With graduation upon the seniors of UC Merced, two students in particular are gearing up for the day of their commencement: Vanessa Estavillo, a Management major with a minor in Writing, and Jaime Sweet, an Environmental Engineering major.
Estavillo and Sweet went through a tedious process to be chosen as the 2014 Commencement Student speakers. “I had to apply, send in a three minute audition video of myself reading my speech, and then audition again in person in front of a panel of judges,” Vanessa explained.
Following her inspiration to attend UC Merced after participating in a Bobcat Day celebration, Estavillo didn’t waste any time before getting involved in the clubs on campus, including INTRO Dance, Alpha Kappa Psi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Success Mentor program. She also joined the Energy Service Corps to encourage “green” habits in the Merced community, and is completing her senior year as the elected president of Alpha Kappa Psi.
Sweet also took part in her fair share of extracurricular activities. She was one of the founding officers for the Distinguished Ladies of UC Merced, and participated in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), in which she has held the president position for two years. Sweet is currently the student ambassador for the School of Engineering, which was a huge accomplishment for her because she was one of the first two people chosen for this position.
Following commencement, Sweet is offered a summer internship with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission where she will be helping the city of San Francisco in whatever areas they need. And after the internship, she will continue her career in this industry or pursue graduate school.
Estavillo also has big plans after commencement. Following a brief visit to the Philippines, she plans to participate in a two year program called Teach for America, where she will teach children elementary school children in low income areas.
Both Estavillo and Sweet had many good things to say about UC Merced.
“That is why I wanted to be the speaker at Commencement… I wanted to have closure after all that we, as students, have gone through at this campus,” Sweet stated.
Estavillo had a similar reason for wanting to become the speaker. “I am following the footsteps of one of my fraternity brothers. He said it was a powerful experience for him and I wanted it to be my final thank you to everyone that helped me get this far.”
The 2014 Commencement ceremony for the Schools of Natural Science and Engineering is taking place on May 17, 2014 at 9:00 a.m., while the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts will be on May 18, 2014 at 9:00 a.m.
Breanne Orey
Layout Editor
borey@ucmerced.edu