An increased graduation rate, an increased number of degrees and certificates and the largest commencement class in Cerritos College history are just some of the milestones President Dr. Jose Fierro has accomplished in his first full year on the job.

The graduation rate increased 1.7 percent in his first year. Just 0.3 percent shy of achieving his two-year goal.

Lastly, spring 2016 housed the largest graduating class ever for Cerritos; handing out approximately 2,600 degrees and certificates.

The number of degrees and certificates increased by over 10 percent.

Culinary Arts major Eric Anaya said, “It shows that people are listening. His words reached out to them and inspired them to graduate and not just hang out here for like six years.”

However, none of the aforementioned accomplishments are the favorite for Fierro.

“I would say the development and implementation of Cerritos Complete. The feedback I have received from students and parents has been amazing.

“We have 600 students in this program attending Cerritos College at no cost to their families. Many of them [would] not have been able to go to college without this program,” he said.

Despite his title, Fierro has never been an ‘I’ guy, he’s been more of a ‘we’ person.

That in turn has contributed to his success and the success of his students.

“I use the word ‘we’ because we are a team. Together we can achieve higher results,” Fierro said.

Architecture major Sandra Pulido said, “He’s mostly thinking team effort, whether it’s losing or winning he’s involving everybody.”

As president, Fierro deals with almost any and everything however, according to him, the most important thing he’s learned about himself in his first year is he still has a lot to learn.

He said, “During my first year at Cerritos College, I learned that I still have a lot to learn about being an effective college president. Becoming a college president is an overwhelming experience and the job is very complex.

“Nothing fully prepares a new president for the demands of the job so I need to be willing to learn new things, listen and be humble enough to recognize mistakes and learn from them.”

In regard to the school Fierro said, “I learned that Cerritos College is a family.

“Sometimes we disagree on issues and approaches to find solutions, but everyone cares about each other and the success of our students. In other words, positive relationships are a very important aspect of how Cerritos College operates.”

According to Fierro, his first year of duty went by rather quickly as he has not yet even scratched the surface of what he wants to accomplish as the head of Cerritos.

“My plan is to continue to build connections within the Cerritos College family on campus and in our communities. Also, I am planning to support our faculty and staff on the different initiatives we put in place over the past year,” Fierro said.

Pulido added that a brighter future is on the way for Cerritos.