Ontario Graduation Celebrates Career Pathways with Keynote by Mayor Paul Leon

The 2025 winter graduation ceremony for UEI College in Ontario was a powerful celebration of student achievement, community support, and career readiness, featuring remarks from City of Ontario Mayor Paul Leon and representatives from state and local leadership.

Mayor Leon served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker, delivering an energetic and deeply personal message. Setting aside his prepared remarks, he spoke candidly from the heart to graduates and their families, emphasizing the value of skilled trades, lifelong opportunity, and personal responsibility.

“Every one of you has chosen a specific trade, and you made wise choices,” Mayor Leon shared. “The trades you’re graduating in are trades that will provide you with a job for the rest of your life.”

He encouraged graduates to see commencement not as an ending, but as the beginning of their professional journey. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail,” he said. “Graduation isn’t the end—it’s the beginning.”

Mayor Leon also spoke directly to what employers value most, reminding graduates of their importance in today’s workforce. “There are jobs everywhere,” he noted. “Most owners I know are looking for someone they can count on—and I know that’s you.”

Adding to the celebration, Senator Eloise Gomez-Reyes’ District Representative, Prince Ogidikpe, personally presented a Certificate of Recognition to the valedictorian and shared the Senator’s congratulations and well wishes with the graduating class.

Congratulations to Team Ontario and the Class of 2025 on this incredible achievement.