The Class of 2024 have earned their stoles and are ironing their gowns before taking the stage at Don Haskins. A total of four graduation commencements will take place from Dec. 14 through Dec. 15 to fit in seven total colleges.
Currently the schedule stands as the following on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 1p.m. the College of Health and Sciences and College of Nursing will have their ceremony, followed at 6p.m. by the College of Science, College of Business, and School of Pharmacy. On Sunday, Dec. 15th at 1 p.m., the College of Liberal Arts will be honored, and the commencement ceremonies will end at 6 p.m. with the College of Education and College of Engineering.
Preparation is well underway to write this semester’s fall class into the UTEP history books, but the ornate celebration is built from key pillars that assure the commencement’s stability.
One that is at the forefront for those wanting to share the special moment with their graduate is UTEP’s clear bag policy. This rule has been set for years yet falls short of reaching some because it can easily fly by a spectator’s mind.
As for the graduates, it’s best that they graduate based on separate colleges rather than all together. In the spring, each ceremony averaged around two hours and 15 minutes, group those all together in one, and best believe that the seat is going to be warm after over eight hours of constant sitting.
Upon entering Don Haskins, the students’ special occasion is welcomed with the tunes of the Miner band as they walk down the ramp in front of loved ones. The steps made by those in caps and gowns have been earned through a relentless effort to not succumb to any tangible and mental roadblocks.
To speak to the graduates is UTEP President Dr. Heather Wilson, behind her are decorative banners of all the colleges in the institution. Wilson in last year’s commencement referenced scientist Francis Bacon, “Learning connects us to each other, through conversation. Late into the night with friends, or over a meal with family, or sending a text to a link of a really good podcast,” said Wilson. “We learn for joy, for engagement of others, and to do our jobs better, but what we should most value, is those that are learning.”
During this time Wilson also commends the staff and deans thanking them for the role they played in each student’s life.
Finally, it’s time to be recognized. The process of naming the students takes around an hour, or less.
UTEP lights the pick on the roundabout orange and blue and illuminates the all too familiar “M” on the mountain.
Never will one be able to stop putting their picks up, but a commencement ceremony makes the symbolic gesture more valuable than words can describe.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is a staff reporter for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
