Three 2024 Grads Share Their Journeys

Three Santa Monica College Grads, Among 6,309 Students Graduating This Year, Share Their Journeys

SMC’s 94th Commencement Ceremony will be held Tuesday, June 11

SANTA MONICA, CA—On Tuesday, June 11, Victor Chambers, Andrea Giraldo Morales, and Michaela Sheppard Williams will be among 6,309 Santa Monica College (SMC) graduates receiving a total of 9,725 degrees and certificates. About 1,000 of the graduates are expected to take part in this year’s commencement ceremony.

The college’s 94th Commencement Ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, at Corsair Field and also webcast live on the SMC graduation webpage (smc.edu/commencement). Among several students selected to be featured in the commencement program, Chambers, Morales, and Williams exemplify the diversity, excellence, and perseverance of SMC’s graduating class of 2024.

Getting Involved: Victor Chambers

In the last three years, Victor Chambers helped first-year students adjust to college life, interned at a film festival, and led The Corsair journalism team to victory. No small feat for a full-time student.

But Chambers made it happen. Graduating this June with an Associate degree in Journalism, the Brazilian native arrived in Los Angeles 11 years ago in search of better opportunities in art and culture. “It’s the thing that really drives me forward, what I fill my days with,” he explains with a grin.

Chambers began classes at SMC in 2021 to pursue a career in media. He joined The Corsair first as a contributor and then, in fall 2023, as editor-in-chief. His work with the team led to 35 prestigious journalism awards. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he also interned at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles while working as an SMC peer navigator and on the newsletter design team for the Adelante Program.

Chambers will attend Cal State Northridge, where he plans to major in journalism and marketing, with a minor in entertainment media management. Looking back now, he’s “amazed” by how much he’s done in the past few years. And all because he made the decision to immerse himself in the SMC community.

“Get involved,” he says. “That’s the advice I give to all my mentees. Not only are you going to find your community — you’re also going to find your entire college life, your academic journey, transformed.”

When Passion Meets Purpose: Andrea Giraldo Morales

Graduating this June with an Associate degree in Communication Studies, Andrea Giraldo Morales will be the first to tell you that she can be very passionate about the things that matter to her. “I think it’s very obvious to everyone who knows me,” she says. “I’m passionate about art, music, dancing, filmmaking, acting — so many things.”

Central to that passion is a desire to help others. Whether it’s in her home country of Colombia, where she volunteered at book distributions and taught English to children, or here at SMC, where she’s been an active force in the International Students Forum (ISF), Morales believes in making sure others around her have the opportunities they need to thrive — just like the opportunity she experienced when she discovered the ISF.

“It changed my life completely,” she says of the group. “I met my best friends here. They understood how hard it was to be here, not knowing anything, not having anyone.”

Morales gradually grew more involved, eventually stepping up to become ISF president. Her passion for helping others has since drawn her to the Associated Students (AS) Board of Directors, where she will serve as the Director of Activities.

Although she faced numerous challenges to get here, Morales says she found the support she needed at Santa Monica College.

“I can do what I set out to do,” she says, “thanks to SMC and everyone who believed in me and supported me.”

Completing the Picture: Michaela Sheppard Williams

When Michaela Sheppard Williams made the decision to go back to college after a 17-year gap, she was concerned that the college landscape might have changed too much for her.

“I’m older, friend,” she shares with a bright laugh. “And my priorities are different than those my first time around.”

Her concerns today — caring for her family while working full time as a certified nurse assistant — are a far cry from those she had when she first enrolled at SMC in the early 2000s. Back then, she was intent on becoming the first in her family to go to college and earn a degree. But when an undiagnosed learning disorder prevented her from completing graduation requirements, the resulting anxiety, Williams says, led her to put her plans on hold indefinitely.

But Williams was determined to complete what she had started. So when she returned to SMC in 2023, she made sure to tell counselors the kind of assistance she needed. Their response, she recalls, was incredible. “I had a lot of support,” she says, noting how programs like Black Collegians Umoja Community and other SMC resources have been invaluable. “I’m not sure I would have had the same experience at any other school.”

Williams will be graduating with Associate degrees in Liberal Arts and Film Studies. Her advice to others: Look past any bad beginnings you experience and see things through to the end. “Don’t let how you started dictate how you finish,” she says. “Even if your progress is slow, keep at it.”

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A few highlights of this year’s graduating class:

• 9,725 degrees and certificates will be awarded to 6,309 students
• 16 Bachelor of Science in Interaction Design degrees (seventh graduating class)
• The youngest graduate is 15 years old and graduates with two Associate of Arts degrees (Liberal Arts: Arts and Humanities and Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Science) and a Certificate of Achievement.

• The oldest graduate is 85 and graduates with two Associate of Arts degrees (Liberal Arts: Arts and Humanities and Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Science).
• The graduating class is: 59.1% female; 38.6% male; 2.3% unreported

The ceremony will also feature, among many such highlights, a student challenge to be delivered by graduate Patrisia Diaz Maldonado. For more information on SMC’s 94^th commencement ceremony and to read more inspirational graduate stories, visit smc.edu/commencement.

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