He survived hurricanes and wars. Now he's a graduate of William Paterson University.

NEWARK — Jacob Martínez had a lot of excuses not to graduate from William Paterson University on Wednesday.

Two hurricanes. Five deployments to the Middle East. An upbringing that never seemed fair.

But there he took his seat, amid an expanse of black and orange on the floor of the Prudential Center. As the pomp and circumstance of the occasion began sinking in, hardships he was forced to endure leading up to that moment seemed to be in the distant past.

"I didn't have a normal childhood," Martínez, 36, said this week. "That's why I'm so happy that I'm doing what I'm actually doing."

Martínez, who earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism, was among more than 800 graduates — or 42 percent of the Class of 2019 — who were the first in their families to receive a college diploma.

All told, 1,925 bachelor's degrees were conferred at the morning event. A separate ceremony, for 407 master's and doctoral candidates, was to be held on campus Thursday evening.

Thousands were on hand at the downtown arena to witness the 196th commencement ceremony in the history of the Wayne university, established in 1855.

Kevin McKiernan, who earned a bachelor's degree in Asian studies and history, summa cum laude, was named valedictorian. Frederick Gruel, a 26-year member of the William Paterson board of trustees, and its past chairman, received the president's medallion — the highest honor given by the university.

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The ceremony was the first commencement for university President Richard Helldobler since he assumed the position last summer.

In his address, Helldobler challenged graduates to "crash glass ceilings" and "earn a place at the table."

"We need you there," Helldobler said halfway through his 20-minute speech. "Our country needs you there — the world needs you there."

Helldobler also told graduates to be proud of their accomplishment. "We know that your journey to a college degree may have included challenges, but take heart," he said, later adding: "Having a degree will improve your life in many ways."

This year's graduating class was not short on tales of inspiration.

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Sandra Murillo and her daughter, Katherinn López Murillo, received diplomas in public health and criminology, respectively, within minutes of each other on Wednesday.

The Colombian immigrants, now of Woodland Park, realized about a year ago that they were on track to graduate at the same time, and López Murillo enrolled in summer courses to make sure it happened.

"It's an amazing feeling, especially because we didn't expect it," said López Murillo, 25, a graduate of Passaic Valley Regional High School in Little Falls. She plans to be a parole officer.

Murillo, 46, who works at a substance abuse clinic in Paterson, grew up in a household where the importance of being educated was constantly reinforced.

"The only way you can open doors is through education," she said.

Martínez said doors of success seemed to be closing on him, even as he graduated from Eastside High School in Paterson. "My family comes from humble beginnings," he said, "and I didn't have a lot going for me."

Born in the Bronx, Martínez bounced from relative to relative as a child. He spent two separate years with his grandmother in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, a city on the island's north shore.

It was there, during those years, when Martínez learned the meaning of survival, as he and his family outlasted Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Georges in 1998. The September storms claimed a total of 664 lives; the second tropical cyclone flattened his grandmother's home. It was hard, he remembered, to see the "hurt in her eyes."

Years later, as an Army sergeant in Iraq and Kuwait, his understanding of what it means to be a survivor was cemented in his mind.

Battle-tested and storm-weary, Martínez put his best foot forward on Wednesday to accept a diploma from an institution he never saw coming through the dust clouds of Baghdad and downpours of the Caribbean.

"This is the most educated generation, ever — in the history of America," said Martínez, of Weehawken, who recently celebrated his fifth wedding anniversary. Having finished his coursework in December, he works as a production coordinator for A+E Networks in New York City.

"Everyone has a plan to move forward," he said, "and that's a great thing."

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

Numbers, please

• William Paterson University conferred bachelor's degrees to 27 military veterans.
• They ranged in age from 20 to 58.
• 463 of them earned degrees with Latin honors of cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude.
• They hailed from 14 states, including New Jersey.
• They hailed from 29 countries, including the U.S.