The state’s chief appellate lawyer will speak about following personal dreams to make a difference in today’s society at UST’s 57th Commencement Ceremony, which will highlight the achievements of 354 undergraduates and 382 graduates, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19 at Reliant Arena.

Texas Solicitor Gen. Ted Cruz, who has authored more than 30 U.S. Supreme Court briefs and presented 18 oral arguments – including three in the U.S. Supreme Court, will deliver the address, “Passion and Idealism: Finding Your Dream and Making a Difference.”

Past chair of UST's board of directors and longtime friend and benefactor of the University, Patrick Moran, will receive an honorary degree. Moran is president of Moran Resources Company, LLC, Texas Gas Company and affiliates engaged in oil and gas exploration and production in Texas, Louisiana and Canada. Moran is also president of Prvny Pluk, LLC, and PlukAir Europe, which leases aircraft for air safety training in the United States and Europe. Moran holds a doctorate of jurisprudence from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C.

Laurence J. Payne, the president and CEO of SEARCH Inc., who graduated from UST in 1972, will receive the Vincent J. Guinan Distinguished Alumni Award. Payne earned a B.A. in theology with a minor in sociology. He also pursued graduate studies in theology at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill.

University of St. Thomas, dedicated to building leaders of faith and character, is a private institution committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual tradition of Catholic higher education.

View the 2007 graduation event schedule.

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2007 Graduates

UST’s Center for International Studies prides itself on its interdisciplinary focus and the preparation it afford students for graduate school. This year CIS has to law, public policy and business programs students accepted throughout the country. Read more about three remarkable May 2007 graduates:

Clarke Raises Hope Before Heading to Harvard
Sarah Clarke, the 2007 student graduation speaker, shares the history of her Jamaican roots, to express the joy and hope that bubble over when she talks about her family, her education at UST and her ambitious plans for the future. Clarke will enroll to Harvard Law School next fall.

Hassan Accepted to International MBA Program
UST honors senior Muniza Hassan pours all her energy into whatever she decides to do, setting lofty goals and pursuing them with a methodical fervor. She will no doubt take her determination with her to the elite Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz., where she will begin classes this fall.

Dillon Accepted to Kennedy School at Harvard 
At the University of St. Thomas, Kate Dillon, a 33-year-old model, who was attracted to the University of St. Thomas because of its reputation as a friendly place for non-traditional students, discovered her very specific ambition that would seem to be a world away from the fashion scene.

Hawbaker Has the Right Chemistry
Nicole Hawbaker's success at St. Thomas will no doubt continue at Texas A&M, where she will attend as a graduate student in the Ph.D. program in chemistry. Hawbaker received a full scholarship to Texas A&M that covers tuition, fees and lab costs, plus a paid $25,000 fellowship.

Lafuente Gathers Tools for Social Justice
After graduation, Ana-Maria Lafuente will study in the nation’s capital at the American University Washington College of Law. She plans to specialize in International Law and work in the private sector, conducting business transactions. But, more importantly to her, she’ll be able to do pro bono work on the side, representing victims of human trafficking.