On May 26, San Bernardino Valley College celebrated its graduating class of 2021 in a virtual Commencement ceremony. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and yearlong campus closure, an in-person event was converted to an online livestream, where graduates and their families were able to attend and interact with other graduates from the safety of their computer or smartphone.  In total, 1,597 students received 2,672 degrees and certificates in the campus’s second-ever virtual ceremony.

The graduation event was a live video that progressed exactly like SBVC’s traditional in-person ceremony, except it could be viewed remotely on the campus website, YouTube and Facebook. The event featured greetings from President Diana Z. Rodriguez, who welcomed the students and family members that tuned into the livestream, and acknowledged the graduates’ years of dedication and hard work. “In the face of one of the most difficult global crises in recent memory, you demonstrated outstanding resilience and perseverance that will be recorded in our college’s history books for future generations to look up to and admire,” she said.

Dr. Anne L. Viricel, Chair of the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees, also addressed the graduates, and acknowledged their resilience during the campus closure and global pandemic. “When history looks back at this time, the class of 2021 will be remembered for your self-discipline, your strength, and your optimism,” she said. “You’ll be remembered for giving us hope that better days will return.”

Subsequent guest speakers included Davena Burns-Peters, SBVC Academic Senate President; John Feist, SBVC Classified Senate President; and Dr. Dennis Byas, SBVC Foundation President. This year’s student speaker was Taylor DeBenedictis, who served as the Associated Student Government president, and co-chair for the President’s Committee on Equity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism. He spoke to his peers regarding the shared challenges of distance learning as a student, but praise the class for their tenacity in unprecedented times. DeBenedictis is graduating with a two Liberal Arts associate degrees, and will transfer to UCLA to major in business economics. 

The event’s dual keynote speaker for both SBVC and sister school Crafton Hills College was educator and author Dr. Margaret Hill. A Cal State University, San Bernardino alum, Dr. Hill began her teaching career in 1971 at San Bernardino High School in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. She was a vice principal at three schools before returning to work as Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services at the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Office in 2006. Now retired, Dr. Hill is currently a board member for the San Bernardino City Unified School District, and stays active in local community organizations like the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation, Kiwanis of Greater San Bernardino, San Bernardino Service Council, Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino, and more.

“With this distance learning, with this pandemic, you show you have the stamina to do what you need to do for you, your family, your friends,” she said. “You have made us proud, and we love your endurance; keep on setting examples for others.”

After these congratulatory messages, graduates had their names read in alphabetical order alongside their virtual cards. These cards were developed in the weeks before Commencement, where students could upload their selfies using a custom SBVC Grad filter. They could then list their name, degree or certificate, and answer a prompt, such as, “What’s next for you?” or “Who’s your biggest supporter?”

During the ceremony, students had another way to interact and show their school spirit. The SBVC website featured a virtual social wall displaying the Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts tagged with #sbvcgrad21. Throughout the event, graduates shared their cap & gown selfies, ceremony celebrations, and congratulations to the class of 2021 for all to see.

The commemorative event reflected on the many milestones that were achieved by the college’s students, faculty, and classified professionals during the past academic year. Among the degree recipients in the class of 2021, 22 graduated with Highest Honors, or a 3.9-4.0 GPA, and 123 students graduated with Honors, or a 3.7-3.89 GPA. There were also 59 Veteran graduates, and 36 seniors graduating from Middle College High School graduating with concurrent associate degrees from SBVC.

The ceremony will continue to be accessible at SBVC’s Youtube or Facebook pages @sbvalleycollege, or archived at valleycollege.edu/commencement. Congratulations, Wolverines!