UHV students receive class rings at ceremonies
On the count of three, a group of University of Houston-Victoria students eagerly opened their boxes and got their first glimpse at their class rings Friday during the UHV Jaguar Ring Ceremonies.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate and support our graduating students and ring recipients,” said Kelsey Norgard, UHV director of alumni relations and annual giving. “These rings represent the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, sacrifices and the lifelong bond they have each forged with UHV. They will be proud UHV alumni, and we are thrilled to see them take these next steps.”
Approximately 50 UHV students attended two ceremonies Friday evening to celebrate receiving their UHV class rings. Students are eligible to purchase a class ring after completing at least 60 credit hours toward a degree, and the ring is available for UHV alumni. It was designed by UHV student leaders and features many symbols that students associate with the university. Alumni can order an official UHV class ring at www.balfour.com/uhv.
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 Roshunda Kinney of Cypress, the ceremony marked the culmination of 10 years of effort to earn her degree. The mother of three will graduate on May 11 with a Bachelor of Science in education with a concentration in fourth to eighth grade.
“It means so much to receive this ring after all this time and effort,” Kinney said. “The journey has not been easy, but I’m proud of myself for getting this done. I do a lot for my kids and my spouse, but this was something I did for me.”
During the ceremony, Kinney shared some of her story about graduation with her fellow students. She first began working as a HIPPA paraprofessional because her husband was in the military, and she wanted a job that she could find anywhere they might need to move.
Unfortunately, her husband passed away in 2020. That loss made the work of earning her degree even more difficult as she worked to support her family during that dark time. Now, as she looks back at everything she and her family faced and the circumstances they have overcome, Kinney feels a sense of accomplishment.
“When I lost my husband, things were so hard – I couldn’t see this,” Kinney said about receiving her class ring. “Now that I’ve reached this point, this ring is so much more to me than a symbol of my degree. It proves to me that I am stronger than I think I am.”
Now, as Kinney prepares to begin her first year of teaching at Salyards Middle School in Cypress, she hopes that her three children draw inspiration from her example and understand that they can achieve anything if they put their minds to it.
“I want them to know that they can accomplish anything if they work diligently,” she said. “There’s no time stamp on how things need to get done in life. Just keep working and moving forward, and you will get there.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.