I was never prom queen. I was never popular enough. I’ve earned my “real-life Elle Woods” reputation because of my love of pink and general overachieving, but unfortunately that does not translate to a bubbly personality and buoyant leadership skills. I was nominated for Homecoming Queen, but I didn’t get enough votes to make it to the next round of voting. The girl who bullied me in seventh grade won, and I’m still a little bitter about it.
When I graduated from high school, I had stoles from student government and National Honor Society. I liked having the stoles to wear, to show that I went above and beyond the requirements to earn recognition. Perhaps I wasn’t popular enough to be voted prom queen, but this recognition feels more substantial, and more permanent. The only reason I remember who the prom queen was my senior year was because one half of two pairs of nominees won, but I still have the stoles, hanging in my closet along with my graduation gown.
For college graduations, honor cords are more common than stoles. And compared to the stoles from high school, they come in far more colors, so each one stands out and is clearly identified with the activity you earned the cord for. The honor cord for Her Campus is bright pink, which I love, since as anyone who’s ever met me can tell you, I love pink.
So, I have been on a quest to collect as many honor cords as I am entitled to that I can wear to graduation. So far, I have two in hand and two more on the way. Is the whole concept of honor cords a little shallow and showy? Probably. But after four years and thousands of dollars, I think every graduating class has earned the right to show off their accomplishments a little. Graduations are supposed to be about celebrating achievement, so why shouldn’t we proudly wear souvenirs of all that we have achieved during the commencement ceremony?
And I’m not the only one on the quest to collect honor cords. Many friends and classmates that I have discussed graduation with are also honor cord enthusiasts. Which is nice, since honor cords not only reflect personal achievement, they also show each individual who wears them as part of the group. If everyone in the honor society, or part of the club, or who wrote for the school newspaper, is wearing the same cord, they are immediately recognizable as a member of that community. The cords don’t just say, “I accomplished this,” they also say “We accomplished this together.”
I love the idea of honor cords as recognition of achievement, and not necessarily an incentive. In my quest for honor cords, I never did anything that I wouldn’t have done anyway. The cord is just a nice extra award for participating, not the reason for participating. I look forward to seeing all that my fellow graduates have achieved during their time at Sonoma State at my commencement ceremony!