle Noyes.

Michelle is a resident of Westlake Village, California

and a graduate of Westlake High School.

Today Michelle is earning a bachelor's degree in business.

Please welcome to the podium Michelle Noyes.

(applauding)

- Good morning fellow 2017 graduates, President Beck,

family, friends, and our Channel Islands community.

I'm Michelle Noyes, your student government president.

It has been an honor to serve you as your student body

president this past year, as well as having the privilege

to share with you my thoughts this morning at CI's

largest ever graduation.

Welcome to our CI.

Let's take a moment to reflect on the first time

we stepped onto campus.

For me, it was my sophomore year in high school

and my parents encouraged me to take a campus tour.

I stood on the second floor of the library and vowed

that I would never attend school here because it was

just too close to home in Westlake Village.

I must admit that CI's serene campus, small, intimate

classes, faculty and staff who know you by name

really make CI different and appealing and it made it

my university.

The CI community truly does become your family.

We have all learned, both inside and out of the classroom

during our time at CI.

My sophomore year at Channel Islands I learned

one of my best lessons outside of the classroom.

And that was to never again trust myself with a sailboat.

Here's the life-changing event.

It was a cold spring morning at the Channel Islands

boating center when I capsized a sailboat I was captaining.

Mind you, I had only been on a sailboat twice before

and didn't exactly understand what I was doing.

The sailboat started to tip and I thought to myself

in that brief moment aboard the boat,

why am I here and why did someone trust me

to captain a sailboat?

Well, after hoisting myself out of the cold water,

I thought to myself again.

I will never step foot on one of these sailboats ever again.

As hilarious as this must have been to watch in person,

the whole thing was caught on video by another student

that was in the harbor.

Despite this experience, I wouldn't change one second

of my unique CI experience.

It has been said that when you're sailing

and don't know what direction you're headed

then any wind is the right wind.

My sailboat experience might not have gone as planned,

but neither did my intention to attend Channel Islands.

Just as I made the uniformed decision to not attend CI,

I made the decision to captain a sailboat

with no skills and very limited information.

With focus, intention, amazing support

of faculty and staff who provided directional winds,

I stand before you now as your

CSU CI student body president.

(cheering and applauding)

We have learned during our time at CI

and now it is our turn to take the lead

and make a difference in the world.

We all come from different backgrounds and perspectives,

but we leave CI as the class of 2017.

With the help of our family, friends, our own dedication,

we did it.

Whether it's transitioning into a full-time job,

continuing your education with a graduate degree,

continuing your current career, or serving our country

in the military, what we all have in common is that

because of higher education we are ready to take on

the world and face reality after earning our degrees.

We have all grown in one way or another.

I have matured in ways I never thought were possible.

I am a different person my 18 year old self who stepped

onto campus four years ago.

I think that we can all agree that today

we are better versions of ourself than when

we first entered CI.

We are living proof of CI's learning outcomes.

As we leave our comfortable and secure CI dolphin pod,

remember that we are now CI graduates and alumni.

We will come back to visit CI in the future,

and will reminisce about our college days

when we heard unexplainable noises as well as seeing

moving shadows in the hallways of Bell Tower.

True or not, it was always fun to keep

those unexplainable occurrences, well, unexplained.

Although the myths of the hospital and spooky stories

were fun to share, what truly makes CI a leader

among universities and sets us apart

is our dedication to our mission.

Over the years the campus will change,

but one thing that will stay the same

is that we are graduates of one of the largest

and most respected university systems in the world.

The California State University.

As I close, my final act as your student body president

is to challenge you to go out and make your mark

on the world.

On behalf of the 2017 graduating class,

I would like to personally thank President Beck,

the CI student body, family, friends, staff,

and professors who believed in us so that we were able

to realize our dreams of becoming a college graduate.

We may not be able to change the past,

but together we can create our future.

Congratulations class of 2017.

(cheering and applauding)

- Thank you Michelle, and congratulations

to you and your family.

Next I am pleased to introduce the presentation

of the honorary degree of humane letters.

It is the highest honor jointly given by the CSU

board of trustees and CSU Channel Islands.

I would now like to invite Trustee Stepanek

and President Beck to the podium for the conferral

of the honorary doctorate degree to Joe I. Mendoza.

- I've been asked to read the citation for this

particular honorary degree.

Dr. Joe Mendoza has dedicated his life to advocating

for the education of low-income children,

the underserved, the often invisible immigrant population.

Since 1970, Dr. Mendoza's efforts have focused on

foster youth, children of immigrant and farm workers,

low-income and homeless children, and teen parents.

His work has touched local, regional, state, and national

levels including legislation, workshops,

and the implementation of programs that provide

higher education amongst the immigrant population.

He has worked directly with students and their families,

encouraging them to embrace their history and culture

and envision themselves within the educational pipeline.

Dr. Mendoza has worked collaboratively with parents,

teachers, bus drivers, administrators, legislators

to remove barriers that inhibit educational progress

and to enact initiatives that increase retention

and graduation.

Dr. Mendoza is a tremendous supporter of

California State University Channel Islands

and was instrumental in developing two Channel Island

programs aimed at assisting immigrant students.

The first is the Immigrant Student Leadership Institute

which focuses on building leadership, STEM, and

written skills in high school sophomores and juniors

from across the state and developing a university going

culture that addresses barriers to higher education

specific to this population.

In partner with the Oxnard Union High School District,

the second program is Channel Islands' immigrant

summer college program which allows immigrant students

to spend a summer school session with Channel Islands

students and includes workshops on financial literacy,

financial aid, developing writing, reading, math,

analytical and study skills and helps the students

gain an understanding of how to get into and succeed

in college.

Dr. Mendoza is an active partner of Channel Islands

Conference for Social Justice and Education

and regularly partners with university faculty,

staff, and administrators

in connecting with the immigrant student population.

Dr. Mendoza has served in a number of roles

from teaching to superintendent both in the United States

and abroad.

Currently he's the director of special populations

educational support department for the Ventura County

Office of Education.

During his almost six years of education

Dr. Mendoza has inspired and motivated thousands

to become educators and to invest their time and efforts

in education.

In recognition of Dr. Mendoza's extraordinary efforts

that have had a profound impact on children,

his fierce advocacy for the education of the poor

and underserved and in tribute to his remarkable life,

the board of trustees of the California State University

and the California State University Channel Islands

are proud to confer upon Dr. Joe Mendoza

the honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.

(cheering and applauding)

(applauding)

(murmuring)

- Shift.

(cheering and applauding)

Thank you folks.

- I charge for pictures.

(laughing)

Thank you very much, I would like to thank

first of all I may start crying.

If I do, I apologize.

You wouldn't think a man

from La Colonia de Oxnard,

graduate of Ramona School would be here.

I told President Beck let's hurry before

you change your mind.

(laughing)

I would like to thank President Beck,

I would like to thank Celina Zacarias,

a dear friend of mine, and I would like to thank

the distinguished members of the faculty

and you, the graduates.

Thank you.

I would be remiss, I would be egotistical,

I would be conceited if I didn't thank first my wife

of 60 years who stands by me (cheering and applauding)

and helps me and allows me to be gone from home

far more than I should.

My son Jonathon, my daughter Joanna, who also

have been very supportive and again, I missed many

of their activities when they were growing up.

But we used to say (in Spanish). La casa o la causa...

And I always took la causa.

And I'm very lucky, I work for a great organization,

the Ventura County Office of Education.

Two great educators that support what we do,

Mr. Stan Mantooth, the county superintendent of schools

and Dr. Roger Rice, the deputy superintendent of schools.

And of course the president of the board, Dr. Ramon Flores.

They support all of our activities and I'm grateful.

I work with a great staff.

I'm very, very lucky, very blessed.

I work with our administrative assistant Olga Villalobos,

our clerk Leonela Flores, our program specialist

Angelica Vladimirski, our new recruiter

Roberto Barrientos

And we have three coordinators who work very hard.

Teen parent coordinator Lisa Sadowski and Ralph Valarde

and Laura Welbourn who head up foster and homeless.

And then there's one unique group and I apologize

but I would beg your indulgence.

A group of parents, migrant parents, who travel,

take off to the Salinas Valley and San Joaquin

and when they come back they always call me

and say Senor Mendoza, we're here, how can we help you?

And I want to express my gratitude so I beg your indulgence,

I would like to do it so they would understand

my appreciation.

(speaking foreign language)

(cheering and applauding)

Thank you all, and now just a word from an old man

to the graduates.

I've been doing this for 60 years.

Let me tell you the secret to it so get a pencil, paper,

write it down so you don't forget.

There's an exam after graduation.

Wherever you work, I don't care if you pick strawberries,

I don't care if you're a carpenter, a plumber,

a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse, a teacher, whatever you become

here's the secret.

Be happy.

Enjoy what you do.

(cheering and applauding)

Trust me when I tell you I am in the sunset of my life

and it has passed quickly.

So will yours.

So enjoy your work and when you enjoy it, find happiness.

Don't let someone tell you I will make you happy.

You have the courage, you have the vision,

you have the integrity.

Find your happiness.

Answer that calling. (cheering and applauding)

And finally, (speaking foreign language).

A word to the faculty.

You, the faculty members, and I can say this

'cause I'm 85, what do you know?

(laughing)

You the faculty carry the noblest title of all.

You are teachers.

You do more than just impart knowledge.

You do more than that.

You create citizens of the future.

You create the people who are going to sustain

and carry on this great idea of the

United States of America.

You are going to show them what is this country all about.

It is about anyone who resides in this country.

I don't care the color of their skin,

the language they speak, who they are, where they

came from or how they got here.

(cheering and applauding)

They have inalienable rights.

The right of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

and equal justice under the law.

They have that right.

(cheering and applauding)

And so to you the teachers, you, this country rests

on a foundation, that's its strength.

That's why everybody want to come here.

Why?

Because of free public education.

That's the strength of this country.

What makes us strong is not diversity.

It's not how we're different.

What makes us strong is commonality.

We are all the same and we want the same.

Life and liberty and to pursue happiness

as we desire to pursue it.

And so the pillars of this foundation are the teachers

and your reward, dear faculty, is not monetary.

Money doesn't buy you happiness.

Your reward will come years from now

when you enter those heavenly gates and you'll hear

those words that you so richly deserve.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

(cheering and applauding)

- Congratulations Dr. Mendoza.

Now I would like to invite Doctors Greer, Itkanin, and Weiss

to come forward.

Will the master's degree in education candidates

please stand and President Beck will you please join me

at the podium?

President Beck, I present to you the California

State University Channel Islands 2017 candidates

for master's degrees.

These candidates have completed the requirements

for master's degree as prescribed by the state of California

and the trustees of the California State University.

And have been recommended by the faculty

of California State University Channel Islands.