SWTJC commencement scheduled this Saturday

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Weather permitting, Southwest Texas Junior College will hold its 67th Annual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Uvalde Honey Bowl.

Derek Sandoval, associate vice president for the SWTJC Del Rio campus, will be master of ceremonies at this year’s event.

SWTJC Uvalde student Julia Quiroga, secretary of the Catholic Club will deliver the invocation. SWTJC student ambassador, Ruth Alcantar, will lead the singing of The National Anthem.

Hector Gonzales, Ph.D., SWTJC president, will introduce college trustees and honored guests, and Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Mark E. Underwood, Ph.D., will introduce the keynote speaker.

Poncho Nevarez, State Representative for House District 74, will deliver the keynote address. A native of Eagle Pass, TX, Nevárez was sworn in as State Representative for House District 74 on January 8, 2013.

SWTJC Vice President of Student Services Margot Mata, will present the graduating class and SWTJC trustee Dr. Antonio H. Rivera will confer degrees and certificates. Rivera along with board president Rodolfo R. Flores, vice president Dr. Harry O. Watkins, and trustees Maria Elena Lara, Anita Shackelford, Victor Lopez and Tony Moreno, will award diplomas and certificates.

Honor graduates and outstanding students in individual technical programs will be recognized by Mark E. Underwood, SWTJC Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Friends and family are not allowed on the field or track until after the ceremony is over.

“We will have a photographer on hand taking photos of the graduates as they receive their diplomas,” said SWTJC Registrar, Luis Fernandez. “After the ceremony is over everyone is welcome to come on the field and take additional photos.”

In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the La Forge Hall gymnasium on the SWTJC Uvalde campus, located at 2401 Garner Field Road.

Following the ceremony, graduates and their guests are invited to a small reception in the Matthews Student Center on the SWTJC Uvalde campus.



This year’s graduation program lists a total of 363 students who will be receiving associate degrees. An additional 219 students will receive certificates in various technical programs.