By David King
Daily Bruin Contributor
They are infamous for clichéd speeches, impersonal
acknowledgments and enormous crowds of people. For the graduating
UCLA senior, however, there are other options besides the
traditional, academic graduation ceremony.
As in previous years at UCLA, many ethnic and group-based
graduation celebrations will take place in addition to the school
or departmental ceremonies scheduled for the weekend of June 17 and
18.
These celebrations ““ some of which feature bands, dancing
and special awards ““ stand in stark contrast to conventional
graduation ceremonies.
Maria Yang, a graduating fourth-year microbiology and molecular
genetics student, said standard ceremonies are often mere
“pomp and circumstance.”
Because graduation is such an important event, Yang said
graduates should not settle for a standard ceremony, but find one
that they will enjoy.
“After all, graduation is the graduating person’s
day,” Yang said. “They should be comfortable with the
ceremony.”
Such ceremonies dedicated to making student groups comfortable
range from the Samahang Pilipino celebration, the Iranian Student
Group ceremony, the Athletic Department’s reception for
student athletes and the Lavender Celebration for UCLA’s
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community.
“It’s going to be a very wonderful ceremony,”
said Ronni Sanlo, director of the LGBT Campus Center, of this
coming Sunday’s event.
The celebration will feature speeches from the UCLA LGBT
community and West Hollywood mayor Jeffrey Prang, along with a
keynote address by poet and activist Jowell Gomez, Sanlo said.
In addition to speeches, LGBT graduates receive a special
rainbow tassel for their caps and are inducted into the UCLA LAMBDA
alumni community by its members.
Sanlo expects roughly 25 graduates to be honored at the
ceremony, along with about 250 community members, family members
and friends in attendance.
La Raza Grad, a ceremony for UCLA’s Chicana/o and Latina/o
student population, expects 350 graduates and a crowd of 7,000 on
Sunday, said Co-Chairperson Lena Velasco, graduating fifth-year
history and Chicana/o studies student.
Velasco said like other ethnic celebrations, La Raza Grad was
completely organized by students, a task she described as arduous
yet beneficial.
“You learn so much, and you share so much (but) it’s
raising the money that is so hard,” Velasco said.
Because student groups must collect their own money to rent
facilities, buy decorations and hire entertainment, Velasco said
fundraising must begin early in the school year.
For La Raza Grad, fundraisers such as carne asada sales started
fall quarter to ensure the more than $20,000 needed for
Sunday’s event would be raised.
While UCLA’s La Raza Grad began 27 years ago, the UCLA
Lavender Ceremony started in 1998. Sanlo founded the celebration at
the University of Michigan in 1995, and since then, 18 similar
ceremonies have occurred nationwide.
She said UCLA’s celebration, which won an award for
excellence in programming from the Association of College Unions
International, is an emotional experience for all involved.
“It’s a ceremony that truly warms one’s
heart,” Sanlo said. “These students are true survivors
and true achievers, and I’m proud to be associated with
them.”
In contrast to the university’s academic ceremonies, the
Lavender Celebration acknowledges graduates for who they are, not
only for what they have achieved, Sanlo said. This positive
environment, she continued, ensures a good attendance at the
event.
“There have been some students who only go to this
ceremony because this is the only one where they feel
welcome,” she said, adding that the LGBT Center does not
discourage graduates from attending other ceremonies.
Similarly, celebrations like the African Student Union
Graduation Ceremony are often the only events their respective
graduates attend.
ASU Graduation organizer LaKisha Jamison, a fourth-year
political science student, said many African American students
prefer the unique nature of the ceremony.
“It’s our form of celebration,” Jamison said
of the event that will include speeches by several student and ASU
leaders. “I think for a lot of students, our ceremony
replaces the others.”
For Jamison, who plans on attending only the ASU Graduation
Ceremony, ethnic celebrations allow for more individual
recognition, which is crucial for minority students at the
university.
“It’s very important for communities of color
““ there’s so few of us, and we don’t have the
same experience as other students here,” she said.
Unlike academic ceremonies, most themed celebrations have
unlimited tickets, and are open to everyone, Jamison added.
This accessibility is beneficial for the families ““ and
especially the siblings ““ of the graduates.
“The ceremony gives younger kids who come something to
look forward to,” said Jamison, whose two younger sisters
will attend Sunday’s celebration. “It gives them the
determination to do the same thing.”
Ben Hom, a graduating fourth-year business-economics student,
agreed that ethnic graduations can have a significant impact on
attendees.
“Hopefully, they promote education in their family, or for
people of the same ethnic background,” he said.
Hom said many of his friends are the first college graduates in
their family, so a personal ceremony can be more influential
compared to a large, somewhat detached one.
Although he does not plan on attending a themed ceremony, Hom
said he looks forward to the business-economics graduation, which
will announce each of the graduates’ names.
“It puts a very personal touch on a rather impersonal
institution,” he said.
La Raza Grad also strives to put graduation on a more personal
level, Velasco said. In addition to reading the names of its
graduates, La Raza Grad provides attendees with a yearbook
featuring pictures and messages from the graduating seniors.
The focus of the celebration is not just on the graduates,
Velasco said.
“It’s not a self-serving ceremony,” she said.
“It recognizes not only your accomplishments, but also the
support of family and friends.”