AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new state law left a group of Latino University of Texas students scrambling to make sure their graduation ceremony tradition went on as planned on Thursday.
The university canceled several minority graduation events it previously hosted for years. A new Texas law banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities, which cut funding for the ceremony.
Faculty and students said Thursday’s graduation sent a statement to the university: They’ll do it without their help.
“All of us share the same culture. It’s kind of sort of an unspoken, just bond that all of us have.”
Andres Ayala, UT graduate
‘We persevered and we’re here’
Hundreds of Latino students, professors and their families celebrated the Latinx graduation.
“We persevered and we’re here,” said UT graduate Andres Ayala. “We want to commemorate us and our experience as Latinos.”
For many of them, they’re the first in their family to get a college degree.
“All of the individual parents shouting for them was the sweetest thing ever.”
Katherine Ospina, UT graduate
Ospina and Ayala said the Latinx graduation has been a tradition at the university.
They said it’s the only program in the whole commencement week that has a translation, which can help parents fully experience the ceremony.
The cancellation
Three months ago the university cancelled this graduation and other minority graduation events as well.
A new Texas law banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities, which cut funding for the ceremony.
“A lot of expressions of pain and fear, concern, anger, because the student organizations were left in a lurch in March, when all of a sudden, the programs were taken down,” said UT Professor in the Department of Education and Leadership and Policy Angela Valenzuela.
Raising the money
Still, Ospina said that didn’t stop them. She and others got to work.
“I remember being like, ‘If I find the funding and the connections, will we be able to do it?’ She was like, ‘Katherine, you have six weeks until the day,’” Ospina said.
Along with help from the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation’s oldest Latino civil rights group, they were able to raise the funds.
“I texted all of my Latino friends that were here,” Ospina said. “I was like, ‘Please send this to all of your community.’”
Ospina said they were able to raise the $9,000 they needed through donations.
“They’ve shown that they’re capable of doing things on their own. There was a lot of crying. People really, truly today understood what this meant.”
Emilio Zamora, UT Professor of History
As these students now embark on their next chapter in life, they hope to leave a legacy of perseverance by putting on this event.
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UT Austin students hope to continue the Latinx graduation tradition for years to come. (Photo: Andres Ayala) -
UT Austin students hope to continue the Latinx graduation tradition for years to come. (Photo: Angela Valenzuela) -
UT Austin students hope to continue the Latinx graduation tradition for years to come. (Photo: Angela Valenzuela)
“It was definitely empowering,” Ayala said.
Extra money students raised will help support future events like new student orientations and leadership symposiums.
Those events were previously funded by the university.
KXAN reached out to UT for a response to the Latinx graduation but we have not heard back yet. We will update this if a statement is received.
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