Virtual celebration activities including a special birthday event and an After-Party Instagram livestream hosted by radio host and DJ Mando Fresko, took place on Thursday for Cerritos College’s official 65th birthday.

Cerritos College President Dr. Jose Fierro, hosted the special live event via Zoom conference video, attended by over 40 people including former and current faculty members, staff and students.

During the event, nursing student Leeann Denis Gonzalez was announced the winner for the Cerritos College Cake Design Challenge – in which participants had to create a dessert decorating it with the college’s colors only (blue and white) and stay within a $20 budget for their creations.

Gonzalez will receive a $65 Amazon gift card as a reward for her winning cake design.

The Cerritos College Music Department also participated in the event and performed the Happy Birthday song – giving a cohesive performance they coordinated despite having to play their instruments separately from home.

The honorary Golden Falcons also spoke during the event, about their ongoing relationships with Cerritos College.

Retired faculty member, Marie Jackson, has a 60-year history with the college and reminisced on how much had changed throughout the years, sharing how she completed her student registration in a farmhouse.

She also shared how the year she graduated from Cerritos, was the year former President Nixon came to speak as a guest at the Student Center.

The celebration didn’t end there as the party moved over from Zoom to Instagram, for an after-party jam session hosted by radio-host and DJ Mando Fresko, a Cerritos College alumnus.

DJ Fresko spun some new and old school jams during the live set, as he shared about his time as a student in Cerritos, and the impact it had on his career.

Fresko said he discovered and started his radio-hosting career at WPMD, the college’s radio station, as he walked through campus and was pulled in by the sound of “Where is the Love?” by the Black Eyed Peas blasting through a speaker outside the station’s building.

“Thanks to Cerritos College I found what I love, I met some amazing people. Shout out to my mentor my, broadcast professor Craig Breit who I have so much love for,” Fresko added.

Dr. Fierro also made an appearance during the livestream and was asked by Fresko, what the 65th anniversary meant to him and the Cerritos College family.

“I feel incredibly proud of the work that Cerritos College has done over the last 65 years in our community – the last five I have been able to be part of. From day one Cerritos College has really worked hard to make an impact in the community and it is clear that the community is better because of [the college] and we are here because of the community’s support,” replied Fierro.

There will be one last anniversary event this month, a celebration closing ceremony held on Sept. 24 at 11 a.m.

If you are unable to participate in any of these online events, you can still join the celebration by sharing your thoughts and well wishes on the Cerritos College website.