Each May, more than a thousand Cal Poly Humboldt students participate in Commencement. For Chloe Schmidt and her mother Casey Schmidt, the ceremony will be especially meaningful as they will graduate together at the Redwood Bowl on Saturday.
“We worked hard and the fact that we can celebrate this on the same day is special,” says Chloé (Dance Studies).
>> Schedules, receptions, cultural celebrations, check-in requirements and parking information below <
The Schmidts are among nearly 1,700 students who will earn degrees, undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees in the 2021-22 academic year, and more than 1,250 who are registered to participate in the ceremonies. The annual event draws thousands of guests to campus.
The pair will also be part of many firsts. Casey will graduate in the first cohort of the RN to BSN nursing program, which launched in the fall of 2020. She is the first among his own siblings and parents to graduate from college. Both are also part of Cal Poly Humboldt’s first class.
“I couldn’t be happier to graduate with a science degree from Cal Poly Humboldt at my age,” says Casey. With deep roots in Humboldt County, she served as a nurse and lactation consultant at Mad River Community Hospital Birthing Center at Arcata, and she was drawn to the nursing curriculum’s focus on rural medicine, tribal health, and mindfulness.
The launch includes ceremonies for each of the three colleges. Chloe and Casey will take part in different ceremonies, which means that they will be able to encourage each other from the stands with their family.
“We can also share a dress,” says Casey. “But we bought our own custom caps and stoles and it was fun to go through them together.”
For the mother-daughter duo, sharing badges is part of a shared experience, made even deeper during a pandemic.
Chloe drew strength from her family and other students when her classes moved online. “I’m grateful for supporting me through the process of going to school,” she says. “It has also been rewarding to share my degree and college experience with a close-knit group of people in my program.”
Casey found life-changing academic and personal support in the nursing program.
“The program was transformational for all 12 of us. The teachers helped us personally and professionally to achieve our own goals. At the same time, navigating school and health care during COVID has forced us to support each other,” she says. “It’s powerful to finish this degree at the end of a global pandemic. I have so much admiration for Chloe for holding on and graduating, and I’m thrilled to have graduated. She put in the work and I think she is capable of so many amazing things and such a big leap for her.
Debut at Cal Poly Humboldt
Saturday, May 14 at the Redwood Bowl (with live broadcast). The ceremonies will last between 1h30 and 2h. View Spring 2022 Launch Schedule.
- 8:30 a.m. – College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
- Noon – College of Natural Resources and Science
- 3:30 p.m. – College of Professional Studies
Lecturer for alumni
Hon. Abby Abinanti (’70s, journalism), Chief Justice of the Yurok Tribe, the first Native American woman to pass the California bar, and the first Native American woman in California to become a state judge. (Organic)
Presentation of the honorary degree (3:30 p.m. ceremony only)
Awarded on Presidential Citizens Medal by former President Barack Obama, renowned local activist Dr. Betty Kwan Chinn, will receive a doctorate in human letters. (Read more.)
University College Receptions
The Deans and Departments of the Colleges of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Resources, and Science and Professional Studies invite you to spring launch receptions to honor and celebrate graduates and their families. Meet the faculty and enjoy light refreshments.
- CAHSS—Balabanis Art Quad; Immediately after the ceremony
- CNRS—Balabanis Art Quad; Immediately after the ceremony
- CPS—upper and lower quadruple; 1:30–3:00 p.m.
Cultural Graduation Celebrations
- Thursday, May 5, Goodwin Forum: Queer Graduation Celebration – 5-7 p.m.
- Thursday May 12, JVD & Art Quad: Indigenous Graduation Celebration—6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Friday May 13
—Black Graduation Celebration: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Founders Hall Courtyard/Green & Gold Room (166)
—Latinx Graduation Celebration: 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Kinesiology & Athletics Building, Lumberjack Arena
—ADPI+MENA Graduation Celebration: 5:30-7:00 p.m. at Nelson Hall East, Goodwin Forum (102)
Learn more here
Health and Safety Requirements and Parking Information
All guests will be required to show proof of vaccination (including a booster if eligible) or a negative test result within the previous 72 hours. Face masks are encouraged but not required.
Guest check-in locations are at the tunnel entrance west of the Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC), at the tunnel entrance between RWC and Forbes Gymnasium, and at the top of Union Street, near Kinesiology and Athletics.
Graduates and guests can park for free in most campus lots, but G11, FS9, G13, G14, and G14 are recommended. Disabled shuttles will run continuously from lot FS9 near Gist Hall at the end of Rossow Street and drop off behind the Forbes Gym Building.
the green lots shown on this campus map are open for guest/general parking and blue lots are recommended for ADA access and shuttle. Parking beyond the barricades at 17th and Union streets is prohibited.
For all the details, go to beginning.humboldt.edu.
