Excerpts of the Craig Chronicles: Graduation-May 4th & 5th

My family came down Thursday. Grandma and Grandpa Arnold got down here around 5 PM but the rest of my family didn't get in til 1 AM. Friday I had to be to the school at eleven to line up with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The actual commencement began at Noon. I walked from the front of the Braithwaite building down underneath the bell and to the loading dock under the Centrum. I then walked into the Centrum and since all the sets on the floor were taken the college I was graduating with got to take the first seats on the side.
During the Commencement ceremony President Michael T. Benson gave his speech, some stats about this years graduating class, and then Payden Adams gave his speech, and then President Benson introduced the Honorary Degree recipients. We watched videos about each of them. After the honorary degree recipients we had David J. Jordan, chair, Utah State Board of Regents give a speech. Unfortunately I didn't write any of the speech down, but it was really good. Then President Benson had a member of the faculty graduate us and move our tassels from the right side to the left side. The commencement started right at noon and went to 2 PM. Afterwords We went back home and then I went to Walmart to shop with my family while Jake and Sydney napped.

2012 Graduation Stats

Size of Graduating Class:

1746 graduates
351 master's
1000 bachelor's
384 associate's
11 one-year certificates

Age Range of Graduates:

17-75

Gender Breakdown:

1009 Female
737 Male
Class includes 58 married couples (couples that are graduating at the same time)

2011 Graduates come from:

38 U.S. states
12 different nations

Most Popular Degrees:

Psychology
Elementary Education
Biology
Nursing
Communication
Accounting
Physical Education and Human Development
Criminal Justice
Management
English

2012 Honorary Degree Recipients:
Kent & Bessie Dover, Doctors of Humane Letters
Alice Gibson, Doctor of Education
David Jordan, Doctor of Public Service
2012 Valedictorian: Gwen Knight Psychology major from Cedar City, UT
Graduation Speech: by 2012 musical theater graduate Payden Adams

Saturday I had to be to the school at 8 AM to line up for the individual College of Humanities and Social Sciences graduation ceremony. We were given cards that we had to fill out with our names and email addresses (these cards would be later given to the person announcing our name as we picked up the diploma). We stood outside for an hour before the Ceremony began at 9 AM. The associate degrees were the last to be seated. We watched as the president of the college opened up the ceremony, and then faculty staff over certain majors were given the opportunity to announce the individuals name as we walked on stages. The people graduation with their masters went first, the first couple of people were fun to watch getting robed, but there were like 20 of them-it took forever...Only highlight of that part was that I knew one person getting there masters: Liz Day McNaughton. Then we had the bachelors go up, but they went up according to the major they had chosen. I don't remember the exact order, but I know Psychology was the last major up there because after that group it was time for me to go up on stage. I was so nervous. I knew like 20 people out of the entire college that were graduating and all of them with bachelors. I was so proud of them, and a little jealous.
Of course there are details I am missing since it has been a couple weeks since it all happened. But I am proud to say (well when the actual paper gets here in 10 weeks) that I know have an actual degree under my belt, rather than just a few years of college.
We then came back to my house and later that night we played monopoly in my parents trailer while Sydney and Jake slept.

After the graduation, we headed to St. George to do Birthday shopping for Shayla and I. Shayla and Sarah and mom spent like two hours it seemed in one clothing store. They spent a lot of money. I got a couple shirts and then some spring-form pans (specifically so I could make Sydneys birthday cake), and a couple other kitchen items. By this time Sydney was so tired she was impossible to please. We went to have lunch at brick oven which was across the street from the outside mall and I stayed outside and walked circles around the parking lot for maybe 5-10 minutes until she was dead (excuse the phrase) asleep. Then Jake and I joined the family for pizza and salad bar. The pizza was so good, so was the root beer, and the chocolate mouse.
Sarah left from St. George to head back to Ephraim.
Sunday, Spencer and I stayed at my house and talked while Dad, Mom, and Shay went to Sacrament Meeting. Sydney was getting sick by now but we just thought it was a cold (because she had a runny nose and was coughing) so I didn't want to go anywhere. Earlier Jake had bought some breakfast materials, so when the family got back from church we had a huge brunch, with grilled sausage, bacon, eggs, and french toast. My family left my house around 2:30 PM.