On May 17, Woodland Community College’s courtyard was filled with a sea of family members, friends and loved ones to celebrate the graduation of hundreds of students during the college’s 17th annual commencement ceremony.

Over 730 degrees, diplomas and certificates were awarded to hundreds of graduates donning decorated caps with life lessons, inspirational quotes, funny messages or their future plans during the Friday evening ceremony, which took place at the campus located at 2300 E. Gibson Road.

Following the processional, national anthem and presentation of colors by the American Legion Yolo Post 77, WCC President Dr. Lizette Navarette welcomed the thousands of family members in attendance, anxiously awaiting to hear and then yell out the names of their graduates.

“Today is more than the culmination of classes and credits — it’s the launching point for the steps ahead, the figurative beginning to your next chapter,” she said. “As you step forward, I want you to know one thing: you don’t go alone. Woodland Community College stands with you.”

Dr. Navarette went on to praise the graduating class for their hard work, as many were more than just students — from working mothers to first-generation college graduates, the WCC Class of 2025 proved to be the definition of resilience.

“These seats are filled with students from all walks of life, each with stories of perseverance and hope,” Navarette said. “Our graduates range in age and experience and background, but what unites them is the strength they have shown to reach this point … all of you, every single one of you, has shown what resilience truly looks like: you.”

Associated Students of Woodland Community College (ASWCC) President Isis Rodriguez Khan provided her own remarks during the Friday ceremony. She recalled on moments where students may have felt more challenged in their academic journey, saying in those moments, it could be difficult to see the other side.

“There were probably moments — maybe during that all-nighter fueled by lukewarm coffee and sheer willpower, or perhaps while deciphering a syllabus that seemed written in hieroglyphics — where you thought this day might never come,” Khan said. “But here you are: resplendent, ready, slightly frightened, but definitely triumphant.”

The Class of 2025 valedictorian was named during the commencement, and as Alejandro Perez’s name was read, the crowd cheered as one of their own walked to the stage to accept his medal. Perez also addressed the crowd of his peers, commending his fellow students for their hard work to get to Friday night.

“We all come from different backgrounds with different challenges, but we made it here, and we did it with the support of each other,” he told the crowd at commencement. “The environment on this campus was built by all of us: students, staff, faculty, and it made a difference. It gave us a place to grow, ask for help and figure things out. That’s something I’ll never forget, and I’ll forever be grateful, for any success I’ve had is a reflection of everybody here.”

Perez talked about his own educational path, sharing his own life story of being born in Whittier to hardworking immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico. Perez talked about the sacrifices his parents made to ensure he had the opportunities and a chance at achieving the coveted “American Dream.”

Perez and his family moved to Woodland when he was 10 years old, and by the age of 14, Perez was working in the fields alongside his parents to help provide for his family. According to Perez’s description in the graduation program, he decided to enroll in WCC to build a brighter future and to show his younger siblings they can do whatever they set their minds to.

“I didn’t get here alone, none of us did,” Perez told the crowd on Friday. “We’re standing on the support of a community that believed in us, even if we didn’t fully believe in ourselves. So now, as we move on — whether it’s to another school, a job or just the next step in life — I hope you carry the same spirit forward. I hope you stay humble, stay kind, and remember to never forget where you come from.”