Honoring Culture and Achievement: The 2026 Raíces Peralta Latinx Graduation
The College of Alameda Gymnasium was filled with music, pride, and shared joy on May 14, 2026, as the Peralta Community College District hosted its annual Raíces Peralta Latinx Graduation Ceremony. This special districtwide event brought together graduates from Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College to celebrate not just their academic milestones, but their rich cultural heritage and the families who supported them along the way.
A Foundation of Strength, A Future of Promise
This year’s celebration centered on the theme Raíces Fuertes, Futuros Brillantes (Strong Roots, Bright Futures). According to the ceremony program, the theme served as a tribute to students whose determination, bravery, and community networks carry them through times of uncertainty. It issued a call to action for the broader community to actively champion these students' brilliance, safeguard their opportunities, and stand together to ensure they continue to flourish.
The evening’s festivities were co-hosted by Juliana Garcia (Outreach and Retention Specialist at College of Alameda) and Dr. Juan G. Berumen (Latinx Student Success Coordinator at Laney College). Welcoming a packed house of families, friends, educators, and staff, the co-chairs noted that the Raíces celebration originally launched during the pandemic and has since blossomed into a vital, rotating districtwide tradition hosted across the four Peralta campuses.
Following an opening blessing by Miki Solin, attendees were invited to keep the festivities going after the recessional at a community reception held in College of Alameda’s H Building.
Words of Pride and Encouragement
College of Alameda President Dr. Melanie Dixon opened the formal remarks by praising the hard-working planning committee and welcoming leadership from across the district, including Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson and the Peralta Board of Trustees. Speaking directly to the graduates, Dr. Dixon commended their perseverance through a demanding academic year.
“The ganas that you carry with you in your experience is acknowledged and appreciated,” Dr. Dixon remarked. “We are so proud of you today for everything that you’ve accomplished... Continue to inspire. Continue to be authentic, and more importantly, continue to show up and be who you are and give your gifts to this world.”
Student poet Danielle Mora then took the stage to deliver a powerful reflection on identity, code-switching, and navigating life between two cultures. Mora spoke candidly about the shared experience of acting as a translator for family members and finding one's own voice.
“I spent my life in between languages, identities, and expectations,” Mora shared. “But I’ve learned how to turn that space into something useful... I used to interpret other people’s stories. Now I’m finally writing my own.”
Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson followed with an address that tied directly back to the evening's theme, reminding the audience that a college degree is rarely earned in isolation.
“That theme speaks to more than achievement,” Chancellor Gilkerson noted. “It speaks to identity, to sacrifice, to resilience, to the generations who planted seeds long before many of us ever stepped on a college campus... For many of our students, graduating is not just a personal accomplishment. It is a family history unfolding in real time.”
She reminded the graduates that their heritage is an asset, not a liability:
“Your culture is not an obstacle to achievement. It is a source of strength. Your roots are not weights holding you down. They are anchors holding you steady while you rise.”
Voices of the Class of 2026
Student speakers representing each of the four Peralta colleges shared deeply personal testimonies of sacrifice, community, and triumph:
Keynote: Embracing Culture and Resisting Burnout
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, a prominent scholar specializing in higher education organizational change and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Dr. Garcia emphasized why identity-focused spaces like Raíces are essential for student success, allowing families to celebrate achievements in their native languages.
“Cultural graduations are a place where students celebrate their accomplishments, familias, en español, as we’ve witnessed tonight,” Dr. Garcia explained. “It’s a place where students can feel connected to their cultura in a place that doesn’t always feel like they belong.”
Dr. Garcia challenged the graduates to stay politically engaged and advocate for immigrant and Latinx communities, offering a few dichos (sayings) to guide them: "wake up, stand up, and fight back," and "learn the language and vocabulary of justice and resistance and use it." She also reminded the graduates to protect their mental health, concluding with, "Work hard but take breaks. Rest is resistance."
A Night to Remember
The emotional peak of the evening arrived as Danitza Lopez (Laney College) and Johanna E. Carranza (College of Alameda) stepped to the microphone to read the graduate roll. Each student walked across the stage to thunderous applause, cheers, and emotional embraces from the audience.
The evening concluded with heartfelt expressions of gratitude for the graduates, their loved ones, and the dedicated faculty and staff who made the event possible.
Peralta Community College District extends its gratitude to Chancellor Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson, College of Alameda President Dr. Melanie Dixon, Berkeley City College President Dr. Denise Richardson, Laney College President Dr. Rebecca Opsata, Merritt College President Dr. David M. Johnson, the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees, guest speaker Dr. Gina Ann Garcia, student speakers, faculty, classified professionals, administrators, families, and community members who helped make the 2026 Raíces Peralta Latinx Graduation Ceremony a meaningful celebration. Special recognition is also extended to the Raíces Planning Committee and all staff and volunteers whose work supported an evening rooted in culture, achievement, belonging, and collective pride.