 "Photo: Kimberly Chau/Cactus Yearbook")
Friends, family and UT alumni arrived hours early to secure a spot on UT’s Main Mall lawn, despite the dark, overcast sky. But the threat of rain did not discourage the viewers from celebrating 126th Spring Commencement ceremony, which ended May 23 with fireworks and a rendition of “The Eyes of Texas.”
Crowds of people filled the lawn and listened to acclaimed director Robert Rodriguez address the graduating class of spring 2009, comprised of about 7,500 students. He attended UT in 1991 but did not graduate. He was given an honorary degree a decade later, but said he decided he would rather earn one himself. He said he chose to complete his education after working on many well-known movies, including “From Dusk Till Dawn” and “Sin City.”
In his commencement address, Rodriguez, donning a cowboy hat with the customary graduate tassel, noted the importance of the work he and his fellow students have completed during their time at UT.
“I wanted the real thing like you people have, and I wanted to be here and get a real degree because, let’s just face it, it’s not real until it’s real,” Rodriguez said. “What you did is real.”
Rodriguez poked fun at the dwindling economy by making it clear that he has no idea what will happen in the future. But he did offer words of comfort for graduating students entering an unstable job market.
“If there’s one thing I can tell you with all certainty, it’s that you will never know it all. You’ll always be learning. We have to continue to be students of life and students for life,” Rodriguez said.
UT President William Powers stressed the importance of the commencement ceremonies and said he thought the weeks of preparation for the event were well-spent.
“The University goes to great effort to make each commencement fun and meaningful,” Powers said, “It is important for us to schedule guests who are connected with the students in a deeper way, such as being an alumni.”
This connection between students and commencement speakers does not fail to draw a crowd because the opportunity gives students more incentive to understand what the speaker is trying to communicate.
“We have always tried to have a speaker for the commencement who has sat in the same seats of graduates past,” Powers said. “This allows students to see what a degree from this fine university can accomplish.”
Krista Lunquist, a UT alumna who graduated in fall 2008, attended the main ceremony and the convocation for the Fine Arts College to see her boyfriend graduate.
“I waited two hours on the Main Mall for the event on Saturday night [May 23] to see Robert Rodriguez,” said Lunquist. “It’s impressive to see how many big names UT is able to bring to their special ceremonies.”
“These ceremonies offer families and friends a chance to honor the accomplishments of their loved ones and celebrate how far they have come,” Powers said.
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