By Lisa Y. Garibay, Leonard Martinez and Christina Rodriguez
UTEP Communications
The University Mace, the music, and the procession of faculty and students decked out in full academic regalia all added to the excitement and anticipation that filled the Don Haskins Center on May 14, 2016 for the three Commencement ceremonies that marked the 100-year anniversary of The University of Texas at El Paso’s first Commencement.
The ceremonies were a true celebration of more than 2,700 eligible graduates, as well as their families and friends who paid homage to the culmination of years of hard work, with hopes of impending success and prosperity looming on the horizon.
Some students, like Italia Jessica Valles-Ochoa, didn’t want to take any chances that something could go wrong and ruin her special moment.
“I’m really nervous. I didn’t even wear heels because I didn’t want to fall,” Valles-Ochoa said as she showed her gray Nikes before the evening ceremony that included the colleges of Engineering, Science and Health Sciences.
“I’m very goal oriented and this was the goal I set out to achieve,” said Valles-Ochoa, who received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Although UTEP President Diana Natalicio has participated in scores of Commencements at the University, she says every graduation ceremony carries with it a special promise of bold new beginnings and unlimited possibilities.
“As I look out and see the excitement on all the graduates’ faces, I want you to know how genuinely proud I am of each of you and your accomplishments,” President Natalicio said during her evening Commencement speech. “I am moved and inspired by the fact that this University has played a major role in unlocking your potential and transforming your future. This is a great moment for you and for all of us who have been a part of your higher education journey.”
One group of graduates – the civil engineering students – stood out with their bright orange Miner hard hats that they wore instead of the traditional graduation cap.
“Engineering by itself is a hard subject,” said Geraldo Montero, who received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. “But I got through it and had the chance to meet incredible people who made me grow as a person.”
For Brenda Jimenez, who received a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, her memories of UTEP will go beyond books and studying.
“The best part about my experience at UTEP was being able to meet new people,” Jimenez said Jimenez, who plans to stay at UTEP for graduate school.
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For Danielle Robertson, Commencement is one of two momentous dates in mid-May – the other is her due date of May 15.
“I’m known to have graduation babies,” she said. Her first daughter was born just 11 days before her high school graduation 12 years ago.
Robertson is one of the students to whom President Natalicio referred in her Commencement speech during the afternoon ceremony honoring the colleges of Business Administration and Education and the School of Nursing.
“The demographic and academic achievement profile of this and all UTEP graduating classes demonstrates that, just like UTEP, most of you have beaten the odds in performing well above traditional predictions,” President Natalicio said.
For Robertson, who received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing during the afternoon ceremony, the journey to this day began after nine years as a licensed vocational nurse and an associate degree from El Paso Community College that led to becoming a registered nurse in 2013. She decided to go back to school not only to make herself more employable, but because she “had already reached one milestone, so why not another?” She added, “I’m just trying to set a good example for my girls and let them know that nothing’s impossible – you just keep going. I worked two jobs, I took care of my mother who had a stroke, and I kept going to school.”
Robertson was jubilant and seemed not at all worried about the baby making a sudden appearance.
“I’m surrounded by a lot of nurses,” she noted with a laugh.
Speaking of strong mothers, Cynthia Mercado received her master’s degree in educational leadership with a principal certification during the afternoon Commencement ceremony. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University in early childhood education and worked during both degree programs at Benito Martinez Elementary while she and her husband raised three children. The youngest child designed Mercado’s clever cap, which read, “Now two degrees hotter!”
Laura Miranda and Pamela Kuchle met in high school at El Paso’s Lydia Patterson Institute and went into the University’s College of Business Administration together – Miranda to study marketing and Kuchle to study computer information systems. Both are determined to pursue their master’s degrees even if it takes them to different cities from one another, knowing they have a great foundation in their friendship and their education – the value of which keeps rising with national recognition from TIME magazine and Washington Monthly, which have recently noted UTEP and President Natalicio’s success.
“For all of you, this high national and international visibility means that UTEP’s brand – and your degrees – are appreciating in value, and will continue to do so in the years ahead,” President Natalicio said during her speech.
Raul Alba celebrated not only the receipt of his diploma but also a successful transition from eight years of banking to the start of a nursing career. With his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in hand thanks to UTEP’s accelerated fast track nursing program – adding to his 2011 Master of Business Administration degree from the University – Alba will hit the floor of the Las Palmas Medical Center intensive care unit this summer.
“As I studied nursing and got my feet wet with some of the courses and my hands on some of the patients through clinical experience, I realized that it was more of a calling to get into nursing and I realized, this is it – this is why I’m here,” Alba said.
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The morning Commencement ceremony celebrated the academic achievements of graduates from the College of Liberal Arts.
Optimism and eager anticipation for the beginning of a new and promising life chapter was on the minds of many of those graduates.
Andrea Crespo’s dream since her first day of college was to work hard to earn her bachelor’s degree so that she could one day attend law school. While at UTEP she served as a public defender for the Student Government Association, helping students get out of parking tickets in order to prepare for her future endeavor. As she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, she felt proud of having achieved her goal.
“Today marks an exciting new beginning for me, and I am very excited to start law school in August at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law,” Crespo said. “I will be the first in my family to attend graduate school. It’s heartwarming that I get to pursue my dream and at the same time make my family proud.”
The next milestone for Stephanie Avalos begins just days after receiving her bachelor’s degree in digital media production. She will begin her career as a multimedia designer for the UTEP Athletics Department. She credits the department with helping her realize her true passion during her time as a student intern there throughout her four years of college.
“I am very grateful to UTEP and fortunate to know I’ll be starting my career as soon as I graduate and not have to struggle looking for just any job,” Avalos said. “I will be doing what I truly love; it’s very exciting!”
For a couple of graduates, their favorite movies were not only the inspiration behind the elaborate décor of their mortar boards, but also signified their college and future journeys.
Zack Henderson, who received a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, proudly displayed a brightly lit Spider Man head on his graduation cap.
“I am not only a huge Spider Man fan, but he is one of those guys, like me, who doesn’t give up no matter how hard it gets,” Henderson explained. “My college journey was hard for a number of reasons, but like Spider Man, I never quite until I got to the end and will continue doing so moving forward.”
A bright and bedazzled sun with the words “On to my new dream,” inspired by the Disney movie “Tangled,” was the inspiration behind Elizabeth Finney’s mortar board design. Upon receiving her bachelor’s degree in history, she is on to her new dream when she moves to San Antonio, Texas, this summer to teach social studies to middle school children.
“Today I feel like Rapunzel in that she finally accomplishes her dream, then has to find a new one,” Finney said with a big, enthusiastic smile. “My new dream is to inspire the kids I teach to do as I did and get a college education and never stop pursuing their dreams. I am very excited to start this next phase of my life.”
President Natalicio encouraged graduates to continue dreaming big and working hard to accomplish their goals and achieve future success.
“You set high aspirations for yourselves, persevered and worked hard to develop your talents and achieve your goals, and greatly increased the probability that the success you celebrate this morning will serve as a springboard for other big dreams that you’ll achieve in the future, much as you did this one,” President Natalicio said.
Brian Burns has already accomplished many of the goals he has set for himself. With his master’s degree in public administration in hand, he plans to take President Natalicio’s words to heart and keep dreaming big, persevering and achieving success. He has proudly served in the military since 2005 and was recently promoted to a Major. His dream after graduation is to help better the community by creating a nonprofit organization that mentors at-risk youth, a goal he feels he will achieve with the exceptional education he received at UTEP.
“All my professors were awesome, the curriculum was great and applicable to my goals,” Burns said. “I am very optimistic and confidant with the education I received at UTEP. I now have all the right tools to do exactly what I want to do.”
The spring ceremonies mark the 100-year anniversary of Commencement. The State School of Mines and Metallurgy, now UTEP, held its first Commencement on May 30, 1916 in the school’s auditorium, located on what is now Fort Bliss. During that first ceremony, three candidates were presented with Engineer of Mines degrees.
To see photos of the morning Commencement ceremony, click here.
To see photos of the afternoon Commencement ceremony, click here.
To see photos of the evening Commencement ceremony, click here.