Since 1968, Waubonsee Community College has awarded 28,429 associate degrees. And newly added to this number are 877 members of the Class of 2022. It is no secret that many of these graduates have navigated obstacles and overcame barriers once believed impossible in higher education.
At the college’s 54th commencement ceremonies held at the Sugar Grove Campus on May 14, Priscila Vargas, 2021-2022 Student Trustee, fellow graduate, of Aurora, delivered a moving speech about how adversity has made the Class of 2022 stronger. Vargas revealed how she had to learn this lesson personally when she first became a student at Waubonsee.
For Vargas, deciding to turn her grades around, embrace her roots, make connections at Waubonsee, and rise in multiple leadership roles at Waubonsee has become her stepping stone to greatness. Shortly after this personal transformation, Vargas was drawn to run for Student Trustee because of the word “trust.” She desired to build trust with her peers so they could also experience the same feeling of community she had received at Waubonsee.
“Despite all the barriers we faced with a global pandemic, we didn’t use it to fall back from achieving our goals, and there were many reasons we could have stopped, but we didn’t,” said Vargas standing on stage. “On the contrary, we balanced everything around us to develop our character and learn how to become more resilient. We waited, dreamed, hoped, got creative, pushed forward, kept our goals before us, and now we are here, awaiting the beautiful journey that is ready for us.”
During her speech, Vargas encouraged her fellow graduates to get involved in the community and speak up on issues they care about. She invited her peers to reflect on something or someone they are grateful for during their journey at Waubonsee. Vargas thanked her family for giving her the motivation to be victorious.
Like Vargas, fellow graduate, and student government leader Cheyanne Lowery, of Newark, did not know if she would graduate from college, let alone be able to afford it. Everything changed when she met her financial advisor and the support staff at the TRIO Student Support Services at Waubonsee.
First-generation student Lowery defied odds and received a plethora of financial assistance, academic assistance, and mentoring during her two years at Waubonsee. As a result, for the first time in her life, Lowery felt empowered enough to pursue a role as a Student Governor, where she served alongside Vargas during the 2021-2022 academic year. Lowery plans to transfer to Aurora University in the fall to pursue a double major in criminology and exercise science.
“By attending Waubonsee, it really made me see the light of what I actually needed.” Lowery’s passion grew at Waubonsee when her instructors helped her discover that there are many different areas to pursue in the field of criminology. The teaching she received in the classroom brought clarity and inspiration.
“My criminal justice instructors at Waubonsee treated me excellently and made sure that I truly understood the concepts,” said Lowery. “They know how to explain everything because they have the field experience, and it connected with me.”
Lowery, an artistic roller skater for the past 11 years, is also a 13-time national champion and member of Team USA. She has attended the World Roller Game Championship in Barcelona, Spain and received many accolades, including Skater of the Year and a World Team USA trophy.
Outside of her sport, Lowery found a supportive community at Waubonsee and believes it has strongly influenced her into the person she has become today. “I love Waubonsee with my whole heart. It really makes me sad that I’m going to be leaving. The faculty and staff have truly helped me step into my future in higher education, which I didn’t think was even possible,” said Lowery.
Vargas and Lowery are examples of how Waubonsee prepares students to succeed and overcome personal, academic, and financial barriers. Of the 877 Waubonsee graduates that are members of the Class of 2022, 20 have graduated with two degrees. Forty-two students earned Presidential Honors of a 4.0 grade point average (GPA), and 275 earned Academic Honors of a GPA between 3.5 and 3.9. Three students graduated from Waubonsee’s Honors Program, having completed 15 hours of honors courses with an overall 3.5 GPA in all courses and a 3.0 GPA in all honors courses. The youngest graduate is 17, and the oldest is 63. The average GPA of this group of students is 3.26, a tremendous collective accomplishment.
Waubonsee congratulates all of this year’s graduates and their families. Graduates who could not participate in commencement can still be recognized with an individual slide on the college’s website with their name, degree, photo (optional), and quote. The Class of 2022 includes those who completed their degree in December 2021 and those who will be graduating this summer. Visit waubonsee.edu/graduation to submit a form or view entries from our graduates.
