Matadors are many things: hardworking, resilient and ready to make sacrifices for their education. That’s certainly true of those students who persevered through the last three years– with classes over Zoom, sitting in front of screens for hours, adjusting to a different way of learning. Some had to do that with children at home, some may have lost jobs or loved ones amidst the global pandemic.

For the graduates, we wanted to pass on some advice and encouragement from other Matadors– administrators, professors and graduates.

Congratulations! We can’t wait to see what you do next.

“You are coming out of college at a time when the job market has not been better in many, many years, so I want you to leave with a great deal of optimism about your prospects for being successful in pursuing your career. It’s not all about the money, but it’s all about making contributions that help to align with your values. [So] search for the right employment opportunities, make decisions about the graduate program you want to enter that aligns with your values as an individual, [and] you’re going to enjoy success, and I think you’ll be happy with the next move.  Good luck to all our graduates, enjoy this great market that you’re moving into.”
William Watkins
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

“Know that you are valuable and worthy of good things in your life. And if you have not done so already, figure out what your life purpose is and let it guide your journey.”
Martha D. Escobar, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Chicana/o Studies Executive Director, Project Rebound
Chair, Educational Equity Committee

“Jobs and careers are different. You will likely have multiple jobs before you settle into a career, so make sure you take lessons from each and every experience to guide you on the path you’re meant to travel.”
Tracy Lachica Buenavista, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Asian American Studies
Core Faculty, Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership
Faculty Mentor, DREAM Center

“The resilience that they (the graduates) have shown over the past two years is testament to the fact that they can achieve anything they aspire to. And if they  work hard every day,  giving it their all with focus and intention, the sky is the limit.”
Ranjit Philip
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

“There are going to be so many exciting opportunities ahead, opportunities that you can plan for and opportunities that you can’t plan for. But you know, embracing that is going to be some of the most valuable experiences that you have.”
Kyle Shaver
Director of Enterprise Application Development for IT

“Don’t stop learning. Just because we’ve finished our degrees, that doesn’t mean we should stop learning. We aren’t experts in everything. We always have time to learn. It’s really important that if we learn something and it’s something really exciting, we need to bring it back to our communities. How are we going to make a difference if we are not serving our own?”
Marcela Alvarez, M.A. in Multilingual and Multicultural Education

“Congratulations! We made it! We need to not forget to be proud of ourselves. What we accomplished was incredible.  It took a lot of hard work and determination. It’s time to celebrate that success.”
Sonny Greenback, B.A. in Psychology, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

“The advice I would give my fellow graduates is to just take it easy. There were a lot of times while in college that I really pushed myself, and I didn’t get to enjoy life as I should have because I was so busy working. As we move forward, we need to remember to go easy on ourselves, and to take care of ourselves.”
Joanna Maddela, B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, with a minor in Chemistry, College of Science and Mathematics

“Enjoy the little moments. Among the things I regret not doing while in school was taking the time to enjoy the little moments. I was so busy with all my schoolwork and everything that I had to sacrifice some time with my friends and family. Now that we’ve graduated, we need to take some time doing the things are care about, like spending time with our family and friends. We need to treasure our personal time and take care of ourselves.”
Camille Villaflores, B.S. in Accounting, David Nazarian College of Business and Economics

Alumni, Associated Students, Community, CSUN, Students