Nearly 2,000 Graduate During UTEP’s Winter Commencement

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Published on Thursday, 15 December 2011 22:51

The University of Texas at El Paso celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2011 during three Winter Commencement ceremonies on Dec. 10. 

Nearly 2,000 students walked across the stage at the Don Haskins Center to receive their diplomas and become full-fledged members of the Miner Nation. 

Spirits were warm despite the chilly evening as more than 600 graduates from the College of Engineering, the College of Health Sciences, the College of Science and the School of Nursing filed into the Haskins Center for UTEP’s evening Commencement ceremony. Among the candidates were 29 doctoral students and the first class of seven Master of Social Work (MSW) graduates. 

Launched in the fall of 2010, UTEP’s MSW program is the first in the nation that prepares students to address the social and health needs of families and communities in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

“These graduates will help create a human services workforce that is culturally sensitive to the social, health and economic needs of people living in the Paso del Norte region,” said UTEP President Diana Natalicio.

Members from the University’s Enrollment Services hollered “Go Miners” as the graduates exited Memorial Gym to begin the processional. 

A few students from the School of Nursing and the College of Health Sciences bedazzled their mortarboards with beads and glitter, along with felt cutouts of white nursing caps and stethoscopes.  Some College of Engineering graduates donned hardhats with orange tassels and purple Xi Epsilon honor society stoles.

Friends Armando Ramirez and Octavio Gonzalez were overcome with a feeling of awesomeness as each prepared to receive his degree in civil engineering. 

“There are no words to describe it,” said a beaming Gonzalez, who will leave for Los Angeles in January. “I feel so excited. I feel I can take on the world right now.”

Ramirez, the first in his family to graduate from a University, looked for his parents who were up in the stands as he took his place on the floor in the Haskins Center.

“They are very proud of me,” he said.

Rosanne Aguilar graduated with her degree in biological science and plans to become a nurse practitioner with a focus on pediatric oncology.

She said some of her fondest memories of UTEP were when she won the Miss New Mexico USA title in 2010 and represented the University at the Miss USA pageant. Above all, she is proud to be a Miner. 

“I want to give a shout-out to all my fellow Miners,” she said. “Go UTEP! We did it class of 2011!”   

More than 700 students from the College of Business Administration and the College of Education received their degrees during the afternoon ceremony, including three doctoral candidates.

Many decorated graduation hats, both electrically powered and sparkled in glitter, adorned the floor of the Don Haskins arena. Last minute preparations where made inside Memorial Gym an hour earlier, as each student stood together, one in back of the other, speaking on cell phones and taking pictures as they awaited their entrance into the Don Haskins Center.

“This has been a very exciting moment for me,” said Susanna Copper, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of Education. “It’s been a very tough road, and I still can’t believe I’m here. I’m honored to join the rest of the alumni from UTEP. I’m a Miner.”

During the morning ceremony, family and friends cheered more than 600 graduates, including four doctoral candidates, from the College of Liberal Arts.

Among the graduates was Alejandro Aleman, a native of Juárez who came to El Paso with his mother when he was 15. He talked about the significance of his degree in history in terms of his life and the lives of others.

“Higher education means more opportunities,” he said, adding that he either will get a job or enter graduate school and earn a master’s in psychology. “I want to do something that will help the community. There are a lot of foreigners in this country. I was a foreigner once. I want to help others to have their own dream and achieve it, and the only way to do that is through education.”

Transfer student Christina Rodriguez said she had planned to stop school to look after her two young children, but her husband encouraged her to finish. She admitted it was stressful at times to be a wife, mother and student, but Saturday’s ceremony brought satisfaction. She graduated summa cum laude (a 3.9-4.0 GPA) with a bachelor’s in multidisciplinary studies.

“I can tell (my children) that life may be hard and the odds may seem against you, but you can accomplish your goals,” she said.

The two were among the hundreds of candidates who entered the Haskins Center, some with souped-up mortar boards, and others with tears welling in their eyes and lipstick residue on their cheeks, to “Pomp and Circumstance” performed by the University Symphonic Winds.

Well wishers let out a thunderous applause as the graduates entered the arena through the tunnel. Flashes from cameras burst from the stands to accompany the sound of cowbells. While no signs are allowed in the center during the ceremony, an industrious group who wore red T-shirts with black letters took up an entire row to spell out “Felicidades,” or “congratulations” in Spanish.

Tashi Wangchuk, a native of Bhutan, earned his Master of Public Administration degree. He called his experience at UTEP an opportunity to deal with other cultures and to come out of his shell.

“I met so many nice people. They all were very warm and friendly. I learned a lot from my professors, especially in how to conduct research,” he said minutes before the ceremony. “I was a shy person when I arrived, but here I built my confidence.”

Wangchuk, who will try to use his skills at a nonprofit organization and apply for a doctoral program, said he was excited because this was his first opportunity to participate in a graduation ceremony. 

Among those in attendance was Marlina Carrillo, who was there to support her friend Sandra Urista and Sandra’s daughter, Suzy. Both Uristas earned bachelor’s degrees in multidisciplinary studies.

“I’m so proud of her accomplishments,” said Carrillo, who worked with the elder Urista at the Canutillo Independent School District and came early to get a front-row seat. “I think it’s awesome. What an inspiration. This is her day to shine.”

Today’s graduation marks a major milestone in UTEP’s history, as the total number of degrees awarded by the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, the Texas College of Mines, Texas Western College and UTEP surpassed 104,000. 

It also is the first time that the University Mace has been used at a UTEP graduation ceremony. Created by UTEP alumna and metalsmith Beverly Penn, the Mace will be part of the lasting legacy of UTEP’s Centennial commemoration in 2014. 

“As we head toward our Centennial year, we have raised our collective expectations once again by accepting the challenge of becoming the first national research — or Tier One — university with a 21st century student demographic,” President Natalicio said during the morning Commencement ceremony. “This region and the students we serve deserve nothing less, and we can all be proud of the significant progress that we’ve already made toward achieving that goal.”    

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