The Future Begins Here: the 2020 Graduation Issue

At Santa Monica College, every dream and every journey matters – as the stories of these five inspirational 2020 SMC graduates demonstrate. We celebrate them and the thousands more who graduated this year, giving us all hope for a brighter future shaped by their tenacity and artistry.

Kiko Thomas

Artist’s Journey

Curator and artist Kiko Thomas’s work illustrates the ravages of imperialism and the depths of human behavior. LACMA selected this talented SMC student for its prestigious Mellon Curatorial Fellowship. 

Read Article 

Maria Vasquez

True Grit

Maria Vasquez has been in a wheelchair all her life – but that did not stop her from being the first in her family to attend college. This SMC grad is “just like the rest of us, only five times better.”

Read Article 

Quenarii Lampkin

Longing for—and Finding—a Black College Experience

Quenarii Lampkin ’20 always wanted to go to a HBCU. She would find that experience and family at SMC through the Black Collegians Umoja Community – and Quenarii, in spite of obstacles or no, soared.

Read Article 

Daniela Davalos

Engineering Her Future

A child of immigrants from Mexico, Daniela Davalos is building a bright future in STEM with perseverance and “an optimistic attitude that is contagious.”

Read Article 

Off the clock

Bragging Rights

A dance instructor featured in “Penny Dreadful.” A Baha’i club at SMC. Earth Week still a success.

Read Article 

Teresa Raschilla

A Modern-day Renaissance Woman

This “dreamer and doer” and new grad rediscovered her passion for art and found her destiny at SMC. Teresa Raschilla, SMC to UC Irvine transfer, is a true renaissance woman.

Read Article 

SMC In the News

2020 Graduation - Santa Monica College
Barcarolle, Tales of Hoffmann