BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) - “Today is the beginning of arguably the happiest moment at any college or university, and especially at Virginia Tech,” said University spokesperson Mark Owczarski, as students poured into Lane Stadium behind him Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday, celebrations kick off the first of 20 graduation ceremonies at Virginia Tech. Over the course of five days, over 6,000 undergraduates, 1,135 graduates and 267 PH.D students will walk the stage and celebrate years of hard work at Virginia Tech.

“These are the people who are going to go out and begin to apply what they’ve learned, everything from kindergarten all the way through Virginia Tech, and begin to solve the world’s greatest problems,” said Owczarski.

Ikhlas Rababah is among those graduates. She came to Virginia Tech from Jordan and she’s the first to complete her Masters and PH.D degrees in just three years.

“I’m so excited,” said Rababah after graduating Wednesday morning. “I’m so proud of myself, because I did this achievement. And I really made the history about this achievement.”

“It was so beautiful. So warm,” said Rababah, describing the graduation ceremony. “I said, just, congratulations for all students here, for their families, because this is really a big achievement for all of them.”

Some schools have canceled their graduations due to Pro-Palestinian protests over the last couple weeks. Tech has seen protestors recently , but Virginia Tech officials said the protests have not impacted graduation plans.

“Virginia Tech is prepared for whatever may happen, whether that be weather, whether that be fill in the blank. And the thing is it’s not a question of being more prepared one day versus another, it’s always being prepared,” said Owczarski. “Safety and the welfare of our guests, our graduates, our students and faculty is always a top priority day in and day out.”

Commencement for the Class of 2024 is scheduled for Friday, May 10. Graduation ceremonies will continue in Blacksburg through Saturday.