Dulcemaria Anaya, History/BA/2011
As I stand here before you I envision the beautiful scenery of the mountains that surround us in the distance. Merced, California, a place that opened its arms and welcomed the tenth campus of the University of California, is proud of all of you for all that you have accomplished during your time here. We have all been able to see the university grow and flourish into the beautiful campus we have all shared. Just as the university has grown, we have also grown in our abilities to discover, lead, and succeed in a world that seeks innovative leaders and talented individuals such as all of you here tonight.
Welcome students, family and friends. I am so proud to be standing here with all of you this evening to celebrate a turning point in our lives. I would like to take the time to thank all of our parents because your hard work, dedication, and support have given us the strength that we needed to strive for our goals and accomplish our dreams.
Merced is a small town filled with many beautiful people, agricultural fields, and great scenery. As a local girl who has lived here all my life, I would like to share a story from my childhood about this town by visiting a famous question that I bet many of you can relate to: “So why did you choose to come to UC Merced?” Well, in 1992 there was a parade held in downtown Merced as part of the University campaign to promote the University of California’s 10th campus. This parade is significant to my parents because one of the men participating in the parade walked by my parents, pointed at me, and said, “Look, there is one of our future UC Merced students.” My parents felt so special, and from that moment on their dream was for me to attend UC Merced. Fortunately, by the time I graduated high school, the University was built and I was accepted into UC Merced.
I became a Bobcat, and not only that, like many students present here this evening, I am a first generation college student, and a role model to my younger siblings and friends. All of us here this evening have our unique story about how we became bobcats. Some of you might be the first in their families to attend college, others might be the youngest, some might be transfer students and besides the fact that we all came from different paths, we are here tonight, sharing one common ground.
This university opened its doors to all of us and celebrated our talents, traditions, and unique personalities. Being part of this campus allowed us to celebrate diversity in many different ways and instilled in us a sense of belonging to this university. UC Merced offered us endless opportunities that allowed us to explore our talents, discover our identities, and become a community of leaders, innovators, and activists. Even though we have all explored different paths to get to this point, we all share one thing in common, and that is the ground we stepped on.
As we walked across the new beginnings sculpture realize the meaning of what our generation has accomplished. Take the time to reflect on how your life has been impacted and realize what role you will play in helping the next generation of students. We are all able to change the world; it is just a matter of courage and willingness to be someone greater than ourselves to make the world a better place.
Glancing over to the horizon we notice the mountains in the distance. These mountains represent our goals and no matter how far and distant they might have seemed, we have reached the top of the mountain. But don’t stop there, because if you look close enough, there certainly will be another mountain waiting to be explored. Fellow classmates, whether you will be headed to graduate school, medical school, law school, or wherever it might be, let there be light. Whether you come back to Merced, remember that you will always have UC Merced in your heart, just close your eyes, and you will be in this beautiful community by remembering that common ground we have all shared together.
The students you are sitting next to right now may possibly be the next world leaders. Our small community has allowed us to build long lasting friendships that will help us throughout our journeys in life. Fellow classmates, I encourage you to think about what impact you will make in this world and how you will give back to our community. Just like the person in the parade who inspired my parents to motivate me to pursue a higher education, now it is our turn to reach out to younger generations that look up to us in hopes of one day being in our shoes. Our parents have worked hard to get us to this point in our lives, all of us, represent their dream and as we walk across this stage tonight, that dream will become a reality.
Congratulations Class of 2011, we did it!
