As graduates in KCSOS’s RISE program waited for their names to be called Saturday morning, the message woven throughout the ceremony was clear. Breaking barriers and building better futures was exactly what the Class of 2026 had accomplished. RISE stands for Reaching Individual Success through Education and provides academic programs and support services for students across Kern County. RISE is uniquely geared for students who were unsuccessful in a traditional school setting for varying reasons.
“All of our students come to us with a story of challenge or past struggle in one way or another,” said Joy Klopfenstein, teacher and instructional specialist with RISE. “By the time they reach graduation, they have accomplished something that many of them once believed was out of reach.”
Klopfenstein said the graduation speaker selection process begins months before commencement. Each January, staff members are encouraged to begin identifying students they believe would benefit from sharing their stories publicly. Teachers then work closely with those students throughout the spring to help them write, revise, and strengthen their speeches ahead of auditions.
Come April, a committee of staff members listens to student speeches and selects the graduates who will speak during the ceremony. After auditions, Klopfenstein meets with the selected students to review feedback, go over the rubric, and help guide final revisions.
“I always tell our students that their story will inspire someone in that audience,” Klopfenstein said. “It may be another student who is struggling, a family member who needs hope, or even an adult who needs the reminder to keep going and not give up.”
Jazzmine Saenz’s story reflected exactly that message.
Addressing her fellow graduates, she told students that many of them understood what it felt like to be told something was impossible so many times that they eventually believed it themselves. But graduation served as proof that difficult circumstances do not have to define a person’s future.
Saenz shared that she would become the first high school graduate in her family after overcoming significant personal challenges that included the loss of both parents, incarceration, and poverty.
“At that moment I truly believed my future was over,” Saenz said while reflecting on a time in her life when she faced serious consequences for her choices. “But I stand here today as proof that a moment does not define a lifetime.”
Saenz said she eventually realized she had a choice between accepting the labels others placed on her or choosing a different path for herself.
“Today I choose to rise,” she said.
She encouraged graduates to continue breaking barriers not only for themselves, but also for those who would follow behind them. Saenz also shared that she planned to continue her education at Bakersfield College after participating in the JobsPlus program and earning several certifications designed to prepare her for the workforce.
Klopfenstein said the process of preparing speeches also helps students develop confidence and communication skills they can carry into the future.
“Speaking at graduation pushes students outside of their comfort zone in a meaningful way,” she said. “It helps them build confidence in their voice and realize they are capable of more than they thought.”
Fellow student speaker Esteban Hurtado Hernandez embodied that growth, according to Klopfenstein, who said his teacher remembered a time when he was withdrawn and barely spoke to others.
“Watching him gain the confidence and poise to speak in public is a powerful reminder to our staff that we are teaching more than just academics,” Klopfenstein said. “We are teaching life skills that will empower them far beyond graduation.”
Hernandez echoed many of the same themes during his speech, telling graduates the ceremony was about far more than caps and gowns.
“It’s about survival,” he said. “It’s about standing here after life tried to knock us down more times than we can count and realizing we’re still standing.”
Throughout his speech, Hernandez reflected on the personal and emotional battles many students quietly faced while continuing to show up each day.
“For some of us, the struggle wasn’t just academic — it was personal. It was mental. It was emotional,” he said.
He told graduates that setbacks, mistakes, and failures did not erase their value, but instead helped shape stronger versions of themselves.
“Today, we don’t celebrate perfection,” Hernandez said. “We celebrate perseverance. We celebrate resilience. We celebrate the decision to keep going when giving up felt justified.”
Esteban Hurtado Hernandez practices his graduation speech before peers.
By Robert Meszaros
Rob Meszaros is Director of Communications for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, where he has served since 2012. In his role, Meszaros oversees media relations, internal and external communication strategies, publications, Marcom, branding, and multi-media content creation. Before joining KCSOS, Meszaros was the PIO for CSU Bakersfield and earlier worked for seven years at The Bakersfield Californian.