After spending last month all day and night at the university library – thesis and essays unfortunately don’t write themselves – it was a relief to get back all grades and conclude I really was finished. I could now finally be certain when telling friends and family I would be graduating this summer – always a risky statement before you have all grades back and a diploma in your hands.

After three years of UCG, signing this diploma was a special moment. This is the case for anyone graduating, but UCG has a habit of celebrating these occasions more elaborately. Last year, this meant a committee of dedicated students organized an entire graduation week, including a gala, camping trip, dinners, and even a graduation week sweater for every student. Our year unfortunately missed that level of dedication, but even though not having a full week of events, the graduation was still a fun and beautiful way of closing these last three years.

After everyone recovered from the pre-graduation dinner and boat party two days before, the graduation ceremony took place on Thursday, 5th of July. In the morning, we were all send to UCG to put on our robe and hat and walk to the academy building in the centre of the city to take our graduation pictures. Walking there, people were staring at us, occasionally congratulating us with our graduation. Dressing up like this is not a Dutch custom, but I liked graduating in American style, and the confused faces this caused on the streets.

Later in the afternoon, graduation day part 2 started: the graduation ceremony. One of our students lead the ceremony, speeches were given, and students performed a song. Every graduated student was asked to come up front and mentors would tell a little bit about them. Even though you know all of your class mates, it was interesting to hear how teachers saw each of us move throughout the years, retelling how they got to know a student, pieces of work of that stood out, or simply a funny conversation. While every student was given only two minutes, virtually all teachers took the double amount to describe their students.

The drinks after mostly meant saying goodbye to everyone. At university colleges, probably more than other study’s, students do not necessarily stay in the same city to do their graduate degree or work. This is probably a main reason for UCG to celebrate graduating this way: life for all of us will look pretty different next year.

Best,

Tamara