Class of 2022 Sets New Record for FCC Commencement
When the Class of 2022 takes the field to graduate on June 3 at Chukchansi Park, it will mark another record milestone in the history of Fresno City College. Since 2016, the number of graduates has topped the year before, with 2022 being no different. This year, Fresno City College expects a graduating class of 2,585. In 2021, there were 2,443 graduates. This year’s class prevailed despite facing the challenges of completing their degrees during the COVID crisis. They will graduate with Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees, and Associate Degrees for Transfer.
All graduates are invited to participate in the Commencement ceremony, which is being held Friday, June 3, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. at Chukchansi Park. Fireworks will follow. No tickets are required to attend and no COVID protocols are in place.
If you can’t make it in person, the ceremony will be live streamed on YouTube and Facebook Live:
The ceremony will also be live streamed through CMAC (Community Media Access Collaborative) on its website and YouTube channel. The links are https://cmac.tv/edu/ and https://cmac.tv/fcc.
Distinguished Alumnus and Commencement Speaker
This year’s Distinguished Alumnus and Commencement Speaker is Mr. Jim Yovino, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools.
A native of Fresno, Yovino briefly attended Fresno State before postponing college following graduation from Central High School. A few years later, he felt the calling to become a teacher and enrolled at Fresno City College to begin his journey to the education profession. He attended Fresno City College from 1986 to 1987 to complete undergraduate general education courses. He then transferred to Fresno State where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education and a teaching credential. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in education from Fresno Pacific University.
His career in education has included being a classroom teacher, coach, and principal in Fresno, Dinuba, Central and Clovis unified school districts and deputy superintendent for Fresno County Office of Education. In 2013, he was appointed Fresno County Superintendent of Schools and was elected to the position in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018. After a more than 30-year career in education, Yovino has decided not to run for a third term.
During his tenure as Superintendent, Yovino has been a great advocate for career technical education. He opened CTEC, a free career technical education public charter high school that includes a dual enrollment component through which students can earn a high school diploma and an associate degree from Fresno City College.
Yovino’s other accomplishments include creating the annual Career Tech Night for students to explore careers in the trades, launching the Servant Leadership program and district mentoring for at-risk youth, and opening Kids Café in downtown Fresno, a full-service café that provides social and vocational skills training to adult special education students.
Along with his commitment to education, in 2011 Jim and his wife, Jennifer, founded a nonprofit Fresno County pet food pantry called Halo Cafe.
