ASU graduation to mark 30-year anniversary of Hispanic Convocation
May 14, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
Friday marks the end of Arizona State University’s 2013-14 academic year, but it also will ring in the 30th anniversary of the university’s Hispanic Convocation.
According to ASU News, the ceremony will honor 350 students and include live mariachis and the original Hispanic Convocation committee, which will march in the procession.
The first Hispanic Convocation — held on May 12, 1984 — honored 49 students while being held off campus in the town of Guadalupe.
“It was an idea whose time had come. Across every community in Arizona, our Latino families were struggling to get our kids into higher levels of education,” said Greg Acedo, a student chair on the first Hispanic Convocation three decades ago. “The original student leaders who helped drive this event to fruition had no idea what a beautiful legacy and tradition would be created at our university.”
Two individual honors — the Congressman Ed Pastor Ostanding Graduate Student and the Jose Ronstadt Outstanding Undergraduate Student awards — highlight the ceremony. The two awards were first handed out together in 2007 to two individuals for their academic achievements.
Pastor and Ronstadt were involved with the creation of the first Hispanic Convocation, according to ASU News, and the two are slated to attend this year’s ceremony.
“ASU’s Hispanic Convocation has grown into a signature event that continues to inspire and support Latinos pursuing their higher education,” Pastor said. “I’ve been an ardent supporter of higher education and I’m proud to see the Hispanic Convocation thriving as it marks its 30th anniversary.”
