Crafton Hills College's Largest Graduating Class Celebrated at In-person Ceremony in Campus Quad - Crafton Hills College

Publish Date: Aug. 18, 2022

Crafton Hills College's Largest Graduating Class Celebrated at In-person Ceremony in Campus Quad

Thousands gathered at Crafton Hills College (CHC) on Wednesday, May 25, for a special kind of celebration — three years in the making.

Graduates of the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 were invited to celebrate their respective graduations during a campus- wide commencement ceremony, the first in-person event of its kind following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Family friends and supporters all gathered on the campus quad to cheer for their respective grads with signs calling out their accomplishments and/or hooting and hollering as names were read.

“I can’t begin to tell you how exciting it is to see all of your wonderful faces in person,” exclaimed Crafton President Kevin Horan before taking a selfie with those in attendance from the commencement stage.

May was a busy time at Crafton as various grad-related events were held all-month long. But the May 25th ceremony was the

first time in years when campus leaders and staff were able to recognize every grad from the current and past two classes after in-person celebrations were put on pause as the world navigated through the ongoing health crisis.

Each of the presenters recognized the accomplishments of all the students who were able to persevere and complete their educational goals despite the additional hardships presented by COVID, new safety protocols and online learning.

“The last two years have defined what it takes to be persistent, and you encouraged all of us by showing up and doing the work,” said Brandi Bailes, CHC Academic Senate president.

Brandice Mello, CHC’s Classified Senate president, also supported the graduates by stating that, “Ever y day is a moment to be proud of. It is easy to highlight the times we want to give up and throw it all away..., but happiness is limitless.”

In addition to the awarding of diplomas, other events included music by Plays Well With Others, the National Anthem sung by grad Lucy Mcintosh, and remarks of encouragement from Student Commencement Speaker and graduating member of the Class of 2022, Victoria Karalun.

Graduation Day was years in the making for Karalun, a re-entry student and mother who has become a published author and presented her research at over 40 conferences during her time at CHC.

During her address, Karalun reflected on her path to and at Crafton and recalled a quote that changed her life — “Do one thing every day that scares you” — inspiring her to enroll at CHC in 2017.

“Much of our learning has taken place online,” she said. “We’ve had no choice but to take a path that pushed us out of our comfort zone..., any one of us could have given up on our education. But being here today is proof we are here to work hard.”

“We are the ones graduating in this crazy, unique time,” Karalun continued.“Let us not take for granted how special it is that we are here together today.”

The class of 2022 marked the largest graduating class in CHC’s 50-year history, with 1,071 graduates earning 808 degrees and 853 certificates.The graduates included 34 military veterans and various age ranges, with the youngest grad only 18 and the oldest 70.

Of the 1,071 graduates, 317 earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher, including 63 students who graduated with a 4.0.

Graduation highlights can be found on CHC’s social media channels, including its Facebook page at facebook.com/ CraftonHillsCollege, and at craftonhills.edu.