Cal State East Bay revives in-person graduation ceremony

HAYWARD (KPIX) -- After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, students at Cal State University East Bay were finally able to enjoy the pomp and circumstance of in-person graduation.

The past two years, graduates were relegated to drive-thru ceremonies. This year was a return to something like "normal."

"I'm not a type of person who really cares about this stuff. I did it for my mom," said new graduate Anthony Noriega.

"We've waiting for this, not only to celebrate his day and his accomplishments but to be here together," said Anthony's mother Vanessa Noriega.

The ceremony was a way to recognize the work students put in to get their degrees.

"My senior year, I got to do student-exchange program at a historically Black college, graduating at the top 1 percent of my class, so I'm really proud of the work that I put in," said Kynnedi Hoyer.

Graduating college was something Kynnedi Hoyer's mother wasn't able to do. Mom and family couldn't be happier about her accomplishment.

"She nailed it! She understood the assignment and nailed it," said Sinetta Stanford, Kynnedi's mother.

Many of these any students are not only the first to graduate but the first to attend college. Many worked their way through school and spent countless hours on their studies to make their parents proud.

Elva and Lizbeth Flores' parents came to America hoping to give their children a better life.

"Last year, when we had the drive-by graduation, my parents started crying ... We feel proud," Elva and Lizbeth said.

This year, Cal State East Bay will hand out more than 4,000 bachelor's degrees to and more than 1,100 master's degrees.