What is Graduation Day?

Graduation Day

Graduation Day is, in simple words, the day of graduating or receiving an academic degree upon completion of one's studies. For a student in the U.S. or Canada, it is that special day when he/she graduates from high school and is awarded with the academic degree of a "graduate". It is one of those important occasions that is often described as a "rite of passage" in the life of an American teen.

The graduation process is completed with an elaborate ceremony, an activity that is believed to have originated from a statute issued in 1432 at Oxford University. According to this act, every bachelor graduating from the institution was expected to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic exercise, thus to show his scholarly attainment as well as describe his feelings over his passing from the establishment.

As the earliest American universities were founded by ministers educated at Oxford, the British tradition of Baccalaureate service continued. In the US and Canada, students graduate high school as well as university. So the graduation ceremony is conducted twice in the life of a student, the first while graduating from high school and later during graduation from University.

The graduation ceremony is an orchestrated process involving a march of students onto the stage, the reading of speeches, the giving of diplomas, and of course - the commencement exercise, the official moment when the students are declared graduated. It is one of the most important moments in a student's life as it marks a transition from one stage in his/her educational life to another. Hence, the graduation ceremony is attended by parents, friends and well-wishers of a person. The major part of the ceremony is taken up by the distribution of degrees to the students who march up the stage as their name and major is announced. It is a moment of pride for a student as well as the parents who look on with a sense of achievement as an academic degree is conferred on their child.

One of the highlights of this event is the Valedictory speech, an oral address made by the 'Valedictorian' or the top graduate of the graduating class. The Valedictorian usually receives a standing ovation as a recognition of his/her outstanding efforts and success in academic life.

The ceremony ends with all graduates throwing their hats known as mortarboards (an academic cap with a flat square with a tassel on top) into the air as a sign of rejoicing over their new status. This is followed by students attending Graduation parties and exchanging graduation gifts.