President Thayer’s Board Report for May 26, 2026
The following is a report to members of the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees
Presented by Cypress College President Scott W. Thayer, Ed.D.
on May 26, 2026
59th Commencement Set for 4 p.m. on Friday, May 29 in Gateway Plaza
Cypress College’s 59th Commencement begins at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2026, as the processional travels from the pond to Gateway Plaza.
The graduating Class of 2026 includes 2,417 students earning a total of 2,183 associate degrees and 2,058 certificates.
These students represent 115 programs across the Cypress College curriculum. During the ceremony, nine Presidential Scholars of Distinction will be honored as representatives of their individual pathways. In addition, Huey Hoang will be recognized as the Outstanding Graduate of 2026. Alumnus of the Year Robert Friedman will receive his award and share insights to his business success (see story below).
Presidential Scholars of Distinction
Mia Navarro – Business & Computer Information Systems
“Cypress has helped me in many ways with all the resources and programs they offer, it helped with a lot of burden and confusion I had throughout my experience in college and I had the best experience and time due to their support and resources from the EOPS program and Charger Experience which made me feel more welcomed and included in the campus life.”
Jesse Aguilar – Hospitality Management
“I chose Cypress College because of its strong support system for student veterans and its highly respected Hospitality Management program. The Veterans Resource Center gave me a sense of belonging right away, while the HRC program gave me a pathway to turn my passion for food and service into a career. Cypress was not just a school. It became a community that understood my background and helped me grow.”
Tara Ballantyne – Health Science
“The advice I would and have given current and future Cypress College students is to become tolerant of being uncomfortable. Learning a whole new language and skill, which Radiology is, coupled with the pressure and stress of the clinical experience, is a two year experience of being uncomfortable, vulnerable and never really sure of where you stand. I feel like if a student knows that the only way is through this experience, and to know and understand that others before them felt this same way, it helps them have perspective — it helps them feel like it’s normal and they will make it.”
Tim Cabalo – Kinesiology
“My long-term goals are to work in a clinical setting as a Yoga Therapist/Group Fitness Instructor focusing on working with aging populations, former athletes, and military veterans.”
John Juan Carlos Foster Garcia – Language Arts
“At Cypress College, I learned how to speak, read, and write in English through its incredible ESL program. In addition, my experience in general education courses has prepared me to face university challenges in the best way.”
Angel Hernandez-Martinez – Science, Engineering, Math
“The biggest piece of advice I would give to both current and future Cypress College students would be to take every opportunity our campus has to offer as one, or multiple, may just be the stepping stone to your ultimate success.”
Alec Gibson — Social Sciences
At Cypress, Alec found a vibrant and supportive environment that encouraged him to get involved and thrive. Through his participation in Associated Students, the Legacy Program, A2MEND, and various campus activities, he discovered the value of connection and leadership. A particularly meaningful moment came from seeing his brother’s legacy honored on campus in a banner with his photo by the bookstore, inspiring Alec to follow in those footsteps and create his own.
Jasmine (Jae) Hernandez — Visual and Performing Arts
When times were tough for Jasmine, community stepped up. Her instructors in the Art Department kept her going during a difficult period, and their support and dedication inspired her to want to teach art at the college level, too.
Zimal Amir — We Journey Together (L/LRC)
“The advice I would give to current and future Cypress College students is to enjoy their time here while it lasts. The sense of community and care at Cypress College is something special and not easily found elsewhere.”
Read more about our Presidential Scholars of Distinction on our website. More information about the ceremony is online at Commencement Central.
Friedman Selected as Alumnus of the Year, Endows $1 Million Fund
Rob Friedman, a Southern California-born entrepreneur and pioneer who built a career on the belief that opportunity is always available to those willing to work for it, has been selected by the Cypress College Foundation as the 2026 Alumnus of the Year. His academic foundation was laid at Loara High School and Cypress College, where he began a lifelong collaboration with his business partner of nearly 50 years, Jeff Frieden.
The alumnus of the year is an award administered by the Cypress College Foundation to recognize the achievements of Cypress College alumni and their contributions to their profession and community.
Subsequent to his selection for the award, Friedman made a $1 million donation for an endowment to establish the “Angela Friedman Educational Fund.” The donation is the single-largest one-time gift ever made to the Cypress College Foundation.
Friedman and his business partner’s journey started decades ago at local swap meets, buying and selling whatever they could, learning the fundamentals of business — hustle, instinct, and the value of a dollar — straight from the back of a van.
A firm believer in the power of vocational education and real-world experience, Friedman launched his first major venture in 1980 by identifying a critical need in the automotive market. After obtaining his Class A VIP smog license, he strategically positioned repair shops near state-mandated inspection centers, mastering the art of “solving the right problem at exactly the right moment.”
He has always possessed an uncanny ability to recognize emerging markets and digital platforms before they hit the mainstream. An early adopter of the internet, he was the original registrant of iconic domains such as Football.com, Basketball.com, and Trivia.com. He later went on to cofound Auction. com and Ten-X, where he and his team pioneered the online real estate auction industry, fundamentally transforming how property is transacted globally.
For Friedman, the world has always been the greatest classroom. Having visited 109 countries, his global travels have shaped a perspective rooted in curiosity, preparedness, and a non-judgmental approach to life. An Eagle Scout by training, he continues to live by the values of service and leaving things better than he found them.
Today, his focus is centered on meaningful contribution and “giving a hand up.”
He is the founder of Vera Angelita, a school and eco-resort located in the cloud forests of Nicaragua. Named in honor of his grandmother and mother, the project provides education to children from rural families and has created approximately 150 local jobs. Under his leadership, the initiative is also building one of the country’s largest botanical gardens, with a dedicated mission to propagate and distribute one million trees to help restore the local environment.
Despite his professional milestones, Friedman considers his greatest achievement to be raising two well-balanced adults. He measures success not by financial outcomes, but by the impact made on communities and the next generation. Guided by the principle that “you only get what you give,” Friedman remains dedicated to a life of impact, contentment, and service.
Culmination Event Celebrates AI Writing and Digital Literacy Fellows
Cypress College hosted an event to honor the year-long work and accomplishments of the AI Writing and Digital Literacy Fellows. The fellows are a group of approximately 45 faculty from Cypress College, Fullerton College, NOCE, Cal State Fullerton, and UCI — all of whom teach writing and have been participating in a grant to integrate AI in the classroom.
The event was held Friday, May 8, 2026, in the event tent.
The work of the AI fellows is to promote academic writing and AI literacy.
The grant’s principal investigators include Cypress College’s Stephanie Tran. Additional principal investigators and key personnel were also in attendance at the event. They are: Mark Warschauer, UCI (PI); Leslie Bruce, CSUF (PI); Tamara Tate, UCI (Co-PI); Cristina Lopes, UCI (Co-PI); Beth Harnick-Shapiro, CSUF & UCI (Co-PI); Dr. Jennifer Vega La Serna, NOCCD (Co-PI); Sabrina Look, UCI (Key Personnel); Dana Saito-Stehberger, UCI (Key Personnel); and Lisa King, NOCCCD (Co-PI).
This project will iteratively develop, implement, and evaluate an AI tool to improve academic writing and digital literacy across California public higher education segments. The project will leverage PapyrusAI, a tool created with NSF funding to help students plan and revise their writing by using embedded prompts to guide interaction with AI.
The PapyrusAI platform, associated resources, and professional development activities will be further developed to broadly support both foundational writing in first-year English and ESL composition and disciplinary writing across the curriculum.
Teams of instructors across selected departments at UCI, Cal State Fullerton, and the North Orange County Community College District will collaborate in faculty learning communities to implement AI-based writing with PapyrusAI, collect and analyze outcomes data, and iteratively develop the platform and associated resources, including online professional development materials, with the goal of involving 25% of writing instructors by the end of the project.
Simultaneously, a funding model will be developed so that the platform’s modest API and associated server costs can be recovered on an ongoing basis, thus allowing instructors and students throughout the UCI, CSU, and CCC systems to access and use PapyrusAI to support the development of their academic writing and digital literacy.
Dozen-Plus Celebrations Fill Campus Calendar as Commencement Nears
More than a dozen events and celebrations have taken place on campus since the last report to the Board of Trustees was published earlier this month, each filled with joy and culmination for the students and employees participating.
These events include the APIDA graduation, the Muslim Student Association End of the Year Potluck, the ESL Potluck and Scholarship event, the Rising Scholars End of Year Celebration, Language Arts End of Year Celebration, VRC Graduation Dinner, Transfer Celebration, Accounting Pathway End of Year Celebration, Puente Graduation, Court Reporting End of Year Banquet, the Shark Tank Competition, Human Services Celebration, EOPS+ Graduation Celebration, the BFSA Backyard BBQ, along with the Scholarship Awards Ceremony (and several additional events).
Lavender Graduation, Mazda MAST Graduation, and the Classified Appreciation Luncheon all follow commencement.
For additional highlights and headlines, visit the weekly @Cypress newsletter.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!