CHICO — Chico State student Marlena Moreno is looking forward to being the first person in her family to graduate from college this spring.
“I’m really happy to make my parents proud,” Moreno said.
Doubling her celebration, her commencement ceremony will take place on her birthday, May 16.
An average of 3,300 students graduate from Chico State each year. Graduation rates and enrollment rates are key in assessing the success of the university.
This Saturday, Chico State is hosting its annual Choose Chico event, where prospective students and their families come to the university to see if it is a right fit. Almost 6,000 students and their families are expected to attend, said Chico State public relations manager Andrew Staples.
After a tough few years of declining enrollment, the numbers are gradually increasing. Chico State President Steve Perez is hopeful for the future of this years graduates, and for the future of the university as a whole. On Tuesday, Perez gave a presentation to the City Council detailing the current state of the university.
Enrollment at Chico State peaked in during the 2017-18 school year at 17,421 total students. Of that total number 16,281 students enrolled full time. Since the fall of 2018, enrollment steadily declined. Enrollment hit a low of 13,487 during the 2022-23 school year.
Perez’s presentation cited the Camp Fire and COVID-19 as significant factors. Enrollment declined by 9% at Chico State from 2021 to 2023.
However, enrollment is starting to go up. The 2023-24 school year saw an increase of 1.2% with 13,660 total students.
Commencing on
Perez remembers the conflicting emotions he felt 36 years ago when he graduated from UC San Diego.
“It’s excitement, pride, relief … and worry about, ‘Now what?'” Perez said Thursday afternoon at his university office.
Perez, who studied economics, remembers being glad to be done with school after getting his bachelor’s degree. After working as a market analyst for a bio tech company shortly after graduation, he realized how much he actually did enjoy school. He went right back, but to UC Davis this time around.
Advice Perez has to offer students is to “just keep plugging along and things will turn out fine. Say yes to everything and see how life turns out.”
Economic advice he has for students is to start putting money away for retirement right after college.
“Compound interest is a beautiful thing,” Perez said.
Despite three decades between Perez’s graduation and the seniors of 2024, students still feel that “Now what?” sense of uncertainty.
Moreno, a communication sciences and disorders major, echoed Perez’s sentiment.
“Where do I go after this?” Moreno asked. “All I’ve known is education.”
Later this semester, Moreno will find out if she got into one of the graduate programs she applied to: Western Arizona College, Nevada State and Chico State. She is originally from San Bernardino, and hopes to stay at Chico State because of how much she enjoys the community here.
“I really love it,” Moreno said. “The community I speak of is mostly people of color here at Chico State.”
A big part of her community is the Cross-Cultural Leadership Center, where she works as a cultural program coordinator.
‘A little uncertain’
Abraham Trujillo, a recreation hospitality and parks management major, is also a first-generation college student and plans to graduate this spring.
Trujillo, originally from Calexico, comes from a Hispanic background and studied computer science as a first major. Trujillo said there is pressure in Hispanic communities to pursue careers that pay higher salaries: “That way, the sacrifice of our parents and our grandparents crossing the border and coming here to this country for a better life, is worth it.”
This influenced Trujillo to pick computer science as a major.
“If I were to go back in time and talk to myself, I would definitely … interrogate myself to see whether or not what I was signing up for was really what I wanted to do,” Trujillo said. “Because eventually I did find out that computer science was not something that was going to make me happy.”
Naomi Jones, a biology and multicultural and gender studies double major, grew up in Durham and has been living with her family while going to school to save money. Jones graduates this spring.
“I’m a little uncertain … and I was kind of excited for like my senior semester, but it’s been so busy,” Jones said. “And I feel like I haven’t had enough time to like really prepare for what’s going to happen afterwards.”
On top of having a double major, Jones works at the Gender Sexuality and Equity Coalition.
Chico State commencement ceremonies will span five days from May 15 to May 19.
