Chicane Latiné Year-End Celebration
Celebrating culture and community
For decades, El Centro has hosted the Chicane Latiné Year-End Ceremony—a beloved tradition that celebrates the achievements and cultural pride of Chicanx Latinx graduating students and their families. This bilingual ceremony features danzantes, live musical performances, and powerful keynote speakers, all coming together to honor the strength, resilience, and joy of our community.
The Chicanx Latiné Year-End Ceremony is a community celebration organized by El Centro and is not a degree-conferring event. Graduating students are encouraged to participate in both their College Commencement and this cultural celebration.
We look forward to welcoming future graduates into this vibrant tradition. If you have questions about participating in an upcoming ceremony, please email elcentro@ucsc.edu.
For information about UC Santa Cruz Commencement visit the Commencement website.
Register for the 54th Annual Chicane Latiné Year-End Celebration hosted on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 5 p.m.
Registration for the 2026 Chicane Latiné Year-End Celebration will open on Monday, March 30, and close on Monday, May 11, at 11:59 p.m. PST. If you miss the deadline, don’t worry—you’re still welcome to attend! Simply arrive on the day of the event with up to five guests. We won’t turn anyone away.
Cultural graduation stole distribution
El Centro will distribute 450 free cultural stoles on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like receive a stole, please complete this form in its entirety. After we receive 450 responses, we will open a waitlist. Stole pick ups will take place in May.
Student Speaker: Students may nominate themselves or another graduating student. The selected student will have approximately 3-4 minutes to speak. We are looking for one (1) English Student Speaker to give a speech directed to graduating students and one (1) Spanish Student Speaker to give a speech directed to families.
Multilingual Welcomers: The Multilingual Welcome is an opportunity for students to welcome the graduates, families, and celebration guests. They will welcome the commencement in their native language (other than English and Spanish, for example Zapotec, Kichwa, etc.)