UTA to recognize new graduates with online celebration

Thursday, Dec 17, 2020 • Herb Booth : Contact

In a year full of unexpected news, at least one constant remained for The University of Texas at Arlington: graduating thousands of employment-ready students with both broad educations and real-world skills to fill critical jobs across the state.

This is a testament to the commitment of UTA's faculty to student success, said Teik C. Lim, UT Alington's interim president.

For its fall 2020 commencement, UTA received more than 5,400 graduation applications representing more than 5,200 students, with the newest graduates set to join more than 240,000 UTA alumni. The University projects it will graduate more students in calendar year 2020 than it did in 2019.

An online celebration for the graduates is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on December 17, with a preshow scheduled for 7:05 p.m. It will feature students’ favorite memories and moments, along with recorded remarks from campus leaders—all in celebration of the class of 2020.

Lim said this group of graduates has impressed him at how nimbly they have reacted and adjusted to a fast-changing year in their educational journeys.

“When I consider all that our Maverick students have been able to accomplish in 2020 and throughout their time here, I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead,” Lim said “Our students have shown their resilience and their ability to pivot at a moment’s notice. Their dedication, grit and commitment to reaching this significant educational milestone proves they are prepared and ready for what comes next in their careers.”

UT Arlington plans to invite its spring, summer and fall 2020 graduates for an in-person celebration when circumstances and health guidelines make it possible.
Among the newest graduation candidates are stories of perseverance, inspiration and academic excellence

• Haley Ariyibi is a political science major who founded a local chapter of IGNITE, an organization dedicated to increasing the number of women running for elected office. She was the first Black woman elected to the Student Senate’s Speaker of the Senate position. She also interned at ReflectUS, a nonprofit national women’s representation coalition; on a Congressional campaign; and with the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
• K.C. Subash, Lamichhane Srijesh and Sharma Anish are cousins from Nepal, and each is expected to graduate with a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering. Subash said the cousins didn’t grow up in the same area of Nepal and attended different high schools. They first attended Mississippi University for Women, then transferred to Mountain View Community College in Dallas before discovering the academic and research excellence at UT Arlington. It was here that the three started living together and taking nearly every class together. They also all received Phi Theta Kappa scholarships.
• Paul Teeples is expected to graduate with a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction – literacy studies. He finished his studies while caring for his terminally ill father, who succumbed to cancer, and while working full-time as a junior high school teacher. After schools switched to virtual learning during the pandemic, he also had to learn how to teach online. Teeples said his UT Arlington instructors supported him throughout his home and work challenges. In addition, Teeples’ son will graduate in the spring with a software engineering degree and another son will attend UTA in fall 2021. Teeples said he expects his other two children will attend UTA in years to come.
• A.J. Munoz, a world-ranked Taekwondo champion, will be a dual-degree graduate in exercise science and psychology. She’s a six-time U.S. National Team member and six-time World Taekwondo medalist. She said she loves UT Arlington because it offers a great education while giving her the flexibility to live at home. She said she appreciates her professors’ help in helping her make online education successful.
• Taha Shujaat is a first-generation UT Arlington graduate with an electrical engineering degree. Shujaat said UT Arlington checked three boxes for him: proximity to his Fort Worth home, affordability and the support and resources offered by the Electrical Engineering Department. His family is originally from Pakistan, and Shujaat said he feels a sense of responsibility in completing his UT Arlington degree because his parents worked hard to ensure that he and his sister, a UT Arlington nursing graduate, had the opportunity to earn their degrees.
• Antoine Gray is a 42-year-old Movin’ Mav wheelchair basketball team member. He is a social work graduate with a specialization in substance abuse and mental health. He hopes to work here or in Houston at the Veterans Administration or at a faith-based residential treatment facility. While the pandemic derailed the Movin’ Mavs season, Gray said he believes the team would have contended for another national championship. He said he came to UTA in hopes of playing wheelchair basketball and winning a title. “I wanted both, so I opted for UT Arlington,” Gray said. “I don’t regret it.”