Crafton Hills College Celebrates Record Class at 2026 Commencement

Publish Date: May 15, 2026

Crafton Hills College held its 2026 Commencement Ceremony Friday evening, May 15, celebrating the largest graduating class in the college's history. A total of 1,252 graduates earned 994 degrees and 1,163 certificates, both record highs, with 393 students who walked across the stage in the outdoor quad ceremony that began at 5 p.m.

Crafton Hills President Dr. Kevin Horan opened the ceremony by celebrating the college's transfer success, noting that for three of the last four years, Crafton Hills has had the highest acceptance rate to the University of California in the Inland Empire, and for two consecutive years has ranked second for acceptance to the CSU system.

Among the highlights of this year's class was a tradition Crafton Hills has come to know well, with families graduating together. The class of 2026 included two sets of cousins, four sets of siblings, and mothers crossing the stage alongside their children. An engaged couple and two married couples also celebrated the milestone together.

"The family that studies together, graduates together," Horan said.

The ceremony also celebrated graduates with ties to the Crafton Hills community itself, as faculty and staff members saw their own family members cross the stage alongside the class of 2026.

San Bernardino Community College District Chancellor Dr. Diana Rodriguez addressed graduates with a message of encouragement and belonging. "This place is yours. You belong here. You earned your seat here," Rodriguez said. "And wherever you go next, Crafton Hills College goes with you." Rodriguez also called on graduates to pay their experience forward. "When the time is right, bring one more person with you. A younger sibling, a cousin, a friend, or a coworker who keeps saying, 'I should go back to college someday.' Tell them: someday can start here."

Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Nathan Gonzales recognized the graduates as part of a larger legacy and challenged them to use their success in service of others. "When inquisitive minds in the future look back at you, they will see graduates who became nurses, firefighters, paramedics, public safety professionals, teachers, business owners, skilled workers and leaders," Gonzales said. "They will see people who helped in emergencies. People who cared for families. People who built stronger workplaces. People who made their neighborhoods better, their communities better, and the Inland Empire better." Gonzales closed with a charge to the class: "As you leave here, ask yourself one question: How will I use what I learned to help someone else?"

Academic Senate President Natalie Lopez spoke to the faculty's commitment to student success. "Everything we do is grounded in a belief in your potential. You are the reason we serve and the reason we lead," Lopez said. "Step by step, assignment by assignment, semester by semester, you found your direction."

Student speaker Sierra Mason, a communications, political science and anthropology major who served as vice president of the Student Senate, drew on the roadrunner as a symbol of the class's perseverance. "Everyone here has their own story of resilience, and everyone here has put an incredible amount of work into making it to this stage," Mason said. She closed by encouraging her classmates to carry those lessons forward. "May you carry the lessons of the roadrunner with you wherever you end up next."

Among this year's graduates, 490 finished with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, and 118 achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. Nine students earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Respiratory Care, the college's only baccalaureate program, and were recognized with green caps and gowns. 35 graduates who served in the United States military were honored with red, white and blue cords. Additionally, 175 graduates earned college credit at Crafton Hills while still in high school through the college's dual enrollment program, free of charge.

Once a Roadrunner, always a Roadrunner. Crafton Hills College congratulates the class of 2026 and looks forward to celebrating their continued success.