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One of our Her Campus at Pace seniors standing in front of the \"#KAYonCampus\" sign
One of our Her Campus at Pace seniors standing in front of the \"#KAYonCampus\" sign
Original photo by Christina Guy
Life

How We Celebrated Our Seniors with KAY Jewelers

Natalie Cappetta

This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.
 

KAY Jewelers x Her Campus

We’ve reached that time of year again — the stress of final exams is looming over our heads, we’re packing up our dorms to head back home for the summer, and most importantly, for upperclassmen, it’s graduation season. It’s certainly not easy to have to say goodbye to our beloved Her Campus at Pace seniors, but the incredible opportunity that our chapter was given made this stressful time a little more fun. For our last meeting of the year, our chapter had the chance to send off our seniors with a special treat from the premium jewelry brand, KAY Jewelers. 

Planning the Event

As the last few weeks of school started to approach, our executive board started brainstorming some ways to make our last chapter meeting of the year the best one yet. We wanted to celebrate not only our seniors and their contributions to the organization over the last few years, but also all of the hard work our members put in this past school year. 

We bounced a few ideas back and forth until one day, we received an opportunity to host a graduation party with some special treats from KAY Jewelers. We were so excited!. After a few weeks of planning, it was time for our heavily anticipated graduation party.

The Day of the Party

It’s safe to say that this graduation party was our biggest and best meeting of the year by far. Our chapter meetings are typically held in a lecture classroom on campus, so you can imagine our members’ surprise when we told them this one was going to be held at a luxurious and historic hotel. 

Our members and their guests gathered in the meeting room, which was set up with a table for charcuterie and drinks, a jewelry engraving station, and a photo backdrop decked out with gold balloons and a glowing neon sign. Our graduating seniors gave their farewell speeches and superlatives were awarded to our chapter members. Afterward, our seniors lined up to get their gorgeous yellow gold bar necklaces inscribed with custom engravings, while other members posed in front of the iconic photo moment. 

What It Meant To Our Seniors

As the party was winding down, I took a few minutes to chat with some of our seniors to hear their thoughts on the event and how they feel about graduating. Our outgoing Treasurer, Piper Wise, shared with me her bittersweet feelings about her college days coming to a close, “I didn’t think I would make it to graduation. So, I just can’t believe that I did it and that I’m here at this moment. Having this party and being gifted the jewelry from KAY is so special — it truly just feels like a pat on the back to signify that we made it to the end. Our graduating class had half of our college experience taken away by COVID-19, so we’re finishing strong with this celebration.” 

One of our top writers of the year, Madison Turunen, described graduation as “the end of a chapter, but also the start of a new, exciting one. It’s a celebration of the past four years and the fact that I made it here! I survived! Receiving this jewelry from KAY is just another amazing part of the celebration. It signifies my achievements, and it’s a further recognition of the fact that I made it here and I deserve to be here.” 

I also took some time to chat with the other graduating seniors outside of HCP, Carla Romeus and Breanna Wade. “Graduation is a big celebration for me because I’m a first-generation graduate on my dad’s side of the family. Knowing that this opportunity is here for me because of my roots and how my ancestors fought for this feels like such a huge privilege,” said Wade. Romeus explained that “Graduation, for me, means a new chapter to do new things and to go into the world as a developed person. I’m gonna be a newer, better person and live that big girl life.” Both of the graduating seniors were so honored and excited to have their new engraved necklaces from KAY! “I really love my jewelry,” said Romeus. “For every piece of jewelry that I own, I can remember when and why I got it. They all have a story. Graduation is a big milestone for a lot of people. So now that I have this necklace from KAY, I’m always gonna remember it as my graduation present.” 

This post is sponsored by KAY Jewelers, all thoughts are 100% our own.

Natalie Cappetta is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Pace University, slated to graduate with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in May 2024. Currently, Natalie holds the position of Vice President of Her Campus at Pace, where she manages meetings, events, and contributes to content creation. She is also super excited to be interning for HCCN as a Community Management Intern for Spring 2024! Simultaneously, as the Social Media Director for Frequency A Cappella, she oversees the organization's online presence across various digital platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Previously, she served as a Peer Leader at Pace University, guiding first-year students through course registration and university resources. She has also worked as a Head Counselor at a day camp in her hometown in New Jersey. In collaboration with Her Campus Chapter Network and Campus Trendsetters, she has partnered with brands such as Fenty Beauty, Too Faced Cosmetics, Sol de Janeiro, Kiehl’s, and Prada Beauty. Notably, she served as a KAY Jewelers Partner, creating content, hosting a sponsored event, and providing insights into Gen Z marketing strategies. When she's not working, she loves reading, discovering new movies (and rating them on Letterboxd), playing the piano, singing with her a cappella group Frequency, indoor cycling, and tackling the New York Times daily crossword.