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Ventura College celebrates Class of 2008
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Joseph A. Garcia / Star staff Melinda Spangler, left, and Valerie Ste. Croix, both of Ventura, share a hug before Ventura College's graduation ceremony.
Desiry Cisneros of Santa Paula, left, and Soh Sawamoto of Shizuoka, Japan, look at photos they were taking Wednesday before Ventura College's graduation ceremony.
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More from GraduationsVentura College celebrated a trilingual graduation Wednesday, with speakers delivering their remarks in English, Spanish and American Sign Language.
Larry Miller, president of the board that oversees Ventura, Oxnard and Moorpark colleges, fulfilled a pledge he made at last year's graduation when he told graduates they should never stop learning — then promised to deliver this year's remarks in ASL, a language new to him.
And he did, speaking slowly and signing as he went along.
"You can learn anytime and all the time," Miller told his audience, noting that he took two ASL classes this year.
About 2,500 people carrying cameras, bouquets and the occasional baby filled the Ventura College gym for the 80-minute graduation ceremony.
Daniela Tamayo, 42, plans to continue her studies at CSU Channel Islands. Tamayo, who is married and has two teenagers, started college when she was 18. It took a while, but she earned her first associate degree in 2003 and another Wednesday.
Now her kids are attending Ventura College, and she's hoping that in a few years, they all can celebrate earning bachelor's degrees together.
Her husband's role in all this?
"He's supportive," Tamayo said.
"If I don't have time to fix meals, he'll buy food — because he doesn't cook."
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