COAS provides a memorable ceremony

It was definitely an eventful night at the Texas A&M International University College of Arts and Sciences Honor Cord and Graduate Hooding Ceremony held Wednesday, May 12.
With the stress of finals lifted off their shoulders, the graduates were ready to receive their diplomas, finally able to say, "It's over. We did it!"
Signaling the start of the ceremony, ROTC performed a presentation of colors, followed by the National Anthem sung by music majors Joel Bazan-Gomez and Mariso Munoz, accompanied by the TAMIU Silverwind Ensemble directed by Dr. Susan Berdahl.
Dr. Pablo Arenaz, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs welcomed those who attended the commencement, paying tribute to the guidance graduates have received throughout their lives.
"You all had teachers in elementary, middle, and high school that mentored and guided you to make the right choices and decisions, one in which was to get a college education," said Arenaz, continuing, "You are the next generation. You are the people, amongst other fine graduates, who are going to represent TAMIU."
Faculty members awarded
The greetings followed with Dr. Thomas R. Mitchell, Dean of COAS introducing the other department chairs. He commented that graduation is "A fine tribute to both the students and faculty members."
Faculty awards were also distributed for the titles of Scholar of the Year and Teacher of the Year, in which two professors were chosen for each award.
The professors chosen for Teacher of the Year were Dr. Jaclyn L. Jeffrey, professor of anthropology, and Dr. Monica Munoz, professor of psychology. The professors chosen for Scholar of the Year were Dr. Runchang Lin, professor of mathematics, and Dr. Marcus A. Ynalvez, professor of sociology.
Farewell to Farrokh
After the awards were given out, Dr. Mitchell gave a warm welcome to guest speaker Dr. Faridoun Farrokh, professor of English, who will be retiring this year after twenty-one years of service to TAMIU.
Among Dr. Farrokh's many accomplishments, some of the few that Dr. Mitchell mentioned were the dissertation Farrokh wrote on poet Samuel Johnson, his achievement of being the founder/starter of the D.D. Hachar Honors Program in 1996-98, and his knowledge and emphasis on 18th Century British Literature.
"He is totally old school," said Mitchell as he introduced Farrokh.
Farrokh started, "I consider it a privilege, in fact, an honor, to be speaking amongst you fine graduates. I sincerely congratulate you on your success and future goals."
"You have graduated and have nothing else to prove. You have taken on this endeavor," continued Farrokh, concluding his speech with, "Happiness is a journey, not a destination. I wish you all the best of luck and fare you well."
After Dr. Farrokh's speech, diplomas were given out to the honor graduates. Parents, relatives, and friends gathered around to take pictures as the graduates walked up the stage to receive their diplomas.
Honorable honors
There were a total of six Summa Cum Laude graduates, fifteen Magna Cum Laude graduates, and fourteen Cum Laude graduates in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Just before the graduate hooding began Dr. Debra Blackwell, professor of history and an asset to the D.D. Hachar Honors Program, took the time to recognize nine outstanding students who not only graduated with honors, but exceeded that by completing extra honors course work throughout their four years of college.
Master grads
Along with the bachelor graduates were eleven master graduates who received their diplomas for a second time. As well as receiving their diplomas, they were also hooded. Their degrees ranged from counseling psychology and criminal justice to Spanish and public administration.
When each of the master graduates went up to get hooded, select professors read their master graduate statements. These statements thanked their family, friends, and professors for the endless support provided in the lives they have dedicated to education, all of which concluded the night's events.
(Sarah Herrera may be reached at sarahrebecca@
dusty.tamiu.edu)