Every June, LCC holds a commencement. Commencement is the official graduation ceremony, when students earn their degrees. It is a formal, but exciting event! Students wear caps and gowns, and families and friends come to celebrate their graduation. I also participated in this ceremony last year with my Associate's Degree. In this blog, you can see how the commencement ceremony looks, and some tips for this big event!
What happens during the ceremony
First, you go to the gym to sign in and prepare for the ceremony. When it’s time to start, you go outside. The ceremony will include opening remarks from the College President, a student speaker, student acknowledgments, presentation of the Scholastic Achievement Award winners, and conferral of diplomas and certificates. Usually, it takes a total of 1.5-2 hours.
Preparation before the ceremony
First, don’t forget to complete the RSVP to reserve your spot and reserve a cap and gown! Next, you need to attend rehearsal to know the schedule and what to do beforehand. Third, invite your family and friends! I know that as an international student, it’s hard to bring your family from your home country. But no worries! The ceremony will also be live-streamed from the LCC commencement ceremony webpage on the day of the event. My family in Japan also watched the ceremony through this live-streaming video.
Tips for the Commencement Ceremony
- Decorate your cap to show your personality. You can use glitter, stickers…be creative! I made a flower crown, and I loved it.
- You can’t bring your bag to the ceremony, even a small one! If you need to bring it, make sure to give it to your friends or family members before going to the gym. I only brought a bottle of water and my phone for outside.
- Take many pictures with your friends and family! I took so many pictures with my teachers and friends. The friends I met through LCC are very important to me, but since we’re attending different universities, there’s a chance we might never see each other again. Be sure to take lots of photos so you won’t have any regrets!
- Related to taking pictures, when we checked the weather a week before the ceremony, it was rainy. So what we did was take pictures “before” the ceremony. International students who graduated gathered outside our apartment and took pictures when the weather was good. Even in June, Washington state often has rainy weather. The morning of my graduation day was rainy, but it stopped raining right before the ceremony, so we were lucky.
The commencement ceremony is a special and unforgettable event. It was a meaningful day to celebrate my journey at LCC with my important people. Even if your family cannot be there in person, you can still share this special moment with them. I hope these tips help you enjoy this wonderful day!