Utah State University Moab Celebrates Class of 2023

Utah State University Moab is proud to have celebrated its class of 2023 on Thursday, April 27. The class of 2023 had 43 individuals who completed the requirements for a degree and/or certificate. This year’s class earned one graduate and eight undergraduate certificates, 21 associate, 10 bachelor’s and eight master’s degrees.

“We are pleased to welcome each of you to the program this evening---members of the 2023 graduating class, your family, friends, faculty, and alumni,” said Lianna Etchberger, associate vice president of USU Moab. “There are many factors that contribute to the quality of USU Moab. Most important is the quality of our students who exemplify perseverance, commitment and the ability to engage in self-directed learning.”

USU Moab celebrated the graduates with a ceremony at HooDoo Moab. Etchberger welcomed the graduates and introduced the student speaker, Amra Hubbard-Harrison, who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in integrated studies.

Beginning his studies at Santa Monica College in Los Angeles, Calif. and later at Colorado Mesa University, Hubbard-Harrison took a philosophy class that challenged him to ask one question: are you doing exactly what you want to be doing right now? This exercise led Hubbard-Harrison to spend the next two years traveling through Europe. He spent six months in a cabin in the mountains of Bosnia and a year training and racing sled dogs in Norway before ultimately moving to Moab, captivated by the potential outdoor recreation adventures.

Hubbard-Harrison reflected on his decade long journey of beginning college, stepping away and then returning. He remarked on the persistence of examples around him and how each of the graduates had their own persistence as they reached their goals. He encouraged the graduates to continue striving for their goals and to keep persisting.

“Everyone graduating today, may not have had such an unconventional start to their education, yet almost all of us are non-traditional students,” Hubbard-Harrison said. “While that means none of us followed the same path, I would argue that persistence ties us together. I’m graduating today because I was persistent, and so are all of you! Everyone graduating today has demonstrated tenacity, grit and persistence in their own way.”

Etchberger then introduced the keynote speaker, Peter Lawson­– owner and operator of Professor Valley Ranch in Moab. Lawson’s longtime affiliation with Utah State University and the S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources stems back to his grandparents — the college’s namesakes. Lawson and his family were also instrumental in the new USU Moab campus coming to fruition.

Lawson opened his speech by sharing his life story and the unconventional path he took to find out what career path he wanted to pursue. After his own graduation, Lawson worked at his family’s ski resort at Alta. While he found success in this career, he began to ponder if it was what he was supposed to be doing. He decided to look for a new possibility and not long afterward, moved to Moab and purchased his ranch.

He shared with graduates that life can be independent of the piece of paper they had earned in college. He encouraged them to keep an open mind and not be afraid to pivot and make changes if that was what they truly wanted to do.

“Now I have a fairy tale life, and I didn’t see it coming!” Lawson said. “But the more I stay open to possibilities, the more they come. My success didn’t seem to have anything to do with what I was trying to do. It had everything to do with working with what was coming toward me and being willing to alter the plans I had for myself.”

USU Provost & Chief Academic Officer Laurens H. Smith then provided a short message and conferred upon the students their degrees, and the graduates received their diplomas. The celebration concluded with a welcome address from Steven L. Palmer, president of the USU Alumni Association.

Smith closed the proceedings with a special recognition for Etchberger. He thanked her for her dedicated service at USU Moab in what was her final commencement ceremony as USU Moab associate vice president.

Located in the outdoor recreation paradise of Moab and boasting one of the greenest buildings on any USU campus, Utah State University Moab offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With programs such as Nursing, Elementary Education, Recreation Resource Management and Social Work, technical education in Health Professions, Automotive and Business, and degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, USU Moab offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at moab.usu.edu.