Yuma, Arizona - Arizona Western College, Northern Arizona-Yuma Branch Campus, University of Arizona-Yuma, and Arizona State University announce the 2018 Commencement. The ceremony will take place at Veterans Memorial Stadium located at 7150 E. 24th Street, next to Gila Ridge High School, on Friday, May 18, at 8 p.m.
AWC sent out 1,019 invitations to participate in the ceremony. These students are candidates for an AA, AAS, ABUS, AGS, or AS degree. Some candidates have applied for more than one degree. There are also 442 candidates to receive an occupational certificate who will be recognized in the commencement program.
AWC’s Commencement Speaker Committee members have chosen Andrew Cabanillas to be this year’s speaker. Cabanillas is a first-generation college student from a Mexican immigrant family. Primarily raised by his mother, he credits her strength and perseverance as an inspiration in his own life. He’s made the AWC Dean’s List twice, was accepted into the AWC Honors Program, and will graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Psychology. He currently works with developmentally challenged children and plans to pursue a Doctorate degree in Child Psychology in the future.
The AWC Foundation and AWC Alumni Association will also be hosting a graduation breakfast to celebrate AWC graduates on May 18, at Veterans Memorial Stadium immediately following commencement rehearsal at 8:30 a.m. Tents will be set up on the south side of the football field.
The Commencement will be livestreamed at https://www.azwestern.edu/live and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaWesternCollege. It will be broadcast live on AWC TV/Time Warner Cable Channel 74 at 8 p.m. as well. Commencement DVD copies will be available for purchase through the AWC Foundation at https://www.foundation.azwestern.edu.
AWC will also be celebrating graduation on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat). People can use the hashtag #AWCGRAD to join the celebration online.
There will be a Mortarboard Art Contest this year that ends May 19 at 12 a.m. Follow @ArizonaWestern on Instagram, snap a photo of your mortarboard art, post your photo on Instagram (make sure your account is public), and use the hashtag #AWCGRAD to be entered to win. Students can win Beats Wireless Headphones for 1st place, an Echo Dot for 2nd place, and a $25 Starbucks gift card for 3rd place. The winners will be announced Monday, May 21 on Instagram.