Graduation is a time for students to be recognized for academic, creative and collegiate achievements by receiving their degrees. Some students will also celebrate the occasion by decorating their graduation caps to show families and peers the significance of this achievement.

Trayvion Campbell, a senior theatre major, said he is incredibly humbled to graduate, and his decoration will represent what his achievements mean to him.

Campbell said he plans to place a star with his name on his cap as an homage to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to show where he hopes his education will take him.

“That’s where I see myself years from now,” Campbell said. “To have my name recognized and to be an inspiration to black boys and girls, to other people who want to be in this field. Putting a star on my cap is something that I want to work for. It’s something that I strive to be—the best that I can be in my my own field.”

Madelyn Smith, a 2017 photography alumna who is participating in the 2018 commencement said she plans to go to a craft store to get inspiration for her creation.

“I want it to say, ‘Thanks, Mom and Dad and coffee,’” Smith said. “Those three things [are what] got me through college, and I know it will make my parents happy.”

Smith said she would like to see her cap decoration make people laugh and show a piece of her college experience.

There will also be a Graduation Cap Decoration event May 9—10 from noon to 4 p.m. at 623 S. Wabash Ave.

Workroom Coordinator Jamie Weaver said there is no advance sign-up for the event, and all seniors are welcome to make their last Columbia creation with the complimentary workroom supplies.

“It’s exciting for a lot of people because I’ve heard people say that when they graduated from high school, their schools wouldn’t let them decorate their caps,” Weaver said. “They’re excited because it’s an art school. This is what they do.”

Weaver also added that this is the last creation graduating students can make at Columbia.

Campbell said he hopes his cap decoration will serve to show his peers that he is following his dreams.

“I hope they would identify [with] it in an upliftingway, and they will cheer me on like, ‘Hey you can do it, you almost did. You made it this far; you’re not that far,’” Campbell said. “Hopefully, my peers are decorating their caps as something that moves them.”