Most universities book a well-known political figure or celebrity to speak at their commencement speaker to get the public's attention. The University of Arizona got ours with a spectacular light show.
UA's undergraduate commencement held Friday screened a video mashup that featured photos of students edited together with scenes from music videos, movies, TV and major news events that occurred during the last four years, set to a soundtrack that included Ellie Goulding, among others. The students also wore LED bracelets that lighted up on cue.
UA did have PetSmart chairman and CEO Robert F. Moran as its commencement speaker, but it's hard to compete with a light show and fireworks. Watching video of the ceremony, sometimes it's difficult to tell whether it's a university commencement or the introduction to an NBA game.
The university collected photos for the Jumbotron display by asking students to tag their Instagram photos with #beardownlife ("Bear Down" being the school's motto). They also arranged photo booths where students could pose together.
And while some schools frown upon students decorating their caps, UA invited students to exercise their creativity, even asking graduates to share photos of their skills.
The ceremony was held at the Arizona Stadium and was attended by an estimated 22,000 people, Tucson News Now reports. It was the first time the ceremony had been held at the stadium in more than four decades, according to the Daily Wildcat.
Watch the presentation in the video above, and alternate views of UA's light show and fireworks display can be seen here, here and here.
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