The University of Arizona Global Campus celebrated nearly 8,700 graduates from around the world during its spring Commencement on Sunday.
The ceremony, held at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale and streamed online, honored 8,675 graduates. More than 2,600 graduates and their families attended.
Addressing the crowd at the ceremony, Cecilia Mata, chair of the Arizona Board of Regents, reflected on her own time as a first-generation college student raised in Panama by parents who had immigrated from China. Recognizing the importance of education early, Mata began working at 11 to save money for college. She worked full time while completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees.
"Looking out at all of you reminds me of the life-changing potential of higher education and how I realized my dreams in the United States through perseverance and the power of education," said Mata, whose first job in the U.S. was as a program coordinator at the UArizona campus in Sierra Vista, which is now the university's College of Applied Science and Technology.
"Keep life simple," Mata added in closing. "Find a career to enjoy, surround yourself with good people and practice kindness in everything that you do. But keep life simple."
The youngest graduate in the UAGC class, Mata said, was 19 years old; the oldest was 76.
Most degrees awarded Sunday were in business administration, with 1,606 bachelor's and master's degrees; organizational management, with 967 bachelor's and master's degrees; and psychology, with 803 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Other degrees conferred were in early childhood education, health care administration, human resources management, and social and criminal justice.