UTA expected to present more than 6,300 degrees
The University of Texas at Arlington is scheduled to present more than 6,300 degrees in commencement ceremonies May 9-11 at College Park Center as thousands of workforce-ready graduates stand ready to join the ranks of more than 230,000 UTA alumni around the globe.
The School of Social Work could see as high as a 65% increase for all degrees, compared to spring 2018, once reviews of degree applications are complete. The College of Science could realize as high as a 28% increase for all degrees.
The College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs could realize a nearly 7% increase, while the College of Nursing and Health Innovation could see up to a 3.6% increase, totaling up to 2,047 degrees.
“UTA students are workforce-ready graduates for industry partners both here in North Texas and beyond,” said Teik C. Lim, UTA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Employers want to say that they have Mavericks working for their companies.”
Ceremonies begin Thursday, May 9, and continue through Saturday, May 11. Ceremony details are on UTA’s commencement page.
While the overall numbers continue to set records, the stories behind the graduates are equally compelling. They include:
- Abby Dunkin, who is a kinesiology major and disabilities studies minor. She has been chosen for the USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team. Dunkin, who is in her third consecutive year on the national team, was part of the 2016 Paralympics gold medal-winning team in Rio and a member of UTA’s 2016 national collegiate championship team.
- Jeremy Averyt, a Tarrant County College transfer success story who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Averyt, who transferred nearly all his TCC credits, is student vice president of UTA’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.
- Clarissa Manirakiza, who is a biology major graduating in May with plans to pursue a medical degree. A student leader and Homecoming Queen who helped organize The Big Event volunteer activity, Manirakiza spent part of her childhood in a Zimbabwean refugee camp with 50 other families.
- Najeebullah Aminyar, who is earning his bachelor’s degree in political science. He was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, and went to high school under the challenging Taliban regime. He worked as an interpreter with the U.S. Army in 2010 and in 2014 was sent to the United States for safety reasons. He is planning to start law school in 2020.
- Alexander Scott Minor, who is a finance major planning to get into financial markets through investment banking or managing a hedge fund. He studied abroad in Peru and Chile and is a finance intern at Pratt & Whitney. Alex graduated high school with 63 credit hours and chose UTA for the ease of transferring all of his credits.
- Ahoura Zandiatashbar, who is a doctoral graduate in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, has landed a job at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a geospatial data scientist and adjunct assistant professor. Ahoura’s passion is compiling the data that decision-makers need to lead a region in the right direction.