- Congratulations.

- I have to make this video. But, congrats on graduating virtually. Go Buffs.

- You guys, definitely deserve this. Congratulations you all.

- Welcome to the spring 2020 commencement of West Texas A&M University. I am Neil Terry and it is my privilege to serve as the executive vice president and provost. This is my 23rd year at WT. I've attended more than 100 graduation ceremonies hosted by the institution, with each one offering unique moments reflective of time and place. We experienced heightened security concerns after the September 11th 2001 bombings and the second Gulf War. Commencement ceremonies have taken place under the veil of a national financial crisis in 2008 and several instances when wildfires ravaged the Texas Panhandle. Ceremonies had been held in Amarillo in addition to Canyon. And one year we even had a thunderstorm knock out the electricity in the middle of ceremony, continuing with emergency lighting. This year, we add a virtual ceremony to our collective graduation experience checklist. This ceremony might be the most unique and there's never been a more important time for the university community to come together and celebrate our graduates. This virtual ceremony, will include greetings from the student body president and the Alumni Association. We are honored to include messages from the Texas A&M System by Board of Regents chair Elaine Mendoza, and Chancellor John Sharp. The 11th president of West Texas A&M University, Dr. Walter Wendler, will offer a commencement address and will officially confer your degrees. Dr. Angela Spaulding, vice president of research and compliance and Dean of the Graduate School, will introduce the academic deans and provide direction on how to navigate the college video channels. The channels include videos from participating deans, faculty and students as an alternative opportunity to walking across the stage, which we hope creates a special moment for our graduates and their families. Today, 1,588 individuals will earn academic degrees. The oldest graduate is 63 years of age and the youngest is 19. This graduating class includes 92, with the perfect 4.0 GPA, 46 veterans and 51% are the first in their family to earn a college degree. This ceremony is being offered in an asynchronous virtual mode instead of live because this graduating class includes students from 39 states and 22 different countries. I wanna take a moment to thank the faculty. Their knowledge and commitment, have played a major role on the professional development of our graduates. Let me close by setting the stage for the conferring of degrees. President Wendler, on behalf of the faculty at West Texas A&M University, I certify that the candidates recognized today have met the requirements for their various degrees. Congratulations, and go Buffs! ♪ O say can you see ♪ ♪ By the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪ ♪ At the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ Through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪ ♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪ ♪ And the rocket's red glare ♪ ♪ The bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ Gave proof through the night ♪ ♪ That our flag was still there ♪ ♪ O say does that star-spangled ♪ ♪ Banner yet wave ♪ ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪

- To the class of 2020, I'm so honored to be able to give this address to you, even if it is virtually. I'm thankful for your resilience this semester in giving up a lot of lass. The class of 2020 did it with grace, excellence and empathy. This class will never be forgotten at WT, and that is something we will all treasure. Graduates, you should be so proud of yourself for making it to graduation. You all have worked extremely hard during your collegiate career, and the Buff community is very proud of you. I want you to remember to thank your family, friends and fellow Buffs, and the ones who supported you who are no longer with us today. I want you to remember what it is to be a Buffalo and never forget it. I want you to remember all the joy and happiness of your first day on campus and look back on your days at West Texas A&M University fondly. To all the family, friends and everyone watching this, I want to say thank you for all of your endless support and love of these graduates. The effort, energy and time, you've spent helping these individuals is appreciated. This moment right here, even though it is a bit different shows that your support for your graduate over the years was well worth it. Graduates, as you transition into an alum of our wonderful university, I want you to remember that each of you will set out on a unique and diverse path. Steve Jobs once said, "Your time is limited, "so do not waste it living someone else's life." Do not let the noise of others opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. It is your job to live out your life to the fullest and pave those paths for yourself. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. I wish you all the very best in your next chapter of life. May God always guide your path and go Buffs forever.

- West Texas A&M University class of 2020, my name is Ronnie Hall, an alumnus of the class of '95 and I have the honor of serving as your executive director of the WT Alumni Association. Graduates, the world needs you. You have specific qualities that inspire others to be better versions of themselves. And you have qualities that make an impact on the lives of those around you. As the most recent alumni of West Texas A&M University, it is my honor and privilege to invite you to turn your rings outward. The turning of the classroom outward, symbolizes that it is your responsibility to transition from a student to an alum who has served your Alma Mater, as an ambassador for WT. Who gives back through success, gifts and service to the university that has given to us as students. I challenge you to invest in those around you. Never stop learning, find your purpose in life, and go make a difference. From the Texas Panhandle, you're now sent into the world, proudly as alumni members of West Texas A&M University. Go Buffs.

- On behalf of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, it is my distinct privilege and honor to congratulate you the West Texas A&M University 2020 May graduates. My name is Elaine Mendoza and I serve as the chairman of the Board of Regents for the Texas A&M University System. We stand in awe of your accomplishments. Not only have you completed the requirements to obtain your degree, but in your last semester you have done it under the circumstances of a global pandemic that change the way we live, work and learn. You're among the first of the May 2020 graduates in the Texas A&M university System to do so virtually. While this is not the graduation you hoped to experience, nothing, nothing can take away from you how significant earning your degree and graduating with your diploma is. It is good for us that we created a way to celebrate, because a celebration it should be no matter what the circumstances. This is big. I hope and pray that we never have to live through another pandemic, but challenges will arise in our lives, communities and across the globe. We all should feel better knowing that you, each of you, who have navigated unprecedented challenges to finish what you began, will be our neighbors, leaders and visionaries. Again, congratulations. We are proud of you. And as President Wendler says, "On, on Buffalos."

- Hello, I'm John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. And it's my honor and privilege to congratulate the May 2020 graduates of West Texas A&M University. I commend you for your fortitude, your perseverance, you've exhibited through what we will all remember as trying and challenging times. This is not the graduation ceremony, you had hoped to experience. But we have exhibited a can do spirit that is the bedrock of our heritage, and indeed the heritage of the Panhandle, West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University System. It's my sincere desire that each of you allow the recent challenges you have faced to forge your character, so that no matter what life brings your way, you will find a way to persist in the face of challenges and hardships. To care about your fellow citizens and to strive to fulfill your personal and professional aspirations. Again, on behalf of the Texas A&M University staff and administration, congratulations to your families, to your friends and loved ones who celebrate with you and go Buffs.

- Congratulations class of 2020, you have succeeded. You worked for the most important investment that you will likely ever make. When paying for college too many students and their families earn too much money to qualify for too few grants, but too little to pay the sticker price. Remedies exist, but they require breaking preconceptions about college attendance. Many of you are preconception breakers, which makes you great Buffalos. Here are a few encouragements that may be of value to you. First, it legitimately can take more than four years to earn a bachelor's degree, through alternative routes. Dual credit in high school, community college, online courses and part time attendance while working, resulting in a degree and diminished debt. Working and studying simultaneously for diligent students, even when starting a family is possible. Some of you have taken this path. You are Buffaloes. Buffaloes are persistent. Second, attending a community college and working full time is possible. I did it, and while recognizing that times are changing, I graduated with an associate degree in two years and a larger saving account than when I started. My mother and father a kitchen cook and janitor, respectively at Northport High School where I graduated, couldn't help. This is not a hard luck story. This is a crystallization of opportunity still available even with increasing college costs. The sacrifices are greater now than in the past, and the dream might be a little different. Some of you have personalized an approach that works for you. Of course, you are Buffaloes, and Buffaloes are purposeful. Third, if you were willing to attend a community college followed by a lower cost, high value regional university like West Texas A&M University, you beat high costs and got an excellent experience. Some didn't borrow a nickel for the first 60 hours of coursework, and borrowed less than 60% of their anticipated starting salary of the career choice for the second 60 hours. That is the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board suggestion, and I concur with it. Upon graduation, now for all of you, working hard with a focus on reducing the debt burden is a powerful goal. Many of you have been as diligent and efficient as possible in securing the advantages that a college education affords. Intellectually and economically, this is muscular thinking. Many of you demonstrate that Buffaloes are powerful. Fourth, if circumstances allowed you to earn an undergraduate degree and have it paid for, thank God or your lucky stars. Those who must work for what they achieve are often held in high esteem. For those of you who earned scholarships, congratulations. Or maybe someone paid for your education, that does not mean that you didn't work for it. Excelling in academics during your time at WT, should be celebrated. For many of you, hard work is not a disease but a pristine prospect to perform, and Buffaloes are performers. Fifth, there is public debate about whether or not a college education is a private or a public good. A good education that prepares people for a productive citizenship, is a private good that produces public benefit. Skills, capabilities and insights are accumulated person by person, one at a time. It is never free. And a society or individual that thinks it should be free, misses the point. It cannot be free because it requires work, and Buffaloes relish productivity. All of you in your experiences here at West Texas A&M University, have exhibited personal willingness to break preconceptions and exercise individual responsibility, liberty and opportunity in the pursuit of a better way of life. You all have bought and achieved the substance, not the mirage of accomplishments. Buffaloes have five characteristics. They are persistent, purposeful, powerful, they perform and they are productive. For this reason, no matter the circumstances, we celebrate with you and those you love today, and say with pride and anticipation for a bright future, on, on Buffaloes. And may God bless you and West Texas A&M University. Congratulations. And now to our ultimate purpose. Upon the recommendation of the faculty of West Texas A&M University, as just transmitted to me by Dr. Terry, and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the chancellor and the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System, I take pleasure in conferring upon each of you, whose names are on the official roster, the appropriate doctoral, masters and baccalaureate degrees, with all the corresponding rights, privileges and responsibilities. And I add my deeply felt and personal heartfelt congratulations on your accomplishments. God bless you. God bless West Texas A&M University.

- I'm Angela Spaulding, and I serve as the vice president of research and Dean of the Graduate School. To the class of 2020, let me be among the first to congratulate you on the conferring of your degree. I have the privilege of introducing our academic deans and assisting you, in virtually navigating the remainder of the ceremony. In doing so, please allow me to introduce, Dr. Kevin Pond, Dean of the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. Dr. Amjad Abdullat, Dean of the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business. Dr. Emily Hunt, Dean of the College of Engineering. Dr. Jessica Mallard, Dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. Dr. Dirk Nelson, Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. And Dr. Eddie Henderson, Dean of the College of Education and Social Sciences. Following my comments, please stay tuned for the Alma Mater, and a special faculty message. To continue the ceremony and view messages from your dean, faculty, and graduating students, continue on this virtual commencement page and select the video button located beneath your academic college photo, or graduate school photo if you are a graduate student. To our graduates and families, thank you for choosing WT for your academic journey. And to all, thank you for coming together virtually to celebrate our graduates. ♪ Over boundless reach of prairie ♪ ♪ Over rolling plains ♪ ♪ Over cliff and crag and canyon ♪ ♪ Alma Mater reigns ♪ ♪ To maroon and white our colors ♪ ♪ We would faithful be ♪ ♪ Hearts as bold as western breezes ♪ ♪ Souls as pure and free ♪ ♪ Round thy image, Alma Mater ♪ ♪ Hallowed memories twine ♪ ♪ Bless the sacred ties of friendship ♪ ♪ Pledged before thy shrine ♪ ♪ Alma Mater ♪ ♪ Alma Mater ♪ ♪ We will faithful be ♪ ♪ Through the years that lie before us ♪ ♪ We'll remember thee ♪

- On behalf of the faculty, staff and administration of West Texas A&M University, we want you all to know, how proud we are of you and your accomplishments.

- [Staff] Congratulations class of 2020.

- [Alissa] First off, I'd like to thank my friends and family and their support of me graduating. I now you'd all love to be here to watch me walk across that stage, but unfortunately it is what it is. And I'd like to thank my mom and dad for being the best parents in the world, and pushing me to finish through school and supporting me and pushing me to get good grades and recognizing that I get good grades. That really means a lot to me. I'd like to thank my boyfriend Hunter for pushing me to finish my schoolwork and supporting me along the way all these years. I'd also like to thank my granddad, because he believed in education and allowed me to go to school debt free, so thank you granddad. I'd like to thank Education Credit Union for allowing me to work there for now four years while I've been in school, and working with my schedule to allow me to attend school and work at the same time, so thank you to them. And lastly, I'd like to thank my brother Jamie, for helping me make this video. And thank you to all of you for watching this, go Buffs.

- My name is Jerry Pelosi Jr. and this is my graduation video. So WT gave us a few questions to answer and the first being, what our favorite WT moment was? And for me, that's just really just, walking on campus for the first time. I transferred over from Amarillo College. And just since that first day, the first day of classes and everything, the people, the atmosphere, everything just seemed different. And it's just, since that first day. Second, they wanted to know, how WT has prepared us for the world. And I think I leave WT with a certain level of confidence that I didn't have before, and a certain understanding of the leader that I wanna be, and hopefully that I've taken steps toward becoming already. Lastly they wanted to see, who we wanted to thank. And speaking of leadership development, I do wanna thank Matthew Rosas. We worked together in basketball, coaching basketball the last few years, and you've helped me become the leader that I am today. Thank you, thank you man. I wanna thank my group of friends. Ben Bromley, Chris St. Claire, Matthew McCoy, Alejandro Hernandez and Shelby . You guys, if I need anything, from just talking to somebody to advice to just a laugh, really, you guys are always there through thick and thin. If I need anything, you guys are always there. You guys encourage and inspire me probably more than you know. But thank you, I appreciate every bit of it. Thank you guys, you guys are amazing. I wanna thank my mom and dad. Without you guys' love and support, none of this is possible. I'm not graduating with my masters. I'm not probably doing half of the things that I've done without you guys. So thank you, thank you. And I actually have four guardian angels that I would like to thank. My grandma and grandpa You know, they're not with us anymore, but the vast majority of what I do, I do it for you guys and in their memory in their honor. So thank you for believing me from day one, thank you guys. And the rest really goes out to everybody else, any of you guys. If we've ever worked together, talked, crossed paths in any way, big or small, you've inspired me, encouraged me, I've learned something from you. It's just, you know, everybody, everybody else. And lastly, for sure I wanna thank God for giving me this opportunities and for the opportunities that he will give me in the future. And lastly, I do wanna end on a Kobe Bryant quote, surprising. "That there is power in understanding "the journey of others in order to help create your own." So, everybody that I've come in contact with, thank you, I appreciate it, I love you guys.