David Garcia-Tlahuel, who lives in Desert Hot Springs and is a graduate of Palm Desert High School, will receive a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies, with concentrations in strategic communication and relational and organizational communication, at this year’s CSUSB College of Arts and Letters Commencement ceremony, taking place on Saturday, May 21, at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.

Garcia-Tlahuel is proud of what he has accomplished at PDC.

“I am proud to be the first of many things,” he said. “I was the first campus minister for PDC, I was the first student assistant for the DEN Food Pantry, the first student orientation coordinator for PDC’s Orientation Team, and the first graphic design and social media paraprofessional for the Office of Outreach and Student Recruitment here at PDC. From that, I think I was just a jack of all trades and I don’t know how I did it, but I did it!”

Garcia-Tlahuel says that he was deeply inspired by many people at PDC, but especially by his former academic advisor, orientation coordinator, and supervisor, Vanessa Rojo.

“Vanessa is the person who made me feel welcomed at PDC and was the one who pushed me to do so much,” he said. “She was always there to listen and saw me at my lowest and highest points. When she talked to me about her college and high school life, I was able to relate to so much of what she told me and we grew closer because we understood each other’s lives. Because she did so much at PDC, I also aspired to do so much during my college career and bring a smile to so many people.”

“CSUSB helped me figure out what I truly love, and that is graphic design and photography,” said Garcia-Tlahuel. “Aside from my trade, I learned that I loved being able to help and support our students.”

Garcia-Tlahuel is looking forward to a career as a graphic designer and becoming a creative director in the future. He also has plans to do photography on the side and obtain a master’s degree in an area related to business, entrepreneurship, the arts, design or communications.

About PDC: The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a doctorate in educational leadership, teaching credentials and certificates. Serving more than 2,300 students, it is the Coachella Valley’s four-year public university and plays a vital role in educating and training the region’s growing population.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Strategic Communication at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.