Graduates share stories of success
June 13, 2024 - 05:23 PM
Mt. 91直播 will celebrate its 78th Commencement on Friday, and many students have enjoyed plenty of success on their way to graduation.
Here are some of their stories:
PABLO NUNEZ
Pablo Nunez started his career at Mt. 91直播 by commuting from 50 miles away鈥� without a car.
A standout pole vaulter on the Track and Field Team, Pablo naturally found a way to leap over that obstacle.
鈥淚 found the solution: ride my bike from my home eight miles to the local train station, catch a ride to the City of Industry, and then ride for another 20 minutes to arrive at Mt. 91直播 before my 7 a.m. English class,鈥� says the Moreno Valley native. 鈥淭o get a little more specific, in order to make this commute, I had to catch the 3:45 a.m. train, which meant I began my day at 2 in the morning and left my house before 3 a.m.鈥�
Pablo starts his day so early because it鈥檚 jam-packed with education, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
鈥淲hile being a STEM student-athlete at Mt. 91直播, I joined the Engineering Club and became a member of the Mt. 91直播 Rocket Team,鈥� says Pablo, who switched his major to Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Mathematics. 鈥淭hrough the connections I made in the Engineering Department, I was able to secure a job on campus in the physics and engineering stockroom, which later led to me (also) working at the Mountie MakerSpace.鈥�
With all the responsibilities he has in and out of the classroom, Pablo credits the
fun and support he has received as the reasons why he found success and is graduating
on Friday. 
鈥淚 have to give a shoutout to the Physics and Engineering Department for having, in my opinion, the most fun classes and groups of people,鈥� says Pablo, who also is thankful for his time with the WIN 91直播 and the Mountie MakerSpace.
Pablo made his supporters proud by placing third in the 2023 FAR Unlimited Competition, building rockets that defeated schools like Stanford and UC Berkeley; helping Mt. 91直播 place third at the 3C2A 2024 Track and Field State Championship and win its third consecutive state title; designing and building games for the 2024 Athletics Fair as the lead engineer; and maintaining a GPA above a 3.5 as a student-athlete and student worker with two jobs. So, what鈥檚 next for him?
鈥淭ransferring comes with a lot of unknowns, and I am currently unsure of where I will be transferring,鈥� Pablo says. 鈥淚 can say I was offered a walk-on spot to Cal State Fullerton鈥檚 Track and Field Team but will not be attending this Fall. No matter which school I end up at for the 2025 track and field season, I will be continuing college athletics.鈥�
While he decides on his next landing spot, the youngest son of Mexican immigrants will keep his vaulting skills sharp.
鈥淎fter graduation, I will be heading to Mexico鈥檚 Olympic Training Center,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 hope to improve my skills and knowledge of the pole vault and potentially make a national team.鈥�
MAX McCARTHY NEAL
Max McCarthy Neal experienced significant culture shock at age 16 when he moved to California from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
鈥淢oving to Claremont was night and day for me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 went from the hood directly to the upper echelon of the burbs.鈥�
Adjusting to a new high school also was difficult for him. Max completed school with mostly Cs and Ds, but thought he would start acing STEM classes in college. Max quickly found out he did not enjoy the biomedical field, and stopped going to class and started working on himself.
鈥淚n an attempt to find me and what I am, I looked at what I liked,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 enjoy reading and learning about Blackness, Black Marxism, and revolution. I just found what I loved to do and followed that.鈥�
One of the paths he followed was in the footsteps of a friend who went to Mt. 91直播
and inspired Max to do the same. On this campus is where he connected with people
and he 鈥渇ound out how to college.鈥� 
鈥淏uilding community has been my favorite part of finishing my degree,鈥� Max says. 鈥淪ome of my favorite things were the long hours of studying, reading, and putting together presentations. I found great joy in the process of labor because at Mt. 91直播 I saw the fruits of that labor immediately.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not to say I did not despise the long study sessions, tsunamis of pages to read, and wanting to slam my keyboard because Google Slides wouldn鈥檛 do what I wanted it to. College is hard. Staying on top of all the assignments and managing my time was something incredibly difficult for me.
鈥淏ut through community, I was able to learn how to be a better student and ultimately a better person who is leaving more disciplined and hard-working than when I entered.鈥�
Max鈥檚 resume shows exactly that: appearances on the President鈥檚 List, a 3.9 GPA, the Inter-Club Council Representative for the Black Student Union, a Mellon-May fellow, and recipient of the Regents Scholarship.
When he graduates on Friday, Max will feel vindicated by this portion of his educational journey.
鈥淭o me, graduating means resistance,鈥� says Max, who is deciding between Pomona College and UC Riverside as his next school. 鈥淭o me, education means everything. It is something that cannot be taken away from me. And as a Black queer student, I have much to resist. And having a diploma is proof of what cannot be taken away from me. It is proof of my wit, intelligence, and creativity. It is proof of my humanity for all those who wish to see my humanity dismantled.鈥�
JACQUELINE HAMMER
Jacqueline Hammer decided to pursue her dream of becoming a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselor and be an inspiration for her children during the middle of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Little did she know that a global pandemic wouldn鈥檛 be the greatest obstacle she would have to overcome on her educational journey.
鈥淏efore my first day of class, I was hit with a Stage 3 Breast Cancer diagnosis,鈥� Jacqueline says. 鈥淔or a split second, I was thinking about not continuing with my education goals for fear of the unknown. What if I fail? Will I be able to do cancer treatment and school?鈥�
Instead of letting cancer beat her before she began, Jacqueline drew on her own previous
victories to stay the course. 
鈥淚 decided right away that addiction had already stolen years of my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was not about to let cancer do the same.鈥�
Throughout her classes and presentations, Jacqueline endured treatments and surgeries.
鈥淭hat first semester, I did six rigorous rounds of chemotherapy as a full-time student, but I also made the President鈥檚 List with a 4.0,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he following semester, I underwent a few surgeries: I had a double mastectomy; and when they found more cancerous cells during the biopsy, I had to have another surgery to remove 16 lymph nodes from my left arm.鈥�
Still, Jacqueline remained in class, present and able, and turned in top-notch work.
鈥淭he following summer semester, I took one course as I underwent 30 rounds of radiation and again maintained my 4.0,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he following year, I underwent the grueling process of breast reconstruction 鈥� and became an honors student.鈥�
Now, the recovering addict and cancer-crushing graduate gets to enjoy her moment at the 2024 Commencement on Friday.
鈥淏eing a first-time graduate student means that I am setting the bar for my children,鈥� Jacqueline says. 鈥淐ollege was never the plan for me growing up. Addiction had torn my upper middle class family apart by the time I entered kindergarten. My siblings went from private schools to high school dropouts. So it seemed addiction was a path already paved for me. And it was for a long time, but I have been sober for 10 years now.鈥�
Jacqueline is honors certified, nominated for a Student of Distinction award, and was part of the PTK All USA Academic team for 2022 and 2023. Immediately after graduation, she will continue her education at Grand Canyon University, where she will be pursuing her Bachelor鈥檚 in Science in Behavioral Health Sciences.
鈥淚 plan to continue to work in the behavioral health field as a SUD counselor while attending college,鈥� Jacqueline says. 鈥淎fter I get my Bachelor鈥檚 Degree, I plan to continue my education at GCU in getting my Master鈥檚 Degree to become a licensed marriage and family therapist.鈥�
When she realizes that dream, Jacqueline can offer this advice to her future clients: 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to play the hand you鈥檙e dealt,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing wrong with reshuffling your deck.鈥�
CARLOS LOPEZ
September 18, 2020, is a date Carlos Lopez will always remember. It marks his parole and the day he decided to become the first in his family to earn a college degree.
鈥淕raduating means a lot,鈥� Carlos says. 鈥淚t means everything for me and my family.
I have a brother who is still in prison. He鈥檚 been in there for almost 30 years. (Graduating)
has made me become me. I found out who I am, and I am not just some kid that followed
his brothers around the neighborhood all the way to prison because it was scarier
to be someone different than to be yourself.鈥� 
Carlos found himself at Mt. 91直播 by getting involved, being accepted by his peers, and using the resources to advance his education. He was part of the Male Minority Initiative, Rising Scholars, and Aces, among others, and he earned three scholarships to use as he transfers to Cal State Fullerton.
鈥淭he community and support here is a blessing,鈥� Carlos says. 鈥淢eeting others that walked the path before me helped me grasp that it is possible no matter where you come from or past mistakes. Success can be achieved.鈥�
Carlos is so grateful for everything he received at Mt. 91直播 that he can鈥檛 thank his fellow students enough and wants to pay it forward at his next campus and beyond.
鈥淚 want to help others in specialized programs like Rising Scholars, but anywhere I can support students to build our future leaders,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 really just want to thank all the students for being brave enough to be themselves and helping me be my true self.鈥�
ANGILICIA BESIANT
When it comes to success, the ball is in Angilicia Besiant鈥檚 court.
But it took her some personal trials and tribulations to take possession of her path to victory.
After an unsuccessful attempt at Mt. 91直播 right out of high school, Angilicia moved out of the area and down to Atlanta, Georgia to live with her sister for a year.
鈥淚 started going down the wrong path. It was rough for me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 tried to be independent, but it was hard to maintain. I was really depressed.
鈥淢y grandfather came to visit me, and when he saw me, he saw a different me. He was like, 鈥榃hat is going on?鈥� So, the next morning, he said, 鈥榊ou are coming home and you are going to finish school because this isn鈥檛 you and this isn鈥檛 who I have raised.鈥欌赌�
Angilicia returned to Mt. 91直播, and she says, 鈥渢he sky was the limit.鈥�
鈥淥nce I realized that it only takes effort and initiative, once I realized it takes you to do it, I just started passing classes left and right,鈥� Angilicia says.
She also reached out to the Women鈥檚 Basketball team and was able to walk-on and redshirt her first year back.
鈥淚 was grateful to be part of the team,鈥� Angilicia says, 鈥渁nd I am grateful for the
opportunity.鈥� 
She found support from her athletic counselor, coaching staff, the WIN 91直播, and Umoja Aspire, and that helped her get back on track.
鈥淪houtout to Aspire,鈥� Angilicia says. 鈥淎fter practice, my teammates and I would go right over to Aspire and eat snacks and study all night.鈥�
All that studying helped Angilicia earn two degrees, one in Kinesiology and another in Administration of Justice. The former resident of South Central L.A. has plans to be a defense attorney.
鈥淐oming from L.A., I encountered a lot of people and lost a lot of friends,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have seen a lot of people incarcerated. Seeing that realm and seeing how the injustice is there, while also seeing people not making the best decisions鈥� that鈥檚 why I want to go into law. I really want to help others and just be the one who can make things better for people.鈥�
Before going on defense in the courtroom, Angilicia still has plans to make plays on more basketball courts. She has narrowed down her transfer school to three options: Cal Baptist, Louisiana State University, and the University of South Carolina.
鈥淚 love the women鈥檚 program down there,鈥� she says of South Carolina. 鈥淚 love (South Carolina coach) Dawn Staley, and I feel under her guidance, I would excel.鈥�
But that decision can wait. Today is about her graduating with two degrees, and her grandfather will be one of her proudest supporters among the crowd.
鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for Athletics and Mt. 91直播, I don鈥檛 know where I would be,鈥� Angilicia says. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be in the position I am now. I am very fortunate to have this village and this family here.鈥�
JONATHAN VALLE
Jonathan Valle feels like he has been on campus for 10 years, but it really has only
been seven. Who is counting though? 
During his time here, Jonathan has made the most of it. The deaf student graduated with a major in sign language interpreting and will be transferring to Cal State University Northridge during the 2024 Fall Semester.
鈥淚t is hard work, and it shows my family who I am as a deaf student,鈥� says Jonathan, who worked on campus both at the Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students and at the Speech and Sign Success Center. 鈥淚 want to thank my family and friends for their support.鈥�
At Northridge, Jonathan will continue his studies in sign language, and he will look for employment as an interpreter after his next graduation.