San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) will award 6,240 diplomas and certificates on Friday, May 28, 2021 during a joint Virtual Commencement Ceremony with San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) at 11:00 a.m.
A drive-thru/walk-up celebration will be held following the ceremony at SDCCE-Mesa College (7350 Armstrong Place San Diego, CA 92111) from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Covid-19 protocols will be followed including wearing masks and social distancing.
“The achievements of our students during this unprecedented year are a testament to their resilience and their motivation to succeed,” said SDCCE President, Carlos Osvaldo Cortez, Ph.D. “The class of 2021 is truly historic, in addition to overcoming the novel Coronavirus outbreak, they are also the first graduating class of the institution since our name change.”
SDCCE, formerly known as San Diego Continuing Education added the word college to its name in February to better reflect the organization's status and mission to transition adult students to credit colleges and careers.
Desktop Technician graduate Tania Melendez will be the student speaker for SDCCE’s Class of 2021. An achievement Melendez, who is of Pacific Islander descent, could not imagine when she returned to higher education as a single parent during a global pandemic.
“There were many points in my journey where I wanted to give up and not pursue my schooling,” she said. “As an Asian American the fear of breaking barriers in a male-dominated field terrified me.” Despite the challenges, Melendez excelled in her studies and was awarded a William Rosen scholarship.
She encourages her fellow graduates, “may you continue to have the courage to pursue your goals, achieve your dreams, and change your story.” This fall, Melendez will continue her studies at SDCCE to become a certified cyber security analyst.
SDCCE is the center of a comprehensive adult education program serving approximately 40,000 students, many of whom achieve a high school diploma and/or career training certificate at SDCCE and then transition to San Diego City, Mesa or Miramar colleges.
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