By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
In the days leading up to the University of South Florida’s commencement, like he has for the last nine years, Wayne Garcia goes over the names of graduates he’ll be reading at the Yuengling Center.
There’s one practice run that stands out to him
“I’m in my living room, reading out loud, when my Alexa starts rapping, ‘My name is Alexa’ and so on,” Garcia said. “And I'm like, what?”
Wayne Garcia snaps a selfie with graduates backstage before a commencement
The Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications senior instructor then realized why his Alexa had become a hip-hop artist.
“Alexa Rapp” was a graduate on his list.
But the virtual assistant misheard the name as the command, “Alexa, rap.”
That unexpected moment was just one example of the quirks that happen behind the scenes.
For those in attendance, the conferring of thousands of degrees each semester seems to run smoothly: The graduates walk on stage, their names are announced, they’re handed a diploma and are then off to celebrate.
But, for the commencement readers, beyond playful moments, getting those names right takes preparation, care and a bit of courage.
“It’s fun, but nerve-wracking,” said Travis Bell, one of three commencement readers and associate professor in the Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communications. “You literally have one time to do this and if you screw it up, you’ve screwed it up.”
This spring, commencement readers will announce nearly 8,000 graduates during 10 ceremonies May 8-11, with Garcia, Bell and Mark Schreiner each independently overseeing a share of those events.
“It’s an absolute honor,” said Schreiner, the veteran of the trio. He began serving as a reader in 2014, with Garcia joining him in 2016 and Bell in 2023. “For these students, this is the culmination of three, five, maybe six years of their lives. They put in the work. They are being recognized for it. I get to be a part of it.”
Travis Bell and Rocky the Bull at a commencement
Schreiner’s job as an assistant news director and journalist for WUSF News qualified him for the gig, whereas Bell is a former television journalist.
And Garcia’s credentials?
“I have a voice,” he said with a laugh. “That’s all they required.”
He’s also a former award-winning print journalist with radio experience.
About three weeks prior to commencement, each receives his lists of names – spelled phonetically if the student chooses that option. They then read those out loud, making notes of the tough names that require further practice.
The lists are alphabetical. But on graduation day, the students sit where they want among college classmates, walk on stage row by row, and then hand the commencement reader a card with their name on it.
“So, it doesn’t help to memorize the list and know to be ready for a particular name,” Garcia said. “You never know who is coming next.”
While phonetic spellings can help with difficult names, they sometimes cause issues with those that should be easy.
“Someone with a simple name like Matthew Jones will have it spelled phonetically and that will actually mess you up because you won’t recognize the name immediately,” Schreiner said. “My twin brother’s name is Matthew, and I’ll look at how the student’s card wants me to hit the enunciation and wonder if I have been saying his name wrong all these years.”
Mark Schreiner and WUSF reporter Meghan Bowman at the spring 2024 commencement
Then there are the students who didn’t register for graduation far enough in advance to have their names printed on the list or card. Just prior to the ceremony, those students handwrite their name on a card.
“It sometimes looks like a doctor wrote it,” Bell said. “There have been times that I had no idea what it says.”
In those instances, the readers ask for help through slight eye contact with the student, who usually, just as subtly, leans over and whispers their name.
There is also a physical aspect to the job that requires readers to be on their feet for as long as 45 minutes.
“The trick is to keep your knees bent,” Garcia said. “Otherwise, they’ll lock up like Frankenstein’s monster.”
Tea and honey before and between ceremonies help their voice, as do sips of water while the deans introduce the next college sending graduates to stage. But USF’s largest college usually has so many graduates that it takes up an entire ceremony, so there is no break.
“The most names I ever read without a break was probably 1,000 for the College of Arts and Sciences,” Schreiner said. “But I’ve only had one time when I lost my voice.”
That was during a doctoral and graduate student ceremony. The PA system went out right before he introduced the individuals who sit on the stage during the ceremony – a mix of USF leaders, speakers and honored students. Rather than waiting for the system to be fixed and causing a delay, Schreiner shouted their 12 names.
“The moment I finish, everything started working again, of course,” Schreiner said. He finished the ceremony using the microphone. But “when I woke in the morning, my voice was gone. Luckily, that was my final graduation for that semester.”
Bell has also been the victim of an equipment mishap, although his was self-induced.
Travis Bell (second to left) and students at a commencement
Prior to one of his first ceremonies, Bell made the mistake of forgetting to tape his microphone headset to his ear for further support. As he leaned forward to look at a card, the headset fell off.
“I felt like an idiot as I fumbled to pick it up and get it back on,” Bell said. “I haven’t made that mistake again.”
And, yes, they mispronounce names.
The graduate usually lets them know with a glance, but the readers don’t have time for corrections. They must keep moving.
“The students are rarely upset,” Schreiner said. “They understand it’s hard and we do our best.”
Garcia’s most embarrassing error was at the expense of a friend’s son.
“His last name is Copper, but people often mistakenly called him Cooper,” Garcia said. “They were happy when his name was on my list because that meant it would be said right. Of course, I said Cooper.”
With help from friends, Sam Bridgman walks across stage during graduation as Mark Schreiner claps [Photo by University Communications and Marketing]
Schreiner once nearly became too emotional to continue.
He was told in advance that a wheelchair-bound graduate was going to walk across the stage with the help of friends.
“I tried to ignore what was happening because I knew I would be overcome, so I just stared straight ahead,” Schreiner said. “The photographer’s assistant next to me starts dabbing her eyes and saying it’s beautiful. Without making eye contact, I had to ask her to stop because the ceremony would be over if I lost it.”
Despite the pressure, they agree that the reward is worth the risk.
“It’s the most terrifying thing I do,” Garcia said. “But it’s also the most gratifying and greatest honor I’ve had as a professor. Graduation is one of the most special days in these students’ lives.”