Another academic year is over, and more than 1,700 newly minted Cockrell School graduates are moving on to their next adventure.
Commencement week at the Cockrell School kicked off on Thursday, May 9, in the Engineering Education and Research Center. Approximately 275 master's students and 120 Ph.D. students received their degrees in front of a rowdy group of family, friends, faculty and staff.
Graduates spent the day grabbing photos inside and out of the EER on a humid morning, and they were joined by a Boston Dynamics Spot robot that came over for a visit from its home in Texas Robotics.
Eighteen hours later, the Moody Center was filled to the rafters with supporters of Texas Engineering undergraduates. Nearly 1,400 students across the Cockrell School's seven academic departments crossed the stage, confirmed their degrees and shook Dean Roger Bonnecaze's hand. They hit power poses on stage and decorated their caps to the delight of the crowd.
The ceremony included recognition of this year's Outstanding Scholar-Leader and Distinguished Engineering Graduates. One of those graduates, Michael Linford, gave the keynote address. The CFO of Affirm shared stories and advised students to take risks, not sweat failure, and give back to the community that has helped them.
Saturday's University-wide ceremony brought more than 50,000 people to Daryl K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, home of Longhorn football, including 10,000 graduates.
It was headlined by Jeannie Leavitt, a 1990 UT graduate and alumna of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. Fitting for the environment, Leavitt framed her address in football terms, encouraging graduates to be courageous on offense, gritty on defense and a force that unites on special teams.
