Graduation from Thunderbird

The main purpose of our trip to Arizona was to be with Kyle and his family for his graduation.  The day of commencement was here.  When we arrived at Thunderbird School of Global Management, we were greeted with a jazz quartet.

They played a variety of tunes from show tunes to the classics.

We entered the commencement hall through a flag lined sidewalk and into the air conditioned hall.

One of the photo spots for the grads.

Welcome

Some of us got there a head of time to save seats.  Then we got there, there were only a about a dozen spots left in the parking lot and we were lucky to get one. We hurried in and saved about eight seats about half way back. Then we saw the rest of them with Ellie leading the way.

All of us that attended, minus Charlie.  He wouldn't have made it past the two minute mark.

The happy graduate walking into the hall.

Amelia was very good for the whole three hours. It was tradition to have a parade of flags with a student carrying the flag of their country and they each said something about their home country. These will be the future leaders back home. It was wonderful that the first student was a young woman from Afghanistan. There were two students who were the first in their countries to graduate from Thunderbird, from Mongolia and I think Eritrea. It was quite interesting and entertaining to listen to them sell their countries - The young lady from Greece started her speech by saying "I apologize for the economy".

Kyle in line to get the coveted diploma.

Announcing Kyle. This guy was good at pronouncing all the foreign names (half of the graduates, if not more, came from a foreign land, from Afghanistan, Mongolia, Vietnam, China, Greece, India - lots- Norway, you get the picture).

This is the President of the school - his last day.

This is the Dean of Students, also his last day.  The commencement went about an extra 45 minutes while the change of guard took place.

The happy graduate holding his MBA

I'm still doing good.

Then they dropped the balloons, which were batted around - Ellie got three of them and they lasted for days.

I finally made it.  Congratulations to me.

The congratulatory kiss.

I had to put up with you for two years, now its up to you to fine a good job and put up with me and the four youngsters.

Tiff, Amelia, Kyle, Ellie and Erik - Charlie is at the sitters.

The Goodwin side

The Larsen side

Oath of Honor, Kyle signed on the beak.

The school with blooming cactus

These oven mitts are Kyle's first graduation gift. Actually a fellow graduate had borrowed them and returned them as he was leaving.