Crafton Hills College’s commencement season wraps up with ceremony recognizing Roadrunner accomplishments - Crafton Hills College

Publish Date: May 21, 2024

CHC Graduates at Commencement 2024

Crafton Hills College celebrated an “unstoppable” Class of 2024 during its annual Commencement Ceremony on May 21.

Hundreds of graduates and their families and friends flooded the Yucaipa-based college’s quad for the event, which officially began with one of President Kevin Horan’s favorite traditions: a selfie with the audience.

Crafton’s newest crop of alumni included 806 graduates who earned a total of 87 degrees and 624 certificates. Other fun facts of this year’s class:

  • 333 of the 806 graduated with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, including 75 who achieved a 4.0.
  • 16 of the class are military veterans.
  • A married couple, two sets of sisters, and a set of cousins were among the Roadrunners participating in commencement.
  • 16 was the age of the youngest member of this year’s class, while the oldest was 67-year-old Christine Bell-Beath, who delivered the student commencement address.

Ball-Beath defied the odds by completing college despite a learning disability and a speech impediment among her many roadblocks. But singer/songwriter Sia’s hit “Unstoppable” helped push the local woman forward and she referred to the message of this song as she celebrated her fellow classmates in her address.

“We have overcome a lot of obstacles [to earn] our degrees, haven’t we?” she said. “There were sleepless nights studying, hours of homework, Zoom classes, stress, anxiety of exams, giving up your social life. Me? – I had to give up BINGO at the senior center.

“We learned that … to get the degree we wanted, we had to make school and doing work a priority because we are what?... Unstoppable!” Ball-Beath concluded.

Other ceremony highlights included the presentation of the graduating class and awarding of degrees; the National Anthem, performed by David Patino; and additional words of encouragement by Academic Senate President Meridyth McLaren and Crafton Alumnae and current Board Chair of the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees Stephanie Houston, who hoped to leave this year’s class with three things to remember:

  • Your Head: The tool that will help us find our mission, passion, and purpose in life.
  • Your Heart: Because life is going to test you, but your heart allows us to reevaluate the roadblocks in our way while preserving our mission, passion, and purpose.
  • Your Hands: The resources to help others.

For additional highlights of Crafton’s 2024 Commencement Ceremony, head to craftonhills.edu/scrapbook or follow CHC on its official YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@mycraftonhills.