More than 1,200 Texas Tech University students walked the stage, including 63 undergraduates from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, as part of the university's commencement ceremonies on Saturday (Aug. 7) at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock.

Commencement is an opportunity to acknowledge students' achievements and thank them for their past and future representation of Texas Tech University, said Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec. “We look forward to their continued contributions to our society as they move forward in their many endeavors,” he said earlier.

During the event outstanding students carried banners representing their respective colleges. Kamryn Pepper, a senior agricultural communications major from Patricia, Texas, represented CASNR. Administrators selected the banner bearers based on all-around achievement. Pepper and Allyssa Almager, a senior animal science major from Levelland, were the highest-ranking summer undergraduates from CASNR. 

Separately, Courtney Gibson, an associate professor with the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications, served as the Presidential Mace Bearer during the ceremony. A member of the CASNR faculty since 2015, her research focuses on developing and enhancing student creativity, the impact and importance of visual communication and graphic design for agriculture, social media strategy, and risk and crisis communication. Gibson was part of a research team that was awarded the Journal of Applied Communications 2021 Article of the Year Award.

Graduation undergraduate recipients from individual departments and majors included:

• Agribusiness, 2
• Agricultural & Applied Economics, 15
• Agricultural Communications, 4
• Agricultural Education, 2
• Animal Science, 19
• Conservation Law Enforcement, 2
• Food Science, 1
• Natural Resources Management, 14
• Plant and Soil Science, 4

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

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