♪
Hello future teachers, family and friends.
My name is Colleen McKinley and I am the Director
of Educational Partnerships and Programs at Cerritos College.
On behalf of the Teacher TRAC Leadership Team and the EPP staff,
I want to congratulate each of our graduates
for the significant milestone that you have achieved
in finishing your requirements at Cerritos College
and continuing your journey towards becoming a teacher.
We look forward to celebrating with you in person when we are able.
However, it is important to mark this achievement right now.
when you accomplished it.
You are working towards a career in a noble profession,
one that touches the future by educating the next generation.
These unprecedented times have reinforced to everyone
just how important teachers are.
We are so very proud of you.
You are Teacher TRAC's 20th graduating class!
The class of 2020.
We take pride in you and wish you the best
as you move on to the next phase of your education.
Right now I am very happy to turn this over
to Dr. Fierro, President of Cerritos College.
Hello TeacherTRAC graduates and family and friends.
I'm Jose Fierro and I'm the President of Cerritos College.
It is great to have the opportunity to share a few thoughts
with all of you today.
Covid-19 may not permit us to celebrate in person.
But we still want to celebrate with you
and make this moment special.
2020 has been an interesting year to say the least.
Remember all of our new 2020 New Year resolutions?
Yea, me too!
I want you to take a moment to reflect and assess
on the status of your 2020 resolutions.
Yes, now.
Go ahead. I'll wait.
If you have plans and goals on hold,
or gave up
on all or several of your 2020 goals because of Covid-19,
I would like to ask you to reconsider.
Covid-19 certainly has impacted the way we conduct business.
The way we communicate with each other.
And many other aspects of our life.
That is evident. And there is no denying that fact.
And though we may not have much control over Covid-19,
and how it has changed our lives,
we can control how we react to those changes.
Yes. We can definitely control how we respond and react
to the changes.
So think about how you want to react to this new environment
we find ourselves in.
You have already overcome one obstacle.
Did you imagine that you will be finishing your time
at Cerritos College in a fully online format.
I know I did not expect that.
Yet, you made the best out of the situation.
You were resilient and now you need to push forward.
Think how you are going to make the best
out of this situation in the long term.
And think about how you need to adapt
to achieve your goals in this ever changing landscape.
Think about how you can become
even a better version of yourself.
We are living in unprecendented times.
We are being challenged in every way possible.
But there is only one thing.
There is always one thing.
That is always present during challenging times.
That is opportunity.
Humankind has always found a way to rise to challenges.
During challenging times, during difficulty times,
we are more creative.
We develop more grit.
And we always find a way to come out stronger
after all is said and done.
So don't let Covid-19 stop you from celebrating
this accomplishment.
Don't let it stop you from moving forward.
And don't let it stop you from achieving
your resolutions or goals in 2020 and beyond.
Instead, think about how you can take advantage
of the opportunity,
that this new environment has to offer.
Think about how you can seize the moment
and rise to the occasion.
For example,
if you were going to transfer in Fall 2020,
transfer.
Don't delay.
If you were thinking about opening a business,
re-evaluate your plan.
Rethink your approach and open it!
In general, do not let Covid-19 get between your goals
and your success.
Never.
Never, waste a good crisis.
There is an opportunity with every challenge we face.
On behalf of the Cerritos College Board of Trustees,
congratulations to the 2020 TeacherTRAC graduating class!
Over 2000 students have participated
in the TeacherTRAC program
over the years,
many of whom are now in local classrooms
and hosted you as students in their classrooms for fieldwork.
Some are now principals, counselors,
even school board members.
This year we celebrate 59 more of you.
Most of whom are transitioning to the CSU system.
We are fortunate to have a close relationship
with Cal State Long Beach.
And I'm happy to introduce
the Dean of the College of Education,
Dr. Shireen Pavri.
Greetings Cerritos College TeacherTRAC graduates
My name is Shireen Pavri and I'm Dean of the College of Education
at Cal State Long Beach.
On behalf of our faculty and staff
and the Deans at our sister CSU campuses
that you may plan to attend
I would like to extend my warm congratulations
to each and every one of you.
We're looking forward to having you on our campuses
this coming Fall.
You have received an excellent education
at Cerritos College.
The TeacherTRAC program is a shining light
and prepares star educators.
We at Cal State Long Beach have enjoyed a close
20 year partnership with Cerritos College.
And have worked hard to create a seemless
transition for you when you come to us
for our liberal studies and teacher credential programs.
You and your family should be so proud
of all of your accomplishments.
As an educator, you're going to have an incredible
impact on the lives of thousands of young people
and their families.
Once again, my congratulations to you
TeacherTRAC Class of 2020.
♪
As I looked at each one of your slides,
I thought about how lucky your future students are.
As a teacher, you have the power
to impact your community in so many ways.
You all have a very bright future ahead of you.
This is not goodbye.
We will be in touch with information
about our in-person ceremony
and the awarding of transfer scholarships.
But for now, we'd like to close with some additional messages
that celebrate with you and convey
how proud we are of you.
Congratulations, Teacher TRAC Class of 2020!
I look forward to celebrating with you in-person soon.
Cerritos College and the TeacherTRAC counselors
are very proud of you.
You're changing lives.
You're shaping the future.
Giving back to your community.
You're one step closer to becoming a teacher.
Congratulations and good luck with you
on the rest of your educational journey.
Congratulations 2020 TeacherTRAC graduates.
My name is Jeff Bradbury and I'm a part of the TeacherTRAC
leadership team.
And I want you to know we're very proud of you
for your accomplishments.
Especially since you've persevered
through some very difficult times.
And I know that many of you are the first in your family
to graduate from college.
That was the case in my life.
And I also know that many of you will go back
into your communities that you grew up in
and build into the young lives.
Many of you desire to teach at the school that you went to.
Or the community that you grew up in.
So we're very proud of you for that.
We're very proud to send you back
into your communities.
So we just want to say good luck,
wherever you transfer.
We hope you have a wonderful career
promoting the welfare of young minds.
Thank you.
To my favorite students at Cerritos College,
the TeacherTRAC graduates of 2020.
You matter.
You are difference makers.
And this pandemic is actually developing
character and skills that will help you
become a highly successful teacher.
Now as I reflect on the coronavirus, and um
what actually is great teaching,
I have two words of encouragement for you.
First, make personal connections
with all of your students.
Now this is much more difficult remotely
but more than ever we see the importance
of investing in the relationship side
of teaching.
To my earth science students I truly miss you.
I miss seeing you on Mondays and Wednesdays.
And value that time we had prior to the coronavirus.
My second word of encouragement
is to let creativity take a central role
in everything you do as a teacher.
It's sort of like your secret weapon.
Be creative in how you plan and how you assess.
And how you teach remotely.
Problems need creative solutions.
So congratulations to all of you,
I am proud of you.
And I look forward to the next time I get to see you.
Hi graduates. This is Olga Andrade.
An instructor for the Child Development Department.
This message is wish you a bright and successful future.
And to say, congratulations. Happy graduation.
Congratulations TeacherTRAC graduates.
We are so proud of you. Today is your day,
you're off and away.
You guys have worked so hard and we are so proud of you, so
let the party begin. And woot wooh!
Congratulations!
Hi this is Dionne Gibson from Child Development.
And I would like to congratulate the TeacherTRAC
graduating class of 2020.
Good luck on your teaching journey.
♪