ST. GEORGE — The key messages from Utah Tech University’s 112th Commencement Ceremony Friday were for graduates to surround themselves with brilliant people and be kind.

Some students wore decorated graduation caps and cultural scarves. Family and friends cheered as the university’s band played and the ceremony progressed during the brisk evening ceremony at the Greater Zion Stadium.

The Trail Blazer’s valedictorian, Briley Wyckoff, said Taylor Swift recently inspired her. 

“Surround yourself with brilliant people,” she said. “Let me explain first by sharing where this philosophy originated. If you know me personally, it should come as no surprise when I say it all started with Taylor Swift.”

She saw a video called ‘Directors on Directors’ where Swift and Martin McDonagh, a playwright and filmmaker, discuss their experiences directing music videos. Even though Wyckoff was not planning on making any films, she felt compelled to watch the presentation. 

“I felt that I had to soak up every piece of information they were willing to share,” she said. “I knew that no matter where I go in life, I must surround myself with brilliant people.”

She thanked her professors at Utah Tech for providing an environment that encouraged discussions that expanded her viewpoints. Wyckoff has spent most of her life in St. George. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English-Literary Studies and a minor in Piano Performance. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Literature and Literary Theory to become a professor. 

“Now that we leave this campus, we must never forget what our school has made us capable of,” Wyckoff said.

She challenged graduates to remember the abilities they developed and continue to build upon their experiences, passions and understandings. 

“Go forth, share your light and be brilliant,” Wyckoff said.

The Commencement Speaker, Khosrow B. Semnani, CEO of S.K. Hart Management, shared stories of the kindness he and his mentors experienced. 

Semnani said that compassion was passed onto him when he was a student who needed a job. At the time, he didn’t have enough money for tuition and one of his professors helped him land employment. 

Born in 1947, Semnani came to America from Iran in his 20s and planned to settle in California but ran out of money in northern Utah. He was grateful he ended up at Westminister College, where there were kind people. He told graduates as they embark on their dreams, there is “no substitute for hard work.”

“Shoot for the stars, but have your feet firmly planted on the ground,” he said

He reminded students that each person’s promise remained long after the ceremony. He said to remember that the university, family and friends are an “ocean of kindness” that believe in the graduates’ future.

“The key to success is looking at a problem, not as a threat but as an opportunity for creativity,” Semnani said. “Whether discovering a new theory, inventing a product, starting a business, or writing a book, the key to success endures in kindness.”

Semnani is an Iranian-American community leader and philanthropist based in Salt Lake City. He graduated from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences in 1972 and a Master’s in Engineering Administration from the University of Utah in 1975, according to his website.

Additionally, in 1988, Semnani founded Envirocare, the first privately-owned low-level nuclear waste disposal facility in America. In 2004, he sold the company, which later became Energy Solutions. 

“To share their good fortune with others,” Semnani and his wife founded the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993, his website states. The foundation works with organizations to provide humanitarian relief across the world. For example, the foundation ran the Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free health care to thousands of uninsured people in Salt Lake City. Semnani also founded Omid for Iran in 2009 to encourage policies that protected the country’s people and promoted their liberty. 

Demographic details for Utah Tech’s Class of 2023 are as follows:

• Total number of degrees awarded: 2,804
• Youngest graduate: 16
• Oldest graduate: 65
• Percentage of graduates who are first-generation college students: 33%
• Number of states represented: 42
• Percentage of graduates from Utah: 76%
• Number of countries represented: 19
• Percentage of female graduates: 63%
• Percentage of male graduates: 37%
• Percentage of degree level graduates earned:
  • Certificate: 18%
  • Associate: 36%
  • Bachelor’s: 44%
  • Master’s: 2%

The Bachelor programs with the most graduates are:

• Nursing BSN
• Psychology
• Exercise Science
• Biology
• Management

Other dignitaries included Utah Tech University’s President, Dr. Richard B. Williams and its Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Michael Lacourse.

This year the Professor Emeritus Awards went to Family Studies and Human Development’s Dr. Cari Buckner, Mathematics’ Dr. Ross Decker and Library Learning Services’ David Zielke. 

The Utah Tech University Symphonic Band provided the music, featuring the Baker Herald Trumpets with Conductor Dr. Bryant Smith.

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