Spring semester concluded with joyful celebrations of student success at College of Alameda (CoA). On May 27, CoA held innovative virtual and in-person commencement celebrations titled GradFest.

Peralta Community College District (PCCD) Trustees Linda Handy and Dr. Cynthia Napoli-Abella Reis, and PCCD Chancellor Dr. Jannett N. Jackson joined College faculty, administrators, staff, and students for the upbeat commencement festivities held on campus from 2 to 4 p.m. Graduating students and their families enjoyed great food, fun photo opportunities, free gifts, and copious amounts of good cheer.

The College conferred 285 Associates Degrees, 122 Associates Degrees for Transfer, and 316 Certificates to 356 graduates this year. CoA’s virtual commencement featured a keynote address by California State University, East Bay (CSUEB), Department of Educational Leadership Associate Professor Dr. G.T. Reyes.

As an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership for Social Justice Ed.D. Program, he says on his webpage that he plays an active part in cultivating programs that have liberatory potential and power.

Kalena Tran was named Valedictorian. Tran has attended schools in the Peralta system for two years, taking courses as a Biology Major. This upcoming year, she will be transferring to the University of California (UC), Davis, majoring in Nutrition Science. Kalena is interested in learning about the importance of food in the context of health, social economic status, and agricultural practices. She is hoping to learn more about nutrition at UC Davis while also participating in related research projects.

Samantha Yan was named Salutatorian. Yan was born in Hayward and grew up in Alameda. She graduated from the Alameda Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) in 2018 while also earning an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts: Natural Sciences through the College’s dual enrollment program. She returned to College of Alameda in 2021 earning two new degrees: an Associate of Arts in Humanities and an Associate of Arts/Liberal Arts in Science in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Samantha is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a concentration in material chemistry at UC Berkeley. In addition to her academic pursuits at UC Berkeley, she is involved with the New Student Services Program, which plans and executes orientation, and is a member of Cal Archery team as part of the Barebow division. Most recently, she competed at the 2022 USA Archery Collegiate Target Regions - West Regional competitions individually and as part of Cal’s women’s and mixed barebow teams.

After obtaining her baccalaureate, Samantha intends to spend some time exploring her other interests such as theater, sculpture, and fashion design before going to graduate school to study Material Science and Engineering.

Jennifer Stone was the President’s Medallion Recipient. Stone grew up in Northern California. She moved to the Bay Area to pursue her college education at CoA, where she discovered a love for computer science, engineering, and creative problem solving. Jennifer is graduating with three degrees this year, including an Associate of Liberal Arts Degree in Natural Science, and two Associate of Science Transfer Degrees (one in Math and the other in Physics) while maintaining an impressive 4.0 grade point average! Jennifer is the founder and president of an engineering club where she created community, opportunity, and education for fellow students. In addition, Jennifer spent many hours at the CoA FabLab building a remotely operated vehicle and working on other innovative projects. She is excited about the prospect of working collaboratively with other engineers in her career. This fall Jennifer will be transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in Computer Engineering.

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Dr. Nathaniel Jones III’s President’s Report for the Peralta Community College District. Jones II is the president of College of Alameda.