Stanislaus principal who skipped own graduation for students gets a surprise

It takes something big for a doctoral program graduate to forgo her hooding ceremony. For Corrin Rivera, the principal of three Patterson schools, it was the graduation of her own students.

On May 29, when she was to be honored at Stanislaus State University for earning her doctorate in education, Rivera instead celebrated the commencement for students of Patterson Adult School and Del Puerto and Open Valley high schools. Del Puerto is Patterson Joint Unified School District’s continuation high school, while Open Valley is its independent study school.

But Rivera’s colleagues were not about to let her accomplishment go unrecognized.

At the June 16 Board of Education meeting, Rivera concluded her presentation about Patterson Adult School and then took her seat in the audience. When district Superintendent Reyes Gauna went to the podium, Rivera expected him to talk about reports. Instead, Gauna commended her for her resilience in pursuing her doctorate in education at Stanislaus State while being the principal for three schools.

As the superintendent continued his remarks, Rivera’s family members entered the meeting room. “I saw my sister out of the corner of my eye and then my dad tapped me on the shoulder … and then he started talking and it just kind of blew my mind,” Rivera said.

For a brief time during Monday’s meeting, a surprise hooding ceremony was held to recognize Rivera’s accomplishment. Rivera received a stole following the ceremony.

In a news release, Gauna said that when he heard Rivera had missed her hooding ceremony, he talked with a school board member and “we felt we had to do something special to provide Corrin with the recognition she truly deserves. Attaining an educational doctorate is no easy feat. I remember how meaningful my own hooding ceremony was, and I knew we had to create a special moment for her.”

Virginia Montero-Hernandez, director of Stan State’s educational doctorate program, attended the board meeting in full academic regalia to conduct a symbolic hooding ceremony. “[Rivera] is invested in the well-being of the students, and she is committed to support and bring growth and community capacity building for the region,” she said at the meeting.

Rivera’s family prioritizes education. She said her grandparents emphasized the importance of having a document that signifies completing an education, and that’s something that she tries to instill in her students.

“It didn’t matter from where, but we needed a piece of paper,” Rivera said. “An education is something that nobody can ever take away from you.”

As the eldest of four siblings, she is the first member of her family to receive a doctorate degree.

Journey to Educational Doctorate

Growing up in Patterson, Rivera attended Central Catholic High School in Modesto. Following high school, she attended Stan State, where she earned her bachelor of arts in liberal studies in the early 2000s. She later earned her master’s degree in school counseling.

One of her first jobs out of college was counselor at Patterson High School. She later became the school’s associate principal before making the jump to a principal for three alternative education schools.

When Rivera began her current role three years ago, she went back to her alma mater to pursue her doctorate. She said she “fell in love” with working in education and credited it as one of the reasons why she decided to go back.

In those three years, Rivera balanced her work life and education. That balance included dedicating her Friday and Saturday nights to her studies.

“It’s just a balancing game, there [were] a lot of no’s, ‘I can’t make it, I can’t do that,’ and sacrifices that I had to do,” she said.

Rivera hopes her students can look at this accomplishment as motivation to why they shouldn’t give up on their goals.

“If you never give up on your dreams and keep working hard, hard work always pays off,” she said.

This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM.