Santa Barbara City College on Friday afternoon conferred degrees virtually to the Class of 2021 during a celebratory commencement ceremony.
For the second year in a row, the college hosted an online-only commencement because of coronavirus-related restrictions on gatherings and activities.
[Scroll down to view a video of commencement via SBCC’s YouTube]
“I cannot get over the fact that many of you will graduate today not having stepped onto the campus the entire last year,” Superintendent/President Utpal Goswami said.
SBCC made adjustments to its spring schedule of course offerings as a result of COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara County. The majority of SBCC’s fall courses were offered online, with a small percentage of classes provided face-to-face amid the pandemic.
A total of 4,370 degrees and certificates were awarded by SBCC in the 2020-21 academic year, according to Sally Gill, marketing communications specialist at the college.
More than 600 SBCC students are graduating with honors, and 20 graduates are veterans, Gill said.
More than 1,500 students were expected to participate in Friday’s virtual commencement ceremony, Gill said. The names of graduating students were announced out loud and displayed in writing during the livestream. Some also had their photograph featured in the slideshow.
Goswami told the Class of 2021 to “develop a passion. Go after your passion. Be good to people, and if you do all of that in return, I’m pretty sure, life will reward you nicely.”
SBCC officials offered a special commencement website with a streaming platform so that students and family members along with staff, faculty and others could watch the college’s 72nd annual commencement program.
People could also view the event on the SBCC’s YouTube account. Online viewers took to the live chat on YouTube to express their excitement.
“Congratulations to all on your hard work,” someone wrote in the comment sidebar. Another attendee wrote, “Graduating is always a significant achievement. Doing so in the face of the challenge and adversity of this pandemic is truly remarkable! Congratulations, graduates!”
The online commencement ceremony included speeches given by SBCC faculty members and other guests, including SBCC Board of Trustees president Peter Haslund.
Haslund introduced his colleagues on the SBCC Board of Trustees and offered some encouraging words.
“You have done it,” Haslund said. “You have developed a course of study and the necessary skills and self-discipline to complete this course of study.”
Haslund told the graduates that “what is up next is up to you, so dream big.”
Associated Student Government President Carson Mitchell said this past year has presented unprecedented challenges for many.
“You should be tremendously proud of all you’ve been able to achieve and overcome,” Mitchell said. “While today may mark the end of one journey, it most definitely marks the beginning of another, and I can only imagine the great things all of you will go on to do.”
SBCC Academic Senate President Raeanne Napoleon congratulated the graduates and encouraged the Class of 2021, “Don’t ever settle for something you don’t like just because others have told you, ‘This is how it’s done, and has always been done.’ You now have a ticket to the inside, your education.”
SBCC’s Class of 2021 holds a special place in the college’s history.
“You are the greatest class in SBCC history,” Napoleon said. “No other class has had the grand finale that you had.
“None of this is how you imagined finishing your final semester. It has been noisy, chaotic and a lot of times painful. You handled so much of this with dignity and grace.”
Student commencement speaker Ezekiel Contreras Forrest, a member of SBCC’s Class of 2021, gave a moving speech at the commencement.
“This is an exciting time,” he said. “And we should be proud of all that we have accomplished. Needless to say, I know this isn’t the graduation that we imagined. And I know that we envision this day differently.”
He later added: “I know the promise of graduation and walking across that stage is what has helped us endure all those sleepless nights and countless hours of study. Amongst it all, I don’t want you to feel let down right now, knowing that this has been taken away, amongst all the other losses experienced during this pandemic. I want you to know that you’re not alone.”
During the ceremony, Goswami and Pamela Ralston, executive vice president of Educational Programs at SBCC, presented the graduating class.
Haslund conferred the degrees and certificates to the graduating class.
SBCC music instructor John Douglas as well as SBCC students Ray Kutcher and Evan Wu performed the national anthem during the online graduation.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
