Adriel-Chavez-Sherman
Commencement
Student Speaker 2017
Adriel Chavez-Sherman was born in Southern California and has been an Inland Empire
resident most of her life. She was raised in a close-knit family with a strong belief
that doing your best and going above and beyond what is expected will lead to a successful
life. That belief, along with her diverse educational interests, have led her to graduate
with four different associate’s degrees in Communications, Math and Science, Humanities,
and Social and Behavioral Studies.
After graduating from La Sierra High School in 2007, Adriel attended California State
University, Long Beach for a few semesters before transferring to Riverside City College
for personal reasons. She stayed at RCC for a year and then switched to Norco College
for a year, where she focused on Psychology. In 2011 she applied for two associate’s
degrees but was missing two classes required for graduation. At this point, however,
she decided to focus on joining the workforce and didn’t complete her degrees. It
wasn’t until five years later, in 2016, that Adriel decided it was time to finally
complete the associate’s degrees she had attempted several years before. After meeting
with a counselor from Norco College, she realized she had enough units to graduate
with not just two, but four degrees, as long as she completed the required classes
in the 2016-2017 academic year. The next step in Adriel’s journey is to transfer to
a 4-year university and major in Communications with an emphasis in Marketing. She
hopes to parlay the different educational backgrounds she’s gained from Norco College
towards a future career in her field of study.
Adriel comes from a family with strong talents in the arts. Her mother does amazing
crochet work and her father is a fantastic artist and graphic designer. So her favorite
hobbies tend to include the visual arts, such as drawing, watercolor painting, and
photography. Doing art, along with the loving support of her friends and family, have
helped her conquer anxiety and depression. The experiences Adriel’s had with mental
health are what drives her to want to publish a coloring book geared towards helping
people relax and unwind while they color. She hopes a Communications Marketing degree
will help her and her family with their different artistic endeavors.