Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Virtual Recognition Celebration

congraTulations To our graduating APIDA titans from the class of 2020!!

Dear Graduates:

 

On behalf of Cal State Fullerton and all Titans everywhere, it is my honor to both congratulate you on your commencement and welcome you into an alumni base that is now nearly 300,000 Titans strong.

 

You — our esteemed class of 2020 — represent CSUF’s largest commencement class, and given the adversity each of you have overcome in your final semester, it is safe to say that you are also some of the most resilient and gritty group of graduates in our 63-year history. There are endless points of pride that affirm that contention, but none more powerful or poignant than all of you, our APIDA graduates of the Titan Class of 2020. Indeed, your commitment to complete your degree in the face of the challenges this pandemic created is now embedded in Titan lore and will forever illuminate our campus with the light of your diversity and determination.

 

So, it is with great joy and pride that I take a moment to not only congratulate you for your well-earned degree, but also thank you for your leadership during this difficult time; first as resilient and resourceful seniors in pursuit of academic excellence, and then as kind and caring ambassadors for equity and inclusion. As we applaud you for these accomplishments, I ask that you also join me in recognizing and thanking the countless educators, mentors, friends, and family members who were with you every step of the way. They say that one stands on the shoulders of those who came before. Together, with all of you, I acknowledge and honor those broad and impactful shoulders and all they withstood to bring you to this point.

 

And finally, just as you looked to and leaned on the tremendous APIDA alumni and community leaders throughout your academic journey, it is now your turn to inspire the next generation of Titans who will look to you to see what is possible. With your well-earned Titan degree and education, anything is possible. You are the reason the world is beginning to recognize what it takes to achieve excellence in our communities, diversity in our workforce, and social justice in our nation.

 

It takes tenacity and grit. It takes academic rigor and excellence. It takes service and civic duty.  In other words, It Takes A Titan — and YOU, Class of 2020, are the Titans it takes.

 

Sincerely,

 

Fram Virjee

President