TAMIU to Hold Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremonies May 14
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) will celebrate its Spring 2026 candidates for graduation at Spring Commencement Ceremonies on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Sames Auto Arena.
Over 1,000 candidates for graduation representing 17 different countries are expected to cross the stage at Commencement.
Two ceremonies will be held, one at 11 a.m. and another at 4 p.m. Ceremonies are open to the public and free of charge.
The 11 a.m. ceremony will include 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. The 4 p.m. focuses on undergraduate and graduate candidates for degrees from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Of historic interest, Thursday morning’s ceremony will include the hooding of Nana Twum Owusu-Peprah, a candidate for a doctoral degree in International Business. Afternoon ceremonies will include the commissioning of five cadets. Cadets being commissioned are Thomas De Leon IV, Carlos Miguel Guerra, Karen Palacios, Jose Rodríguez and Jahiel Vargas.
Providing the Commencement Address for the Spring candidates at both ceremonies is Lesley Briones, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner. A native Texan who grew up on the U.S. – Mexico border, Commissioner Briones is the first mother elected in her own right to the Harris County Commissioners Court. Commissioner Briones oversees county services for Precinct 4, which is home to 1.2 million residents, and accounts for five U.S. cities, 55 parks and 10 community centers.
Commissioner Briones graduated with honors from Harvard University and began her career teaching in low-income public schools. She later earned her law degree from Yale, practiced law, and served as a Harris County Civil Court at Law Judge.
The Student Response for the morning ceremony will be provided by Anahi Estrada, representing the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The afternoon ceremony Student Response will be offered by Michael Brandon Inocencio, representing the College of Arts and Sciences.
Estrada will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders, graduating magna cum laude with a 3.8 GPA. While a student at TAMIU, she was a member of the National Student Speech and Language Hearing Association, the University Honors & Undergraduate Research Program, and participated as a Student Tutor at the Academic Center for Excellence. She received the Oscar Laurel Family Scholarship and Speech and Hearing Research Scholarship. Upon graduation, Estrada plans to pursue a doctorate degree in Audiology. Her longtime goal is to advocate and support her community as an audiologist
Inocencio will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, earning summa cum laude honors with a 3.9 GPA. He was a member of the Evolutionary Visual Lab, the Brain Cognition Lab, and the Student Government Association L.O.V.E. Committee. He presented research nationally and completed over 250 hours of community service. He was a recipient of the Laredo Area Community Foundation, the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award, and earned recognition on the Dean’s List in his last semester. Upon graduation, Inocencio plans to pursue a graduate program in Counseling Psychology and become a Licensed Professional Counselor.
Spring 2026 Graduation ceremony attendees should keep in mind the clear bag and arena policies in place at the Sames Auto Arena. To view these guidelines, https://go.tamiu.edu/grad-guest.
For more about Commencement Exercises, visit the dedicated website at: tamiu.edu/commencement
Registration for Summer and Fall 2026 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.
More on the University’s story is available at tamiu.edu and on the University’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.
