More Than 12,000 Attend Three Commencement Ceremonies At loanDepot Park
Ygor Zambrano is no stranger to life’s unexpected challenges.
In 2020, while at home, the teenager fainted and had to undergo heart surgery. The medical emergency was a major setback to his academic career at North Campus where he was working toward an associate degree in criminal justice.
As a result, Zambrano failed a few classes that semester, but fueled by the support of his professors, he refused to give up.
“[They] pushed me through everything and told me to keep going,” Zambrano said. “They told me it doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as you get it.”
Saturday, the 24-year-old was one of more than 12,000 Miami Dade College students representing 118 countries to receive their degrees at three graduation ceremonies at loanDepot Park in Little Havana.
WEDR 99 Jamz on-air personality, She-J Hercules, hyped up the crowd before the ceremonies with turntable remixes of music by artists like Bad Bunny, Lil Uzi Vert and Karol G.
“Make some noise 2024!,” the popular DJ told the crowd.
Students, decked out in black graduation gowns and caps with personalized messages such as “I made many plans, but God ordered my steps” and “Teacher in training,” danced and waved as live videos of the crowd were displayed on big-screen TVs around the ballpark. Others snapped selfies and took group shots with friends and professors.
Onstage, students were greeted by members of the College’s Board of Trustees, student government association presidents, administrators, campus presidents, Vice-Provost Malou C. Harrison and College President Madeline Pumariega.
Moments before crossing the stage, they were saluted with blue and white confetti, flashing rainbow-colored strobe lights and plums of smoke were shot above them.
In one of the most emotional moments on Saturday, the family of Yanaisa Pulido received a posthumous Homeland Security college credit certificate in her honor. Pulido, who was working toward an associate degree in criminal justice at MDC and dreamt of becoming a police officer for the Hialeah Police Department, was killed in an accident on I-95 on Feb. 7.
On that day, the 23-year-old, who was an emergency medical technician for Miami-Dade Ambulance Services, stopped to assist with an accident. However, moments later, two cars slammed into one of the cars from the original accident and hit Pulido. She died at the scene.
As Pulido’s siblings, Emilio and Chauna, stood on stage to receive the special award, their mother, Dayami Apaulaza, stared at the framed certificate for about eight seconds before slowly closing her eyes and pulling it toward her heart.
“[This award] means a lot because my sister didn’t get to see it,” Emilio said afterward. “She didn’t get to walk the red carpet. She didn’t get to shake the [president’s] hand. So this means a lot to me because I’m representing her.”
Each ceremony featured a community leader who uplifted attendees with their keynote speech to graduates.
They were Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, the president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation who spoke at the North, West and Hialeah Campus ceremony, C.D. Glin, the president of PepsiCo and the Global Head of Social Impact addressed the Wolfson, Homestead and Medical students and Raymond Rodrigues, the chancellor of the State University System of Florida was the featured speaker at the Kendall and Eduardo J. Padrón Campus graduation.
“Don’t wait for people to decide it’s your turn. Create your turn by doing the work, honoring your commitments, always giving your best, developing expertise and questioning the status quo,” Wadsworth said “Create your turn by showing what you’re made of and as you create your turn, always remember to extend your hand to others to lift up their ideas.”
For students like 37-year-old Shantel Roper, the ceremony marked a new beginning.
A month before commencement, she gave birth. Saturday, Roper walked across the stage with her associate in science degree in nursing from Medical Campus.
“I am so relieved, and I am so grateful that all my friends who I went through this journey with all made it,” Roper said. “I was wondering if I was going to graduate on time but I was able to give birth and still make it.”
Meanwhile, Honors College stalwart Arquímedes “Archie” Rivero, who served as SGA president at Wolfson Campus and is a Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship semifinalist, issued a challenge to his classmates at MDC.
“Graduation is going to come at some point in your journey, make the most of it,” Rivero said. “Because when you invest time and energy into this institution, I guarantee that it’ll give back to you tenfold. “
Staff writer Sara Dhorasoo contributed to this story.
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