I graduate this week, and while I will be sharing more about my college journey and graduation later this week, I really wanted to share a little bit about my graduation cap specifically. It’s a pretty well-honored tradition for graduates to decorate their caps for their ceremony, and I knew I wanted mine to represent what’s most important to me.
I originally considered doing a Disney castle-inspired design, or a Jurassic World one, but neither felt quite right or like they were “enough” for me. My final design ended up being a polaroid-like collage of photos from my travels over the course of the past three years. It’s partially inspired by a poster and a pin board in my room, but it’s truly a tribute to what’s made me, me.
As I’ve talked about quite frequently on my channels, I wasn’t always a communications & media major. I had originally applied to schools as a dance major, but switched to comm & media after I realized dance wasn’t for me. Because I tried blogging and social media content creation, I though comm & media would be a good fit. When I started the program, I was a little behind since I was one of the few kids that had no formal or classroom media experience. By creating content about my life and adventures, I was able to learn quickly and outside of the classroom. I challenged myself and eventually became one of the top students in my program. As I taught myself photo, video, and design, I found myself really gravitating towards the camera. As I practiced more and more, I discovered that photography was my calling.
Until I had the opportunity to take more photo classes and get more experience on campus, I used my vacations as prime practice rounds. When I visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I was able to try my hand at theatrical photography with Festival of the Lion King, which helped me land a job as a student production photographer on campus. At nearly every destination I visited, I was able to learn something new about light, lenses, and settings, all of which helped me become the photographer and individual I am today.
My graduation cap features many of the moments that were significant to my development as an artist, but I also wanted to add a few quotes (most grad caps are quote-based). I pulled the two original contenders for my theme (one from Magic Happens at Disneyland, the other a reference to Blue the velociraptor from Jurassic World), and added a few more that were related to some of my favorite moments that are featured.
What I ended up with was not only a cute design, but something that truly represents my time in college and what I aspire to do after I graduate. I truly believe I couldn’t make anything more “me,” and am proud to be sharing such a significant part of my journey as I walk across the stage.
Have a terrific day!
