Thousands of students expected to participate
Natalie Lapsley/The Rider
More than 2,500 students are set to participate in UTRGV’s Fall 2024 Commencement Dec. 13 and 14 at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg.
The first ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 for graduates in the College of Liberal Arts. At 4 p.m., graduates of the College of Health Professions, School of Nursing and School of Social Work will walk the stage.
At 10 a.m. Dec. 14, graduates in the College of Fine Arts will walk along with those from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship. At 4 p.m., graduates in the College of Education and P-16 Integration will be recognized, followed by the College of Science.
Tickets are required to attend the ceremony. Each graduating student may request up to 10.
The four ceremonies are expected to last between two and two-and-a-half hours each.
“Overall, each ceremony is expected to include [anywhere] from 600 to 750 graduating students,” UTRGV Registrar Sofia Almeda wrote in a Nov. 21 email to The Rider. “Across all ceremonies, Master’s and doctoral level students comprise more than 27 percent of participants.”
Almeda advised all graduating students who are participating in the commencement ceremony to actively check their university email.
“As we get closer to the ceremonies, our office will initiate a series of emails, and every day there’s a kind of different topic to discuss,” she said. “We’ll let students know what to expect on the day of the ceremony from the beginning all the way to the end. Keeping really close tabs on the university email will be the most important thing you can do to prepare and have a really enjoyable experience on the day of [commencement].”
Priscilla Kiss-Applah, an applied statistics and data science graduate student, said she has mixed emotions about graduating.
“I’m excited to finish school, but I’m not happy to leave the friends and family I made here,” Kiss-Applah said. “I’m just looking forward to seeing my family once again.”
She said she plans to get a doctorate in computer science at the University of Rhode Island after graduating.
Kiss-Applah’s advice for students is to ask questions, take opportunities, go to conferences and present their works.
She said she is preparing for the ceremony by designing a Ghanaian dress that her family will bring to her from her home country.
Jose Tabarez, a civil engineering senior, is excited to graduate this semester.
“I know it’s been a long journey, but [I am] very excited to be able to walk the stage in Edinburg less than a month from now,” Tabarez said.
His advice to students is to use campus resources, join student organizations and take leadership opportunities.
Tabarez said he plans to start his full-time position as a highway engineer in training at Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. in Dallas upon graduating.
