Westmont College celebrates commencement following Thomas Fire and Montecito Mudslides

The class of 2018 graduated from Westmont College on Saturday despite tragedies that marked their senior year.
Students evacuated at least 5 times during the Thomas Fire and the Montecito mudslides that almost took the life of one of their own.

The ceremony took place on Carr Field.

Students, parents and faculty of the liberal arts college gave a standing ovation to graduate Connor Quinn McManigal who lost his father John in the tragedy. Connor overcome serious injuries to graduate with his 327 classmates.

Westmont College Gayle Beebe presented the Westmont Medal to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown for his handling of the disasters. Brown shared a memory of the campus and his parents. Brown said his father worked for Billy Graham’s World Wide Pictures and used the campus as a location for the film “Time to Run” starring his mother in 1973.

The KEYT NewsChannel 3 team was also honored with the Westmont Medal for being a lifeline of information during the back-to-back emergencies.

Westmont Trustee Tom Nguyen gave the commencement address. Nguyen was airlifted out of Vietnam as a child and ended up with a scholarship to Pepperdine. The father of a former Westmont student spoke of his faith and reminded students that social media posts may make life seem too perfect. Nguyen, who works in international banking, joked that he could never be president because he doesn’t have a Twitter account.

Some students walked across the stage barefoot to remember those less fortunate. Many brought their professors gifts such as plants, notes and even McDonalds hamburgers.

Jonathon Wong hopes to go to USC for dental school. “The ceremony was amazing, I am so proud of all my classmates, hopefully everyone will go on and do amazing things. I am just really grateful to Westmont, ” said Wong.

Kinesiology Professor Russell Smelley handed out diplomas to his students. including his son Travis.

After tragedies he said the ceremony serves as a reminder that life goes and that special moments should be celebrated.

Members of the Class of ’68 were also in their caps and gowns. They are celebrating their fiftieth reunion on campus this weekend. They hope the graduates will return to the do same in the decades that follow.