More than 2,000 UTEP graduates celebrate winter commencement

UTEP’s alumni base just got bigger.

More than 2,300 students were eligible to walk the stage at the Don Haskins Center on Saturday.

“The vast majority of those are the first in their family to obtain a college degree,” UTEP Dean of Students Catie Mccorry-Andalis said. “That’s a life-changing moment for them; for multiple generations that are coming behind them.”

Moriah Johnson received her Master’s degree in History. Johnson, 37, said it’s been a long journey for her to get to this point.

“I joined the army at 17, in 1997 because I had zero idea of what I wanted to do with my life,” Johnson said. “There’s no words. My daughter is about to turn 15. I’ve spent a considerable time away from her because of deployments in the army.”

Johnson started taking online classes at first, before finishing up her Bachelor’s and Master’s at UTEP. She said she wants to use her success as an example for others.

“I’m the first one in my immediate family to walk across the stage,” Johnson said. “No matter what gets in your way, no matter how many stumbling blocks you have, if you’ve set that goal — you’re going to make the goal happen.”

Twenty-three student-athletes also graduated.

“Being a student-athlete is not an easy task,” Mccorry-Andalis said. “The fact that they’ve made it to this point is a tremendous accomplishment. I think that what we’re mostly proud of is, in our athletic program, it’s about being a student first. It’s about making sure they obtain that degree.”