Some of us attend college so that we can have an increased shot at landing a job. Some attend to prolong their athletic careers, and some attend to get away from home and experience their first taste of independence. But all of us who attend CSUN, regardless of our reasons, should take the time to get to know our fellow classmates.

At a commuter college, during rough times, we find it easy to be wrapped up in our individual worries. We can easily put our heads down, rush full speed ahead, grab our diplomas and move on with our lives without ever looking back.

Next time you are in class, look around. The disparity of race, religion, sexual orientation and age fills the rooms like at a United Nations summit. The diverse population of CSUN is an element that many of us will benefit from when we set out on our post-collegiate careers.

When we graduate, we set out to make our contributions to society. These contributions will be elevated by this diverse experience.

Engage with your fellow students and get to know their backgrounds. Receive history lessons by asking questions. Find out how classmates feel and the roads they have had to take to get here. Not one story will be the same. This education is free and beneficial. Take advantage of it.

There is no way around it: Racial and cultural boundaries do not exist here. Studying with those of different racial and ethnic backgrounds is extremely important today as minorities are slowly becoming the majority. There is no dominant culture here at CSUN.

The largest ethnic groups are Hispanic and White. The other third of the campus population is a mix of Asian, Black, Middle Eastern and other. An ethnically diverse campus enhances the education of students.

Classes about diversity are beneficial to your understanding of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds. But, it’s the free education you get from your classmates here at CSUN that will enhance your perspective.

Your intellectual development, reasoning and knowledge grow substantially with culturally diverse surroundings.

We live in a cultural mecca here in Los Angeles. We are learning at a cultural center here at CSUN. The chance to subject yourself to these special circumstances does not exist at most college campuses. The perspective enhancement that results will allow stereotypes to be torn down and unbiased decisions to be made.

The diverse environment is unavoidable on campus. Embrace it. Put yourself in the middle of it. It will help you in your search for self-awareness.

Share your story. Take something away from this diverse and cultural experience rather than just trying to get a degree and get out. Don’t take the environment around you for granted.

Maybe you could have gone to a UC or a private school. Maybe this was your only choice, but now none of that matters. Challenge yourself to know more and ask questions. Use your fellow students. You might learn more about yourself, and in the end it will benefit others.

Graduation may signify the culmination of a student’s academic career, but learning does not end with a diploma or cap and gown. Education becomes a choice.

Learning moves out of the classroom into daily life, and professors are replaced by friends, family, acquaintances and personal experience. Simultaneously class schedules become work schedules while assignments and grades become projects and promotions.

As students leave the familiar and secure surroundings of college life, they must either create their own paths and assert their own worldview, or adopt other prefabricated molds to which they can apply themselves.

Given the current economic circumstances graduates face as they enter the working world, a self-determined course is preferable, if not necessary.

Transitioning directly from a college education to high-paying, long-term employment is a thing of the past and has been for some time. There is no guarantee that a college degree will provide anyone with a job.

The national unemployment rate is 8.9 percent with California’s rate somewhat higher at 11.2 percent as of April. This growing pool of past and recent graduates and laid off professionals greatly increases competition, a fact that troubles many graduates.

However, there is a silver lining for those graduating into a recession. This difficult time is also an unusual opportunity for people, students in particular, to learn.

While the state struggles with a $42 billion budget deficit and continues to cut back spending on state-funded projects and programs, the CSU system will face increasing financial difficulties.

As more students seek higher education in order to take on an increasingly competitive job market, they must also learn that access to once widely available and affordable education will continue to decrease with shrinking funds.

Graduates might be grateful to be completing their highly state-subsidized education before economic issues alter it irrevocably.

Graduation remains a time of celebration. Current economic woes might, for the moment, dim the excitement. But overcoming this pessimism depends on our ability to move beyond what hinders us to boldly and bravely create what we wish to become.

The challenge is to face these uncertain times head-on, to make the most of adverse circumstances and to always keep learning.