The Future is Bright for Angelo State's Newest Graduates

Family and friends applauded and cheered their graduates from Angelo State University on Saturday Dec. 14 in the Junell Center.

As usual, the ceremonies were split up, one at 10:00 a.m. and a second at 2:00 p.m.

The commencement speaker was Lt. General Ronnie Dawkins Jr. the highest-ranking alumnus of ASU’s Air Force ROTC.

He emphasized the importance of family and not getting wrapped up in a career. “You did not get anywhere without the support of people who care about you,” he said.

Dawkins also mentioned that on deathbeds no one wishes they had spent more time working.

He also explained that work is not a sprint, but a marathon.

“You can’t expect to become the CEO, don’t expect to be the president of a university, don’t expect to become a three-star general overnight,” Dawkins said. “Don’t expect to have the house and possessions that your parents have overnight, and don’t expect a prized window office.”

After the end of the ceremony, new graduates and families scrambled to find each other through the crowd.

“I did it!” exclaimed Kimber Sides, an English major. “I’m really excited.”

Sides plans on finishing an internship at University of North Texas, and already has a job lined up as a campus missionary at Texas Christian University.

Near the flagpole stood three friends, all computer science majors, gently teasing one another about future plans.

Brandon Schulz, when asked how he felt during graduation, replied “Hungry, to be honest.”

His friend, Mark Gray, to peals of laughter from all present asked “Hungry for knowledge?”

Schulz assured him his thirst for knowledge was quenched, and he plans on joining the Coast Guard rather than getting his master’s degree immediately.

“I planned on joining the military before college, but as you see that didn’t happen,” he and his two friends laughed.

Gray, on the other hand is ready for more, and plans on pursuing his master’s degree.

“They [parents] set me in front of a computer when I was two and it just happened from there,” Gray explained.

When asked what advice they would give incoming freshman, they all warned about the changes in responsibility and freedom.

All three agreed that it was best to experience the changes from high school to college before choosing a major and career path.