Glad to be a grad

On May 11, 700 spring and summer students will graduate on the Student Union lawn in Brownsville and 2,200 on May 12 at the McAllen Convention Center.

Elizabeth Vasquez-Ruiz will be among the students attending the ceremony on the Brownsville campus. She will earn a bachelor’s degree in social work.

She started attending UTRGV in Spring 2016 as a transfer from Texas Southmost College. Vasquez-Ruiz graduated from high school in 2002, but due to unforeseen circumstances, had to put her education on hold.

“So, I’m a little bit older,” she said. “I’m graduating with my bachelor’s at 33 years old. I started [college] in the fall semester, but my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer. So, I was trying to continue school and work and trying to help out at home, but of course, it didn’t really work out and because I wasn’t fully dedicated to school. So, I ended up not finishing school back then.”

Although she began taking classes again in Fall 2013, she still faced difficulties. 

“It has not been an easy road,” Vasquez-Ruiz said. “Actually, this year, the day before school started in the fall semester, my father passed away. So, I think that’s been the hardest thing I had to [overcome], to not let it interfere with my school and just continuing with my goal of graduation.”

Her first semester at UTRGV was heavily impacted by the school’s merger.

“I started attending UTRGV in the spring semester of 2016,” she said. “It was a bit of a hassle because everybody was still getting used to the merger and everything, but it worked out.” 

Despite the obstacles she faced, the support of her husband Victor Ruiz and children Alondra, Jared and Martha, helped her reach her goal.

“The family support is very important and then my kids, especially my oldest, sometimes she’ll be with my younger ones doing their homework or just get them together, or for bed and they see, ‘Oh, Mom’s doing homework, we need to be quiet,’ or ‘Mom, what are you doing? Can we see?’ or ‘Can we help you?’ It’s nice because you get to teach them to get motivated, like, ‘Wow. Am I going to go to college, too?’ and ‘Wow. That’s the work I’m going to do?’”    

She advises other students in her position to be practical and take the time to practice self-care. 

“Take little breaks whenever you can,” Vasquez-Ruiz said. “Take little naps during the day. Make sure you always carry your lunch, so you won’t have to be wasting time. Just try to be as organized as possible. I always carry my planner, you know, it’s going to be your new best friend because it’s going to have your assignments and when they’re due, and your kids’ things because it’s also important to not forget about your real priority.”

She appreciates the lessons she is able to teach her children. Although she is finishing school at a later date than anticipated, she is glad for the mature, responsible mindset throughout her collegiate career.

Of 2,776 graduating students, 2,157 are receiving their bachelor’s, 608 master’s and 11 doctorates.

Before the ceremony, graduates and guests can expect first-come-first-serve seating in Brownsville. Students who are attending the McAllen ceremonies will be granted six tickets. To request additional tickets, students may visit, https://enrollment.utrgv.edu/Graduation.

The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in Brownsville for all colleges, while in McAllen, the ceremonies will kick off at 9 a.m. for the College of Health Affairs and the College of Education & P-16 Integration. At 1 p.m., the College of Engineering & Computer Science, College of Sciences and the Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, then the College of Fine Arts and College of Liberal Arts will follow at 5 p.m.

In case of inclement weather, the Brownsville ceremony will be relocated to the McAllen Convention Center at 6 p.m. May 11. Participants will be notified in advance, according to University Registrar Sofia Montes.

“The inclement weather plan for the Brownsville outdoor ceremony is to move it to the McAllen Convention Center. It’s a standard inclement weather plan,” Montes said. “Anytime a decision like that is made, the graduating students are contacted ahead of time, early that week.” 

UTRGV traditions will continue at this year’s commencement, she said.

“One is the ringing of the bell,” Montes said. “So, every ceremony has designated bell ringers and the bell ringers are from within the student body and at the conclusion of the commencement ceremony, they ring the bell. That happens at both the Brownsville and McAllen Convention Center ceremonies. In addition to that, a lot of our graduates choose to give their stoles to somebody who helped them with their education. Sometimes, it’s family. Sometimes, it’s a significant other.”

After the ceremony, candidates will receive a survey to fill that will provide feedback and impact the university’s future graduates, she said.

“We send a survey to our candidates and we ask them what they liked about the ceremony,” Montes said. “The overall feedback from the graduating students has been positive. So, we’re just trying to preserve the celebratory feel of the ceremony and again, it’s to preserve some of the traditions at UTRGV.” 

For the future graduates, Vasquez-Ruiz advises them to be open to accepting help from peers in order to guarantee success.

“It’s important to juggle all of those things and look for support,” she said. “So, don’t be afraid to ask for help from relatives or friends or anybody you have around you because that’s the only way you’re going to make it through.”