June 10, 2025
Three 2025 Santa Monica College Grads Share Their Journeys
Three Santa Monica College Grads Share Their Journeys
Among 7,248 Students Graduating This Year, on June 17; the Second Largest Graduating Class in SMC’s History
SANTA MONICA, CA—On Tuesday, June 17, Adriana Brady, Antonio Renoj, and Victoria Salazar will be among 7,248 Santa Monica College (SMC) graduates receiving a total of 13,394 degrees and certificates. They represent the second largest graduating class in SMC’s history. About 1,450 of the graduates are expected to take part in the college’s 95th Commencement Ceremony, which will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, at Corsair Field and also webcast live at smc.edu/commencement.
Among several students selected to be featured in the commencement program, Brady, Renoj, and Salazar exemplify the excellence, perseverance and diversity of SMC’s graduating class of 2025.
Taking the Match: Adriana Brady
Adriana Brady had only been editor-in-chief of SMC’s award-winning student-run media outlet The Corsair (opens in new window) for two weeks when the wildfires in Malibu and Altadena struck. It was just after winter break, and the publication had only a handful of staff.
But Brady knew getting coverage on the fires mattered. “We did a lot of live updates those first few days,” she recounts. “Not just on the fires, but the relief efforts. But I knew we could do it.”
It was a turning point for Brady, who graduates this year with an Associate degree
in Journalism. The LA native had initially planned to pursue collegiate volleyball
when she enrolled at SMC. But after an injury on the court, she stepped away from
the sport she loved to focus on her other passion: writing. That led her to The Corsair.
“Being a part of The Corsair has changed my life,” says Brady. “It’s definitely been one of the highlights of my time at SMC.”
As a first-generation college student, Brady initially found the transition from high school to college daunting. But at SMC, she quickly discovered the support and resources she needed to thrive, such as the Scholars Program and the Writing & Humanities Tutoring Center. This fall, she’ll be transferring to the University of Southern California to pursue a degree in journalism, bringing her one step closer to her dream career of becoming a professional sports journalist. “Be open to change,” she advises new students. “Some of the most rewarding experiences come from the unexpected.”
Designing a New Direction: Antonio Renoj
After leaving the military in 2010, Antonio Renoj worked hard but felt adrift — cycling through jobs from delivery driver to restaurant manager without a clear path forward. That changed when his wife, Brittanie — a photographer — introduced him to filmmaking. “She taught me how to use a camera and how to put together a vision,” he says.
Inspired but without a degree, Renoj struggled to break into creative roles — until
he discovered Santa Monica College’s groundbreakingInteraction Design (IxD) program. “Design had always been in the back of my mind — I just didn’t know what to call
it,” he says. The program showed him how to combine design, technology, and user experience
to solve real-world problems.
Through SMC, Renoj joined Snapchat’s Snap Design Academy, became a Stanford University Innovation Fellow, and worked for several years in a full-time marketing role at the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce — all while finishing two degrees. Collaborative projects, including one with BMW DesignWorks, helped sharpen his skills in leadership, teamwork, and innovation.
Now graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design and an Associate degree in Graphic Design, Renoj wants to open a design firm that empowers small businesses. “It’s about helping people communicate, solve problems, and thrive.”
He credits his family, SMC counselors, and faculty for helping him believe in himself. “That one choice — to go back to school — led to all of this,” Renoj says. “I’ll always be grateful to SMC for giving me the chance to become who I am now.”
All You Need is Here: Victoria Salazar
“‘No’ doesn’t always mean ‘no,’” according to Victoria Salazar, SMC’s graduating student speaker. “Sometimes it means ‘maybe later.’”
Salazar is referring to a rejection letter she received in 2017 from her dream school, UC San Diego. Looking back, she sees that rebuff simply as an invitation to try again. “Sometimes setbacks and detours are just the way you get where you need to be,” she says.
After graduating today, Salazar will transfer to — you guessed it — UC San Diego, where she’ll pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology. Her career goal is crystal clear: “I want to be a criminal investigative analyst for the LAPD, working with the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.”
Salazar is passionate about children, calling them “the little stars in our society
who need the most care and attention to shine.” At 26, Salazar is a mother herself.
Her own childhood was difficult. Born in San Dimas, she grew up feeling abandoned by her incarcerated dad. Her struggling teenage mom sent the young Salazar to Santa Monica, where she was raised by her paternal grandparents, Francisca and Daniel.
Despite these hurdles, Salazar was a good student and a three-sport athlete at SaMo High. She tutored classmates in math and writing. She volunteered at Emerson Elementary. Graduating with a 3.8 GPA, she was crushed to be denied admission at UC San Diego.
Salazar enrolled in the nursing program at SMC. She completed two years of coursework before the pandemic derailed her education. She spent the next four years working many different jobs: boxing gym coach, Bloomingdale’s sales rep, professional makeup artist, applied behavior analysis tech.
In 2022, Salazar met and married Nathan Rodriguez, a fellow Corsair now studying computer science with a focus on cybersecurity. After giving birth to their daughter, Salazar resolved to finish her education. She returned to SMC, switching from nursing to psychology, and decided to give UC San Diego another try. This time she received the thick envelope.
Salazar’s message to fellow graduates: “All you need is here,” she says, palms pressed to her chest. “If you know who you are and know who you want to be, then truly, no one can tell you otherwise.
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A few highlights of this year’s graduating class:
- 13,394 degrees and certificates will be awarded to 7,248 students
- 16 Bachelor of Science in Interaction Design degrees
- The graduating class includes two 16-year-olds, each receiving four Associate degrees
- The oldest graduate is 97 years old, and earned a noncredit certificate of completion in advanced English as a Second Language (ESL)
- The graduating class is: 59.1% female; 38.6% male; 2.3% unreported
For more information on SMC’s 95th commencement ceremony and to read more inspirational graduate stories, visit smc.edu/commencement. Santa Monica College is a California Community College accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). For 34 consecutive years, SMC has transferred more students to the University of California system than any other California community college. The College continues to remain the leading transfer college to USC and Loyola Marymount University, is the top feeder west of the Mississippi to the Ivy League Columbia University, and also the top provider of career education in Los Angeles’s Westside.
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