Cabrillo Students Graduate with Honors at Friday's Ceremony

The cheers, the laughter and, of course, the sound makers, were in full swing Friday evening, as 990 soon-to-be graduates gathered at Cabrillo's Carl Connelly Stadium to celebrate their last minutes as Cabrillo College students.

The school's spring graduation ceremony was undeniably unique, with 61 percent of graduates receiving high honors or honors, and 82 members of the class receiving awards for obtaining a 4.0 GPA.

Friday's graduates made up the largest graduating class coming out of Cabrillo in four years, with the school conferring nearly 1,000 associates degrees, certificates of achievement and skill-based certificates— and it's no surprise.

After speaking with some of the graduates and inquiring about their future plans, the words social worker, Navy and doctorate degree popped up. These ambitious and intelligent students know what they want out of life, and they told Patch how they plan to make their chosen career paths a reality.

Capitola resident Nikolas Benedikt, who graduated with an associate degree in culinary arts, says he'll be leaving for Italy in January 2012 to continue working in his field of study, and that he plans on working and “livin' the dream” while in Italy.

“I'm going to the ICI, the Italian Culinary Institute, and after that I'm going to hopefully pursue an apprenticeship there, and if I get that,  then I'll just travel around Europe after that,” Nikolas Benedikt, 20, said.

Scotts Valley resident Michael Tobias, who graduated with an associate degree in Spanish and another in business, says he's going to enlist in the U.S. Navy.

“I'm planning on training and joining the Navy, and after that I'll probably just pursue more education, maybe a master's or doctorate degree,” Tobias, 20, said.

Santa Cruz resident Rebeca Villafaña, who graduated with an associate degree in bilingual and bicultural studies, says she wants to help women through the nonprofit she works for.

“I'm actually working for the Homeless Garden Project, so I'm actually going to be applying for the Women's Organic Flower Enterprise,” Villafaña, 38, said. “They have an amazing program there, helping woman get back on their feet from homelessness, so I'm really looking forward to that.”

Santa Cruz resident Aroshani Samarakoon, who graduated with an associate degree in early childhood education, and received a special certificate, said she plans on pursuing her master teaching credential in California, which she hopes to obtain by December.

“I'm currently working as a preschool teacher, and am planning to work toward my master's degree,” Samarakoon, 40, said.

Watsonville resident Adriana Caballero, who graduated with an associate degree in sociology,  says she'll pursue a career in her field of study.

“My plans are to transfer over to a university to get my bachelors and, hopefully, after that to transfer to another one or maybe the same university to get my masters degree,” Caballero, 22, said.

Aptos resident Stefanie Mahaley, who graduated with an associate degree in the liberal arts and sciences, says she will coach volleyball.

“I'm taking a break off of school for a year, and I'm going to coach volleyball here at Cabrillo and at Salinas High School, and after that I'm going to play volleyball at Hawaii Pacific University,” Mahaley, 21, said.

Watsonville resident Antonio Gomez, who graduated with an associate degree in sociology, says he's transferring to California State University, Monterey Bay, in the fall to pursue a four-year degree in sociology.

“And my future goal is to be a high school counselor," said Gomez, 20, "to help the community and students, and to encourage them to go to school and pursue higher education.”