Commencement

Tobe Awaka sat down for his "exit interview" with Patricia Prelock, U of A provost and chief academic officer, to discuss balancing the spotlight this season with his academics, his fondness for Fyodor Dostoevsky's characters, and what's next after he graduates.

Inspired by their immigrant father's work in cancer research, twin sisters Sally and Nora Shaheen are getting ready to cross the graduation stage together.

Camila Hurtado created her own roadmap to medicine, inspired by her patients and mentored by faculty at the College of Medicine – Tucson. She is now poised to become an ear, nose and throat surgeon.

University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella will confer about 10,000 bachelor's, master's, doctoral and professional degrees at the university's 162nd Commencement on May 15.

Graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology this May, Aidan Rains started as a research assistant, became a preceptor, and will soon take on the role of a peer mental health coach.

Graduating Wildcat Bridger Frost ended his undergraduate journey on a high note: Taking control of an F-16 fighter jet while flying over Southern Arizona.

The seven undergraduates, representing a range of majors, will receive the U of A's top awards for their academic achievement as well as their integrity and leadership beyond the classroom.

Shannon Taylor, an Arizona Online student who attended from her home on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, sees her new expertise as a cartographer as a modern extension of the White Mountain Apache's role as homeland protectors.

At 73 and retired from careers in airlines, employee assistance counseling and real estate, Carol Nigut, a Master of Legal Studies graduate, is pursuing new purpose to become a lawyer focused on civil rights restoration and reversing wrongful convictions.

Schmidt led Google's rise from startup to global powerhouse. He and his wife Wendy Schmidt founded Schmidt Sciences, which is developing the world's first fully privately funded space telescope. The U of A will develop instruments for the 3-meter space telescope that will advance a range of astrophysical investigations.