From 2008 to Today: The Sac State Graduate Who Refused to Quit

Eighteen years is a long time to chase a degree. Most people would’ve given up somewhere around year three.

Akil Daniels didn’t. On May 22, 2026, he walked across the stage at the Golden 1 Center with thousands of other Sacramento State graduates—but his journey was anything but typical. While many of his classmates started college at 18 and wrapped it up by 22, Daniels has been at this since 2008. Lots of stops. Lots of gaps. But here he was, finally getting his diplomas after nearly two decades of persistence.

His story arrives at a historic moment for Sacramento State. The university just celebrated its largest graduating class ever—a projected 9,178 graduates when you include the Winter Commencement class. That’s an 11% jump from the previous year. It’s a milestone that speaks to something bigger: more people are finding their way to degrees, and sometimes those paths look nothing like the straight four-year sprint we’ve been conditioned to expect.

When KCRA’s Mike Teselle caught up with Daniels before the ceremony, something became clear: this wasn’t a story about overcoming obstacles in the traditional sense. It was about wisdom earned through experience.“Be flexible,”Daniels said.“Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and do new things. Even if you find yourself in situations or spaces where maybe everybody is not as passionate or enthusiastic about something as you are, don’t let that dim your star.”

That’s the kind of advice you can only give after you’ve actually lived it. He’s not just telling you to persevere—he’s living proof that it works. Whether your journey takes four years or eighteen, the lesson stays the same: showing up, staying flexible, and refusing to let other people’s indifference become your excuse to quit. That’s not just graduation day wisdom. That’s life wisdom.

The commencement ceremonies at the Golden 1 Center spanned May 22-23, with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Business leading off the celebrations. For downtown Sacramento, it meant packed streets and plenty of traffic. For Akil Daniels and nearly 9,200 other graduates, it meant something far more personal—the moment when a long, winding road finally led somewhere.