Before the Pomp, Circumstances Create Special Moment

When Laura Murillo came to this country 10 years ago from her native Mexico City to take a computer class, she was only supposed to stay for a short time.

Then life stepped in.

She got married, had two children and divorced. Though she longed to see her family, she decided to jump-start her education and enrolled at Cal State Northridge.

“I’m proud of my accomplishments, but it wouldn’t be possible without help from this country,” said Murillo, who will graduate later this week with a bachelor’s degree in international business. “It was very stressful being a mom and a student, but I kept pushing on.”

Murillo, 33, celebrated her cultural heritage and academic achievements Saturday with about 150 other classmates at a ceremony sponsored by the Chicano Latino Graduation Committee. All of the students wore traditional dress reflecting their Latino culture.

The ceremony is meant to provide a sense of community for minority students who say they often suffer from culture shock at large, impersonal universities, said Raul Ruiz, a Chicano studies professor at Northridge.

“This is also a way for the students to say thanks to their families in their native language,” Ruiz said. “They are proud of their culture, but they are also proud they got an education in this country and will use it here.”

Similar celebrations for Latino, black, Asian and Native American students are held throughout the California State University and University of California systems and at several private schools. Such events are meant to supplement traditional graduation rites, not to replace them, Ruiz said.

The ceremonies are not officially recognized or sponsored by the Cal State system, said Carmen Ramos Chandler, a spokeswoman at the Northridge campus.

“We’re happy for the students and their families, but we officially recognize the graduates during commencement ceremonies sponsored by the Cal States,” she said. “The only entity that can have a formal graduation is the university.”

Even though it wasn’t officially graduation day, many students and families saw the intimate ceremony as a chance to celebrate.

Students lined up, ready to speak. Although they were told to give 30-second speeches, many got caught up in the moment while thanking family, friends and lovers in both Spanish and English. Many were overwhelmed with emotion, and cried during their speeches. Others belted out loud gritos, or shouts of joy. Most of the students spoke of hardships, love and hope for the future.

“My favorite part was the speeches, because we get to speak from our hearts,” said biology major Audrey Alvarez, 24, of Los Angeles. “We get to express our gratitude to the people we love for all their help.”