A sea of crimson and gray filled Beasley Coliseum on Saturday as 741 undergraduates, 48 master’s students and 60 doctoral students streamed into their seats for the fall 2016 commencement ceremony.

Over the fanfare of a brass ensemble, Faculty Senate Chair A.G. Rud led the procession into the coliseum from the southwest entrance, bearing the university mace. His honor guard, comprised of ASWSU President Taylor Christenson and GPSA President Melanie Thornton, preceded him into the building. Friends and family whistled and shouted, cheering for their students.

The graduates themselves, adorned in distinguishing tassels, personalized caps and custom stoles representing organizations and communities, beamed and waved at the camera as they recognized themselves displayed on the big screens. They smiled to friends and family seated above. Others fidgeted in anticipation of walking across the stage.

Nana Meach, a first-generation student, said commencement was an out-of-body experience that could not be captured in pictures. For her, every moment after walking through the tunnel onto the floor of the coliseum was surreal.

“Being a first-generation student and experiencing a unique process, it feels like more than just an accomplishment for yourself,” Meach said, “but breaking down barriers and opening doors for other people who can only dream of fulfilling that accomplishment.”

President Kirk Schulz recognized the support faculty and staff, as well as friends and family, provided to WSU students as they worked toward their degrees.

“In addition to students’ personal efforts, there are many others who have played major roles in these men and women obtaining their academic goals,” Schulz said, asking students’ parents, grandparents and great-grandparents to stand.

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Celebrating over social media, graduates, families and friends tweeted pictures and congratulatory messages with the hashtag #WSUGrad.

Thornton reminded the graduate and professional students that they were part of a small group of people in the world motivated enough to be students for at least 20 years. As students, she said, they have been trained to question everything – their field, professor, advisers, peers and sometimes even their sanity.

“Who are we? What are we about? How can we make a difference in this world? How do we work together?” Thornton asked. “And how do we keep our balance in a world that is constantly in flux?”

The answers to these questions, she said, constantly change depending on where one is in life. While life may always change, the desire to change the world will not.

Christenson took graduates back to their first day of college – the fear, anxiety and excitement – as they began a new chapter in their lives. She reflected on the gradual transformation of fear into poise and self-assurance in facing college and the challenges it would bring.

“For some, today might feel like the end,” she said. “The end of some of the best years of your life … while this is an ending of a chapter, this is also the beginning of something much greater. The word ‘commencement’ means beginning or start, and that is what you’re celebrating today. The start of a new, terrifying yet thrilling chapter in your life.”