Rocio Garcia
Rocio Garcia, who struggled with a language barrier as a little girl, was named winner of the J. Burton Vasche Award during the second day of the 49th Annual California State University, Stanislaus Commencement ceremonies on Saturday (June 6).
 
Garcia, a Winton resident, is graduating as a double major with degrees in Sociology and Spanish. The Vasche Award, named in honor of the University’s founding president, is awarded to the student who displays the highest standards of leadership, cooperation, participation, service, and scholarship.
 
Garcia, the first in her family to earn a college degree and daughter of parents who came to the United States from Mexico in the 1970s, is graduating with an outstanding academic record as a member of the University’s Honors Program. She is the recipient of a number of awards and scholarships, including the Pacific Sociological Association’s 2009 Distinguished Undergraduate Student Paper Award for a research project on social activism. Garcia has lived up to her social activism advocacy by doing extensive volunteer work in the community through the University’s Sociology Club, including a variety of public service programs, helping at a nursing home, and organizing a donation drive to help the homeless. She hopes to eventually become a university professor.
 
CSU Stanislaus President Dr. Hamid Shirvani presided over the program in the University Amphitheatre. He encouraged the graduates to play a key role in rebuilding the strength of our nation.

The University conferred bachelor’s and master’s degrees on more than 2,200 students this year. Graduates from the Colleges of Business Administration, Human and Health Sciences, and Natural Sciences received their degrees on Friday and those from the Colleges of the Arts, Education, and Humanities and Social Sciences marched to the stage today.
 
As the University prepares to cap its 50th anniversary celebration in 2010, one of its charter faculty members stepped to center stage during Saturday’s program. Dr. James Hanson, a retired Biological Sciences Professor who was one of the original faculty members when classes started at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in 1960, presented a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography to his grandson, Andrew Morgan.
 
On Friday, the Metzger/Geiger Award recognizing the student with the highest academic achievement went to Christine Stonecypher, a Business Administration graduate from the San Joaquin County community of Lockeford. Stonecypher and her identical twin sister and fellow graduate, Kimberly, who commuted together to CSU Stanislaus from their family’s ranch, aspire to eventually start a business of their own as partners.
 
Saturday’s student speaker was Aimee Sims, an Economics major from Modesto and a graduate of Manteca High School who talked about “living adventure.” Kasie Rozario, a Child Development major from Rocklin who also played on the women’s soccer team for four years, spoke on Friday about “making a difference.” Singing the national anthem and University alma mater was Monica Errington-Hull of Woodland who is graduating with a Music Degree in Vocal Performance.
 
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner was the keynote speaker at Friday’s opening Commencement program, challenging students to achieve the so-called impossible with a speech titled “Take A Risk.”