Citrus College awarded 2,119 associate degrees recently to students, including its Woman of the Year and Man of the Year for 2014, Alejandra Morales and Tyler Hernandez.

Both graduates have achieved and overcome personal challenges and significant triumphs over the course of their academic careers, and they are among the nearly 800 students who will graduate with honors.

Morales, a Baldwin Park High School graduate is a member of several honor societies and honor programs, including Phi Theta Kappa (PTK).

As a member of PTK, Morales was one of the originators of the Citrus College Completion Corps, which helped shape the College of Completion initiative and establish the Citrus College Institute for Completion, expected to launch this fall.

As an undocumented student, however, Morales had little hope that she would be able to continue her education. Thanks to legislation that allowed her to stay in the country,

Morales will now attend UCLA to study English. She plans to get master’s and doctorate degrees in higher education administration and return to Citrus College to teach.

Hernandez, an Azusa resident and outgoing As sociated Students of Citrus College (ASCC) president, has been actively involved in student government since he began his academic career at the college.

Hernandez plans to attend either Cal State Long Beach or UCLA.