About 3,200 students are expected to graduate in the Spring 2019 Commencement, which will take place May 10 in the Texas Southmost College Jacob Brown Auditorium in Brownsville and May 11 in the McAllen Convention Center.
In previous years, the ceremony on the Brownsville campus took place on the Student Union lawn, but the venue has changed to the Jacob Brown Auditorium.
Sofia Montes, university registrar, said the reason for this change was to avoid inclement weather and allow for a more intimate ceremony for the graduates and their guests.
“The best way to ensure a smooth commencement experience for graduating students was to secure an indoor venue,” Montes said. “[Jacob Brown Auditorium] was the one that could offer us the most capacity and still be in the Lower [Rio Grande] Valley area to accommodate students there.”
Before, there was only one commencement ceremony for students graduating on the Brownsville campus.
“Instead of one ceremony outdoors, it changed to four ceremonies indoors,” Montes said. “We needed to do four ceremonies to ensure that graduating students in the Lower Valley were able to get as many tickets as students who are in the Upper Valley. So, this ensures that all graduating students are able to get six tickets.”
Raymundo Vilano, a computer engineering senior, will be participating in the ceremony on the Brownsville campus after enrolling back in 2014 with legacy institution University of Texas at Brownsville.
Vilano said being able to withstand bad times and, despite them, keep moving forward was the most important lesson he learned in college.
“There was a time where I was in doubt with my capabilities,” he said. “I really thought I might just give up. It was really a low moment in my life. During that period, I proved myself wrong and learned that there is a lot I could do and achieve.”
The first ceremony on the Brownsville campus will begin at 9 a.m. for the College of Liberal Arts.
At noon, the College of Health Professions, the College of Nursing and the College of Social Work will hold their ceremony.
At 3 p.m., the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship and the College of Education and P-16 Integration ceremony will commence.
At 6 p.m., the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Sciences, and the Mathematics and Science Academy ceremony is scheduled to begin.
In the McAllen Convention Center, the first ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday for the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Fine Arts.
At 1 p.m., the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, the College of Health Professions, the College of Nursing and the College of Social Work and the Cooperative Pharmacy Program ceremony begins.
At 5 p.m., the College of Education and P-16 Integration, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Sciences, and the Mathematics and Science Academy commencement is scheduled to begin.
Tickets are required to attend the ceremonies at both venues.
Math senior Diana Torres said her overall experience at college was great and creating a community with classmates makes the experience 10 times better.
“I think that getting advice from other junior and senior college students early on is important because they can have a lot of insight for your own future,” Torres said. “If I could do this all over again, I don’t think I would change a thing. Maybe not procrastinate as much.”
The bell ringer tradition will continue this semester, and there will be designated bell ringers at every ceremony, Montes said.
“We will definitely keep the tradition of the ringing of the bell,” she said. “So, the bell actually will be on-site at the Brownsville ceremonies and then, it is transferred overnight to the McAllen Convention Center.”
For incoming freshmen, Vilano advises students to be mindful of their actions and focus on their goals.
“The best advice I can give a freshman is to avoid McDonald’s,” he said. “Also, to focus on your studies and don’t let other things get in the way of your goal. Everything that happens in college depends purely on your actions, so be conscious about your actions.”
