Becky G y Olga Talamante inspiran a graduados Latiné en ceremonia de UC Santa Cruz ● UPDATING

SANTA CRUZ — More than 450 graduating students at the University of California, Santa Cruz received an unexpected treat last week during the 54th annual Chicane Latiné Year-End Celebration, as pop star Becky G made a surprise appearance as a second keynote speaker. The event, held to honor Latiné graduates, featured live musical and dance performances, and an initial keynote address by community activist Olga Talamante, before Becky G was announced to the crowd's delight.

Dressed in a graduation cap and gown, the singer—born Rebbeca Marie Gomez in Inglewood, California—took the stage to a standing ovation from students, friends, and family members. Becky G, who has earned accolades including American Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, and People's Choice Awards, praised the graduates for their resilience in completing their degrees.

She urged them to take pride in themselves and their community, saying, "Continue to be loud and proud, mi gente. Not just of your roots, but of yourselves, for earning this accomplishment." In true UCSC spirit, she added, "Aquí estamos y no nos vamos," which translates to "we are here and we are not leaving." She also thanked Talamante, the first keynote speaker, for her inspiring words.

Talamante, a UC Santa Cruz alumna and now executive director emerita of the Chicana Latina Foundation, is a lifelong human rights advocate who spent 16 months as a political prisoner in Argentina in the 1970s. In her bilingual speech, Talamante recalled attending the very first Chicane Latiné Year-End Celebration in 1972, with her own family traveling from Gilroy to see her graduate in 1973.

"It was the middle of the harvest season, but they left the empty buckets of prunes, the baskets of garlic, the boxes of strawberries, to fill them instead with hope, with dreams come true, with love, as you are filling the hearts of your families," she said. She spoke about how her community supported her during her imprisonment and urged graduates to take individual action to build collective strength.

She also called for solidarity with other groups under attack, including women, African Americans, and the LGBTQ+ community. "It is incumbent on our Chicane Latiné community, and especially on our youth," Talamante said, "to be in solidarity with all the communities to confront the cruel fascist attacks of this current government." Before the keynotes, the crowd enjoyed a musical performance by student-run Mariachi Eterno and a blessing with Danza Azteca by the White Hawk Indian Council for the Children.

Lily Balloffet, associate professor of Latin American and Latino Studies, noted the significance of the degrees being awarded, stating, "This is a time when science, humanities, arts and social sciences—indeed, the scholarly production of knowledge itself—is under concerted attack. These degrees are, in that sense, acts of resistance."