Cerritos College recognized graduates of the Project HOPE (Health Opportunities and Pipeline to Education) Program on Wednesday, May 29, at its 11th annual graduation banquet.
The ceremony celebrated the graduates' program completion, entrance to health programs, and transfer to four-year universities.
The Project HOPE Class of 2013 included 23 students who were admitted into nursing programs, pre-health professional students who will be transferring to various campuses, including CSULA, CSULB, UCI, UCLA, UCR, UCSC, La Sierra, Loma Linda and Utah State.
The event master of ceremonies was Maggie Cordero, director of Pathway Programs and coordinator of Project HOPE. Following her introduction Dr. Carolyn Chambers, dean of Science, Engineering and Mathematics Division also congratulated the Class of 2013.
Student speaker Daniel Perez spoke about his life journey including his experience in the U.S. Marine Corps and how he found his passion through education and volunteer activities, and he thanked his family, friends and Project HOPE for their support.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Sandra Salazar, family physician who serves as board secretary on the Cerritos College Board of Trustees.
Dr. Salazar encouraged the graduates to be proud of where they came from. "Education transforms your life. Tell your story, inspire others and remember to give back to the community," stressed Dr. Salazar.
After the certificates of achievement were presented to the graduates by Maggie Cordero, each graduate had an opportunity to thank his/her supporters.
The Project HOPE Transfer Scholarship was presented to 10 Project HOPE transfer students: Kenza Abdoun, Ariday Avellaneda, Huong Dong, Stephanie Marsano, Esther Park, Daniel Perez, Cristhiam Santos, Thanh Hien Ta, Jose Torres and Kaycee Villarreal. The Project HOPE Promising Scholarship was presented to Audrey Ortiz. The scholarships were made possible thanks to the generous awards of the College Access Foundation of California and Aetna.
Other Project HOPE activities such as fairs, tutoring, workshops, STEM Bridge Program, STEM conference, open house, banquet and university tours were made possible by generous donation from Alpha Medical Management, AltaMed Health Services Corp., Diversified Business Services, Dr. Sandra Salazar, Jean McHatton, Norwalk Lions Club, and Mary Loya, and through various fundraising activities.
Project HOPE Class of 2013
Kenza Abdoun
Hazel Aguila
Ariday Avellaneda
Elizabeth Cruz
Huong Dong
Debora Guerrero
Rosemary Guillen
Frankie Jimenez
Erick Maglalang
Stephanie Marsano
Benjamin Nwakanma
Esther Park
Daniel Perez
Isaura Quintero
Cristhiam Santos
Thanh Hien Ta
Susan Tieng
Jose Torres
Queena Tran
Kaycee Villarreal
Jasmine Young
Jannatara Zaman
- Cerritos College Media Relations Dept.
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