 Well today is a big day for many students as they start a new chapter in life with graduation. Haiti Clotter shows us how Bemidji State University graduates also share their special moment with family. It's exciting but it's kind of scary it's all done four years gone by past. Before walking across the stage and earning their degrees Cassidy and Cameron Trott are performing in Bemidji State University's ensemble. The girls say they've done everything together. After all they are twins so they'll continue their studies and music together. We're going to be going to the University of North Dakota and pursuing a master's in music and performance and yeah we both got graduate assistantships up there. It was a packed house at the Sanford Center for BSU's 98th commencement ceremony. There were 48 master's degree recipients and more than a thousand new graduates. No matter what path each student took it was a day of celebration. For non-traditional students like Alicia Christensen it took her almost 10 years to graduate because she became a mother. Decided to go back to school started over at Northwest Technical College went for my accounting degree and then a business degree then I finally graduated from both those and came to BSU. Friends and family of graduates received a special shout out. Students were told to send a text message or picture to their family members to capture the moment. It's good. I'm surprised. David Becker made the journey from California just to see his daughter walk. He also had a surprise for her too. An associate's degree. Gotcha. She said if I took the classes this summer I could walk with you. Some graduates say having family in their corner makes all the difference. It's one of those landmark occasions. You want your whole family to be there. You want your friends to share it. It's fun. We made it. Without their support I wouldn't be here. There's no way I could have ever done this without them. All the hard work in late night studying finally paid off. In Bemidji, Haiti Clotter, Lakeland News. This was also the first graduating class for Dr. Faith Hensrud as president of BSU and Northwest Technical College. Tonight NTC also had its commencement where 233 new graduates received their diplomas. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland news please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.