Throughout the week of Monday, Dec. 9, graduating students at the University of New Mexico will celebrate their accomplishments. About 1,600 students from the Albuquerque campus will receive their degrees, according to UNM Newsroom.
In addition to the main commencement ceremonies held on Thursday, Dec. 12 and Friday, Dec. 13 at The Pit, some UNM departments are holding convocation ceremonies for their graduating students.
Convocations are smaller than the commencements and give departments the opportunity to celebrate graduates in a more personal atmosphere, according to the UNM Departmental Convocations website.
Below is information on the four convocations listed on UNM's website.
Anderson School of Management
The Anderson School of Management will hold its convocation ceremony at The Pit at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Graduates are expected to arrive at 3 p.m., and doors will open to guests at the same time, according to the UNM Departmental Convocations website.
This convocation will celebrate those in general business studies and business concentrations, according to Megan Borders, communications and outreach specialist at the Anderson School of Management.
The ceremony will last about an hour, Borders said.
The event will feature three speakers, according to Borders: alum guest speaker Chanel Wiese-Carl, graduate student speaker Kadeem Ladoo and undergraduate student speaker Iliana Sandoval.
Wiese-Carl is the former and founding executive director of The Somos Unidos Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to creating positive outcomes for New Mexicans through creativity and community, according to the USL. In 2021, Albuquerque Business First named Wiese-Carl one of the year’s “Women of Influence.”
Ladoo is a graduate student who left his home in Antigua and Barbuda to pursue higher education in New Mexico, according to Borders. In 2022, Ladoo was on a team that placed first in the first Anderson Undergraduate Ethics Case Competition, according to the Anderson School of Management.
Sandoval is an Anderson Hall of Fame Scholarship and Hispano Chamber of Commerce THRIVE Scholarship recipient, Borders said. She served as a corporate and community engagement liaison representing the Anderson School of Management at alumni and employer events, according to Borders.
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Immediately after the convocation, Anderson will host a graduate and family mixer at the Club Level of The Pit, during which refreshments and cake will be served, according to Borders. At the reception, there will be photographers and a photo area.
College of Nursing
The College of Nursing will hold its convocation ceremony in Popejoy Hall at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 12. Students are expected to arrive by 2:45 p.m., according to the UNM Departmental Convocations website.
Graduating students in the college’s Bachelor of Science and doctoral programs will be celebrated at the convocation, according to Amanda Abeyta-Rey, the special events coordinator for the College of Nursing.
The convocation will feature graduates from the college’s first Accelerated Second-Degree BSN program, according to Abeyta-Rey.
“We're really excited to expand the New Mexico nurses workforce through offering and now finally graduating a group from this program,” Abeyta-Rey said.
At the convocation, awards will be given to outstanding faculty members, pre-licensure students, the student with the best dissertation or thesis as decided by graduate faculty, and students who have exhibited growth and achievement during their RN or BSN programs, according to Abeyta-Rey.
Graduating students will be awarded with a unique ribbon and pin at the convocation, Abeyta-Rey said.
Honors College
The Honors College convocation will be held at the Honors College dorm at 6 p.m. on Dec. 12, according to the UNM Departmental Convocations website.
The convocation will celebrate students who are earning a certificate or minor in honors, according to Anna Abeyta, UNM Honors College communication and marketing intern.
This convocation will be the first at the Honors College that will feature an alum guest speaker, according to Abeyta.
“We have a tight-knit community with our alumni,” Abeyta said. "We just wanted to invite them back and kind of bring them for the graduation."
Daniel Abraham, the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award, will be the guest speaker at the convocation. Abraham is a former Daily Lobo staff member and a nationally respected and top-selling writer of fantasy, science fiction and horror, according to the Honors College. He has been nominated for the Nebula and World Fantasy awards, and he has won the Hugo Award and International Horror Guild Award, according to his website.
School of Engineering
The School of Engineering will hold its convocation at the Albuquerque Convention Center’s Kiva Auditorium at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14. Graduating students are expected to arrive between 2:45 p.m. and 3:35 p.m., according to the UNM Departmental Convocations website.
The ceremony will last about an hour and a half, and a reception will follow, according to Rebecca Colón, the events planner at the School of Engineering.
The convocation will feature three speakers, Colón said.
Edward Angel, the keynote speaker, is a professor emeritus of computer science at UNM and founding director of the Art, Research, Technology and Science Laboratory, according to UNM. Eric Robbins will be the graduate speaker, and Melachi Sanchez — recipient of the George E. Breece Award — will be the undergraduate speaker, according to Colón.
The reception will be held over the sky bridge from the Kiva Auditorium and will serve as a place where graduates, guests and faculty members can converse with cake and drinks, according to Colón.
Nate Bernard is the news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @natebernard14
