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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 12, 2004 Hard work pays off By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings The prospect of graduating from Southern Oregon University didn't hit Dan Rockwell until the middle of the night Thursday. He and a group of friends decided to see how the seats for graduation were arranged at Mountain Arena on the SOU campus. "As I stood on the stage I was like, "Wow, we're going to be up here graduating in a few days," the 22-year-old mathematics major said. "It didn't hit me yet until that moment. It was like, 'Wow, I spent all this time here, made some of my best friends, and now I'm done. It's sad to leave, but it's time to move on.'" Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings Evie Rosenberg How waves to well-wishers Saturday during the SOU graduation ceremony. She received a master's degree in management. Rockwell and 1,177 students graduated Saturday. Graduation is an emotional event for students and their families as graduates face the daunting task of starting their careers after being in the comforting confines of academia for several years. Jessica De Clerck said she is quite calm knowing she is now a college graduate. "I'm just excited and not that anxious," she said. "I've just completed four years of college, and I get to start a career and move on and experience things." De Clerck, 22, an international studies major, plans to travel to Croatia, learn the language, and hopefully, find a job with a non-profit organization. She wants to help refuges and citizens who have been affected by years of war and to assist them in getting their lives back together. De Clerck said she visited Croatia three years ago while touring Europe and fell in love with the area. "I saw it as this really beautiful place with really friendly people, yet there's been so much trouble that's happened to them," she said. "I want to be there at a time when everything's calming down and the need for assistance is great. It's a transitional time." Besides being anxious about graduating, Rockwell also has a family reunion. His immediate family from Alaska and relatives from throughout the country are in Ashland both for a family reunion and to see him graduate, he said. "There's going to be a lot of relatives I've haven't seen in a while, so I'm really excited," he said. "I've been looking forward to it for weeks." Once he graduates, Rockwell will become a teacher's assistant at Oregon State University while pursuing his doctorate in mathematics. Mike Corcoran, SOU registrar and commencement planning coordinator, spent months preparing for Saturday and began putting the stage up nearly two weeks ago. The stage was put up early for last weekend's American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. Crews have been hard at work this week putting up the seats for the estimated 5,000 people expected to attend, putting up barriers to separate graduates and guests, and making sure everything looks its best for the big day, Corcoran said. "There's so many different things we have to do to pull this off," he said. "It couldn't happen without everyone's help." This included crews from the physical plant setting up, volunteers from different offices and departments who help organize things, such as where dignitaries sit, and the order of the graduation procession. Several professors also donated their time during the day of graduation to making sure graduates were in the right spot. Other school volunteers handed out programs or offered hot coffee or water to arriving guests. "This is our chance to demonstrate to the public the value of the university," Corcoran said. "And it's an honor to be the one to put it together." At the ceremony, Juan Romero Hicks, Governor of the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, and an SOU graduate, delivered the commencement speech. Student Jessica Yarin Robinson was the graduation class speaker. Dixie L. Hannon and Patricia C. Smullin were presented with the President's Medals. Vice President of Administration and Finance Ron Bolstad received emeritus status. He has worked at SOU since 1982. An Honorary Doctoral Degree was given to former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams