Just before 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 16, Standard Bearers Davian Barba, B.A. in music, and Seja Zaghmouri, B.A. in philosophy, led the procession of students onto the floor of the Save Mart Center. With a small jazz ensemble playing an Edward Elgar and Tim Shaghoian arrangement of Pomp and Circumstance to a quick, smooth swing, about 500 students emerged from the arena tunnels, waving at friends and family in the audience.
Faculty followed, walking through the students to the front rows. Then the platform party took their places on the stage, led by the Mace Bearer, Dr. Lisa Weston, Professor of English.
School of Music student Taylor Bumgarner sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” a cappella.
“Welcome to the College of Arts and Humanities commencement!” exclaimed Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the college. “You have taken that lamp of learning…in order to light up the world. We are so proud of you earning your degrees today, and you should be truly proud of your achievements.”
She encouraged the graduates to go forth with their degrees and to share their light with the community and beyond.
Faith Van Hoven, Associated Students Inc. (ASI) president, who was also graduating in the ceremony with a B.A. in philosophy, followed with her address.
“This commencement is special because it’s my college,” said Van Hoven before slyly whispering into the microphone, “The best college.”
“We have the ‘Best Band in the West,’ the Barking Bulldogs debate team, Fresno State Focus, the Collegian and many more programs. The arts and humanities have never, and will never, be muted. Congratulations, class of 2025. Go Dogs!”
Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, president, California State University, Fresno, followed.
“Your writing skills, critical thinking, and storytelling are as ancient as humanity itself,” he said. “Your words are strung into sentences and paragraphs. You write in order to affirm our collective human existence, to become better, to preserve the lessons of life through memory.”
Following his short speech, Jiménez-Sandoval pivoted to present the President’s Medal of Distinction to Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, professor emeritus of Social Work Education and Peace Studies.
“Doctor Kapoor has been a foundational figure at Fresno State, serving the University for 55 years as a dedicated faculty member and earning the distinction of Professor Emeritus in the Department of Social Work Education. Among his many accomplishments, he founded and served as the inaugural director of Fresno State’s Peace and Conflict Studies Program, an initiative that brought his deep commitment to peace into academic practice. In 1990, Dr. Kapoor established one of Fresno State’s most iconic landmarks, the Fresno State Peace Garden, which he considers one of his greatest accomplishments. This garden serves as a beacon of hope and a tribute to luminary leaders of peace, inspiring students, faculty, staff and our community each and every day.”
After receiving his medal, the massive video screens inside the Save Mart Center played Dr. Kapoor’s address.
“I feel humbled and blessed for this recognition. I must also acknowledge my colleagues, students and my family, whose steadfast support and encouragement over the last 55 years of my service to Fresno State have inspired and empowered me to be what I am today. I feel very fortunate to be part of this great university, Fresno State has been instrumental in my life story of success,” said Kapoor. “Congratulations to all the graduates. Peace to all.”
Dr. Chapman presented the graduate and undergraduate Dean’s Medalists for the College of Arts and Humanities.
Ayla Grace Mora, of Porterville, earned her M.A. in communication with a 3.9 GPA. She previously earned her B.S. in criminology and minor in classical guitar from Fresno State and three associate’s degrees in anthropology, administration of justice and communication from Porterville College. Born in Porterville, Mora’s family moved to Mexico when she was 4 years old.
Growing up in Mexico inspired her thesis, “A Rhetorical Analysis of Resilience Rising: Unraveling the Story of the Municipality of Tancitaro’s Defiance Against Cartel Domination.” Her thesis examines how her community used rhetoric and resistance to repel the cartel in an area dominated by cartel violence and oppression, and highlights how marginalized groups can reclaim agency in the face of adversity. She presented her research at the Violence in Latin American Conference in Florida, presented on human-centered design in Cuba and on intercultural fluency in Los Reyes, Mexico, where she helped establish a sister-college relationship between Porterville College and Instituto Technológico Superior de Los Reyes.
Mora worked full time for the Office of Instruction at Porterville College and as a marching band instructor at Burton Unified School District in Porterville. Mora plans to become a community college professor to help equip students with tools to challenge systemic barriers and advocate for themselves and their communities.
Joshua Lor, of Fresno, earned his B.A. in linguistics with an emphasis in teaching English to speakers of other languages and second-language acquisition and teaching and a minor in Hmong with a 3.94 GPA. Born and raised in Fresno, Lor saw firsthand the educational shortcomings in cultural, language and family support for first-generation Hmong students in public schools. That experience informed his goal of altering the school system to better accommodate the cultural values and support for future first-generation students.
Putting his education into practice, Lor is the school site leader for the Every Neighborhood Partnership Reads program at Heaton Elementary School, where he oversees three literacy intervention programs and acts as a liaison between interns, school staff and the organization’s support staff. He has completed over 100 hours of community service with the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Fresno State. This past summer, he was a classroom intern at Fresno Adult School, where he assisted with lesson planning and led class sessions for intermediate and advanced English learners.
Lor aims to pursue a master’s in linguistics at Fresno State with a goal of becoming an educator adept at teaching all aspects of the Hmong people.
After Joshua stood and was honored by the audience, Dr. Chapman honored Keira Colleluori as this year’s Outstanding Graduate Thesis award recipient.
“She wrote a brilliant thesis about modern Irish and brought in the Native American language Hidatsa as a comparative point,” said Chapman.
Presenting the graduates were faculty members Dr. Jaydene Elvin, Linguistics; Dr. Nicola Olsen, Theatre and Dance and Dr. Paula Sanmartín, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures.
After each student crossed the stage, Chapman and Jiménez-Sandoval confirmed the degrees.
“Upon the recommendation of the faculty of the dean and the provost, and on the authority vested in me by the Board of Trustees of the California State University, I take great pleasure in confirming the appropriate baccalaureate degree upon all candidates listed in the official records for these exercises and of admitting you into all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto,” exclaimed Jiménez-Sandoval. “On the count of three: one, two, three! Turn the tassel!”
Finally, School of Music graduates Miranda Barton, Allen Gallego, Andrew Guillen and Karigan Wann sang the Alma Mater. The College of Arts and Humanities was the only college to have the processional, recessional and Alma Mater performed live during their commencement ceremony.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 