Rainbow Graduation & Awards Ceremony

The LGBTQ Resource Center is proud to host the Annual Rainbow Graduation & Awards Ceremony for the Class of 2021. We recognize that LGBTQ students often face a unique and challenging road on the journey to graduation and extra time should be taken to acknowledge the hard work and determination put forth by graduating LGBTQ students to reach this momentous occasion. Rainbow Graduation provides an opportunity to honor and celebrate graduating LGBTQ and Ally students for their accomplishments, efforts, and contributions while in attendance at Kennesaw State University.    

In 1995, Ronni Sanlo, the Director of the University of Michigan’s LGBT Resource Center, decided that LGBT students need their own graduation ceremony on campus to honor their accomplishments and contributions to the university, and to acknowledge the fact that they had survived the many challenges faced by LGBT students. Since then, Lavender Graduation ceremonies have been hosted at dozens of universities across the country.

Rainbow Graduation provides an opportunity to not only acknowledge graduating students but to also recognize members of the KSU community who have made positive contributions to the LGBTQ community on campus. The seven Rainbow Awards are:

Rainbow Awards (Selected through Nominations):

• Pride Leadership Award: The most prestigious of the awards, this honor recognizes a student’s extraordinary service and outstanding leadership in helping to build the LGBTQ community, promote LGBTQ issues, and raise awareness at KSU and the greater community.
• Emerging Leader Award: Each year, it is of the utmost importance for new leaders to emerge and step up to serve the community through leadership. This award acknowledges not only the potential but the amazing qualities of an up-and-coming leader in the LGBTQ campus community.
• Safe Space Award: This award recognizes a faculty or staff member who uses their Safe Space training and position at KSU to provide an extraordinary level of support to the LGBTQ campus community.

LGBTQ Resource Center Engagement Recognitions:

• Program Patron: This recognition is presented to the top-performing students of each of the domains within the LGBTQ Resource Center Involvement Path.
• Center Citizen: This recognition is presented to students who have reached 100 or more visits to the LGBTQ Resource Center within the current academic year.
• Good Neighbor: This recognition is presented to students who have visited all four Resource Centers within the Department of Cultural and Community Centers.
• Rainbow Scholar: This recognition is presented to students who have had at least 20 visits to the LGBTQ Resource Center within an academic year and maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher.