Spring Commencement Saturday at Clemente Center

1,084 to Earn Diplomas in Undergraduate, Graduate Ceremonies

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Students from 42 states and 55 countries will receive their diplomas on Saturday as Florida Institute of Technology convenes its 2014 Spring Commencement ceremonies at the Charles and Ruth Clemente Center.

The undergraduate ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. and will feature 488 students. The graduate ceremony for the 596 students earning master’s and doctoral degrees begins at 2 p.m.

Among the graduates are 154 students from Florida Tech’s 10 extended studies sites and 144 who have earned their degrees through the university’s online programs.

There are international graduates from A (Afghanistan, Argentina and Australia) to Z (Zimbabwe). Other countries represented include Botswana, Congo, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Nepal, Romania, Suriname and Venezuela. Some parents and friends are traveling 8,000 or even 9,000 miles or more to attend the ceremonies.

There are also students from 42 states in the U.S. from Alaska to West Virginia. Though more than half hail from the Sunshine State, there are lone students from Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Kentucky, among others.

Five graduates earned Faculty Honors for their perfect, 4.0 grade point averages. They are Forest Elliott, psychology major; Bruno Poggi Cevallos, with dual majors in aerospace engineering and mathematical sciences; Simon Titulaer, aerospace engineering; Shalaka Wijeyaratne, aeronautical science; and Corey Young, aerospace engineering.

After graduation, some students will head off to work at companies you may have heard of, including Google, NASA and Lockheed Martin. Others will seek additional degrees here, at other U.S. schools or abroad.

For more information and details on the live web broadcast of both ceremonies, go to www.fit.edu/graduation/.

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