School’s long gone, and now we’re all settled into our summers, be it working at home, interning far, far away, or grueling away in Winston during summer school. Whatever you’re doing to be the busy, resume-mongering Wake student that most of us are, I’m sure that we all step back every so often (or several times a day) and reminisce about this past year. Of course, posties is how many of us make the year, um, memorable. Sand, solo cups, and sun. Not to mention the cages at Spanish Galleon . . . But then comes graduation, and we have to say a sad goodbye to our favorite seniors. So here’s a little throwback to get you through the work week and get pumped for a new year at Wake in just a month!
So here’s the classic posties rundown:
10 a.m. Roll out of bed, eat cereal out of solo cups, and check out the weather situation. The 10:00 time frame is very negotiable.
11 a.m. Everyone to the beach! Checklist: iPod, beach-read (and just flipping through a water-stained magazine is a-okay), sunglasses, towel, and a water bottle (your prerogative what goes in it).
12 p.m. Walk on the beach to find friends—fraternity volleyball game, romps into the water, and dizzy bat all seem to be favorite to-do’s.
1 p.m. Lunch time = PB&Js all around. Or if you’re feeling fancy, a trip to the nearby Jimmy John’s or McDonald’s.
2 p.m. Back to the beach for a napping/tanning two-in-one.
5 p.m. Sun’s going down, time to fight 15 other girls for the shower.
7 p.m. Dinnertime: spaghetti and salad OR Margaritaville. To be cheap or splurge – decisions, decisions.
10 p.m. Time to go out! Your pick: Pirate’s Cove or Spanish Galleon. They’re both 18-and-up’s, so everyone is allowed in. One bit of advice: try to minimize picture-taking. It’ll only violate your ‘What happens in Myrtle, stays in Myrtle’ mantra.
2 a.m. Lots of people start calling it a night, buy hey, you don’t have to sleep if you don’t want to. That’s what the beach is for tomorrow!
Miss it, don’t you? So do all of us HC-ers. Even though posties is a long way away, we’ve got orientation week to look forward to in one short month! Except our beloved seniors won’t be there, as they will have already joined the real-world work force. But let’s stay positive, and take a walk down memory lane to this year’s graduation ceremonies.
For graduating seniors, the party doesn’t stop when posties is over. They have another week’s worth of celebrating. By day, students gather with friends and family to look back at their academic careers in the form of ceremonies and dinners – official dinners catered by Posh Plate (when the Pit decides to clean up a bit) and get-togethers with grandparents, that sort of thing. By night, seniors gather with other students and soak up their last few nights together in college.
Before they can actually graduate, students partake in a series of weekend commencement activities with their friends and family: Master’s and Doctorate students receive their hoods during separate ceremonies before the actual Commencement on Monday. A Baccalaureate service is held on Sunday in Wait Chapel, followed by a buffet-style picnic on Hearn Plaza. And early on Monday morning, the campus hosts a Commencement breakfast in the Pit for guests and graduates. Do people actually go? If their parents make them, then yes. Otherwise, brunch at 6th & Vine is a way more viable option.
Alas, the dreaded time has come: Commencement. Although ominous-looking clouds threatened to push the graduation ceremony indoors, the show went on as planned on the quad as a sea of black caps and gowns flooded between Poteat and Taylor.
Commencement is no small feat. The three-hour-long ceremony begins with the processional, lasting fifteen minutes or more—with over 950 undergrads walking and another 400+ upper-level degrees to recognize, attendees can take this time to snap a picture and get comfortable. The first half of the ceremony was sprinkled with speeches from student body president Natalie Halpern, President Nathan O. Hatch, and guest speaker Indra K. Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo. The second half includes the recognition of the various upper-level degrees and the actual calling of names. Note: everyone played on their smart phones and iPads the entire time, so be sure to stop up on apps before taking your seat (when it comes time for you to graduate). Gotta be prepared.
Students have the best seats in the house, of course. Family and friends’ seats start behind all of the graduates, providing a distant view of the ceremony. Luckily, jumbo-trons on either side of the quad broadcast close-up footage of the entire shindig, so parents can see their children shaking President Hatch’s hand.
For me, the best part of the ceremony was when all of the graduates tossed their caps in the air and walked through the “gauntlet” of student marshals and faculty members. It is the last time for students to see the professors that made this moment possible, and amidst hugs and smiles, I saw a few tears. But pretty much, it’s a melee to find friends and have mini photo shoots all around the quad. A large graduation Facebook album is a must.
Feeling nostaligic now, collegiettes™? Thought so. Now get even more pumped for getting back to Wake in August. Just think, you’ve got orientation, tailgating, fraternities and your 5,000 best friends to look forward to.