Resilience and adaptability were on full display at Texas Tech University's spring commencement ceremonies last month, not only in the message to the class of 2021, which endured and overcame a global pandemic, but also in the university's determination to take a purposeful step forward in its aftermath.

“You'll have a unique story to tell about the challenges you faced in completing your college degree,” Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said in his address to the graduates. “Through your selfless attitude, your willingness to cooperate and your compassion for others, you helped us reopen our doors last fall and allowed us to operate safely in the midst of a global pandemic. Each of you have learned to be more resourceful and adaptable – two traits that will serve you well for the rest of your life.”

Only a week after hosting a special in-person ceremony for more than 1,000 graduates from May, August and December 2020, whose original commencements were held virtually because of COVID-19, Texas Tech held a triumphant return to almost-normal, bringing together nearly 1,600 graduates for an in-person open-air celebration on May 14 in Jones AT&T Stadium.

And almost-normal it was. Students clustered for small group photos before the ceremony, and faculty members walked through, greeting those they'd worked with. Apart from the references in Schovanec's speech to COVID-19, and the ceremony's location – the stadium, rather than the usual commencement location, United Supermarkets Arena – it would have been easy to forget how recently Texas Tech, and the country, were in the pandemic's shadow.

Yet, when anticipated severe weather threatened to disrupt a May 15 joint ceremony for more than 2,100 additional graduates, the university did what has become second nature over the last year – pivoting, seemingly seamlessly, to offer instead four separate commencement ceremonies in the United Supermarkets Arena. In that ceremony more than 260 undergraduate students from Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources received diplomas at the May 15 program.

Graduation undergraduate recipients from individual departments and majors included:

• Agribusiness, 10
• Agricultural & Applied Economics, 38
• Agricultural Communications, 33
• Agricultural Education, 20
• Animal Science, 96
• Conservation Law Enforcement, 3
• Food Science, 4
• Landscape Architecture, 10
• Natural Resources Management, 31
• Plant and Soil Science, 19

Separately, Texas Tech officials recognized CASNR highest-ranking fall graduates. They included:

• Grace Avalon Baxter, an animal science major from Dripping Springs, Texas
• Matthew Lane Blalock, an agribusiness major from Quitman, Texas
• Megan Catherine Dunn, an agricultural communications major from  Center, Texas
• Chase Harris Gibson, an agribusiness major from Haskell, Texas
• Devin Edward Gonzales, an animal science major from Hondo, Texas
• Jansen Christopher Ivie, a natural resources management major from Weatherford, Texas
• Alexandra Mary Lee, a plant and soil science major from Lubbock, Texas
• Timothy Martin Lilly, an agricultural and applied economics major from Knott, Texas
• Morgan Elizabeth Miller, an agricultural communications major from Hotchkiss, Colorado
• Allison Grace Morgan, an agricultural and applied economics major from Sherman, Texas
• Avery Lynn Price, an agricultural communications major from Fluvanna, Texas
• Sherrie Loise Ray, an agricultural communications and Agricultural Education major from Albert, NM
• Creigh Alice Rourke, an agricultural communications major from Iowa City, Iowa
• Taylor Beth Schertz, an animal science major from Denton, Texas
• Madison Raye Schumacher, an agricultural education major from Greenfield, Ohio
• Kamlynn Christina Thomas, an animal science major from Jacksboro, Texas
• Tatum Anne Whitewood, an animal science major from Sanger, Texas

 Contributing Glenys Young / TTU Today

CONTACT: Cindy Akers, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Programs, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2808 or cindy.akers@ttu.edu

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