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The fastest-growing college along the Wasatch Front will award diplomas to more than 5,000 graduates Thursday at its Orem campus.

Recent data show Utah Valley University enrollment swelled to 33,000 students this year, surpassing the flagship University of Utah. Latino students largely are responsible for the boost. The number of Hispanic scholars at the school has risen nearly threefold from a decade ago, from 960 to 3,300. That's a bigger increase than any other ethnic group.

On Thursday at 6:30 p.m, John Quiñones, host of ABC's "Primetime: What Would You Do?", will speak to Utah Valley University graduates and their families at the commencement ceremony.

A seven-time Emmy Award-winning anchor, Quiñones is expected to share anecdotes from his childhood and career. He is expected to touch on his experiences growing up poor and using education as a tool to pursue a career as a reporter, starting in Miami, Fla. He has a bachelor's degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, and a master's from the Columbia School of Journalism.

Quiñones, an ABC correspondent and host for 25 years, has reported on child brides in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in northern Arizona; the Chilean mine collapse of 2010; and the influence of the nation's growing Latino population on arts and music, among other stories of international interest.

Quiñones is one of four who will receive an honorary degree. The other recipients are Justice Christine Durham of the Utah Supreme Court; Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint Smart Home; and John Valentine, chairman of the Utah State Tax Commission.

aknox@sltrib.com Twitter: @anniebknox