CR's May 29, 2026 Times Standard Article: Our Graduates Prove Why Education Matters

Published on May 26 2026

On May 14, 15, and 16, College of the Redwoods celebrated its 61st commencement ceremonies to celebrate our graduates from the Del Norte, Pelican Bay, Klamath-Trinity, and Eureka Campuses.  As I shook hands with every graduate, I returned to the question critics of higher education ask: Why does education matter?

Professor Levi Gill’s remarks at the Pelican Bay ceremony provided one answer to this question. He claimed that, most often, the reason people apply to college is because of the advanced job opportunities on the other side.  However, a college education is not just about jobs. It has the ability to satisfy our innate human curiosity; something built into us from the moment we are born. Education is meant to take that curiosity and empower it.

Furthermore, education has a transformative effect on society. Because education can transform individuals, societies flourish when education is encouraged.

The stories two of our students shared with their fellow graduates at the Klamath Trinity (KT) and Pelican Bay Prison commencement ceremonies illustrate the profound impact that education has on our lives and demonstrate why higher education matters. I want to share abridged versions of their remarks.  

Cindy Colegrove shared her story of courage, spirit, and purpose at the KT commencement. 

If you had told me a few years ago that I would be standing here today, graduating and giving a speech, I wouldn’t have believed you.

In 2022, I was going through a really difficult time. I was in court fighting for my granddaughter, and life felt heavy. During that time, I spent a lot of days on the Klamath-Trinity campus just trying to focus. I was there so often that one day, (CR Advisor) Matt (McKindley) encouraged me to enroll. 

At first, I thought—no way. That felt intimidating. It felt out of reach. I hadn’t been in school for decades. I graduated high school in 1977 and had been out of the workforce since 2003. 

Before I knew it I was enrolled as a part-time student, and I remember thinking: Can I even do this? Will I understand the material? Will I be able to keep up?

At the beginning, I worried about my age. I wondered if I would stand out or feel out of place. No one made me feel that way but myself. In the classroom, we were all equal—learning, growing, and supporting each other. 

It wasn’t always easy. There were nights I sat outside the Hoopa Library in my car, in the rain, using their Wi-Fi to do homework. 

But what made this journey even more meaningful was my family. I had the opportunity to sit in classrooms with my nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. Those moments meant everything to me.

And that’s what makes College of the Redwoods so special. It’s not just a school—it’s a community. The staff and students created an environment where I felt seen, supported, and capable.

This experience changed my life.

If there’s one thing I hope people take from my story, it’s this: Anything is possible. I am living proof of that.

The speech given by Cory Fisher, a Pelican Bay Scholar, to his fellow Pelican Bay graduates is one of resilience and perseverance. 

Today, we stand in a place that not many expected us to reach. Not because we lacked intelligence, not because we lacked potential, but because life, choices, and circumstances put barriers in front of us that felt impossible to climb.

And yet, here we are.

Earning a degree in here is different. It’s doing the work while carrying your past, your regrets and your doubts, while surrounded by noise, by limits, and by a system that doesn’t always expect you to succeed.

This degree is not just a piece of paper. It represents a decision, a decision to become something more than your worst day.

Because, let’s be clear about something, our pasts are real, but they are not our identity. They are chapters, not the whole story.

Every class you completed, every test you passed, every moment you chose to keep going, you wrote new chapters to your story.

And the world may not see it right away. Some people may still only see our past. But that doesn’t change what you’ve built here. It doesn’t change who you are becoming.

So, when you walk forward from this moment, carry that with you. 

Carry not just a degree, but the proof that you can change. The proof that you can commit and finish something powerful. 

 I am fortunate to work with a Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff colleagues who believe, as I do, that education has the power to change lives, communities, and society.