Soon-to-be graduates of the University of Idaho gathered at GradFest Tuesday and Wednesday to purchase discounted regalia for their upcoming commencement ceremony.
The UI Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) hosted the event to give students the opportunity to secure all of the necessities needed for graduation in one place and to save money.
OAR Director of Alumni Engagement Tim Helmke said graduating students who were not able to attend the event can still order discounted regalia online from March 23 to April 2. After these dates, an additional late fee will be placed on any orders. He also said OAR will have a limited amount of stock on hand to sell the week prior to commencement in May.
OAR also offered students the opportunity to leave advice for current and incoming UI students, as well as look back on their time at the university, in a video that will be aired at graduation.
UI fifth-year student Tessa Aus said she is excited to graduate, but she will miss the close-knit feel of campus and the Moscow community.
Aus said she encouraged current and incoming UI students to make sure to take time for themselves outside of the classroom, and enjoy the other things that the university and the town have to offer.
“Homework is important, but so is your college experience — find a balance and enjoy it,” Aus said.
Aus said she wasn’t going to walk until she spoke with her parents, who convinced her.
“All of my family is coming up, and it’s a really big deal to them since I didn’t really do it in high school, so I’m taking my chance now for them,” Aus said.
UI sixth-year student Margaux Birdsall said her family convinced her to walk as well, especially her dad.
“I wasn’t planning on walking, but my dad is 72 and he told me he might not be there for when I finish graduate school, so he wanted to make sure he saw me at least once,” Birdsall said. “It was a pretty easy decision after that.”
Birdsall said she only had one piece of advice for present and prospective students, which was to avoid procrastination at all costs.
UI senior Adam Sedgewick said he advised students to make sure to get involved in any way possible while at UI.
“Your college experience is what you make of it, and its better to take some risks by getting involved with different activities than to have regrets later down the road,” Sedgewick said. “If you want to do something, I’d say go for it.”
Sedgewick said he never considered not walking at graduation.
“It marks the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another — it’s symbolic for me,” Sedgewick said.
Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia