Commencement is a milestone most students spend years working toward. For Sean Hillman's family and friends, Sunday's ceremony at Cal Poly is bittersweet. The university is honoring Hillman with a degree and a dedication to a student-built structure.
Cal Poly's Class of 2026 architectural engineering graduates celebrated their graduation through a longstanding tradition of the Order of the Engineer and the dedication of one senior project to a classmate who couldn’t walk alongside them.
Makayley Washburn was part of the senior group that worked on the structure dedicated to Hillman.
“It's an amazing experience to be able to have his name here forever," Washburn said. "It just was a no-brainer for our team to say this is dedicated to Sean, and we are proud to be the ones to do it.”
Sean Hillman’s life was tragically cut short in 2023 after his bicycle was hit by a pickup truck at the corner of Grand and Fredricks st. in San Luis Obispo. He was a first-year student in Architectural Engineering, and he was on track to graduate this year.
To honor Hillman, the university invited his family to accept his posthumous degree and the engineer’s ring he would have received at his graduation.
Carl Hillman is Sean's dad, who attended the ceremonies with Sean's mother and extended family.
“I was not intending to come down here because I was like, graduation is a huge celebration, and I don't want to bring that down," Carl said. "But when this school informed us that the students had been working doggedly on finishing this structure, just out of sheer respect for that, I had to come in and visit.”
Carl said the students and faculty inspired him to participate in graduation ceremonies.
After the soon-to-be graduates were recognized by their department, they gathered near the project for its dedication and the unveiling of a plaque for Hillman.
“Walking up to this, I was impressed with this structure," Carl said. "I totally lost it when it was covered with the blanket and the lei. To be able to lift the blanket off and actually see the plaque was really intense, but it was, I think, just it was very uplifting, too.”
Washburn said there were mixed feelings going into the ceremony, balancing her peers’ accomplishments and Hillman's memory.
“Not everyone who passes away while they're in school gets this," Washburn said. "I'm just so proud for him and his family to be able to get this honor. He meant a lot to the department, and I'm glad that it's shown in a physical way.”
A common phrase during the ceremony was “live like Sean”. Washburn said it’s become a mantra among students who want to take what Sean lived for into their next chapter. His dad said it’s also become something the family lives by.
“It's been a good motivator," he said. "I'm super grateful that his legacy is going to live on through all these kids living like him and hopefully getting some more enjoyment from life by living like Sean.”
