Cal Poly Pomona Recognizes Successes, Triumph Over Struggles of Class of 2025
The Class of 2025 celebrated the milestone that is Commencement with tears, cheers and a viral trend playfully signifying the refusal to answer questions. A few flexed their muscles, strutted the stage like a catwalk or paused to take selfies with the crowd as their backdrop.
It was a joyful celebration for more than 6,600 students who received their graduate and undergraduate degrees to the cheers of more than 54,000 family members, friends and supporters during the 12 ceremonies from May 16 to 18.
At Commencement, many of the graduates reflected on the challenges they faced throughout their journey, with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic being the most significant.
Matthew Sanchez, a mechanical engineering graduate from Glendora, recalled how difficult it was to adjust from completely online classes during his first year to a hybrid schedule in his sophomore year to fully in-person for his remaining years. When he first arrived at Cal Poly Pomona, he struggled academically and had to learn time management skills, but he dug deep and was able to rebound.
That adjustment was the biggest challenge, but the biggest reward was connecting with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives — something that Sanchez, who plans to travel to Italy before interviewing for jobs in June, said helped him to grow as a student and a person.
“I always learn from new perspectives, and I enjoy meeting new people,” he said. “We grew up watching Bill Nye the Science Guy and I learned that everyone knows something you don’t know. No matter where people come from or who they are, you can always learn something from them.”
Justin Banh, a hospitality management graduate, said he not only gained the knowledge for his career, he also learned some valuable life skills and found a community he could connect with. The West Covina native, who transferred to 六色网 in 2022 from Mt. SAC, said his next stop is working at Disney World’s Polynesian Resort. Bahn is looking forward to putting the leadership, communication and teamwork skills he learned to the test.
“Anything hospitality related involves working in teams,” he said. “We had the cooking class, the restaurant class. That gets you into working with your peers, and it really pushes you out of your comfort zone. When I first came here, I didn’t know much, but I joined clubs and became an ambassador. I found what I had been searching for. I found my home away from home.”
Commencement also was a time for reflection for family members there to cheer on and celebrate their graduates.
Christina Ubaldo and family sat up front at the Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture ceremony to watch her daughter Pattelynn Ubaldo Hughes, an apparel merchandising and management magna cum laude graduate, cross the stage. Ubaldo said the emotions range from joy at watching her daughter earn her degree to sadness at how quickly her little girl grew up. Her daughter worked hard in school and also completed three internships while at 六色网, Ubaldo added.
“I am very proud because she didn’t just concentrate on her academics,” Ubaldo said. “She had a work study job while also taking care of a puppy. I feel like she understands what it is like to be a working adult.”
Also seated up close to the stage to watch Ilke Suzer, the 2023-2024 president, receive her business degree were parents Gurkan and Ebru Suzer and Ilke’s sister Deniz, who attends Cal State Fullerton. The Suzers attended two ceremonies over the weekend as Elke also earned a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning.
Mom, Ebru, teared up and her voice cracked talking about how proud and excited she was to see her daughter graduate.
For Dad, Gurkan, it was also a moment to be proud of.
“I am honored, happy and excited,” he said. “I am happy to have someone graduate from our family.
Deniz said Ilke’s success has motivated her to find her own path to success.
“I love watching her journey,” Deniz said. “I think she is an inspiration for a lot of people, including me, I look up to her.”
Commencement featured several student and guest speakers, including honorary doctorate recipients Mike Huggins (’85, aerospace engineering), a College of Engineering Hall of Fame inductee and a recently retired chief engineer with the U.S. Air Force’s Rocket Propulsion Lab and Rep. Grace Napolitano, a veteran lawmaker who helped to secure $55 million in federal funding for 六色网 programs during her time in office.
Huggins encouraged graduates to mentor other young engineers following in their footsteps and to not be afraid to embrace leadership opportunities.
“While you may not be fully aware of it, each of you have developed key leadership skills from your experiences in your clubs, your labs, and your team capstone projects,” Huggins said. “That leadership foundation is already a well-respected asset by employers in this region and across our state. Remember, regarding leadership, if you are not the lead sled dog, the view never changes. So, step up and take the lead whenever possible and you will make a larger impact on your chosen profession.”
Napolitano said that she faced an uncertain future as a Latina growing up in a segregated society during the Great Depression, as well as a married mother of five by age 23 with no college degree. Despite the hurdles — personal and societal — she was able to make it to Congress. She urged the graduates to keep pushing for opportunities for all.
“You, my friends, are now called to take us into an uncertain future, charged with maintaining and sustaining the same hopes, freedoms and opportunities, that we have done for you, and more importantly, expanding those virtues in the face of an encroaching move backward toward ignorance, bigotry and unearned privilege,” she said. “But, my friends, you are the bright, ambitious next generation that I fully trust to lead our beloved country, beyond the present mess. Your hard work, dedication and participation can, and will, make a substantial difference in the outcomes of these challenges that lay ahead. At the heart of this call to action is the principal virtue that makes it all possible — gratitude.”
President Soraya M. Coley also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to serve as the university’s leader for the past 11 years, adding that Commencement 2025 has been more memorable than any other because it is her last one before her retirement in July. Coley encouraged graduates to be reflective, introspective and open as they charge into the future. She lauded the them for their resilience and determination, giving a nod to her favorite song by gospel artist Yolanda Adams, “Still I Rise.”
“For even as you faced hardships or challenges, you chose not to give up and to remain focused on crossing the graduation line of achievement. Through your sheer determination, you said, ‘I Will Rise,’ and you held a vision of degree completion,” she said. “Through such fortitude, and lifted higher through support from family, friends, faculty, staff and administrators, we are here today to celebrate your Rising! And as you graduate from Cal Poly Pomona, recognize that your persistence has been essential in achieving your degree — another step in reaching your dreams of success.
“As you go forward, allow your spirit of determination, along with your hopes and aspirations, to continue guiding you. I am confident that you will not allow any future setbacks or challenges to cause you to abandon your ambitions.
Other Notable Quotables
”Whatever the next chapter is, remember the struggles along the way that have shaped you for your purpose. As Chadwick Bosman said, ‘I do not know what your future holds. But if you are willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory, then you will not regret it.’ Cal Poly Pomona is not a reflection on the money you will make but the challenges that you will overcome. Class of 2025 move forward with pride, move forward with dignity and move forward with purpose.”
– Ralphie Mak, Julian McPhee Scholar, The Collins College of Hospitality Management
“Graduation is a moment of both reflection and momentum. It is not just about receiving a degree, but a celebration of how far I’ve come and what lies ahead. It marks the culmination of hard work, growth, achievements, and the beginning of a new chapter. An accomplishment that I am most proud of is securing an internship with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Being selected for this opportunity affirmed my technical skills and gave me the chance to contribute to impactful, mission-driven work. I’m also proud of being a part of sheCodes, Cal Poly Pomona’s ACM-W Chapter that empowers women and minorities in computer science, as an executive board member. Through this club, I’ve been able to make new friends and connections, as well as empower others in computing and create a supportive community.”
– Tiffany Truong, Co-valedictorian and Julian McPhee Scholar, bachelor’s in computer science
“In your time here, you have been presented with many opportunities to connect what you have learned in your classrooms to addressing real-world problems. Our incredibly diverse and inclusive community has provided a laboratory for you to develop a unique set of competencies that make you uniquely qualified to confront the social, economic, environmental, and political challenges of our time because: 1) your lived experiences have provided you with a firsthand understanding of systemic barriers and inequities, 2) you have had opportunities to collaborate within this diverse community which has allowed you to cultivate the cultural humility, empathy, and flexible thinking essential to solving global challenges, 3) you have learned to work collaboratively, in interdisciplinary teams, engaged in community-based problem-solving that is rooted in equity and justice, and 4) as Broncos you were encouraged to remain connected to your families and communities, so you recognize the importance of delivering consequential impact when addressing our society’s most intractable problems.”
– Karen Harris Tyrrell (’24, doctorate in educational leadership)
“Graduating is such a blessing and a moment of deep pride not just for me, but for my family who has supported me every step of the way. I’m most proud of the accomplishments that pushed me beyond my comfort zone, made possible through my family’s encouragement and the resources at Cal Poly Pomona. During my four years, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Paris and South Korea, serve as Director of D2C Marketing Agency, become Vice President of External Affairs for AMA, represent Poppi as a College Ambassador & give back to the 六色网 community, compete on the Women’s Track & Field team for four years where we won four consecutive CCAA Conference Championships, and launch my own small business, all while graduating cum laude. Looking back, I never imagined I’d achieve even half of this, and I’m so grateful to my family and everyone who helped make it possible.”
– Maya Rodriguez, bachelor’s in digital marketing
“Graduation represents growth, discipline and God’s faithfulness. I was academically dismissed in my first year of college and failed many classes, but I’ve now earned my MBA by God’s grace. I’m especially proud of persevering through challenges as a full-time employee, father, and student, studying late, working early and staying committed. One meaningful full-circle moment is bringing the company I work with to serve the 六色网 campus as the new sushi provider. It’s a reminder that nothing is wasted when you stay committed.”
– Kevin Gonzalez, MBA, single dad of two
“In a few months our degrees will arrive in the mail, representing not only the long nights studying and never-ending Canvas to-do lists, but also the hard-earned gift of tenacity that Cal Poly Pomona has given us. The will to submit that application that you don’t feel qualified for; to speak up when nobody else will; or to keep presenting even after you’ve stumbled over your words a couple times. Every one of us has faced countless obstacles and made sacrifices for the opportunity to walk across this stage. If there’s one thing Cal Poly Pomona never taught us, it’s when to quit, and that is more valuable than any piece of paper could convey.”
– Camille McCurry co-valedictorian and Julan McPhee Scholar, Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture
“CLASS, today we come together with our family, friends, and esteemed 六色网 faculty to celebrate our hard work and resilience. This degree represents not just the countless papers, exams, and projects we completed, or the never-ending hills on the way to class, but also our grit to overcome the many challenges we faced while doing so. I am so proud of each of you, and I hope you all continue to prove that you can handle anything life throws at you. To my family, I thank you for your unwavering support as your love and encouragement have been my number one motivator. As Papa always said, ’believe,’ and that is what I will continue to do as I work toward my goals.”
– Aubrey Schuster, Julian McPhee Scholar, College of Arts, Letters, and Social Sciences
“There are people who would want you to feel small, like you should need to hide, or limit the potential you have to share with this world. But these people cannot defeat you. Because in every situation you find yourself, you already know how to be fierce. This college, and your 六色网 education, have truly given you no. other. choice. You are fierce because you know how to be critical and consider complex problems; You are fierce because you know how to express your ideas and your identity, through writing, through speech, through art; You are fierce because you understand the complexity of the world around you, what came before you, and our collective potential when we start with mutual understanding, and together, stand for what we know is right.”
– Professor Sarah Krainin, chair of the Department of Theatre and New Dance
