Hello from Phoenix!
Today was Patrick's graduation from Arizona State University. Commencement was this morning at 9:00 am in the sports arena. There were probably 800-1000 graduates of the college of Liberal Arts that participated in the ceremonies. ASU has a separate commencement ceremony for each of its individual colleges, and today was our big day. Patrick finished his college career with a GPA of 3.20+ (not sure exactly...one professor has yet to turn in his grades!) and a double major in English and Film and Media Studies. Here's a shot of the gang outside the arena before the ceremonies started:
We didn't get the best seats, but the view from the nose-bleed section was pretty clear. As the graduates proceeded to the stage, they had their name announced and flashed up on the big scoreboard above the middle of the arena. Unfortunately, by the time our camera took a shot of Patrick's name, they had alread moved on to the next graduate, Abdul something-or-another. Anyway, we did manage to get this pic of ASU's newest graduate as he returned to his seat:
This morning was really pretty outside, and we got to meet a couple of Patrick's classmates, along with one of his favorite professors:
And here are the VERY PROUD parents accompanied by the new graduate:
We are really proud of him and the fact that he went back to school after being out for over five years and completed two undergraduate degrees!
Tomorrow, we're leaving Phoenix at 12:15 pm and getting into Jamestown around 8:30. Been a great trip!
Pat's Paragraph............. What a Day! What a Day! What a Day! Everything went like clock work and the Sun Devil Arena was 3/4's full. We got to see the gorgeous campus, Nothing old on This campus! We met Patrick's friends' parents and really enjoyed everyone's humor about 'saving the pocketbook'. We agree of course. Another friend surprised us (we had heard the name over the years but now we had a face to go with the name and what a thoughtful person to take the time to join us) while we were at dinner which made it a really happy affair. I'm not going to ramble but I can tell you we are so proud! I was almost in tears in anticipation of hearing his name read over the speakers and to see him on stage getting his degrees. A Lot of Tears over the Years but today, it was worth Every One of them!
