Locals honor culture in West Texas A&M ceremony

Two local, soon-to-be college graduates were scheduled to participate in West Texas A&M University’s (WTAMU) Donning of the Stoles ceremony Friday.

The pre-commencement ceremony honors students and their cultures. African American, Native American, Hispanic, and international students were scheduled to take part in the tradition. Out of ninety-one, Alexandria Sanchez is the only one to be native to Clovis.

Sanchez, 23, said she spent a lot of her time growing up in Clovis because of her stepdad being a Clovis resident. She said that because of her Hispanic culture and being a first-generation graduate, she’s excited to have made it this far in her educational journey.

“There are not a lot of us that get to attend college, you know, and being able to attend and graduate and honor you know, my culture,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez was scheduled to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in science Saturday at the WTAMU commencement. She said she plans to use her degree to become an athletic trainer.

“I tried it, and I ended up loving it. And so, since I was 14, I knew this is my dream,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said her family couldn’t be prouder of her and her accomplishments.

“My mom has been like the one behind furthering my education,” she said. “It’s exciting to be able to see her, you know, smile and be excited as much as I am.”

Another local graduate, Izaiah Perez, grew up in Muleshoe and was also set to graduate on Saturday. Because of his Hispanic culture, he was also asked to participate in the Donning of the Stoles ceremony on Friday.

Perez, 23, is a Sports and Exercise Sciences and applied sports major. He said the ultimate goal for him is to become a college basketball coach. However, that was not his first plan when he started college.

“I was originally an engineering major,” Perez said. “After a couple semesters, I kind of realized that this wasn’t really what I wanted to do and wasn’t what I loved. And I’ve always loved basketball. So, I decided that if I couldn’t play most of the rest of my life on the court that I might as well be on it coaching.”

Perez, also a first-generation graduate, said he had to overcome many obstacles to get to this point.

“I lost my dad two years ago, he passed away, and then my mom passed away last year,” he said. His aunt, uncle and grandma were set to be there Friday to watch him at the ceremony and Saturday at the commencement.

“It’s kind of a big thing, especially coming from a small town,” Perez said. “They really don’t get to graduate college, they don’t really get to do all that good stuff, because, you know, they can’t afford it, or it gets too overwhelming.”

Perez said he’s grateful for this “rare” opportunity, and that he’s thankful he can represent his culture this weekend.

“It’s very great for me and my family, and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” he said.