Families, friends and educators flooded the Old Main Quadrangle this past Sunday morning to celebrate the 2012 SUNY New Paltz commencement, which included 1,291 undergraduates and 231 graduate candidates. As the graduates marched into the Old Main seating area outdoors, people crowded against the exterior fencing to try to wave to their graduate, take a quick photo or video of the prestigious rite of higher educational passage. One of these was the brother-in-law of Devon Walker, whose family is from Brooklyn. “We are excited and proud of him,” said his brother-in-law with a thick Jamaican accent. “It’s always wonderful when a family member has reached that level of education. I hope that he dedicates himself to whatever he chooses to do in his life, even when obstacles present themselves, and that he remains true to himself.”