Commencement 2025

We look forward to hosting you, along with your friends and family guests, on Saturday, May 24^th, 2025, for Pacifica’s 2025 Commencement ceremony at the Hilton Beachfront Resort in Santa Barbara, CA (633 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103). The Commencement Ceremony will begin at 10:30 AM, with a Champagne reception immediately following in the courtyard area of the hotel.

On behalf of the Commencement planning team, we would like to congratulate you all on this momentous milestone! We have appreciated being part of your journey at Pacifica and appreciate the hard work and dedication that got you here. We also commend you on your steadfastness as we navigated through the uncertainties and challenges of the last few years. May the heart and soul of Pacifica carry through to the next chapter of your life and into the work that you will be doing out in the world.

Graduates, please plan to arrive at the Hilton between 8:30 and 9:30 AM for gowning. There will be continental breakfast options such as fresh pastries, bagels and donuts, as well as coffee, tea, and juice available for graduates to enjoy prior to the ceremony. Parking is open and free at the hotel, but please allow time to find a parking space as it is a busy area and a holiday weekend. When arriving, graduates will enter the lobby from the main parking lot and follow signs and directions from ushers to the room where you will check-in and receive your name card and your gown. Staff will be there to greet you and help point you in the right direction. At 10 AM, graduates will be instructed to line up in order according to the designation on your name card, staff will be present to assist. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 AM, with the graduates entering the Grand Ballroom in formation.

Guests may enter the hotel directly through the side doors next to the Grand Ballroom. The doors to the ballroom will be opened at approximately 9:45 AM for guests to be seated.

Following the conclusion of the ceremony, diplomas will be sorted by last name and distributed at tables. There will also be a photo op area directly outside, across from the ballroom. Please return gowns back to the initial room prior to making your way to the reception, which will be held from approximately 12:30 to 2:00 PM. Champagne and sparkling cider will be served for those whom wish to join.

A more detailed email with additional logistical and operational details, including livestream information, will be sent a couple of days before the ceremony and updated on this website.

We are pleased to announce that Kumu Ramsay Taum will deliver the address at our 2025 Commencement ceremony. A recognized speaker, teacher, writer, and transformational thought leader, Kumu Ramsay Taum is the founder and president of the Hawaii-based Life Enhancement Institute (LEI) of the Pacific LLC, Director of the Pacific Islands Leadership Institute (PILI) at Hawaii Pacific University, and Cultural Sustainability Planner at PBR HAWAII and Associates. Trained by respected Hawaiian elders, he effectively integrates place-based, cultural stewardship, sustainable, and indigenous values, practices, and principles into contemporary life, communities, and organizations. Kumu is also teaching a portion of the upcoming Pacifica Extension and International Studies certificate program: Wellness in the ‘Afternoon of Life’: A Depth Psychological Approach to Integrative Health, with a module on “Cultivating Individuation in Collective Contexts: Does Forgiveness have a Role?”