Rain sends UH's graduation from TDECU Stadium to Hofheinz Pavilion

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In a last second audible, the University of Houston moved Saturday night's graduation from TDECU Stadium to Hofheinz Pavilion for everyone's safety. A lot of graduates stayed home. But the ones who pushed their way here got a crash course in turning lemons into lemonade.

"It was hectic," said graduate Jonathan Madrigal. "We didn't know what to do. We didn't know if it was gonna get cancelled. We were just wondering what UH was gonna do to make this happen for us and they came through."

"It was kind of a disappointment because we've all been waiting so long for it," added graduate Ashton Ruzicka. "But we're just glad we at least got to celebrate it a little bit."

A much smaller, but no less spirited crowd of graduates and their loved ones trickled in, just happy the moment was finally here.

"It was a long time waiting. We were all excited for the fireworks. I think that's a big disappointment, but it's Mother Nature. You can't do anything about it," Ruzicka said.

"One of the things I missed most about my year in space was the rain," said Capt. Scott Kelly. "I remember thinking God please let it rain a lot when I get back to Houston. So for your graduates here, here's my first piece of advice for you. Be careful what you wish for."

Nobody here understands adjusting to tough situations like the commencement speaker Capt. Scott Kelly. This was his first public address since returning from a year in space and retiring. He spoke for about 15 minutes with his main message: make mistakes.

"If you aren't making mistakes in doing the hard things, you're not testing the limits of your capability," he added.

In the end, these graduates were just glad their day wasn't a total loss.