Preparing to celebrate my daughter this weekend for her graduation almost feels like planning a wedding: the ceremony, the gown, the cake, the flowers. But unlike a wedding, commencement is a ceremony that celebrates what you chose to pursue for yourself and everything you are capable of becoming on your own. Commencement means beginning. And everyone deserves to feel that kind of optimism.
If you are working in higher education and need a boost, sit in the back of any auditorium at graduation and listen to the people cheering, standing up for their graduate, crying at the realization of their student’s journey, and everything and everyone who made that possible. No ceremony moves me like this one.
People Have Always Needed to be Recognized
Those emotions are hardly new. Graduation is actually a medieval tradition.
Academic ceremonies date back to the 12th century in Europe, where robes, processions, and Latin honors symbolized scholarship and achievement.
Even the cap toss has its own origin story, rooted in the United States, of course.
That tradition is believed to have started in 1912 at the U.S. Naval Academy, when newly commissioned officers threw their old midshipmen caps into the air after receiving their officers’ hats. The gesture quickly spread across colleges and universities. And the cap toss now represents letting go of the stress of being a student, celebrating the moment, and embracing what comes next.
Decorated mortarboards also embody a special moment to shine. Embraced in the late 1990s and early 2000s, graduation caps have become miniature canvases to signal to the crowd — or to yourself — in bedazzled or hand-painted style, “look at who I am in this moment.”
Every Graduate Carries Stories from their Journey
Perhaps that is why commencement has the power to connect us. Because behind every graduate are countless stories of perseverance and inspiration.
At Point Park University this spring, student speaker Tanika Harris connected the graduates’ experience to Pittsburgh’s identity as “a place known for reinvention,” telling classmates:
“This city transformed itself, and in many ways, so did we.”
She also encouraged graduates to move forward despite uncertainty:
“Do the thing. Do it even if you feel unsure.”
At Central Penn College, class salutatorian Noah Lopez reminded graduates that growth often comes through uncertainty, challenge, and perseverance.
“It all comes back to one thing, the journey,” he said.
Supporting Students to Become More of Themselves
Paskill has been championing “every journey matters” across higher education. And this year, we have officially been helping institutions connect students to their right-fit college experience for 40 years. Across our partner institutions this year alone, thousands of students crossed commencement stages.
Graduation is the outcome behind every inquiry, campus visit, application, and enrollment strategy. And within our own agency, we are celebrating our graduates, too.
This year, my daughter Lily turns 18 and graduates from high school on the same day. She will continue her academic and athletic journey at Albright College, where she’ll play volleyball, an accomplishment achieved by only a small percentage of high school athletes nationwide.
Over the past few years, I’ve watched her grow not only as an athlete, but as a young adult. She learned how to navigate conversations with college coaches, accept feedback and evolve her game, and challenge herself by joining a club volleyball team that traveled nationally to compete at a higher level.
It was a sacrifice and a privilege, but she was the one on the court proving herself again and again.
Watching her choose Albright reminded me how much students are influenced not only by institutional reputation, but by how a place feels when they experience it for themselves: the people, the culture, the sense of belonging, and the team they hope to grow with and help succeed.
At the same time, our Lead Strategist Michele Loeper celebrated her daughter Abby’s graduation from James Madison University, where she thrived.
She served as Vice President of the Student Body, was named a JMU Majesty her senior year, earned honors, and stepped fully into her own leadership.
For Michele, the moment carried another layer of meaning. As a former single mother balancing career, parenting, and uncertainty, watching her daughter walk confidently across a commencement stage represented years of resilience, sacrifice, and belief in what was possible.
Graduation is Why We’re Here
That is what commencement ultimately celebrates: a journey toward becoming who you really are with the right support.
We are all looking for our path forward.
Commencement is a beautiful tradition where you can hear, loud and clear:
“Keep going.”
That message is for all of us working in higher ed, too.
