Crafton Hills College recognizes its history-making Class of 2026

Publish Date: May 18, 2026

Crafton Hills College’s Class of 2026 is a history maker.

On May 15, the Yucaipa-based college marked two impressive milestones: this year’s graduating class was Crafton’s largest ever and also the first of two centennial graduating classes of the San Bernardino Community College District (the other being the graduating class of San Bernardino Valley College).

“You might think of history as events that happened in the past, but today, you are history,” remarked Nathan D. Gonzalez, chair of the SBCCD Board of Trustees. “You’ve proved there’s success and with you, the San Bernardino Community College District celebrates 100 years of opportunity.

“History is more than just dates and old stuff in basements. History is people. It’s their lives and stories. History is you,” he continued.

More than 1,250 Roadrunners were recognized at the ceremony, which took place on the Quad. Of those, 393 participated in the event.

But what’s even more impressive is the history-smashing accomplishments this year’s class brought to commencement. 

For example, 994 graduates earned degrees and 1,163 received certificates of program completion. 

That was only the tip of the iceberg, shared Crafton President Kevin Horan as he went down the list, sharing the following with those in attendance:

·         Nine graduates earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in respiratory care.

·         490 finished their studies with a GPA average of 3.5 or higher.

·         118 graduates achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA.

·         35 graduates served in the armed services.

It was also a family affair for much of the Class of 2026 as two sets of cousins, four sets of siblings, two mother/daughter duos, one engaged couple, and two married couples were recognized for completing their respective programs at the same time.

Even Horan’s daughter, Sage, joined in on the fun, earning her cap and gown alongside her fellow Roadrunners.

Horan took time to acknowledge the passion his family has for a community college experience by sharing a story of an educator using Crafton as an example of where “bad behavior” could lead. 

Little did they know who Sage’s father was.

“I called the superintendent and said, ‘We have a lot of work to do,’” said Horan. “But over the result of that work over the last eight years, we have significantly increased the number of high school students earning college credit through our dual-enrollment program. And tonight, 175 of our graduates earned college credit while in high school."

“More than two million students attend community college. Tonight, you become alumni of the greatest, more affordable accessible systems of education in the world. Today, you are the smartest people in the room,” he continued.

Before the ceremony ended and this year’s class was formally recognized, Sierra Mason delivered a student address filled with hope and encouraged her fellow classmates to always think of Crafton and its mascot—the roadrunner—when times get rough.

“Our winged friends are incredibly resilient. They have to be in order to survive the harsh conditions of the southwestern desert. It is this characteristic that earns them their place at Crafton,” shared the communications, political science, and anthropology major. “Our students embody that same resilience by overcoming the harsh conditions of college life and our individual circumstances that make reaching this stage that much more impressive. 

“There is plenty about Crafton we will miss, but there is just as much to look forward to beyond these hills…, and may the lessons of the roadrunner follow you wherever you end up.”