Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus experienced a significant milestone in fall 2013 when it first began offering four-year degrees. That year it welcomed its initial freshman class.

On June 15, 2017, members of that first class received their degrees at commencement, celebrating a landmark moment for them and the Palm Desert Campus.

“Watching our first class of freshmen walk across the stage was truly gratifying,” said Sharon Brown-Welty, dean of the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus. “All of us felt such a great sense of pride.”

Some from that initial class of freshman, a number of whom were the first ever to earn a four-year college degree, shared their experience of how the faculty, staff and fellow students helped them define their future, preparing them not just for their chosen careers, but also for life.