UTA GRADUATES: A record number will receive their degrees this weekend

The UT Arlington Class of 2013 will rewrite history May 11 and 12 when a record number of graduates crosses the College Park Center stage.

But the festivities begin the night before, with the Graduation Celebration, a free event at Levitt Pavilion for the graduation candidates’ families, friends, and supporters. The night will feature remarks by actor, producer, and political activist Kal Penn and a fireworks show.

Penn, 35, is well known for his starring roles in the television shows House and 24, as well as the popular Harold and Kumar movie franchise. He stopped his acting career in 2009 to work full-time in politics, joining the Obama administration as an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. There, he focused on work related to increasing financial aid for college students and other related initiatives.

Also on tap for Friday’s outdoor, end-of-the-year celebration are President James D. Spaniolo and Rene Grimes, a graduate student from the College of Education and Health Professions who will speak on behalf of the Class of 2013.

Featured speaker Kal Penn

On May 11 and 12, the University will award more than 4,500 degrees, a 14 percent increase compared with the Spring 2012 semester. Among those receiving their diploma will be PadminiVeerapen, who will earn her doctoral degree in mathematics from the College of Science.

The exceptional student has already secured herself a job post-graduation, a tenure-track position teaching algebra at Tennessee Tech University. While completing her degree, Veerapen received a National Science Foundation-funded fellowship to work in Arlington high schools, engaging students and teachers in mathematics research.

Tania Sederdahl, meanwhile, will join PricewaterhouseCooper after she receives her master’s degree in taxation. Last summer she was an intern for the international professional services firm, and was impressive enough to earn a fulltime position. Outside of the classroom, Sederdahl has spent time volunteering at First Baptist Church of Arlington, where she teaches in special ministries. She also works closely with the special needs community.

Two more noteworthy graduates, Josh Sidin and Andrew Maddox hail from opposite ends of the planet—Australia and Cleburne, respectively—but share a passion for helping high school students learn to love science, technology, engineering, and math. During their tenure at UT Arlington, the mechanical engineering majors created a tutoring program for at-risk, pre-college students that pairs them with college mentors; it has since been implemented at Arlington’s Lamar High School. Though Sidin and Maddox had been developing the idea for a while, they were spurred into action after attending Jeb Bush’s lecture last year during the Maverick Speakers Series. Bush’s obvious passion about education fueled Sidin and Maddox to get the program started.

Congratulations to these and all the other students who make up the UT Arlington Class of 2013.

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