HIGHER EDUCATION
'I can't believe I finally did it': UNM confers more than 3,600 degrees at spring commencement
Thousands graduate at the Pit as outgoing President Stokes addresses her final graduating class
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When Miriam Arita started college, she was 19 and life looked different for her.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have anything, just my family,鈥� she said.
Now, Arita has a 3-month-old baby, a job lined up at the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program and, as of Saturday, a degree in biology with a concentration in biotechnology. She plans to eventually attend medical school.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe I finally did it,鈥� she said.
On Saturday, Arita and 2,312 other undergraduates received their bachelor鈥檚 degrees from the University of New Mexico, surrounded by family and friends at the Pit.
UNM also conferred 496 master鈥檚 degrees, 124 doctorates, 76 juris doctorates, 96 medical doctorates, 46 pharmacy doctorates, 71 graduate certificates and eight education specialists to students this weekend. Its branch campuses in Gallup, Los Alamos, Taos and Valencia awarded 288 associate degrees and 179 certificates.
Three people also received honorary doctorates Saturday: attorney and former Regent Roberta Cooper Ramo; cardiologist and professor of medicine Dr. Barry Ramo; and behavioral health leader Esther Tenorio of San Felipe Pueblo.
UNM conferred a total of 3,697 degrees across all campuses 鈥� 61 more than last year 鈥� this spring.
鈥淚t feels long-awaited,鈥� said Amir Sigler, who came to UNM from Florida and graduated Saturday with a bachelor鈥檚 in exercise science. 鈥淚t means a lot. I feel like I worked pretty hard, and I鈥檓 ready to start a career now.鈥�
The students are not the only ones who will bid farewell to the university this year: President Garnett Stokes will retire this summer after eight years, making her UNM鈥檚 longest-serving president in nearly 30 years and the first woman to hold the position.
Stokes told the graduates Saturday that having them at the university has been a 鈥減rivilege.鈥�
鈥淲e will watch with pride and certainty as you make your way into the world,鈥� she said.
Stokes will be succeeded by Dr. Steve Goldstein, a physician and administrator from the University of California, Irvine, the Board of Regents announced Friday. Goldstein鈥檚 contract negotiations will begin soon.
Business is the most popular major among the class of 2026. More than 250 graduates received their bachelor鈥檚 in business administration on Saturday, including Kristoffer Harris-Smith from Shiprock.
Harris-Smith said he planned to look for an internship after graduation, 鈥渂ut graduate school is in the forecast.鈥�
鈥淒efinitely time to step back, take a breath, and evaluate where I want to step next,鈥� he said.
More than two-thirds of UNM students are from New Mexico, and nearly half are first-generation college students.
On Saturday, Lindsey Duarte from Santa Fe became the first in her family to get a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Duarte graduated with a degree in biology and plans to attend school to become a physician assistant.
鈥淚t was a lot of pressure, but seeing all my family be super happy and proud of me, it made it very worth it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he four years 鈥� it wasn鈥檛 easy, but it was worth it.鈥�
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
