VIDEO: 287 Students Attend UH Maui College Graduation

UHMC 2013 spring graduation. Courtesy image.

[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk3IuG6olkA /] By Wendy Osher

An estimated 287 students at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College took part in a commencement ceremony held over the weekend at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, UH officials said.

The students were among 569 who completed degrees and certificates at UHMC in the spring semester, and among 8,000 students who earned degrees and certificates across the 10 campus system, school officials said.

The student commencement took place on Sunday, May 12, the same day many others across the nation celebrated Mother’s Day.

“It means a lot.  It’s a great accomplishment.  I’m a mother of two and I’ve been scheduling my classes around my kids because they go to school too; so, this is very exciting.  It’s a great thing,” said UHMC graduate Cythia Taibemal in a video news release.

Fellow graduate, Lorenzo Valdez also commented saying, “It’s been three years.  Oh my goodness.  I’m just so happy.  I can not wait to work and it all paid off.  It’s for my mom.”

According to information released by the college, UHMC also had the highest enrollment of the four UH neighbor island campuses in the spring, with an estimated 4,290 students enrolled for the semester.

Lorenzo Valdez, UH Maui College graduate. Courtesy image.

University officials say a total of 9,247 students have graduated from UHMC since 2003.

Coming up this week, there are several High School graduation ceremonies on tap for Maui.

The first is King Kekaulike High School on Thursday; followed by HP Baldwin High School on Friday; and Lanaʻi, Hāna, Molokaʻi and Maui High on Saturday; and Lahainaluna on Sunday.

***Video B-Roll and supporting information courtesy UH.