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More than 1,900 students graduated from the University of Tampa in three separate ceremonies Saturday at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Speakers at the ceremonies reminded students that conditions will not always be ideal, but to persevere anyway.

Lauren Thomas Compton MBA ’04, CEO of Thomas Financial, presented the morning address to the graduates in the Sykes College of Business. She spoke about compounding, which she said refers to more than just money.

“You will be asked to lead. And you will not always feel ready,” she said. “But if you have been compounding the right things, you will be capable.”

Character. Credibility. Discipline. Show up when no one is applauding, she said. “Character is built in the quarters when returns are flat,” Compton told the audience.

“Every decision you make from this point forward is a deposit or a withdrawal from your future,” she told the graduates, noting they just made their first life deposit.

At the 12:30 p.m. ceremony, Maria Weizer ’96, co-founder of Redan Strategies, spoke to the graduates of the College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education and the College of Natural and Health Sciences.

Weizer reminded students that sometimes our plans are different than the plan life has for us.

“Life is full of plot twists, so get ready. The question is never whether they’ll come. The question is whether you’re ready to roll with them,” she said.

“Goals without purpose are just items on a to-do list.”

She encouraged students to do what they can now and not to wait until conditions are perfect.

In the last ceremony, Lee H. Matthews ’67, a clinical neuropsychologist, spoke to graduates of the College of Arts and Letters. He encouraged them to be themselves and not try to emulate others.

“Be yourself. Don’t try to be your mentor or that person to the left or right of you; those other ideas and positions are already taken,” he said.

Here are some statistics about the graduates:

Total graduates: 1,992
Countries represented: 13
Percent of graduates from Florida: 39%

Undergraduate students

Total bachelor’s degree candidates: 1,745
Summa cum laude (GPA 4.0): 15
Magna cum laude (GPA 3.75 or higher, but less than 4.0): 202
Cum laude (GPA 3.5 or higher, but less than 3.75): 303
Most popular undergraduate majors: Allied Health, Finance, and Marketing

Graduate students

Total candidates: 247
With highest honors (GPA 4.0): 19
With honors (GPA 3.9 or higher, but less than 4.0): 14
MBAs awarded: 41
Doctorates awarded: 18