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Cristina Aguilar Escamilla stood at the front of the room draped in a bright yellow stole, facing the people who had supported her during the past four years at ���ϲ����� and beyond. Behind her, Assistant Professor of Journalism Israel Balderas started reading a reflection she had written days before specially for this moment.

“This stole around my shoulders bears the journey of my family, my mentors, my friends and my ancestors,” she wrote, switching seamlessly between English and Spanish. Her message was a love letter: to her Mexican parents who journeyed across borders for opportunity; to her sisters cheering her on from afar; and to the mentors who believed in her before she believed in herself.

“Este momento es nuestro.”

“This moment is ours.”

That spirit of gratitude, pride and belonging was palpable throughout the 2025 “¡Celebremos!: Graduates Take Flight” celebration held May 22 in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms. Led by El Centro and the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, with the support of the Office of Alumni Engagement, the annual bilingual program honors Latinx and Hispanic graduating students while celebrating the diverse stories that define the ���ϲ����� experience.

The ceremony marked more than a milestone. It was a moment of recognition for the work, love and legacy each graduate carried on their shoulders.

“I’m here because of your faith in me,” Rachel Lopez wrote in her reflection. She spoke of the sacrifices made by her parents, originally from El Salvador, including her father holding two jobs and her mother driving her around to every after-school activity when she was younger.  “I’m here as a proud daughter of immigrants, with your love in my heart and your example guiding every step I take.”

In their reflections, many students spoke of navigating challenges as first-generation college students, honoring their parents’ labor and resilience, and finding chosen family at ���ϲ����� through mentors and peer connections.

“You have made ���ϲ����� a more vibrant, loving and powerful space, and we are forever changed by your presence.” — Sylvia Muñoz, director of the CREDE

Jose Alex Reyes Arias, who participated in ���ϲ�����’s “It Takes a Village” Project since childhood, reflected on the power of community. “Before I ever stepped foot on ���ϲ�����’s campus as a student, I was already surrounded by the love, support and encouragement of the ���ϲ����� community,” he wrote. “When I officially became an ���ϲ����� student, my village only grew stronger. Throughout my time here, I’ve had mentors who poured into me not just academically, but personally.”

Cristy Mariné ’25 delivered a heartfelt charge to the students, sharing how she once hesitated to bring her full identity into the classroom. “I questioned whether my voice belonged … whether people would understand me when I switched languages mid-sentence.” Over time, she added, she stopped asking for permission to be proud of her roots.

“I let my culture be loud,” Mariné said. “I stopped translating parts of myself to make others comfortable, and I let my story take up space.”

She likened her college journey to her Venezuelan mother’s arepas. While they are made with simple ingredients, it’s the filling that makes all the difference. Likewise, the richness of our identities is not complete without what we carry inside.

“Whatever your life looks like after graduation, fill it with what matters. Speak your language, hold your traditions close and know that you’re allowed to shape the spaces you walk into,” Mariné said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my mom’s arepas, it’s that you don’t need much to make something meaningful, but you do need love and intention.”

In her remarks, President Connie Ledoux Book reminded graduates that the stole they received was designed by a former Latinx ���ϲ����� student and serves as a symbol of both continuity and community. Beyond a diploma, she said, they leave ���ϲ����� with the lifelong bonds they have formed with each other and mentors who shaped them along the way. “Your time at ���ϲ����� helped you build relationships that will impact the rest of your life,” she said. “This ���ϲ����� community is yours for the rest of your life, and I hope that you lean into it.”

The monarch butterfly, woven into the stole’s design, represents migration, transformation and persistence. As Assistant Director of the CREDE MJ Larrazabal Chacón G’21 explained, the butterfly was chosen by students as a metaphor for the journeys many in the Latinx community navigate. “���ϲ����� has become one of our stops to recharge,” she said, “as we think about our next destination.”

Like the butterfly, students carry their heritage wherever they go. As the ceremony closed, Assistant Dean of Students and CREDE Director Sylvia Muñoz reminded students that their presence, rooted in heritage, courage and grace, is a powerful force that can make a difference in the world.

“You have the power to challenge injustice, to lead with compassion and to light the way for those who come after you,” she said. “You have made ���ϲ����� a more vibrant, loving and powerful space, and we are forever changed by your presence.”