Commencement Highlights
Class of 2020
President’s Medal of Distinction
The President’s Medal is given to a student who has demonstrated leadership at the college, given back to the college or community, and still maintained high academic achievement during their time at Clovis Community College.
Paulette Evans Earns the 2020 Medal of Distinction
Paulette graduated from Clovis Community College in 2020 with a 3.9 GPA. Not only was she an outstanding student, but Paulette also served the college in her role as a student ambassador.
She was involved in many innovative projects when the pandemic started, including YouTube videos that helped inform students how to virtually transition to online learning.
The barriers in her life, that she continues to overcome, are now a part of her testimony that she has been sharing with other students to help them achieve their educational goals.
She is an amazing role model! She transferred to the University of North Texas where she is pursuing a degree in mathematics.
Paulette Evans - Class of 2020
Dean's Medal of Distinction
The Dean's Medal of Distinction is given to one graduating student from each division who has distinguished themselves by their perseverance, the quality of their work, and their positive impact on the campus.
Eileen Situ
Student Services
Eileen is a first-generation college student and is paving the way for generations to come. She is kind, dedicated, strong-willed, and funny, she has a wonderful sense of humor. Eileen earned a total of six degrees, and maintained a 3.9 GPA! She credits her work ethic and strong study habits to her time at Clovis Community College. Her involvement in the Associated Student Government, Leon S. Peters Honors Program, TRIO, and EOPS gave her an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, which have flourished into friendships.
Eileen is now in her third quarter at a prominent national ranking institution--UC Davis. She is pursuing a political science degree, with the mindset of taking it further to a master’s degree or law school. She is currently immersed in gaining a broad understanding of political concepts, political institutions, political behavior, and political processes. Her time at UC Davis has been going well, although her first year has been online, she does look forward to in-person courses. We are in awe of her great accomplishments and her ability to thrive in unprecedented circumstances.
Thong M. Dinh
Student Services
Thong was born in Philadelphia and came to Fresno in 2010. In his last year at Fancher Creek Elementary, Thong discovered his passion for the performing arts. It did not take him long to master the clarinet, bassoon, and tenor sax. He was a natural. However, it was not just the performing arts that came so easy to him, he is also a natural-born leader. He was involved in numerous clubs at Clovis East High School and was the drum major for the WolfPack marching band! When he arrived at Clovis Community College, he continued to stay engaged.
Thong believes that hard work, dedication, responsibility, independence, and leadership are the traits of every successful student. He challenged himself by taking on the role of vice president of the Associated Student Government while working as a student aide, waiter, and private tutor. As a first-generation college student, Thong had to manage finances and college on his own. However, that did not stop him from pursuing his education. Thong transferred to UCLA to study biochemistry. After that, he plans to attend medical school.
Eseosa M. Otasowie
Career Technical Education
Eseosa M. Otasowie was born and raised in Benin City, located in the south of Nigeria. He attended elementary and high school in Nigeria until he decided to move to the United States to further his education. Eseosa always had a passion for learning.
Upon his arrival to the United States, he studied at the New York Film Academy where he earned a certification in cinematography, and then he relocated to Fresno. During his first semester in 2017, he was not sure of his major but knew he was good in math. In spring 2018 he decided to major in computer information systems with an emphasis on networking.
Eseosa is now a senior at Fresno State majoring in computer information systems. His academic goals are to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and transition to a master’s degree program in cybersecurity.
Eseosa is looking forward to using his expertise to help technology companies and local businesses.
Jyotpreet Kaur
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Jyotpreet Kaur is graduated with a 3.95 GPA and earned degrees in physics, mathematics, and computer science. Jyotpreet is known to her professors as an excellent student and helpful tutor. She completed coursework with a level of insight rarely seen with students. She also helped her fellow students with learning. Jyotpreet completed high school in India and is a first-generation college graduate. She came to Clovis Community College in 2016 wanting to learn the language, culture, and processes of the education system. Her challenges helped her build persistence, independence, and resilience. Several professors contributed to Jyotpreet’s academic career. She is grateful to Professors Kerney, Hickey, and Abbott for their wonderful teaching abilities and inspiration. She knows the college helped her with so much more than just learning in the classroom. She built her connections through being a teaching assistant and sought out mentorship opportunities.
Jyotpreet is now enrolled at UC Irvine in the human-computer interaction program with a minor in statistics. She desires to become a User Experience Designer/Researcher (UX) and use her degree and skills in building bridges and creating great experiences between the user and digital products. As a UX designer, her goal is to keep user-centered solutions simple, both in design and code. She plans on attending graduate school at UC Irvine to further advance her career in UX design and research.
Raymond G. Lara
Humanities, Social Sciences, and Athletics
Professor Cindy Walker recommended Raymond for this medal. Professor Walker said, “The reason I recommend Raymond is his perseverance and work ethic. Raymond has overcome significant life difficulties and still was one of the most motivated students I have had. Additionally, Raymond was also respectful.” Raymond started college in 2007. At that time, he was not ready, so he decided to return to work. Seven years later, he returned to school, but he had to withdraw after sustaining a severe back injury. When he returned, Raymond endured a lot of pain every day, physically struggling to attend every class. He had his first back surgery in January 2017. After a successful surgery, Raymond returned to Clovis Community College in the summer of 2017. However, he started to struggle financially and had to return to work. He worked diligently with the Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS) to return to campus in Spring 2019. At this time, however, there were more financial concerns and he and his family lost their home. Yet he continued to persevere. He graduated with a 3.3 GPA and earned a degree in psychology. He met his educational goal amid all the personal and physical struggles he endured.
Raymond and his family are in a new home and he is transferring to Fresno State in the fall. He thanks his mother Cecilia and his siblings, Albert, Genevieve, Johnny, and Sergio for supporting him and providing wisdom. Also, his wife Christina, and his son, Brayden, are his inspiration for continuing to crush whatever barrier is in his way.
DIPLOMAS AND CERTIFICATES
Diplomas and Certificates will be mailed to all graduates, free of charge, approximately 60 to 90 days after the end of the semester to the most current address on file with the College.
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