Rolando Morales
Staff Writer
Of 700 graduates who crossed the stage Dec. 16 at Freeman Coliseum, one of them received a special honor from Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Cristian Moran, a computer information systems major, was the university’s 20,000th graduate.
Confetti and streamers shot from cannons as his name was called. A Pitbull song, “Celebrate,” played on the speakers as he received his degree.
Moran, a first-generation graduate, encouraged students “to continue exploring and don’t let unknown stuff hold you back” in an interview after the afternoon ceremony for graduates of the College of Business and the College of Education and Human Development.
The atmosphere was festive, lively and cheery. There were 700 graduates — including those from the College of Arts and Sciences, whose ceremony took place earlier that morning — and 2,000-3,000 guests, according to Sarah McBride, associate vice president and university communications.
Friends and family of the graduates talked in excitement and glee as they anticipated the start of the ceremony.
University President Salvador Hector Ochoa, faculty and VIPs walked through the stadium as “Pomp and Circumstance” began playing, and then they took their respective seats on stage. After that, it was the graduates’ turn.
Graduates walked with pride and happiness on their special day, waving to their families, who screamed and cheered. A few whistled, and others went “whooooo!!!”
After everyone took their seats, Mohamed Abdelrahman, provost and senior vice president, gave a few remarks and welcomed Avery Hirsch, a cybersecurity sophomore, to start singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Abdelrahman announced the names of university leadership and explained the scale for Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude.
First-generation students stood up to be recognized and acknowledged.
Videos of quotes from some graduates played on the Jumbotron, including one from Moran that thanked his loved ones: “During the times when I found it hard to continue my education, when school was getting very difficult and stressful and when I did not have many people to turn to, I always remembered that initial motive for why I was there and I want to say thank you to all because even though you might not have known it, y’all were there supporting me along the way.”
Moran, who gave a speech at the ceremony, recognized A&M-San Antonio for nurturing his academic journey.
“TAMUSA will always hold a special place in my heart because this place and these people turned what felt like a daunting move into one of the best decisions of my life,” Moran said.
Noise makers rang, and air horns blared as friends and family cheered as graduates received their diplomas and shook hands with Ochoa and Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hagar.
One guest in the crowd barked and made gorilla noises instead of cheering. Each person had their own way of showing how proud they were. “Do a flip!” another guest in the crowd called out after he whistled.
The Jumbotron overhead was displaying pictures of the graduates with their thank-you quotes.
After the ceremony concluded, Moran gave a little backstory of why he picked his CIS major in an interview.
“So initially I wanted to go to law school, but then I met with an adviser, and they told me, they were like, ‘Yeah, you don’t need to do political science to go to law school,” Moran said. “So, I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll go to CIS’ because it sounded interesting. And I was always interested in, like, computers and technical stuff.”
Moran said he recently applied to doctoral programs and is just waiting to hear back from them. He applied to seven master’s-to-doctorate programs: Berkeley, Boston, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, Chicago and the University of Michigan.
His sister, Jamie Tello, said she wants to continue in her brother’s footsteps. She wants to study nursing and is currently a senior at Heights High School in Houston.
Moran grew up in Houston, according to Tello, and he moved to San Antonio so he could study computer science at A&M-San Antonio.
Kyle Skinner, a fire and emergency services administration major, was also among the 700 graduates.
“So, I’m already a firefighter. I’ve been a firefighter-paramedic for 15 years and wanted to continue my education.”
Skinner said his training at A&M-San Antonio allows him to be qualified for a future position that opens up.
He took classes online to fit in with his busy schedule. He was able to take them online because a lot of his professors were retired firefighters, so they know the job.
Skinner’s words of wisdom are to “Keep pushing. Don’t give up. Everything’s achievable.”
Deborah Skinner, Skinner’s wife, said they motivated each other to get their degrees.
“I graduated from A&M Corpus Christi in 2012, and yes, he is exceptionally motivating for me,” Deborah Skinner said. “I started my master’s when he started, so yes, he motivated me to continue and to start my master’s degree. So, I’m in the process of doing that now.”
Ochoa said during the ceremony that the process of graduating and walking the stage not only represents academic success but also the promise of what comes next, the contributions alumni will make in their professions and the impact that they will have in their communities.
“Today is a great day to celebrate the students and to thank them for trusting us with their education,” Ochoa said before the ceremony.
