A parade of graduates entered La Playa Stadium to a chorus of cheers and applause as friends and family celebrated Santa Barbara City College’s class of 2026 on Friday evening.
It marked SBCC’s 77th annual commencement ceremony.
SBCC President/Superintendent Erika Endrijonas opened the ceremony by thanking the students’ loved ones for attending, calling the event her favorite day of the year.
She continued by quoting country singer Chris Stapleton’s song “Starting Over,” about taking chances.
Endrijonas told the crowd of graduates that they had all taken a chance by choosing to enroll at SBCC and had achieved their goals through hard work, resilience and persistence.
“Even if you didn’t know it, the drive to win, or to graduate, was stronger than the fear of losing or not finishing your degree or certificate,” she said.
She finished by encouraging the graduates to take that strength and perseverance onto their next challenge.
The student speaker for the ceremony was Daniela De Souza Ferreya, a science, math and liberal arts major. Ferreya, who immigrated from Peru for college, shared her story at SBCC and how her path changed over the years.
She admitted that she originally came from a highly competitive school in her home country that had high standards for success. Ferreya said she wanted to leave SBCC as soon as she could so she could go to a four-year university.
“I wanted to prove that I was still on track, that I had not fallen behind, that I was not any less capable than the people who seemed to know exactly what they were about,” she said.
Despite majoring in biology, Ferreya said she found herself interested in other topics. The subject that most resonated with her was mathematics, which she believed was only for “gifted people.”
She credited SBCC with allowing her to try new things and to be brave.
Now, Ferreya is transferring to UC Santa Barbara as a pure mathematics major.
“Today, I am proud to say I studied at Santa Barbara City College,” Ferreya said. “I am proud because this is where I stop apologizing for my path. This is where I stop seeing uncertainty as proof that I was behind. This is where I become someone who is not afraid to major in math, not afraid to pursue medicine, and not afraid of whatever may come next.”
To watch the full livestream of the SBCC commencement ceremony, visit the college’s website at SBCC.edu.
