TAMIU’s Fall Commencement Ceremonies Held at Sames Auto Arena
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) honored its candidates for graduation at its Fall Commencement Ceremonies Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, at the Sames Auto Arena.
Some 1,120 candidates for graduation, representing 18 countries, participated in two ceremonies at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The 11 a.m. ceremony featured undergraduate and graduate candidates for degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences and University College. The 4 p.m. ceremony included candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees from the A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said recognizing the University’s graduating class is a milestone opportunity to celebrate TAMIU’s exceptional candidates for graduation.
“While we take great pride in making higher education accessible and affordable, graduation is the time when we affirm that TAMIU’s soon-to-be graduates are truly exceptional. I’m deeply honored to see each graduate cross the stage and step into a brightened future,” Dr. Arenaz said.
Providing the Commencement Address for the Summer and Fall candidates for graduation was Edmundo González, Laredo-born entrepreneur, and investor.
González most recently co-founded Marpai Health, a technology company that lowers employers’ healthcare costs by proactively improving the health of employees and their families. Founded in 2019, Marpai completed an initial public offering in late 2021 and has completed multiple acquisitions. Marpai works with over 200 employers and manages healthcare benefits for approximately 80,000 employees and their family members.
González served as CEO from its inception until October 2023 and continues to be an active board member in support of Marpai’s mission. He was also a founding investor and director of Nuvem Health, another technology company that works with federally qualified clinics and hospitals to maximize their reimbursements from certain federal programs. Nuvem was sold in 2020 to a large private equity firm.
He has served as an Operating Partner at CNTP, a venture capital firm, and as a Partner at Selway Capital, an investment management firm. In both roles, he focused on funding and growing technology businesses. He executed dozens of initial investments, follow-on investments, mergers, and sales of technology businesses.
Besides investing in technology companies, González is passionate about hospitality and is the initial investor in a New York City restaurant group. The group owns the popular and award-winning restaurants Cómodo, Colonia Verde, and Disco Tacos, as well as Compartí, a catering and event company.
An avid adventure traveler, when he’s not on horseback in Africa, González can be found underwater and has completed hundreds of deep-sea dives as an advanced diver. He lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York.
González’ family has been at home in Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, and the surrounding area for many generations. His parents live in Laredo, as do members of his extended family. He attended Mary Help of Christians School and St. Augustine High School, and earned a BA cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA from the Columbia Business School.
Student responses were provided by Distinguished Student Scholars Briana Janaye Alba representing University College at the first ceremony, and at the second ceremony, Karyme Castillo Castro for the A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business.
Distinguished Student Scholars and their respective Colleges were:
College of Arts and Sciences: Andrea Victoria Alarcon.
College of Education: Emily Lujano.
College of Nursing and Health Sciences: Juliane Perez.
Commencement ceremonies were livestreamed at two dedicated links online. The morning ceremony was available at https://go.tamiu.edu/grad-am. The afternoon ceremony was at https://go.tamiu.edu/grad-pm .
The Fall 2024 Commencement Program is available online at go.tamiu.edu/beyond.
Graduates, friends, families, and loved ones could also share their Commencement photos on social media using the hashtag, #TAMIUGrad, or tagging the University’s social media account @txamiu. Before and during the Commencement ceremonies, University-affiliated social media accounts showcased social media posts and photos using the official hashtag.
In addition, graduates and their families could share a special message and photo as part of the University’s popular ‘Congrats Grads’ campaign. Individuals submitted their photos and messages at go.tamiu.edu/CongratsGrads.
Graduates and friends can 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.
This Fall semester signaled a healthy rebound in student enrollment at TAMIU, which also welcomed the largest freshman class in its history.
In official Fall 2023 enrollment figures shared with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, TAMIU reported 8,507 students, a 1% increase in enrollment over last Fall. The total enrollment included 6,975 undergraduates and 1,532 graduate students. Graduate student growth was up almost 2%. Semester credit hours, upon which funding is calculated, were up over 95,000. A substantial source of that growth comes from enrollment of the historically largest Freshman class of 1,382 students, a 6% increase over Fall 2022. TAMIU also saw an 8% increase in transfers to the University,
Registration for Spring 2024 classes at TAMIU is underway online via Uconnect. To learn more about TAMIU’s Registration processes, visit the dedicated Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration. Classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.
More on the University’s story is available at tamiu.edu and on the University’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
