A graduate celebrates during a UNLV Winter commencement ceremony at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023.
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 | 5:17 p.m.
Students draped in red robes filed into the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus Wednesday with Post Malone’s song “Congratulations” playing in the background.
Groups of friends chatted excitedly with one another and snapped pictures as they waited to be led into the Thomas & Mack Center for the first UNLV graduation ceremony of winter. Another would take place in the late afternoon.
Once in the arena, the day’s celebratory feel was bolstered by the screams of joy from students and supporters in the packed stands.
Two weeks ago, the campus had a different feel.
Students and staff were forced to defend themselves against an active shooter on campus, running for safety or sheltering for hours in locked rooms fearing for their lives. Three professors were killed, and a fourth was injured, leading university officials to cancel the remainder of the semester.
Today marked the first university event back on campus.
“As we stand together in this moment, we draw strength from the unity and resilience that defines our community,” Provost Christopher Heavey said. “This commencement ceremony is not just a celebration of academic accomplishments, it is also a testament to the strength of the human spirit.”
The three professors who were killed — Cha-Jan “Jerry” Chang, Patricia Navarro Velez and Naoko Takemaru — were honored at the opening of the ceremony. A 38-year-old visiting professor was also shot and is still hospitalized.
UNLV President Keith Whitfield acknowledged the conflicting feelings many at UNLV may be experiencing, but said they could not allow “the heinous actions of one individual to overshadow the collective achievements and the dreams” of graduates.
“We refuse to let darkness triumph over light that emanates from this assembly of determined minds and resilient spirits,” Whitfield said. “Together, we affirm that even in the face of this tragedy, we will move forward — not in defiance — but in honor of the lives we lost and a commitment to building a future marked by compassion, understanding and unity.”
The university is awarding 2,294 degrees between undergraduate and graduate students — a 5% increase since last year, officials said.
The youngest degree recipient is 19 years old, and the oldest is 72. A majority of these students are from Nevada.
For many of these students, it was their first time back on campus since the Dec. 6 shooting that Whitfield labeled as the worst moment in the university’s history.
Olivia Stabile, a 22-year-old marketing major, still remembers the fear she felt that day. Her younger sister — also a UNLV student — was on campus at the time, and it became a very “tragic situation” for family, who now must grapple with the trauma of surviving an active shooter situation.
It was a big factor in her decision on whether to attend the winter commencement ceremony, but Stabile refused to be ruled by that fear, she said.
“I didn’t want to let myself live in fear after that because there are people who are affected actually by this situation and have to live with that for the rest of their lives, so it’s only right that we ... honor them,” Stabile said.
UNLV also made changes to the program to remove the pyrotechnics typically lit off at the end to prevent triggering any attendees with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Instead, students were given red lightsticks emblazoned with “UNLV Class of 2023” to wave at the end of the ceremony following the turning of the tassels.
And although the shooting’s impact is still clearly felt, the excitement of each graduate shined through — from the vibrant waves to the crowd as they entered to the dancing as they exited.
“We did it, baby!” Stabile said. “There’s going to be a day where we look back and you’re going to miss these days; you’re gonna wish you were getting ready to go back to class and see your fellow students and I just know that I’m going to miss it, so enjoy it.”
