By: Chris Lim, May 13, 2025
The Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education hosted its 31st annual Raza Graduation Celebration May 4 at Kellogg Arena, commemorating the accomplishments and success of the Chicanx/Latinx community on May 4.
Emily Urrutia, the assistant coordinator for CECCHE, emphasized the importance of this event and its meaning to graduating students who identify as Latino.
“We want to make sure that people in the Latino community are celebrated for their culture and identity,” Urrutia said. “Being in a group that traditionally hasn’t been noticed through higher education for a long time, we want to break the stereotype for this community.”
Student graduates from the Latino community who attended this event were recognized for their university hardships and journey as families and friends celebrated with them.
CPP’s student-run ensemble Mariachi Los Broncos de Pomona and dance club Zapateando Del Corazon. performed before the graduation ceremony began. Crowds from both sides of the arena roared during both performances expressing cultural pride and gratitude.
The ceremony began with speeches from two graduating students — one English speaker and one Spanish speaker — who commemorated students and the Latino community by acknowledging the impact they have had on the CPP community.
Nester Rizo, one of the student speakers earning a degree in aerospace engineering, and Chris Sandoval, a CPP alumni who serves as the Director of University Relations through the Latin Alumni Network and a part of the CPP alumni association, continued delivering speeches as they honored graduating students’ paths to graduating.
As graduating students started walking up to the stage, applause and cheers from both sides of the arena were heard from families and friends.
According to graduating students Ramon Castaneda and Cynthia Grano, being a part of the Raza community and the ceremony has been nothing but memorable.
Castaneda said he came off a 10-year hiatus from school, and he eventually decided to pursue a master’s degree in special education.
During his time at CPP, he said he struggled with time management by having a full-time job, taking care of his family and adapting to a full-time master’s program schedule.
Still, with the hardships on his shoulder, Castaneda decided to push through and succeed, ultimately earning his master’s.
The ceremony put a smile to his face, appreciating the Raza community and the impact it has had on CPP and neighboring communities.
“It’s a good way to have a sense of community,” Castaneda said. “Having others support you and sharing the same experience as you gives it a sense that you are not alone. It’s good to hear that there is a community like this at CPP.”
Grano, who is earning a degree in civil engineering, said she appreciates the Raza ceremony and views it as a way to bring culture and community together.
“I feel this ceremony is the culture of bringing everyone together as one,” Grano said. “We have similar backgrounds, but it’s great to have a community around us celebrating those upbringings and hardships that we faced.”
CECCHE stays committed to its message when it comes to the Raza community, welcoming any students who visit, no matter their identity, and celebrating diversity in all its forms.
The Raza graduation celebrated culture and community between family and friends but also celebrated the journey for graduating students.
According to Urrutia, the ceremony was important for bringing the community together.
“As a person, Raza is anyone of Mexican descent and anyone outside of Central and South America,” Urrutia said. “Seeing all the commonalities that we have from different parts of the world unites us. Even though some Latinos don’t speak Spanish, it still is a language that ties us together. Raza is multiethnic, and we can all come together as a community and celebrate.”
Feature image courtesy of Geriogia Valdes
