Crafton Hills College graduates confident, compassionate respiratory therapists
Publish Date: Dec. 18, 2025
A respiratory therapist must have the motivation to care.
That’s the core message Dr. Michael Sheahan, Director of Crafton Hills College’s Respiratory Care Program, hoped his students keep in mind as they embark on a career as respiratory therapists.
“Your motivation is the patient,” he shared while addressing Crafton’s newest graduating cohort on Dec. 18. “Remember, that’s a human being. [Your job] is caring for people. It’s caring for family members. That is the crux of what we do.”
Crafton’s fall graduating cohort of 28 made program history becoming the first graduating class to be celebrated inside the newly opened Finkelstein Performing Arts Center. The space was brimming with excitement as friends and loved ones filled the space with balloons, signs, flowers, and cheers.
As with other student recognition ceremonies held on campus, the Respiratory Care Program graduation is also filled with tradition. Remarks by program facilitators and Dan Word, Crafton’s Dean of Career Education and Human Development, set the tone of the evening event, while class speaker Robert Martinez and guest speaker Respiratory Care Assistant Professor Valerie Sevilla highlighted the class’s tight-knit bond and the lessens that shaped them.
“Over these past two years, I’ve watched them grow from unsure students setting up their first ventilator to confident, capable and compassionate clinicians,” said Sevilla. “Each challenge they overcame [during the program] strengthened their perseverance, that same perseverance that will carry them through every Code Blue, every tough shift, and every moment that reminds them why they became a respiratory therapist.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the professionals you have become or the people you are. The world is now infinitely better for having respiratory therapists like you around,” she concluded.
Additional highlights included the confirmation of degrees led by program staff and student awards to:
· Academic Achievement Award: Ohirenaun E. Ogbeta
· Clinical Award: Blake Larrea-Sutton
Each graduate also received a scholarship through the Forrest and Valorie Greek Scholarship Endowment, a fund created by The Greeks to support the future of Crafton’s child development, fire academy, and respiratory therapy programs.
Rounding out the Fall graduating class were Riah S. Bigham, Astrid G. Botello, Audrey G. Brown, Mariah R. Castaneda, Karina C. Catapang, Scarlet C. Chavez, Donna N. Esparza, Alonso Gordo, Damaris Hernandez, Roberto E. Martinez, Gabriela R. Mata, Megan N. Miranda, Cristina M. Soliz, Fatima Murillo Hurtado, David Bguyen, Jacob T. Nguyen, Lindsey A. Parra, Grace Radu, Ildefonso Rodriguez Garcia, EvMarie Salas, Julian M. Sigue, Jacob F. Torres, Michelle Valencia, Jimena Villegas-Marin, Elisa M. Winchester, and Irene S. Yáñez.
To learn more about Crafton Hills College and its degree and certification programs, go to www.craftonhills.edu.
