Robing Convocation at Martin Hall on Friday kicked off Texas Wesleyan’s graduation weekend with graduating seniors honoring the faculty members that made an impact on them.

More than two dozen faculty and 105 students gathered participated in the event, which dates back to 1927, according to txwes.edu.

Texas Wesleyan President Fred Slabach said robing is an opportunity for students to embrace and carry on the philosophy of instructors that have been important to them during their time at Wesleyan.

“The relationship between the faculty and students must be long and viable,” he said. “This ceremony expresses that warm relationship.”

Hasibullah Aimaq, a graduating political science and sociology major, and robed by Dr. Trevor Norris, is a native of Afghanistan, and said he is the first in his family to graduate from an American institution of higher learning.

“I always participated when my friends graduated,” he said, “So now today is my day to celebrate with my family.”

Aimaq said he is not only lucky enough to be one of several students from his country to get a chance to study in America, but also lucky to be able to share the robing experience with his family, who came from Frankfurt, Germany for the graduation ceremonies.

“We all took our vacation time to travel here and celebrate this moment with my brother,” said Samim Aimaq, Hasibullah’s younger brother. “We are so proud of him.”

Many students were seen after the ceremony sharing time with family and those special instructors on the lawn in front of Martin Hall.

William Walters, a graduating psychology major, and robed by Dr. Marilyn Pugh, believes robing shows the close relationship at Wesleyan between faculty and students, but the choice of which professor to robe a student is not always the easiest one to make.

“It is kind of like picking your favorite parent,” Walters said. “You don’t want to disappoint anybody, but I think it ended up being alright.”

His mother, Tracy Bargy, said she is extremely proud of all the hard work and sacrifice her son has made in order to complete his educational journey.

“The tears will come out eventually, but his best thing was having me for 24 years as a case study,” she said with a laugh.

The graduation weekend ceremonies will conclude 10 a.m. Saturday at MacGorman Chapel on the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary campus in Fort Worth, according to txwes.edu.