This email was sent to all students who were registered in spring 2023
June 28, 2023
Meet the DeHart and Pister Award Recipients
We’re proud to introduce two more De Anza students who are receiving major scholarship awards this year: Ivette Contreras Hernandez is this year’s DeHart Scholarship winner, and Katherine Hernandez is receiving the Karl S. Pister Award.
You'll find more stories, photos and details about this year's celebration at deanza.edu/graduation. Watch for a special Graduation Slideshow to be posted later this week.
Ivette Contreras Hernandez
Ivette Contreras Hernandez is looking forward to taking Women’s and Chicanx Studies classes at the University of California, Santa Barbara, this fall. But her long-term goal is to become a lawyer, helping low-income and
immigrant clients.
Contreras Hernandez, 20, is an immigrant herself, and a first-generation college student who worked at several jobs while going to college. She’s graduating this spring with a degree in Liberal Arts.
While at De Anza, Contreras Hernandez ran with the women's Track and Field team and was an intern for HEFAS, or Higher Education for AB 540 Students, which provides support for undocumented students.
Katherine Hernandez
A political science class at De Anza helped set Katherine Hernandez on the path she’s traveling today: She is entering the University of California, Santa Cruz, this fall and hopes to build a career in public policy.
Encouraged by Political Science instructor Robert Stockwell, Hernandez applied for an internship that led to her working on registration drives and voter education during the 2020 elections. She recruited and mentored other students, organized Zoom presentations on why voting matters, and helped get more than 2,000 students to register as voters.
“I like talking to people about the issues that matter to them,” she said.
Graduation Tips and Updates
If you're planning to graduate this year:
- You can still shop in person through Thursday for graduation caps and gowns at the campus Bookstore in the RSS Building. (If you already placed an online order for home delivery, you should have received a tracking number that you can use to find out when it will arrive. If you placed an order for pickup at the Bookstore, you should receive an email when it’s ready.)
- You must file for your degree by Friday, June 30, to receive your degree for spring quarter. The deadline has passed to have your name included in the printed program.
- Everyone is welcome to post digital Congrats Cards for their favorite grads, or the entire Class of 2023, any time through Graduation Day.
Commencement Date and Location
This year’s ceremony will be held in a new location – the Santa Clara Convention Center – and will begin at 4 p.m. sharp on Saturday, July 1.
- Free parking is available in the garage behind the convention center: Enter from Great America Parkway, using the driveway across from Bunker Hill Lane.
- Grads and their guests should plan to arrive early – the doors will open at 2 p.m. – to allow time to park and get ready. Grads will line up in Hall A, while family members and other guests can proceed to Halls B and D, where there will be open seating.
- After the ceremony, you'll be able to take photos with fun props – including the college mascot, Roary the Mountain Lion, making their first-ever public appearance!
- Find more information about how to get ready for the ceremony at deanza.edu/graduation/tips.
Commencement Livestream
If you have family members or friends who can’t make it to the ceremony, they can still watch the commencement livestream with captions, beginning at 4 p.m. on July 1, at deanza.edu/graduation.
Disability-Related Accommodations
Sign language interpreters will be present. If you need disability accommodations, please contact
- Deaf or hard of hearing accommodations: Stacy Chapman at chapmanstacy@deanza.edu
- Other disability accommodations: Laureen Balducci at balduccilaureen@deanza.edu
Note: For general questions not related to disability accommodations, send an email to communications@deanza.edu.
Congratulations to all our graduates!
Best wishes,
De Anza College