1,383 degrees

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Graduates waited patiently through the ceremony, which lasted more than three hours.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Deborah Kaio was all smiles after receiving her master's degree in human resources management.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Tommy Lasorda, senior vice president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was the guest speaker for the UH ceremony, at which 1,383 students were eligible for degrees.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM The Koko sisters and cousins played around a sculpture outside the Stan Sheriff Center while they waited for a family friend, Leigh Daida, to receive her degree inside. Pictured are Joanna, 8, Kahi, 7, Nicole, 9, and Tajsha Koko, 8.