BC grads look to future

John Harte / The Californian Bakersfield College graduate Kathryn Brinkley gets a little help preparing for the big moment from friend Chiharu Suzuki at BC Thursday night. John Harte / The Californian Eashell Acosta is all smiles as she prepares to take the stage with the other graduates at Bakersfield College Thursday night. John Harte / The Californian Bakersfield College graduate Anita Gaston uses a fan to keep cool as she waits for the graduation ceremony to start on Thursday night.

Filed: May 25, 2001

The Bakersfield Californian

Cheers and tears flowed freely at Bakersfield College's 87th annual commencement.

The ceremony, held Thursday night at BC's Memorial Stadium, was a rite of passage for the approximately 300 students who participated.

More than 800 students have applied for graduation, but only 300 participated in the ceremony.

"It feels great to finally have it all over with," said Michael Woolsey, a computer engineering major who plans to attend Brigham Young University.

Woolsey's brother, Mark, graduated Thursday night, too. An industrial drawing major, he also plans to attend a four-year university.

"Well, at least we have it halfway over," he said laughing.

As students waited to hear their name called over the loud speaker, they batted beach balls and threw confetti into the air.

Some in the audience were hoping the ceremony would be done quickly.

"Daddy, I want to go home," yelled a child from the audience, drawing laughs from the graduates seated on chairs on the field.

Although some of the participants were visibly warm under their black robes, most were thrilled that the ultimate moment in their BC student careers was at hand.

"I put in a lot of hours to get this degree," said Zucchinni Hubbard-Blanche, a business administration major. "I had a full schedule plus family to juggle."

Elizabeth Swanson spoke on behalf of the graduating class. She is leaving Bakersfield College with an associate degree in history and plans to attend Cal State Bakersfield.

Swanson quoted Socrates when she said, "An unexamined life is not worth living."

Bakersfield College mathematics professor Rebecca Head, selected by students as the winner of this year's Sam McCall Professor of the Year award, also offered words of encouragement to the graduating class.

"There are too many people who did not reach their full potential in life," she said. "Always strive to reach your full potential."