90.1 FM San Luis Obispo | 91.7 FM Paso Robles | 91.1 FM Cayucos | 95.1 FM Lompoc | 90.9 FM Avila
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KNBX (north county KCBX) is currently off the air due to a PG&E service interruption.

Wide range of students graduating from Cuesta this spring

Lauren Milbourne, Cuesta College
Cuesta graduates prepare to receive their degrees on Friday, May 20, 2016

Students at community colleges along the Central Coast are preparing for graduation ceremonies this spring. 

This marks the first spring commencement ceremony at Cuesta College to include a class of Promise students. In the fall of 2014, the college began offering high school graduates in San Luis Obispo County the opportunity to have an entire year of tuition fees covered by the Promise scholarship program.

This year's class at Cuesta College includes the second-youngest graduate in the school's history. Cruz Godar, 15, walked on Friday, getting an associates degree in math. He is transfering to Cal Poly in the fall where he'll be a junior.

Outgoing Cuesta student body president Daniel Cadwell is a success story of another kind. He's a 53-year-old re-entry student who has had a difficult past.

Daniel Cadwell says Cuesta changed his life. He is getting a four-year degree through a partnership with Cal State Monterey Bay. He told KCBX that this method is helpful for those in his situation. 

"Most of us are non-traditional students," Cadwell said. "All of my team members have been working in the industry for years and basically reached a certain level in their career where the upper management is saying, 'what do you mean you don't have a degree?', so they're going back to get their degrees."

Cadwell is also headed to Cal Poly in the fall where he'll work on his goal of returning to Cuesta in the future, but as an instructor.