Approximately 4,500 A&M students join alumni Friday, making for the largest mid-year graduation in Texas A&M history. 
At the 9 a.m. ceremony, graduate and undergraduate degrees from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Mays Business School and the College of Science were awarded.
At the 2 p.m. ceremony graduate and undergraduate degrees from the College of Architecture, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as well as graduate degrees from the Bush School of Government and Public Service will be awarded.
At the 7 p.m. ceremony, graduate and undergraduate degrees from the College of Education and Human Development, the College of Geosciences and the College of Liberal Arts will be awarded.
Evan Bretos is a graduating telecommunication senior whexciting.ove to New York after graduation.  
“I am excited,” Bretos said. “I definitely feeling like I’m actually graduating, but it’s really exciting and I’m ready to take the next step. I’m going to miss my friends and being able to build my own schedule — take a nap in the middle of the day. But it’s exciting.” 
Bretos said graduating in the middle of the year was a strategic move for him.
“It was something that I felt was a good thing, because there are a lot less applicants for jobs in December and January,” Bretos said. “I thought it would be better for me and my future to graduate in the  middle of the year. 
Danielle Bishop is an allied health senior and third generation Aggie who also graduated Friday. She said today means a lot to her family. Bishop said her grandfather, Hershel Truelove, Class of 1952, worked hard to come to A&M, paving the way for her family to continue that tradition. 
“It’s a big honor for me to be a third generation in my family — I just feel like I’m carrying on a legacy,” Bishop said. “He pretty much was the reason why all of his and then me and my brother and my cousin get to come to A&M was because of what he did, so it’s a big honor and it means a lot to him as well.”
Kasey Wolff is a psychology senior who will be awarded her degree tonight. Wolff said she’s excited and sad to be graduating, but is glad to be graduating in December.
“Making this decision, I thought a lot about it, but I don’t feel jipped or anything,” Wolff said. “Obvisouly there aren’t going to be as many people graduating and a lot of my friends are graduating in May, but I definitely don’t feel jipped by graduating in December.”
The Texas A&M University School of Law will also graduate 41 students. Texas A&M University Galveston will graduate about 170 students. The Texas A&M Health Science Center will award degrees to 58 candidates, and Texas A&M University at Qatar will award 13 degrees.