More than 5,000 students at the University of Central Florida will be earning their degrees in various programs this week at three commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday.

At the nation's second-largest university, one woman — who is more than two decades older than more of her peers — is graduating with distinction.

"This is just the beginning of self-actualization," said Cavel Austin, who said she lives by the UCF creed printed in her handbook.

"It says integrity, scholarship, community."

At 45 years old, Austin is receiving the Order of Pegasus, the university's most prestigious academic award.

As Austin clutched her coveted medal, she told the story of her youth: Born and raised in Jamaica, she grew up in an impoverished area. At 15, she took over the household and mothered her siblings.

Years later, Austin had two children.

Austin then made a choice five years ago when she relocated to the United States.

"I decided that here's an opportunity for me to achieve my goals — my dreams as a student (and) as an adult," she said.

At one point in Austin's studies, she actually shared a statistics class with her son. She told him not to call her Mom or sit next to her in class.

One day, though, he forgot as he responded to a professor.

"He was in the back of the class and he was like, 'No, mom,'" she said. "The entire class turned around. Nobody knew we were related."

When it comes to her age, Austin said it's just a number. Although poverty held her back, she said, age shouldn't be a deterrent for accomplishing your goals.

Now that she's graduating with her family by her side, Austin said she's ready to give back and become an English language arts teacher. And she isn't done with school yet: She plans on getting a master's degree and then a Ph.D.

"For me, it's not about your age," she said. "It's about what you want to gain out of life."

Thriving in a male-dominated field

For Megan Pence, embarking on a career in a field long dominated by men is what she wants out of life.

Pence is graduating from UCF with a mechanical engineering degree Saturday.

"We have to work harder to prove that we're smart," Pence said.

The 22-year-old soon-to-be-graduate said she feels like she had to earn the respect of her male peers as a female engineer.

"I like being a female engineer, because it kind of creates a different perspective," she said.

Pence said collaborating with male engineers creates an important dynamic that leads to a better product, such as what the student team created for a quadriplegic man.

The device allows someone to control a wheelchair using small movements of facial muscles.

"He was able to test it out, drive around using only his temporal muscles," Pence said. "It was incredible, because we put in so many hours of hard work, so many long days."

At the time, Pence was an intern at Limbitless Solutions, a company that creates 3D prosthetic arms. When she was a UCF freshman, Pence was looking for a sense of inclusion in her male-dominated field.

She found that with the Society of Women Engineers, crediting the group with lending professional support, which led her down the career path she chose.

Pence will be moving to Iowa in January to work for John Deere in the engineering development program.

"We're able to help more people," she said. "That's why I personally went to school for engineering. It's to help people."