Commencement is a word with multiple definitions. Commencement means the beginning of something, or it could be a synonym for a ceremony in which degrees are conferred to graduating students. At Trinity University, we held commencement for 502 students on Saturday, May 12. Joyous smiles and, in many cases, tears of happiness marked this special day. And just a few days later, on Thursday, May 17, we held a special Commencement for three graduating seniors who had been away competing in national tennis tournaments. The commencements created moments that embraced both definitions as each graduate opened doors to new beginnings and a journey filled with promise.

Trinity places great emphasis on supporting academic student success. The transition from high school to college is not always seamless. Mary Stuart Hunter, a national expert on first-year experience and student transitions, noted that "The first college year is not grade 13. For new students, college presents a foreign set of norms, traditions, and rituals, and a new language and environment."