Dear Hornet Familia,
Happy July! Can you believe we are halfway through the summer?
I hope you have been able to take some time off for an exciting vacation or at-home relaxation. I had a fun trip with friends to hear an artist perform music from my recent favorite album – Bad Bunny, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. I love the message he conveys about living in the present moment, cherishing those we love and not being upset about the past or worrying about the future. It was simply amazing being in Madrid with 60,000 other fans. It was my first time in Spain, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cafes, museums, art, music and dining in the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world, Botin. Something about that experience reminded me of us, the oldest continuously operating community college in the state. I also visited Toledo, which is 2,500 years old! From there, I visited a friend from LA and her husband and daughter who own an apartment in Bordeaux, France. They took us to Margaux and St. Emilion. Finally, I departed from London, England (my first time there) and I took in the popular sites and walked nearly 16,000 steps before boarding my flight home.
Since then, I have spent time with my family, niece, nephew, sisters, mom and have been watching World Cup Games, rooting for Mexico. We also spent the 250th anniversary of the 4th of July at the Hollywood Bowl enjoying the music of John Stamos and the Beach Boys and an amazing firework show.
For the most part, good vibrations are happening this summer. Fortunately, we prepared our final enrollment data report for the state, and we ended up being 3% higher in overall student enrollment for the year! Great job team! Let’s keep going! I also led a meeting with a group of leaders to prepare for fall 2027 and discuss ways we can have our students declare their program of study at the start of their education journey. Amidst all of this, I can’t help but also take in the news of all the challenges that exist for so many in this current time in our world. My heart ached when hearing the news about our dear former Student Trustee, Paloma Foster. Her young life was cut too short, but I had wonderful pictures of Paloma and I during the first year of my presidency to reflect and remember what an amazing person she was and how lucky we were to be a part of her life. The college hosted a moving event to honor her and even started a campaign to try and gather funds to offer a scholarship in Paloma’s memory. It provides me comfort knowing that her hornet legacy and impact will live on.
The sunshine of summer and the somewhat slower pace inspires me to reflect on all we have achieved in the past year, and more importantly, about the change and transformation ahead.
As we plan for our upcoming year, I’m excited to share our Fall 2026 Convocation, “Adelante, Together,” which will take place from 9–11 a.m. on Friday, August 21 in the Campus Theatre. Our event is an exciting one—highlighting how our Hornet familia transcends barriers and combats historical challenges in the name of change. I cannot wait for you to join us!
Throughout this time, I encourage you to ask yourself, what has changed? What hasn’t? How have you changed and how do you inspire others to seek new ideas and strategies?
May these questions guide our conversations and help us embrace new opportunities and boldly try new things. I hope your July is filled with transformation, rejuvenation and so much more!
With gratitude,
Dr. Cynthia Olivo
Fullerton College