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Cecilia Yamas, who is receiving the outstanding graduate award for the BS in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFR) degree during Saturday’s graduation, is looking forward to the ceremony and the surrounding festivities. Her major provides rich knowledge and training that prepares individuals who care deeply about social justice and are poised to create supportive environments for diverse families in our global society.

Yamas believes that her major’s community can’t be replicated anywhere else, likening her experience to being with a caring family. She is grateful for the lifelong friends she made and for the faculty mentoring she received along the way. “Dr. Ruben Anguiano and Dr. Jennifer Camacho Taylor helped me find myself in my work and inspired me to make a change in this world,” she said.

During her time at CU Denver, Yamas made it through remote schooling amid the pandemic and dove back into campus life when she returned, determined to make the most of her remaining time as an undergraduate. Upon her return to campus, she even starred in a video ad for the Human Development and Family Relations program with one of her best friends and a favorite professor.

Some of the turns in her own college path have given her unique perspectives and have pushed her out of her comfort zone. “The faculty helped and encouraged me to overcome my fear of presentations and look at the world through a critical eye,” she said.

After graduation, Yamas won’t be going far. Her next adventure furthers her focus on supporting diverse families. It involves joining the School of Education & Human Development’s Couple and Family Therapy program, her top choice for graduate school. She said: “I feel very prepared for the next step in furthering my education because of the background knowledge and fundamental roots that my undergraduate program has given me.”