Lauren Roland was one of four star student speakers featured in Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s 2026 commencement ceremonies. Roland graduated from CGCC with an Associate in Arts in Sociology.
Roland maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood, raising her children, caring for her grandfather and working all at the same time. Driven by a deep sense of purpose, she aspires to work in a field that fosters reconciliation and healing. In a time when communities often feel divided, Roland hopes to be a force that helps restore connection and guide us back to our shared humanity.
Roland began her journey at CGCC in 2017 as a new mother.
“Even though I knew the world would now see me as only a mother, I never had a single doubt; my purpose was now greater than me,” said Roland. “So finally I began at Chandler-Gilbert, and as I worked through classes people would compliment me about juggling work, kids and school. Even still, I berated myself with ‘only’. Then In my final semester I had a change of heart, I saw ‘only’ in a new light. All of the moments that I had weighed against the world’s judgements, and worse my own, they had accumulated. Reflecting, I realized that the childhood story of the tortoise and the hare resonated with me in a different way.”
Roland relates the story of the tortoise and the hare to the perseverance needed to continue moving forward and achieve your goals.
“The tortoise used ‘only’ NOT to limit or berate himself, but as a way to keep moving forward,” said Roland. “The tortoise knew the power that comes when you say that even if it is ‘only’ it matters. It matters more than when it’s fast or when it’s easy. It matters the most when it is only.”
Roland plans to continue her education at Arizona State University where she’ll pursue a bachelor’s degree in Conflict and Peace Studies, with the long-term goal of her earning a graduate degree in Genocide and Holocaust Studies from ASU.