Herrera, who had wanted to leave in her sophomore year, spoke of touching her father's callused hands, knowing they had come from a life of hard work as a welder.
"Those are the values I brought to Grinnell," she told the gathering. "Those same values helped me recognize that I deserved to be here and I can make it here."
A psychology major, Herrera made the dean's list twice and finished with a grade-point average of 3.5, highest of the posse students.
Her father, Luis Herrera, rose tentatively and addressed her in Spanish.
"Gracias," he said, "for always letting us guide you and for listening and for your responsibility."
Paula Moss, who had tried to stop daughter Nikisha Glenn from going to Grinnell four years before, also was in the audience. Moss learned that her daughter was among only a handful of African American women in Grinnell's 162-year history to earn a physics degree.
She was reminded as well that her daughter and Herrera would be entering Pepperdine in a month to earn their teaching credentials and master's degrees in education.
After the ceremony, Moss, a reserved woman, said simply: "It was worth it."
The next day, as rain gave way to sunshine, the posse joined the parade of 398 Grinnell graduates in black caps and gowns. They walked through the "gantlet" of robed professors lining the sidewalk, a Grinnell tradition. And there, amid the sycamore and crab apple trees of central campus, they strode onto the stage to collect their diplomas.
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On latimes.com
Graduation at Grinnell
Find these features at
latimes.com/columnone:
* Audio: Listen as the students talk about what they learned and how they grew from their Grinnell "posse" experience.
* Video: "You did it!" Watch one family rejoice as they accompany their daughter to the commencement ceremony.
* Photo gallery: View scenes from the campus in Grinnell, Iowa.
* "Posse" primer: Learn more about the Posse Foundation's work.
* Column One: Read The Times' original story about the 10 L.A. high school graduates headed to college in Iowa.
* Discuss: Share your thoughts about the "posse" students.
Other recent Column One articles can be accessed as well.
