SBCC: The Best 2 Years of My Life.

I can’t believe the semester is officially over! 

Finals week was pretty rough, as I spent my whole Wednesday at the UCSB library, until 5 in the morning… I got only about 2 hours of sleep, and then I caught a ride to school with my best friend Alyssa. As soon as I arrived, I went to the SBCC library to prepare for my Philosophy midterm. Right after my midterm, I went to the cafeteria, where I was approached by Peter the cameraman, who asked me to shoot a new scene. Of course, I said yes. This scene was about me studying on my laptop at the cafeteria while sipping ice coffee; then, I joined two other guys at a table, pretending they were my friends. I introduced myself and then we started filming as the guys an I introduced to each other and talked about soccer. After that, I kept studying until my Economics final at 6pm. The exam went well, and as of 7pm on this Thursday May 12, 2016 I officially got done with my studies at Santa Barbara City College. 

It was such a great journey… the best two years of my life. And today, Friday, I was able to celebrate this journey at the Graduation Ceremony. 

Lunch

The ceremony was that more special because my parents came to see me all the way from Italy! We met on Thursday night right after my Econ final exam, and we went out to dinner at FishHouse, a nice restaurant near the beach on Cabrillo Boulevard. We met again on Friday morning, when we ran a few errands before going out to lunch and then we drove to Commencement at 4pm.

Friends and I

I met with my friend Hannah, and we got our gold tassels for over-achievers (3.5 GPA or higher). The ceremony started at 5 on the clock, on the La Playa football field. First, we walked down the field to find a seat, while music was playing. Then, one of my best friends Isaac Eaves, who is the president of the Student Senate, approached the microphone, everyone became silent, and he said: “You can be seated.” I thought that was very funny, but also cool that he was up on the stage. Following, SBCC President Lori Gaskin welcomed us, and gave a very inspiring speech. She also gave a few statistics about the 2016 SBCC graduates— and I always like numbers. We were over 1,400 students graduating. Over two thirds were females, which I thought was very cool! Finally, 51 students achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, and I was proud of being one of them. Every student got a chance to go on the stage and receive a diploma, while his/her name and plans for the future was announced at the microphone. You can check that out on my Facebook profile.

The ceremony took longer than expected, lasting about three hours. Listening to those thousands of names be announced was kind of painful, but it was also exciting to be there. The audience was huge, as many parents and friends had come to assist to the Commencement ceremony. Around 7:45pm, all of the graduates were allowed to move the tassel to the left side of the cap, the traditional gesture that signifies graduation, and then we threw the cap in the air. 

After the ceremony, we all walked outside, where there was nice music and where I had a chance to hug my friends and take pictures with them. 

This concluded my journey at Santa Barbara City College, the best college in the nation. Here, I had a chance to make many great friends, deepen my understanding about myself, learn important skills and interesting facts from outstanding faculty, and last but not least enjoy a terrific view and lifestyle in a town that is such a gorgeous piece of Paradise. 

My sincere thanks go to my parents who allowed me to take part in this amazing experience, to my friends who make me smile every day, and to and faculty who inspired me; also, to the Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, International Student Ambassadors Program, and the Economic Club of Santa Barbara, through which I have gained invaluable skills by working with and learning from the best teammates.

It was a great journey, which will be in my heart forever. 

Sincerely, 

- Fede