Commencement

There is no doubt that a student’s graduation marks a tremendous achievement. You have tackled difficult exams, participated in extracurricular activities, and possibly completed an internship or research project — all while making life-long friends and memories.

Rather than an ending, commencement (both the word and the ceremony) represents a beginning. It is appropriate that an occasion that marks the beginning of a new phase of life should be conducted with pomp and circumstance, stateliness, and tradition.