Commencement Recap: Caps, smiles as students launch to next chapter

8 years ago

President and Chancellor Renu Khator began the this year’s University-wide Commencement. “You can do whatever you want. You can be whatever you want,” Khator said. | Ajani Stewart/The Cougar

A flash flood warning moved the Commencement from TDECU Stadium to Hofheinz Pavilion. The parade of graduates entered through the tunnel. | Ajani Stewart/The Cougar

Law student graduate joins undergraduates and others at the University-wide Commencement. | Ajani Stewart/The Cougar

Retired astronaut Scott Kelly recently completed a year in space. “We can choose to do the hard things — and if we do that, then the sky is definitely not the limit,” said Kelly, this year’s Commencement speaker. | Trey Strange/The Cougar

Chairman of UH System Board of Regents and CEO of Landry’s Tilman Fertitta addressed the graduating class. | Trey Strange/The Cougar

This year’s ceremony included the first graduating class of the new School of Nursing at UH. | Trey Strange/The Cougar

Shaun Theriot-Smith, former president of SGA, was one of the speakers at the Commencement. | Trey Strange/The Cougar

This is the second University-wide Commencement to be held for UH graduates. | Trey Strange/The Cougar

By the end of the evening, as the graduates rose, congratulated each other and twisted their tassels across their caps, retired astronaut Scott Kelly hoped they would learn to do the difficult things — because, he said, these were the things that made the world, and the galaxy, a better place. | Trey Strange/The Cougar