Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Eastern New Mexico University graduates make their way across the floor of Greyhound Arena during the processional at the first of two commencement ceremonies on Saturday.
PORTALES - As the 795 candidates for graduation this spring from Eastern New Mexico University were getting set to celebrate this big achievement during Saturday's commencement ceremonies, several graduates took a few moments to reflect on the little moments that led them there.
Victoria Forte, a Del Norte High School graduate, told The News that some of her favorite memories at ENMU came during the moments one might least expect.
"I think a lot of them are the small moments that you don't expect like IHOP runs at 2 a.m. in Clovis when everyone's tired and stressed out and you just need to laugh; those are good memories," Forte said.
Chris Padilla, a Volcano Vista High School graduate, also pointed to some unlikely moments as his favorites over the course of his four years studying biology and playing baseball at ENMU.
"(I'll miss) probably the late nights and the early mornings. Staying up late studying, that's what college is all about," he said.
While both came to Portales from Albuquerque, Forte and Padilla will join the 1,358 Greyhounds who received degrees during the 2018-19 academic year who will be moving on all over the country to begin the next phase of their life.
For Forte that means working with the Tulsa Police Department and earning her law degree, while Padilla said he is still looking to determine what that next step will be.
No matter where they go next, ENMU's graduates should feel proud of their accomplishments in Portales. That was the message from retired Chief Justice Edward Chavez, who in his commencement address described meeting lawyers from schools on the east coast like Yale and Columbia during his career.
"When these lawyers bragged about having gone to school back east, I also proudly told them I went to school back east too, Eastern New Mexico University," Chavez said. "So I want you to go into the next phase of your life knowing and feeling confident that the education you received at Eastern has prepared you to be the best that you can be."
Chavez finished his speech by conveying to graduates that though they should be proud of their accomplishments, their hard work is only just beginning.
"You had to earn your diploma, the same is true of careers. You're not entitled to a career, you're not entitled to success ... The lesson there is that ambition plus hard work is what equals success," Chavez said.
