Graduation Ceremonies Continue at Fresno State

The graduation ceremonies continue for the class of 2015 at Fresno State. More than 6,000 students are graduating this year with their bachelor’s, master’s and advanced degrees.

The Kremen School of Education had the final ceremony of the day Friday.

For these Fresno State graduates, Friday was the culmination of years of dedication.

"Very hard–long nights, but it was worth it," said Betsy Cunningham, a new graduate.

"It’s been very rough, and very challenging, but at the end I made it," said Minag Her, another graduate.  

Fresno State President Dr. Joseph I. Castro called it a day to celebrate, expressing what the day means to so many grads.

"It means everything to me. It means the world to me. I feel ecstatic," said Jairo Lozano, who graduated with his M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Many graduates thanked their families for giving them the opportunity to graduate from college.

"It means a lot for me because this means a lot to my mom because we immigrated to this country, so as a first-generation college student, graduate, I really feel I owe it to her," Lozano said.

"It’s not only my degree, but it’s also my parents’ degree being a first-generation student," said Isaac Reyna, who graduated with an M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration. 

Proud families filled the Savemart Center eager to spot their graduate in the crowd.

"My best friends, my best cousins, everybody is here, it’s a big family. To graduate, 2015, it’s the best feeling I ever got knowing all my family is here," said graduate Steven Her. 

Many of these graduates will pursue a career as teachers. Dean of the Kremen School of Education Paul Beare said there’s a great need for teachers in the state.

"If they are teachers, the prospects are 100 percent. We have an immense teacher shortage all over California," Beare said. "We’ve had a general decline in the state in numbers of people going into teaching, so it’s a great time to be a teacher."

The main university ceremony will take place Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Savemart Center. About 1,300 students are expected to walk in the ceremony. Doors open at 8 a.m.