Why Should You Walk at Graduation?

     I feel sad when I hear students say, “I’m not going to ‘walk’—just send me my diploma.” They might as well don their Ebenezer Scrooge costume and go about saying, “Bah, humbug!” I love graduations, and I wish everyone felt the same. Here are some thoughts as to why I recommend you walk at graduation:

     In this pandemic-effected digital age, opportunities to connect as a community are limited, yet so important. Graduation provides a time to come together as a community of people who want something more for ourselves, our families, and the world. The academic community, comprised of students and faculty, provides a powerful agent of change, and a place where creativity and ingenuity thrive. This community creates a place where we may dare to explore our craziest dreams and our most outlandish ideas, and a place to satisfy our curiosity. Wherever the academic community gathers, power and excitement permeate the space. Commencement provides one of those spaces.

     Commencement offers one of the greatest celebrations a community may experience—the culmination of the hopes and dreams of students and their families—the recognition of the vast universe of stories each student created on their academic path. All the struggles that students’ endured to make their dreams a reality, and the joys of many small victories gained along their academic journeys, reverberate in the hearts of the students and echo in the faces of their friends and families in the stands.  

     Each student has a story hidden under that robe. The story of the mother who stayed up late, while her children slept, to attend online courses; the father who worked nights so he could attend daytime courses with labs to earn his science degree that will soon provide a better life for his family; the first generation student who had no idea how to go to college, but jumped in and just kept going until she figured it out; the early college student who didn’t quite fit in at high school, but found their niche at the university; these, and thousands more stories, are reflected in the sea of purple and black robes at commencement and convocations. 

     I’ve experienced the great privilege of announcing the names of College of Science graduates at the last several graduations. I’m overjoyed to participate in these great celebrations. I truly hope you will join the community and take the time to acknowledge your accomplishment if you are graduating this semester. If you change your mind about “walking,” and can’t come to fall commencement, join us in the spring. I’d love to read your name!