Students were honored May 7 at the DEGREES Recognition Ceremony. It featured remarks by Sacramento State alumna Rene Syler (bottom left) on the theme “Unstoppable, Always Successful.” (Sacramento State/Erica Perez)

Sacramento State’s DEGREES Project hosted its annual Recognition Ceremony on Monday, May 7, to honor students who have maintained a 4.0 GPA as well as the persistence and dedication of all students across the campus.

The event, held in the University Union Ballroom, featured remarks from Sacramento State alumna Rene Syler ’87 (Psychology), an author, television host, community advocate, and founder of GoodEnoughMother.com.

The theme of this year’s recognition ceremony was “Unstoppable, Always Successful: Friends and Family the Difference Makers.” A post-event reception featuring live music and information tables followed in Serna Plaza.

The DEGREES Project – which stands for Dedicated to Educating, Graduating, and Retaining Educational Equity Students – was established at Sacramento State in 2013 and aims to provide support and resources to underrepresented minority students to help them graduate in a timely fashion and to reduce the gap in the graduation rate between these students and the overall student population. Services offered include coaching, faculty and peer mentoring and advising, leadership-development opportunities, internships, online tutorial services, and individual tutoring.

Since its inception, the DEGREES Project has successfully elevated the six-year graduation by 10 percent and closed the achievement gap among the Chicano/Latino student population, its largest program demographic. More than 90 percent of students in the program are in good academic standing and, because of its success, the program model was extended in 2016 to serve all students to assist them in meeting their degree-attainment goals.

To learn more about the DEGREES Project, visit csus.edu/degreesproject. – Jonathan Morales