Hancock College highlights graduates who are making an impact; commencement set for Friday

May 24—Hancock College's graduating class of 2022 includes students who have not only succeeded academically but are making their community a better place, from veterans and activists to entrepreneurs and moms.

Among the 1,490 students set to walk at Friday's ceremony, 10 were selected to be featured in the graduation program.

They include Ruby Ramirez, an award-wining entrepreneur; Grizelda Martinez, a formerly incarcerated student who works to help others make a similar transition; Shanterria Allen, who is leaving Hancock having earned three degrees; and Heidi Roberts, a working mother who maintained a 3.9 GPA.

"The inspiring students featured in the commencement program are chosen based on suggestions from staff and faculty in the college's various academic departments, clubs and student programs," said Chris McGuiness, Hancock spokesman.

The ceremony will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Hancock's Santa Maria campus football field and will be livestreamed via the college's YouTube channel.

Ruby Ramirez

Ramirez, 21, is graduating with her degree in business administration. Even though she is transferring to Cal Poly to finish her bachelor's in the subject, Ramirez isn't waiting to start her business career.

Her e-commerce platform, Home Goodies, has already received awards during two competitions, including a 90-second elevator pitch contest at Cal Poly, where she won first place and $1,000 for her business. Once launched, Home Goodies will allow home chefs to sell their products directly to customers.

"Especially here in Santa Barbara County, there's so many talented home chefs that are good enough to open a restaurant," Ramirez explained. "Home Goodies will give them a platform, and a chance for growth and to build community."

At Hancock, Ramirez was a student ambassador and member of the Associated Student Body Government, something she credits with helping her academically.

"Something I want to do in the future is help make the world a better place," she said. "It's also nice, because the more involved you are — the more people you know — the more success you will have. When you walk around campus and people ask how classes are, that's a huge motivator."

A mother of two daughters, ages 1 and 3, Ramirez credits her aunt and uncle with being her support system, providing her with child care.

"They said on Day One, 'You're going to finish, and we are gonna help," she said.

Upon reflecting on graduation, Ramirez is proud to of the example she's setting for her daughters.

"I was a teen mom who grew up in a single-mother, low-income household. I graduated from continuation school. When you see that on paper, the odds are against me," she said. "It'd be easy to say I'd end up on welfare or not achieve anything, but I'm proud I'm beating these odds for me and my family."

Grizelda Martinez

For Martinez, the road to graduation wasn't always a straight line. For a long time, Martinez, 39, struggled with addiction and was in and out of jail for 10 years. Now, she is set to graduate with a degree in addiction studies, planning to help others who've followed similar paths.

"I want to help people through their struggles," she said. "Addiction services and studies taught me a lot, and the learning was part of the healing process."

Throughout her time at Hancock, Martinez has been involved with the Beyond Incarceration: Greater Education Club, where she not only received support through the transition but worked to help expand the club as its secretary. She's worked with area probation officers and the court system to help others make the transition, among other efforts.

"It's been so empowering and beautiful to see the club grow, and it's flourishing and helping so many people," Martinez said. "It used to feel like I didn't have [anybody] there to root me on, but that's what BIGE did for me and does for so many of us."

Martinez remembers choosing Hancock over cosmetology school, hoping to make a better life for herself. It was overwhelming at first, causing a brief relapse into alcohol. However, she credits her fiance along with professor Lynn Becerra-Valencia with helping her make that transition, and she has stayed clean ever since.

"The first day I went to school, I was so nervous. I wasn't used to being around everyone so young, everyone looking at me. I ended up relapsing," she said. "[Becerra-Valencia] said, 'Don't give up; you can do this.' She believed in me, inspired me and gave me motivation."

Now with graduation approaching, Martinez feels thankful that her mother and children have stuck by her through everything.

"They still love me, and believed we'd have it all together one day. I finally have it all together for them, and they are so proud of me," she said. "My son is about to graduate and go to college. I'm going to be a grandma. I was able to break those chains."

Shanterria Allen

One degree wasn't enough for Allen, who is set to graduate with three on Friday. She will be transferring to Cal Poly with degrees in social and behavioral sciences, transfer studies and elementary education. While at Cal Poly, she hopes to earn a dual bachelor's and master's in education.

"My ultimate goal is to be a teacher and a superintendent," Allen said. "Children are the change we want to see in the world. When they are young and have positive role models, that has an impact on the world."

Besides working on three degrees at Hancock, Allen was involved in the Associated Student Body Government, Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education program, the Extended Opportunities Programs and Services Department and the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society. She also worked in a program called Student Parents Are Reimagining CalWorks, working with 25 others around California to improve the process for student parents on community college campuses.

"I'm very diligent and keep a tight calendar about my work on campus," she joked. "That work has been amazing, and I've met some great people across California, being able to make the change and be a part of something positive."

Allen has achieved a lot in the last two years, after moving to the area to pursue her dreams. She hopes to motivate her 14-year-old daughter by providing a good example.

"I came to California from a northeast Texas small town with no more than 6,000 people. I came here to show my daughter that I can better myself, and to break generational curses and to be the change that I've always spoke of," she said. "I'm 34-years-old and it's never too late."

Heidi Roberts

Lompoc native Roberts will graduate from Hancock with a 3.9 GPA, and as one of 114 throughout the state to receive the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society All-California Award, no small task for any student, let alone a working mother.

"I've gotten into the routine of waking up around 3 a.m. to do schoolwork, before I need to get [my daughter] ready for school," said Roberts, whose daughter is 6. "It's hard balancing being a parent and a student. I've really been prioritizing getting my degree, and that comes down to knowing what I need to do and logging late hours."

Roberts put her nursing degree on the back burner after having her daughter, focusing on being present in her life, but once she started attending preschool, Roberts knew it was time to get back to it. Transitioning back to school wasn't the easiest task right away.

"Right out of high school, I didn't value my education like I do now," she explained. "I have a whole different mindset, and I know the better I do in school it will set me up to succeed more in my field."

She will be attending Concordia University in Austin, Texas, to pursue a bachelor's and master's in nursing, hoping to eventually receive her doctorate in the field. For Roberts, it is a calling that traces back to her childhood.

"When I was much younger, I had a lot of medical problems. I was in and out of the hospital a lot. I had my first major surgery when I was 5 years old," Roberts said. "I had about nine or 10 surgeries throughout my childhood. Being around that environment, and all the health-care professionals who took care of me, I want to do that. I want to be that help for other people."