TAMIU Holds Record Spring Commencement Exercises at Sames Auto Arena

929 candidates for graduation, the largest graduating Spring class in the University’s history, participated in Texas A&M International University's (TAMIU) Spring 2024 Commencement Exercises at the Sames Auto Arena Thursday, May 9.

The first ceremony was held at 11 a.m. for all candidates for graduation for undergraduate and graduate degrees from the A. R. Sanchez, Jr., School of Business, College of Education, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

The second ceremony was at 4 p.m. for all candidates for graduation for undergraduate and graduate degrees from the College of Arts & Sciences and University College. 

Commencement Speaker for both ceremonies was William "Willie" Hornberger, J.D. 

Hornberger is a transactional tax lawyer at Jackson Walker L.L.P. in Dallas. His practice emphasizes transactional and international legal matters. He holds his J.D. degree, with honors, and his bachelor's degree in Accounting, with high honors, from The University of Texas. His LL.M. in Taxation was earned from New York University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Originally from Laredo, Hornberger is the son of Jack and Cordy Hornberger and the grandson of Matias and Lola de Llano. As the grandson of Mexican immigrants who came to America with nothing, Hornberger has felt a tremendous amount of responsibility to give back to the underserved Latino population in North Texas. Driven by this desire to help others, he has chaired the Board of AVANCE-North Texas and co-founded its annual Latino Street Fest in 2014. 

Beyond his service to the Latino community, Hornberger is a current member of the Board of the North Texas Commission, a public-private partnership among cities in North Texas, the DFW Airport, and major public and private corporations in North Texas. He is a founding sponsor of D CEO’s Energy Awards, which recognizes leaders in oil, natural gas, and renewable energy in North Texas. He is also a former Chair of the 28,000-member Texas Society of CPAs and is the outside General Counsel of the Dallas Chapter of Financial Executives International, the principal trade association for Chief Financial Officers in the Greater Dallas area.

Student Responses were provided by Daniella Hernández, representing the College of Education at the 11 a.m. Ceremony, and Daelyn Garza, representing University College at the 4 p.m. Ceremony. 

Hernández, originally from Zapata, is the daughter of Benilde Rivera. She is earning a Bachelor of Science with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies with Ec-6 Certification and a Special Education Emphasis, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 3.9 GPA. Upon graduation, Hernández plans to advance her education by earning her Master of Science in Special Education with a Specialization in Education Diagnostics, to begin her professional career as a Special Education teacher.

Garza, originally from Nuevo León, México, is the daughter of Amabely García and Carlos Rafael Garza. She is earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Multidisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Biology, Psychology, and Business Administration and graduates with a 3.5 GPA. Upon graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in Psychology. Her long-term goal is to establish her psychology practice.

Distinguished Student Scholars and their respective Colleges or Schools include Marcos Aquiles Villagran, College of Arts and Sciences; Roberto Rivera, A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business, and Sophia Reyes, College of Nursing and Health Sciences. 

The Spring 2024 graduating class is the largest in the University’s 50-plus year history and includes representatives from 24 distinct countries.

The Spring 2024 Commencement Program was available online at go.tamiu.edu/beyond. 

Spring Commencement ceremonies was live streamed and remain available online:

First Ceremony: https://go.tamiu.edu/grad-am

Second Ceremony:  https://go.tamiu.edu/grad-pm

Graduates, friends, families, and loved ones can also share Commencement photos on social media using the hashtag, #TAMIUGrad, or tagging the University’s social media account @txamiu. Before and during the Commencement ceremonies, University-affiliated social media accounts will feature social media posts and photos using the official hashtag.

Graduates and families can also share a special message and photo as part of the University’s popular ‘Congrats Grads’ campaign. Individuals submit their photos and messages at https://go.tamiu.edu/congratsgrads. It is recommended that graduates and friends follow and like social media accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/txamiu), Twitter (www.twitter.com/txamiu), and Instagram (www.instagram.com/txamiu) to view featured congratulatory Commencement posts.

For information on Sames Auto Arena building and bag policies, please visit: https://www.samesautoarena.com/services/guide/

For more on the University’s story, contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing, and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, click on tamiu.edu, or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.

Additional information is available from TAMIU’s dedicated Commencement website at: https://www.tamiu.edu/commencement/,or through the Office of the Registrar, registrar@tamiu.edu or 956.326.2250.

TAMIU's registration for Maymester, Summer, and Fall is now underway.

To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit https://go.tamiu.edu/registration

More on the University’s story is shared at tamiu.edu and on TAMIU’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter-X, and YouTube.