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OSU | Culture

5 Ways to Celebrate Graduation

Natalie Zargari Student Contributor, Ohio State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at OSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Graduation is just around the corner! With final exams, presentations and job applications, there is a lot to be thinking about. Still, it is important to remember to celebrate your graduation!

I have been looking for ways to commemorate my time in college. Graduating is a huge accomplishment and it needs to be celebrated! From crafting to going to events to exploring campus, there are so many ways to celebrate graduation.

decorate your graduation cap

Decorating graduation caps is a classic way to celebrate graduation. I did this when I graduating high school, and I am excited to do it again! I have been glued to Pinterest, looking for a cute design or quotes to use. Some of my favorite ideas use song lyrics or movie quotes and are bordered with little flowers. Others are major-specific.

Take a trip to Michael’s and stock up on glitter paper, flowers, gemstones and hot glue and get cracking. I have even seen kits on Amazon just for decorating grad caps! Decorating grad caps makes for a fun night for craft-lovers and for adorable graduation photos.

On-campus events

Check out what events different organizations on your campus are holding to celebrate seniors! Colleges love to celebrate their graduating class, so make sure to keep an eye out for what your college may have going on.

At Ohio State, there are events like the Scarlett and Gray Send-Off, the Candlelight Ceremony on the Oval and Commencement week tours of the Ohio Stadium. I am excited to go to these to celebrate my graduation!

photos

Take lots and lots of photos to commemorate your time at college! Go on a shopping spree, find a graduation dress you love and take photos around campus! Whether you hire a professional or grab a group of friends and a camera, I think graduation photos are a must.

You can hit your favorite campus spots, whether that includes posing in front of the Thompson Library entrance or sitting on a bench by Mirror Lake. I also want to recreate some photos that I took when I was just a high school senior, touring Ohio State, lounging in the red chairs outside of the South Campus dorms or sitting next to Brutus in the Union.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants graduation scene
Warner Bros. Pictures
scrapbook

A trend that I think is so cute is making graduation scrapbooks. Print all of your favorite photos from your time at college, freshman to senior year. You could include tickets from games or shows, souvenirs or stickers from campus events or aspirations and little notes to your future self.

This would be perfect for a fun little craft night to celebrate your time at college — pick up a blank book, turn on your favorite nostalgia playlist and get scrapbooking! Your future self will thank you for putting together a collection of all your favorite college memories to reminisce on.

@madisonnnwebb

10/10 recommend doing a scrapbook night with your besties the night before college graduation #clemson #senior #graduation #co2023

♬ Long Live – Taylor Swift
campus bucket list

Since it is my last semester at Ohio State, I keep realizing there are things I have not done during my time here, and I am losing my chance! I started making a bucket list of events I want to go to or places I want to visit around campus before I graduate. Get a group of friends together and hit as many bucket list items as you can!

Congratulations on graduating! I hope you have a great time celebrating and reminiscing on your time in college. You put so much work into your studies and exams and it’s all finally paying off.

As you prepare to graduate and look back on the past four years, be proud of yourself. You have accomplished so much and you deserve to celebrate!

Natalie Zargari is a third year undergraduate psychology and economics major at Ohio State University. She has experience working as a pricing intern at a technology company and as a barista at an on-campus coffee shop. She is graduating in May 2025.

Some fun facts about Natalie are that she is a triplet and that she has two dogs named Roxie and Shelby. She likes to get tattoos. She has six, including the sun from “Tangled” and Adelaide’s scissors from “Over the Garden Wall.” She loves chai lattes, going on walks while listening to musical soundtracks, sweet tea, seeing movies on opening night, studying outside, rewatching Pixar movies and drawing.