The University of West Alabama conferred undergraduate, master’s, and education specialist degrees to nearly 500 students on May 9.

UWA’s spring 2015 graduating class represents 18 states across the U.S., as well as Australia, Canada, China, England, and France.

Among the nearly 500 graduates was Georgiana native Richard Ballard.

Three students tied for the 2014-15 Ralph M. Lyon Award, which is given annually to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average. The three honorees are Evan Beutler, Manuel Grossman, and fall 2014 graduate Joshua Moore, who all graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.