UF students who graduated in the last two commencements this Fall found more excitement than expected.
On Dec. 20, UF gave out its 500,000th degree, former President Bernie Machen performed his last commencement ceremony and Morgan Freeman made a surprise guest appearance.
At the 10 a.m. ceremony, marketing alumnus Christian Cruz, 22, earned UF’s 500,000th degree. He walked across the stage accompanied by Albert the Alligator and was congratulated by Machen.
“They kind of stopped the whole graduation for me which was scary and exciting at the same time,” Cruz said.
The degree count includes both undergraduate and graduate degrees that have been awarded since 1906, UF spokesman Steve Orlando said.
“Broadly speaking, people like big numbers,” Orlando said. “You know, a half million is a lot of degrees. But I think it also speaks to the impact the university has had over the past, how much of an impact those graduates have had on the state of Florida and really the entire world in that time.”
Orlando said there was no way to know exactly which student earned the 500,000th degree. Cruz was chosen because he represented the hard work needed to graduate from UF.
Orlando said Cruz was also chosen because he was a Florida Opportunity Scholar, a program for first-generation students started by Machen.
Cruz said he was told he would be accepting the 500,000th degree two weeks in advance and attended graduation planning meetings. He received a lifetime membership to the Alumni Association and a frame for his diploma.
Allison Greer-Beal, 48, graduated with a degree in history at the same ceremony.
“I think it was fantastic that it happened at my graduation,” she said. “It didn’t take away from it at all.”
Cruz wasn’t the only student in the spotlight at graduation. At the 2 p.m. ceremony, students were shocked when Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman stepped on stage to surprise his granddaughter Alexis Freeman, an education graduate.
Surprise guest reader Morgan Freeman @UF Commencement celebrating our amazing new alumni #UFGrad pic.twitter.com/k77wmxQHaZ
— Jen Day Shaw (@UFDeanJen) December 20, 2014
“I saw this guy come out of the back in a ball cap, and I was like, ‘Huh. That looks like Morgan Freeman,’” said Greer-Beal, who attended the afternoon ceremony to see two friends graduate. “And when he started talking I was like, ‘Holy crap! It’s Morgan freaking Freeman!’”
University officials didn’t know Freeman was coming until two days before the ceremony, Orlando said.
Greer-Beal said it all happened fast.
“(Freeman) even surprised the guy that was announcing the names,” she said. “And then he was off, right back into the curtains.“
Greer-Beal said her graduating friends were happy about the surprise guest.
“They walked around saying, ‘God was at our graduation!’” she said. “They thought it was the greatest thing.”
The event ended with the graduating class holding up giant cards spelling out, “Thanks Bernie” as a tribute to the former president, who retired at the end of December.
“I thought it was great. I teared up and everything,” Greer-Beal said. “I felt privileged to be at his last two graduations because he has done so much for our school.”
