At The Graduation Fair

When Texas Tech University opened its doors on Tuesday, the Barnes & Noble at the Student Union Building was packed with students looking to see what the Fall 2014 Graduation Fair had to offer and take care of business.

Omar Roman, a personal financial planning major, said he was there to size and order a class ring.

Students had the opportunity to buy all of their graduation needs in one place this week.

Roman said he will be graduating but is planning to stay at Tech to undergo an accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program in personal financial planning; so he is technically a graduate student.

“I’ll be walking,” Roman said, “but I don’t know if I can get my actual degree or get an empty casing, but I’m excited that I’ll be able to walk and celebrate that with my family.”

In previous years, the graduation fair has been held at the McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center; this is the first time it for it to take place at the Barnes & Noble.

Roman said the location is a convenient place for students to get their graduation gear.

“The SUB is in the center of everything,” Roman said, “and so I like that it’s very convenient.”

However, students like Joseph Jeffery view the change of venue differently.

“The other one was a lot better,” Jeffery, a senior architecture major, said. “They had more booths set up and more colleges, you know, more grad schools. It was definitely better in the other ballroom.”

Jeffery said he was there Wednesday to purchase his class ring and see the opportunities the fair provides.

Roman said he is looking forward to life after being an undergraduate at Tech.

“I guess I’m really excited about getting this master’s degree,” Roman said, “because that’ll make me a more attractive candidate for people to hire, and two, I think that it can show that I can handle graduate work because after graduate school and personal financial planning, I’m going to pursue my law degree.”

Like Roman, Jeffery said he has plans to continue his education.

Class rings were available for purchase at the Graduation Fair.

“After I get my bachelor’s,” Jeffery said, “I’m looking to get my master’s in business and then go work for a firm, gain some experience and then, hopefully, venture out on my own.”

Jeffery said incoming seniors should embrace the opportunities provided by the graduation fair.

“There’s a lot of things said that end up coming through,” Jeffery said, “that you could take advantage of free opportunities. Everything from a tutor all the way up to student organizations definitely helps out.”

The Fall 2014 Graduation Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in the SUB from September 30 to October 2.