TAMIU Spring Commencement Exercises Held at Sames Auto Arena

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) candidates for graduation celebrated their milestone accomplishments at in-person Spring Commencement Exercises Thursday, May 12 at the Sames Auto Arena.

Some 870 students representing 13 countries participated in two ceremonies. 

The first Ceremony was at 11 a.m. for all A. R. Sanchez, Jr.  School of Business, College of Education, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and University College candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees. 

The second Ceremony was at 4 p.m. for all candidates for graduation for undergraduate and graduate degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Commencement Speaker for both ceremonies was Susana Melendez-Valencia, regional president and head of Commercial Banking of PNC Bank for the Texas Border markets, including the Rio Grande Valley (McAllen to Brownsville), Laredo, El Paso, and Corpus Christi, TX. 

Melendez-Valencia brings 26 years of banking experience to the regional president position. Before joining PNC in October 2021 through the acquisition of BBVA USA Bancshares, Inc., she served as CEO for the Texas Border and Gulf Coast for BBVA USA. 

She started her career as a financial analyst and has held many positions within C&IB and the Private Bank and has lived in Washington D.C., Charlotte N.C., Harlingen, Houston,  and Laredo.

As head of Commercial Banking for the Texas border markets, she leads the combined organization to provide customers and clients with access to a full range of products/services. As regional president, she is entrusted to bring PNC’s main street model to life by developing and executing local community strategy and capabilities, and driving employee, client, and community engagement across the Texas Border markets.

Active in the community, Melendez-Valencia serves on the executive board for the Laredo Area Community Foundation and the Laredo College Education Foundation. She is an advisory board member of Texas A&M International University’s A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business and is chairman of the advisory board for the D. D. Hachar Charitable Trust Fund. Melendez-Valencia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Accounting from Texas A&M University.

Student remarks were provided by Andrea Laurel, representing the College of Education for the first Ceremony, and Maritza Y. Garcia, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, for the second Ceremony.

Distinguished Student Scholars and their respective Colleges or Schools were:

A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business: Chelsea Itzel Villarreal.

College of Nursing and Health Sciences: Anaiz D. Martinez.

The ceremonies were livestreamed at two dedicated links online:

First Ceremony at 11 a.m.:  https://go.tamiu.edu/grad22-11am

Second Ceremony at 4 p.m.: https://go.tamiu.edu/grad22-4pm

The Spring 2022 Commencement Program is available at go.tamiu.edu/beyond. 

Graduates, friends, families, and loved ones can also share their Commencement photos on social media using the hashtag, #TAMIUGrad, or tagging the University’s social media account @txamiu. Prior to and during the Commencement ceremonies, University-affiliated social media accounts will showcase social media posts and photos using the official hashtag.

Graduates and their families can also share a special message and photo as part of the University’s popular ‘Congrats Grads’ campaign. Individuals submit their photos and messages at go.tamiu.edu/CongratsGrads. It is recommended that graduates and friends follow and like social media accounts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/txamiu), Twitter (www.twitter.com/txamiu) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/txamiu) to view featured congratulatory Commencement posts. 

Additional information is available from TAMIU’s dedicated Commencement website at: https://www.tamiu.edu/commencement/, or through the Office of the Registrar, registrar@tamiu.edu or 956.326.2250.  Diplomas and transcripts will available for Spring 2022 graduates beginning Friday, May 27, 2022.

Registration for Summer sessions and Fall 2022 at TAMIU is currently underway. 

To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration. 

Academic advising is available to all students, including first-time freshmen, transfer, returning, and graduate students. Students should schedule an appointment with their advisor prior to registration.

For more on scheduling an appointment with an academic advisor, visit the following websites. 

• A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business (Appointments available In-Person or Virtually): https://www.tamiu.edu/arssb/advising.shtml
• College of Arts and Sciences (Appointments available In-Person, Phone Call or Virtually): https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/advising/
• College of Education (Appointments available via Phone Call or Virtually): https://www.tamiu.edu/coedu/coedadvising.shtml
• College of Nursing and Health Sciences (Appointments available In-Person or Virtually): https://www.tamiu.edu/conhs/cnhsadvising.shtml
• University College (Appointments available In-Person and Virtually): https://www.tamiu.edu/uc/ace/advising.shtml

Additionally, students in need of financial assistance can call or email the University’s Office of Financial Aid to explore options through grants, loans, and student employment.

For more information, call 956.326.2225, email financialaid@tamiu.edu , or visit http://www.tamiu.edu/financialaid/.