Hooding ceremonies honor the academic achievements of CBU students

Riverside, Calif. (April 27, 2022) - Hundreds of graduate degree candidates at California Baptist University are celebrating their academic achievements with hooding ceremonies leading up to commencement May 2-4. 

More than 650 master’s degree candidates and nine doctoral candidates are eligible to participate in the spring commencements. Colleges and schools at CBU host program-specific hooding ceremonies to recognize their candidates. Students are given distinctive colored hoods that represent their major to wear at their commencement ceremony.  

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences has the largest group of master’s candidates with 266. The Bonnie G. Metcalf School of Education has the second largest group with 135 candidates.  

During the master’s of English hooding ceremony on April 25, Dr. Erika Travis, director of the graduate English program at CBU, said words are powerful.

“As you go from here, may your words always be seasoned with grace, bring peace and life, enrich your relationships with understanding of others, impart knowledge and wisdom and ultimately bring glory to God who has brought you to this moment,” Travis said.

Nicole Terada, who earned a Master of Arts in English, works in marketing and communications at Harvest Christian Fellowship. Her goal is to become a college professor, but she has applied her degree to her current career. 

“My main goal is still to teach, but I’m using my degree in a way that I didn’t think that I would,” Terada said.

Alison Bravenec, who earned a Master of Arts in English, said her professors worked with her as a busy mom of five. 

“I took a lot of time off while having my kids,” Bravenec said. “So, when I finally wanted to come back, they were on board, supportive, very encouraging and helped me build my confidence.”

David Little, who earned a Master of Arts in English, works for Graduate Admissions at CBU and hopes to become a teacher. He began the program 10 years ago and attributes his success to his professors. 

“My professors were always encouraging me to come back, and I never took them up on their advice,” Little said. “But religiously they kept coming back, and ultimately, I finished here and I can further my passion for teaching.”

CBU will have five commencement ceremonies on May 2-4 in the Events Center. For more information on commencement, please visit this link.