Hundreds of mask-wearing Westmont College seniors walked across the stage and received their diplomas during an in-person commencement ceremony on Saturday morning at Thorrington Field in Santa Barbara.
Members of Westmont’s Class of 2021 rank among the most resilient and determined college graduates in the history of the nation, school officials said.
“We gathered this morning to honor and celebrate the amazing labors and accomplishments of the Class of 2021,” President Gayle Beebe said. “There’s no class in the history of Westmont College who has endured so much to make it to this day.”
The crowd erupted in applause.
The graduates endured the massive December 2017 Thomas Fire, the effects of the deadly Montecito flash flooding and debris flows of Jan. 9, 2018, and the COVID-19 pandemic while attending the interdenominational Christian liberal arts school in Montecito.
“Four years ago, you arrived on a beautiful August afternoon,” Beebe told the graduates. “Ready to move in, anticipating all that lie ahead, not thinking of the long and arduous journey that would bring you to this moment. … We celebrate all that you’ve achieved. All that you have learned. The achievements that have been academic, emotional and social, but also spiritual and enduring.”
Of the 306 students who participated in this year’s commencement, 124 earned honors, according to college officials.
In addition, the graduating class included Esteban Garcia Mares and Steven Carmona, veterans who served in the military before attending Westmont.
Four students in the Class of 2021 graduated with triple majors: Kimberlee Liang Gong, Zion Shih, Chisondi Simba Warioba and Logan Hodgson.
Student speakers Shih and Warioba also took to the podium.
“I don’t need to go over each and every event over the past four years to get the simple point across that it has been a tough time,” Warioba said. “I know that each and every one of us has been shaped in ways that we definitely did not anticipate coming into college.”
From fires, floods and the COVID-19 crisis, “our class has not undergone what you would call a normal college experience,” Sharon Ko, a member of the Class of 2021, wrote in her student reflection.
The morning began with a prayer offered by Lori Ann and Joel Banez.
During Saturday’s commencement, the graduates marched from Kerrwood Hall to Thorrington Field, joined by their professors and while bagpipers performed.
Once the graduates arrived at the field, their loved ones waited to be seated for the commencement ceremony. To accommodate social distancing protocols, two guests per graduate were allowed to attend commencement at the campus, 955 La Paz Road. The ceremony was closed to the general public, with family members and friends encouraged to watch a livestream of the event online.
“It is an amazing feeling to even get to do this today,” Beebe said. “I realize we’re restricted on the field, but we have people from around the world who are watching via the streaming services that are being provided today.”
Russell Howell, professor of mathematics at Westmont, provided introductory remarks.
“I realized not all of you are parents of our graduates,” Howell said. “You are all here because you have had a significant influence on their lives. Rest assured that your influence will certainly continue.”
Graduation exercises serve to celebrate the completion of an academic program by its graduating seniors, Howell said.
“As a college, we congratulate them on their scholastic success,” Howell said. “These ceremonies also give us an opportunity to give our graduates a formal farewell.”
One after another, members of the Class of 2021 in graduation regalia walked across the grass toward their seats and sat in the middle of their two guests.
Some people embraced in hugs.
Beebe presented Ron Werft, president and CEO of Cottage Health, with the 2021 Westmont Medal. The medal is given each year to recognize individuals who are providing exceptional leadership and tremendous contributions to the Santa Barbara community.
“I am extremely honored and truly grateful to receive the Westmont Medal, and to share it here in a special moment,” Werft said. “It’s exciting to be here, particularly because after Zooming in, this is the largest group of people I’ve seen in three dimensions for over a year.”
Werft said he shares the medal with his wife, Mary, who’s engaged in both education and health care volunteer activities in the local area, including COVID-19 vaccination efforts at the community drive-up clinic at the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital campus.
“I also accept this award on behalf of the thousands of health care heroes at Cottage, who are dedicated to caring for our community 24/7, and particularly for their compassion and fearless commitment during the past 16 months,” Werft said.
Cottage Health — a nonprofit system of health care providers serving Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties — is Westmont’s partner for its new Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that launches in spring 2022 pending approval from the California Board of Registered Nursing.
Westmont is “indeed a community treasure,” Werft said. “Westmont looks at community needs and addresses them.”
In fall 2020, Jason Tavarez, director of institutional resilience, oversaw efforts that resulted in Westmont being one of the few schools in California to safely offer outdoor, in-person classes, according to school officials. Westmont has administered more than 8,900 COVID-19 tests, which resulted in a 1.1% positivity rate, according to officials.
Sandra Richter, Westmont’s Robert H. Gundry professor of biblical studies, provided the address, titled “When You Cross the Jordan: Some Thoughts on Liminal Space.”
— 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.
