LBCC celebrated its RAICES cultural graduation for its Latinx students at the LAC Hall of Champions with an opening mariachi performance on Saturday.
Superintendent President Mike Munoz shared a heartfelt message to the graduates and explained why cultural graduations are important.
“This is a space for us, because it is important to also celebrate our culture, after similar adversities we all are here today, and this is something that uplifts us,” Munoz said.
Various students got to speak on the podium and share their celebratory words with the entire crowd.
“Every moment that you thought about quitting but you didn’t, you have won,” Lolita Mojica, upcoming LBCC valedictorian, said.
Student Success Coach and guest speaker for the event, Martha Fuentes, remarked on the trials and tribulations she has gone through as a first generation student and pointed out that this academic achievement is nothing short of spectacular.
“I worried that college wasn’t meant for me because I felt that I didn’t fit in, so I started looking for people like me and built a community,” Fuentes said.
Together, graduates and their families celebrated their academic achievements. Families could be seen dancing, cheering and embracing one another.
“It was nice, I thought it was great they included part of our culture, I’m happy to see him graduating,” Evelio Gandara Castros, father of graduate Evelio Gandara Ocampo said in Spanish.
After receiving their diplomas, graduates and families alike chanted “si se pudo,” meaning “yes, it was possible.” Graduates received medals with inscriptions of that same message, congratulating students on their achievements.
The event concluded with a dance number by the group Folklorico, followed shortly after by food and a live DJ for those who decided to stay.
