Sara Weathers, a UHV senior from El Campo, shakes hands with UHV President Bob Glenn Friday after accepting her UHV class ring. Weathers spoke during the UHV Class Ring Ceremony and shared how earning her degree has impacted her life.

When Sara Weathers was asked to be the student speaker at the University of Houston-Victoria Class Ring Ceremony, she was excited to have the opportunity to express how much receiving a class ring meant to her.

“It was such an honor to be chosen, and I was glad to be able to celebrate this moment with my family, teachers and everyone else who helped me and my fellow students reach this point,” said Weathers of El Campo.

The university hosted its annual UHV Class Ring Ceremonies on Friday evening. During the events, 57 UHV students received their class rings and celebrated this milestone with their families and friends.

“The ring ceremony is a wonderful opportunity for students to come together and as a group celebrate this achievement,” said Kelsey Norgard, UHV director of alumni relations and annual giving. “Getting a class ring is a great accomplishment, and we love to see our students reach this point and how happy they are when they see their rings for the first time.”

A UHV student can purchase a class ring after completing at least 60 credit hours toward a degree. The ring also is available for UHV alumni. It was designed by UHV student leaders and features many symbols that students associate with the university.

During the ceremony, students took part in several UHV traditions, including waiting to open their ring boxes and putting their rings on all together. Another tradition is the Jaguar Dunk, in which students dunk their right hand in a bowl of dyed water from the Guadalupe River to dye their hands red for 24 hours to signify their time at UHV.

For Weathers, attending this event and celebrating her upcoming graduation by getting her class ring was a must. She came back to college after 20 years to earn a Bachelor of Science in communications. She will graduate on May 13. As a nontraditional student with a learning disability and the first in her family to earn a college degree, she knew she wanted to take the time to appreciate the long hours of work that it took to reach success, and she was especially excited to receive her ring.

“When we opened our ring boxes together, you could just feel the excited vibe in the room,” she said. “It was just amazing to finally have it and be able to look at it. That moment made everything feel more real, like we’ve really accomplished something.”

During her speech, Weathers emphasized to her fellow students how a class ring is a symbol of their successful efforts. It serves as a reminder to the students and to future employers that this person has worked hard and achieved something, she said.

“Getting a class ring is not a right that everyone has, it’s a privilege that we receive by going to college and earning a degree,” she said. “It is such a huge milestone for me to achieve this, and I was so happy to be there with my family who supported me throughout the process.”