More than 3,000 JMU students, can now call themselves "graduates."

Those graduates now move on to a new stage in their lives. It might have been a cloudy day, but the sun did not need to be out to brighten these grad's big day.

It was smiles and hugs closing the ceremony, but for many students it was a mix of emotions. This is the time to get a real job and make money, but for others like Abby Williams, she is going into the peace corps.

"I'm not quite ready to go into the real world yet and I've been thinking about it for a while and I really want to kind of do something good before I settle down and make a difference," says Williams.

That was the theme from key note speaker ambassador Gaddi Vasquez. He represents the United Nations' Food and Agricultural organizations and works to help cure world hunger. "I challenge you to embrace service to others as a way of life and not just a consequence of having some spare time"

But regardless of what these graduates will do after today, they may agree on one thing. "I love this place, this is the best school in Virginia, by far."

Today's graduation was also a special one. The JMU awarded its 100-thousandth degree conferred by the University since it's founding in 1908.