Not everyone who graduates from PUC is a young, energetic senior ready to take on the world. Some of those graduates have already taken on the world, working real jobs, raising kids and supporting a family. That’s where PUC’s Center for Continuing and Professional Education comes in. It allows people to continue living their lives, yet go to school at the same time.

The CAPE program was founded in 1996 to reach those “nontraditional students,” generally working parents who want to finish their education. Classes usually meet one night a week from 6–10 p.m. in three different locations: Clearlake, Santa Rosa and Napa.

This year, an all-time record of 47 CAPE students completed their graduation requirements and received their bachelor’s degrees from PUC. Twenty-one Bachelor of Science in Management (BSM) students, 24 Early Childhood Education (ECE) students, and two students from the former Criminal Justice Administration program all received their diplomas; a grand total that beats the previous record by a margin of 10 people.

Among the graduates are some who deserve special recognition. One is Carol Johnson, who has worked as a CAPE program representative for the last eight years, helping others through the program while she worked to complete her own degree requirements. Another is Sergei Simonov from BSM 5, who worked steadily towards graduation since beginning his program in January of 1997.

Furthermore, 17 of the CAPE graduates qualified for academic distinction and were honored with gold cords during the commencement ceremonies.

The CAPE staff hopes that the accomplishments of the class of 2003 will inspire others to keep working toward the goal of graduation.