Graduation Speakers

Student Speaker

Leslie Reynoso

Leslie Reynoso is a first-generation Mexican American woman born in South Los Angeles and raised in the city of South Gate. Looking to continue her higher education, after graduating from South East High School, she began her journey at ELAC Fall 2022. Aside from focusing on her academics, Leslie participated in several activities during her two years here at ELAC. She has served as a Student Ambassador for the STAND at ELAC program and holds a position in the Associated Student Union board as the Vice President of the South Gate campus. Leslie will be transferring with an AA-T in Psychology and she will be attending the University of California Los Angeles in Fall 2024, where she will be pursuing her BA in Psychology in hopes to teach her community about the importance of mental health and dismantle the stigma around it.

Master of Ceremonies 

Bryant Horowitz, Ph.D.

Bryant Horowitz is an associate professor of psychology at East Los Angeles College. A former community college student himself, Bryant attended Santa Monica College before transferring to Cal State Northridge in the Fall of 1999. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology in 2001 and received his master's degree in general/Experimental Psychology from CSUN in 2006. Bryant then went on to earn his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from UCLA in 2012. Currently, Bryant teaches for the Honors Department, and serves as the advisor to the Honors Club. Bryant is also the co-advisor for the Psi Beta Honors Club, where he has successfully taken numerous students to professional conferences and mentored multiple students for the Honors Conference (HTCC). Previously, Bryant served on the Transfer Committee and as a research mentor for the BUILD PODER program, in affiliation with Cal State Northridge. He is proud of all of his students for their perseverance.