Hooding ceremonies celebrate student achievements at CBU

Riverside, Calif. (Aug. 17, 2023) – Hundreds of graduate degree candidates at California Baptist University celebrated their academic achievements with hooding ceremonies leading up to commencement on Aug. 16.

Nearly 520 master’s degree candidates and 66 doctoral candidates were eligible to participate in the summer commencements. Colleges and schools at CBU host program-specific hooding ceremonies to recognize their candidates. Students are given a distinctive colored hood that represent their program to wear at their commencement ceremony. 

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences has the largest group of master’s and doctoral candidates with more than 160. The Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business has the second largest group with more than 140 candidates. 

The College of Health Science held a hooding ceremony on Aug. 15 for those in the kinesiology and public health sciences programs. Dr. David Pearson, dean of the College of Health Science, compared this time of graduation to the time when Jesus left, referencing the book of Acts. Jesus had been shepherding the disciples, giving them assignments, teaching them, leading them and then He left.

“That's not unlike what you go through here. You work so hard during this process. You have faculty members and mentors working with you, helping you, guiding you, walking you along this path to help you get to where you are. What happens now?” Pearson said.

After Jesus left, He sent the Holy Spirit, Pearson said. The relationship was not over and that's how Pearson said he sees commencement — the relationship is not over.

“You have a calling; you have a purpose. You were here to find it,” Pearson said. “Hopefully your professors and mentors helped you find it and left you with a spirit that will drive you forward, walking in the Lord but also walking in your professional path.”

Sarah Reuss, an athletic trainer at Temecula Valley High School, earned a Master of Science in Kinesiology.

“In athletic training, we're constantly doing strength and conditioning, we’re working with nutrition and sports performance. Everything that we did throughout this entire program has helped to reaffirm, teach me new techniques and teach me how to become a better athletic trainer,” Reuss said.

Joshua Brown, who earned his Master of Public Health, hopes to work internationally in epidemiology. His parents are missionaries, and he grew up in Papua in Indonesia. CBU professors helped broaden his perspective on the job opportunities.

“I'm really drawn toward epidemiology because I grew up seeing the effects of diseases and knowing that they are preventable. That's why I want to go out internationally and help,” Brown said.

Colin Dowey, who earned a Master of Science in Kinesiology, works in the Temecula Valley Unified School District teaching adapted PE. He learned how to research different types of instruction and determine what works.

“The degree gives me more professional tools in my belt to work with the students,” Dowey said.

CBU held commencement ceremonies on Aug. 16. For more information on commencement, please visit the CBU commencement website.