At the start of every semester, new and returning students arrive on campus bringing with them many aspirations and dreams. They look to us to help achieve them, which is an honor and an amazing responsibility.

In college towns, such as the North Coast region, the community understands much of the university’s language. We generally know what a semester means. And, at the end of each semester, we celebrate all of the effort and progress made by students. For some graduating students, they first arrived on this campus as transfer students 2-3 years ago. For other graduating students, who started as first-year students, they first arrived 4-6 years ago. Along with the typical challenges, their experience has included a pandemic, power outages due to wildfires, campus strife, national elections, a severe drought, and more. Yet, all these students and their families persevered. Our graduates represent the absolute best our university has to offer. They also represent our success — as both a University and as a broader community — and they are our way of sending hope out into the world.

Our graduates are entrepreneurs. They will lead communities, schools, industries, churches, and governments. They are innovators. They will create businesses, inventions, and systems that better the lives of others. Our graduates are passionate. They will fight for justice, help those in need, and compassionately guide and support those around them.

This week thousands of enthusiastic parents, grandparents, and other family members are visiting the North Coast. This Saturday, they will be beaming with pride as we celebrate nearly 1,600 graduates who have completed their degrees and credentials over the last year. For many of us, the commencement ceremony is the highlight of our work and a symbol of why we do what we do. When a Humboldt student graduates, it means that a great number of people and efforts came together successfully.

Community engagement

Many students and alumni will tell you that the Cal Poly Humboldt experience is about much more than what happens on campus. It is also about living in this unique and beautiful area, getting involved with community activities, and enjoying outdoor adventures. The campus and community together serve as a sort of sandbox for our students, giving them the chance to get involved in many things they might not be able to in large cities — community theater, political campaigns, marketing plans for businesses, mapping and data projects for local government. We’re a small area that can always use extra help, and for more than a century now, Humboldt students have stepped into that opportunity.

Hands-on learning

One of the defining features of a Cal Poly Humboldt education is the chance to put classroom learning to work. Faculty are a major part of this experience. Students are eager for these types of experiences, and it’s an effective way to make learning “stick.” By the time they graduate, nearly all of our students have been involved in hands-on projects and experiences. Often this will start in our first-year learning communities, which are built around academic or co-curricular interests. Then there are significant opportunities in the arts, in lab settings, and in field trips. Class projects are often connected to local businesses and nonprofits, and many students gain experience through internships with local organizations.

Student support and activities

Many people don’t realize the impact staff have on the student experience, but the students will tell you about it. This doesn’t surprise us. We know the college experience extends well beyond the formal academic offerings, and in many cases it is the staff who are responsible for this. The staff manage events ranging from concerts to movie nights to guest speakers. They provide academic and career advising. Staff build and maintain the facilities, and they keep our landscaping looking beautiful. They handle financial aid, registration, housing, and much, much more. Perhaps more importantly for a large community of young people, the staff also provide a great deal of emotional support and guidance. They help our students at a challenging age when they are growing into adulthood.

Friends and family

Of course, you cannot overstate the importance of the support that friends and family provide to a student. These are the rocks, the foundations, that make it possible for students to take the risk and to bet on themselves in pursuing a college degree. A desire to help their families is often a key motivation for students. For our first-generation students in particular, who make up nearly half our graduates, earning a college degree will positively impact their family for generations to come. Many will have also found life partners, with about 1 in 12 Humboldt graduates married to other Humboldt graduates.

At Humboldt, all of these pieces and more come together to create the “college experience” for our students. In the many moments and over their short years here, very few graduates fully grasp the enormity of effort and care that goes into it. But we know, from listening to our alumni, that over time they will appreciate it more and more, and they will see how fully we have all come together to offer them a positive, meaningful educational experience.

Be well.

Dr. Tom Jackson Jr. is the president of Cal Poly Humboldt. Frank Whitlatch is the executive director of the Foundation at Cal Poly Humboldt.