With the spread of COVID-19, the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) made the decision to break away from the traditional in-person commencement ceremonies. Initially postponed, the ceremony will now be held virtually July 17.
The Signal emailed a Google form to students, faculty and staff calling for thoughts regarding the change, as well as advice and thoughts for the spring 2020 graduates. View some of the responses below.
EDITORS NOTE: 5/4/20 – President Ira K. Blake made the announcement regarding the virtual commencement ceremony April 29. Some of the below responses were submitted before Blake’s announcement. All responses are listed in the order received via the Google Form.
Students
Note: Over 100 submissions were received. Those appearing below are just a sample of the thoughts and well wishes submitted. Thanks to every student who contributed their reflections and advice for the spring 2020 graduates.
Class of 2020 is filled with resilient individuals. We have managed to submit our assignments, participate in class, and dealing with our day to day lives during a global pandemic. We are strong, determined, and overall badasses!
– Magge Nunez, industrial/organizational psychology
You’ve achieved something you felt some days was just so hard and to know you did it is all that matters! You’re amazing! To the next goal!
– Stephanie Miramontes, psychology
It is a challenging time for all the students graduating in spring 2020. I have friends who had offer letters until companies suddenly stopped hiring. We go to college to build ourselves and shape our knowledge and that stays with us for the rest of our lives! The virus will pass, your hard work won’t! I am proud of everybody, YOU DID IT! Congratulations <3 Celebrate your Success with gratitude and prayer for the well-being of the world!
– Pavani Kallempudi, computer science
Congrats to everyone graduating in Spring 2020! Remember that not everyone can say they postponed their graduation due to a pandemic so that makes us special!
– Luis Arturo Perez, biological science
Congratulations to the graduates of Spring 2020. I know that this isn’t what we deserved as a graduation gift, but only history will live and show the world how we responded and by not being selfish rather sacrificing for what’s better for all mankind. Hang in there and only positive vibes to come! Once again, congratulations.
– Mohamed AbdelGilil, biology
Keep your chin up y’all because while walking across that stage is a very special moment, the degree that is earned after this semester is the real reason we are here. With the trials we have gone through this semester we have earned our degrees and we have succeeded!
– Devin Sgarlata, business management
Congratulations to all the 2020 graduates! All of us have worked so hard, especially amongst these trying times that has put us all in very unforeseen predicaments. I wish you all the best of luck with your future endeavors. This is just to show that no matter what life throws at us, we need to keep going and striving forward to achieve our dreams. Nothing will stop us. I congratulate you all again for this incredible achievement, fight on hawks!
– Iman Rahim, MHA/MBA
Congratulations 2020 graduates! You have been through a lot and never gave up! This is just another notch you get to add to the obstacles you overcame!
– Andrew Alvarado, chemistry
I’m sad for those who graduate this semester and won’t get to have the commencement ceremony they planned for. As a recent graduate myself, and as a non-traditional student who worked on my bachelors for quite a while, I can’t imagine having my commencement canceled. It was so important to me for my friends to see my walk across the stage, and now I won’t be able to see all of them do the same this semester since many have planned on moving away this summer. My heart hurts. To everyone graduating this semester– congratulations! Even though it might not be what you pictured (it’s okay to grieve the loss of your big day, by the way), it is still a HUGE accomplishment. Be proud of yourself. No matter how long it took and no matter what obstacles you had to face to get here, you did it. I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors.
– Cristi Weisz, biological science
I wish all of my fellow graduates nothing but the best! I came to Houston and UHCL in 2017 right as Harvey devastated the city. Now we are enduring the worst public health crisis in our lifetimes. After all we have been through, I know that we are ready to go into the world and make it a better place than we found it. The best is yet to come!
– Landon Cowan, behavior analysis
Congratulations to all of the students that are making through this tough time and a huge thank you to the teachers that are adapting to this change.
– Estefany Sanchez, graphic design
Congratulations to my fellow Hawks! Although bittersweet, this is the day we’ve been looking forward to since the beginning. I wish you all the best in your careers and future opportunities to come.
– Nouhad Jebara, MBA
Congratulations to all my fellow graduates. After numerous years of preparation, we are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Although this pandemic is in place we must make the best of it. Congrats!
– Yamilex Villarreal, fitness and human performance
For many of us, graduation isn’t only a celebration of our accomplishments, it’s a right of passage. When we set our sights on accomplishing a goal like a bachelors or a masters degree, we envision ourselves earning the distinctive honor of hearing our names called as we walk across the stage. To my fellow hawks, both undergrad and graduates, congratulations! Ceremony or not, I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished and I hope to join you all one day in the near future to take that incredible walk into the next stage of our lives.
– Tarick Kawaja, MBA
No matter what, there is nothing on this planet that can take away your education. This is such a huge accomplishment that me and my fellow Class of 2020 have received. As soon as we can, we are still going to go out there with our families and celebrate our achievements. Congratulations to you all! SO proud of us!!
– Lauren Brown, healthcare administration
Faculty, Staff and Administrators
Congratulations to all UHCL 2020 graduates!
– Jana Willis, professor and department chair of Literacy, Library, and Learning Technologies
Congratulations to your graduations!
– Xiaokun Yang, assistant professor of computer engineering
On behalf of Student Housing, we hope all UHCL spring graduates hold their head up high, rejoice in their incredible accomplishments, and soar to new heights, to infinity and beyond!
– Matthew Perry, director of Student Housing and Residential Life
Be Courageous, Be Strong, Be Bold, and always Be YOU in all that you do in life! Congratulation’s Class of 2020!
– Crystal Matthews, compensation analyst
Congratulations on accomplishing a major milestone in your life. Graduating from college takes commitment, dedication, determination, and growth. It is something to look back on fondly, but also needs time for reflection and examination. There are things you learned and people you met and things you did during your collegiate career that may not have seemed important in the moment, but when you sit back and think about it or when something happens down the road, those lessons will become more evidentMy best advice for everyone is to truly take care of yourself. I mean that in the holistic sense. Take care your body, it is the only one you will have. Take care of your mind, it is the most powerful tool you have. Take care of your social connections, starting with your family and those who are closest to you. Take of your finances, be smart about how and what you spend your resources on. Take care of your environment, be mindful of the world around you and take advantage of it as often as you can. Take care emotionally, starting with knowing and understanding yourself. Take care of yourself occupationally, find something that you are passionate about and you will not see work as work but as your life’s work. Take care of yourself intellectually, your learning and growing is not over. Work to strengthen yourself holistically everyday for the rest of your life.
This is such a unique and difficult time, but it is also one that provides a sort of reset on a lot of aspects of who we think we are or who we think we are supposed to be. Do not go back to an old “normal.” Rather find your new normal, one that is a better normal, a stronger normal, and a more honest you.
– Brian Mills, director for Campus Recreation and Wellness
Congratulations. Most of you are now off to new adventures at work or you continuing post-graduate study. You have spent years working toward this moment. It may or may not have come at a significant financial cost. Do not let this degree become a financial burden years from now. Now is the time to develop a plan to set yourself up for a bright future. 1) Get on a budget. Budgets are not restrictive, they are liberating. With your income: spend some of it, save some of it, and give some of it. 2) Pay off any debts you may have. Many of you may have student loan debt, now is the time to pay it off. Many of you have lived the past several years with a small income compared to that which you are about to receive in your new careers. Use that income to pay down all debt, there is no better time in your life to do this than now. You will thank yourself in the future. 3) Start setting money aside for your future and retirement. Although retirement is many years from now for many of you, now is the best time to get started. You have many years to see tremendous growth in investments. Start an IRA, Roth-IRA, 401K or other retirement plan. 4) Ask wise and successful people of all ages what they wish they knew when they were your age. Use their experience to guide your decisions. 5) Think about where you want to be with your career in 5 years. Find someone who has that position or role and ask them to be a mentor for you. Continuously do this throughout your career: find someone 5 years ahead of you and learn from them.
No one accidentally becomes successful, be purposeful with your life.
– Daniel Imrecke, assistant professor of geology
Congratulations on this huge achievement! You should be incredibly proud to have persevered and graduated during this very difficult semester. I know there is so much uncertainty, but I hope you never give up on your dreams. I graduated with my BS during the dot com bubble burst and with my PhD during the subprime mortgage crisis. My path was bumpy, but I truly believe that my success is sweeter because of it. I have been inspired by a Joseph Campbell quote: “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life waiting for us”. I hope you find the best path for you and enjoy tremendous success!
– Angela Kelling, assistant professor of psychology
Many Congratulations to you in these trying times we are facing, I know it’s not ideal, but under the circumstances we are dealing with, you reached a great accomplishment and will always remember what you had to go thought to get there. Much success to you all and God Bless all and you valiant efforts.
– Richard Ramirez, computer coordinator I
Congratulations, graduates! We are proud of you and excited to celebrate your future.
– Christal Seahorn, assistant professor of writing
Remember: you don’t have to land the dream job tomorrow, or next week, or even this year. Whatever job you land, have the dream job in mind, always. Keep it alive, and dedicate everything you do for it as a lesson/enhancement/ stepping stone to the dream job. When the time arrives, you will be ready. 🙂
– Andrea Baldwin, lecturer of communication
Congratulations! You made it. Now comes the hard part. The “real world.” The real world doesn’t normally give you a letter grade or even a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade. Don’t be embarrassed if you fall down, or don’t reach the heights that you dreamed of. Just get back up and think about how you can learn from it. Life-long learning — that is what we hope that you have learned here at UHCL. You will succeed. And be sure to help those less fortunate than you have been. It will be your badge of honor.
– Terry Feagin, professor of computer science
Congratulations to all graduates, you have made it to reaching your goals. The best advice that I was given for a successful life that I would like to pass on to you. The world is a constant revolving door and we must learn to adapt to change.
– Debbie Williams, administrative assistant
¡Felicidades a todos nuestros estudiantes que terminan sus estudios este semestre!
Sé que esperaban celebrar en un escenario en mayo, pero aunque eso se ha modificado un poco, esperamos que aún tomen el tiempo para celebrar, de forma segura, el trabajo y esfuerzo de estos cuatro años con sus seres queridos.
Tenga en cuenta que no están solos en sus emociones acerca de no poder estar fÃsicamente en NRG este mayo. Es mi época favorita del año, pero sabiendo que hemos tomado la mejor decisión para la salud de todos, espero celebrar sus logros más tarde de lo esperado este año, ya que honramos virtualmente su logro. ¡Les deciamos todo lo mejor!
Congratulations to all of our graduates finalizing your degree course work this semester!
I know that you were hoping to walk the stage this May, while that has been altered a bit, we hope that you will still take the time to safely celebrate your degree completion with loved ones.
Please know you are not alone in your emotions about not being able to physically be at NRG this May. It is my favorite time of year, but knowing that we have made the best decision for everyone’s health, I look forward to celebrating your accomplishment later this year as we honor your achievement virtually. Congratulations and we wish you the best!– Iliana B. Melendez, associate dean of students
I am so proud to welcome the UHCL Class of 2020 into the Alumni Association! You have made it! You are resilient, tough, smart, flexible and strong. On behalf of the other 71,000 alums, WELCOME! Get connected and know that together, we are #UHCLStrong!
– Carri Hill, director of Alumni Engagement
Congratulations Graduates! I know for many of you that this journey to completing your degree has been a long one. And that you had to make many sacrifices to continue toward this goal, sometimes working 40 plus hours, and then spending many long nights writing papers and completing assignments for your classes. YOU did this! Please take some time to reflect on your journey, the sacrifices, and allow yourself to feel proud and celebrate this wonderful accomplishment! Take some pictures of yourself around campus, post them on social media and allow your friends and loved ones to congratulate you and to celebrate this accomplishment with you in a virtual way!
– Kristi Rickman, director of transfer advising
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Your Voice: UHCL community offers spring 2020 with advice and congratulations - The Signal
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