When looking upon a sea of graduates, one could find all sorts of colors sitting at the top of their heads. What once started as a political movement is now a way for students to use their creativity to send different messages.
The origins of decorating graduation caps haven’t been officially pinpointed, but the tradition had been used by student protestors in the counter-culture movement of the 1960s. Today, the tradition has kept evolving and is now used as a form of expression for many different reasons.
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) graduates use their creativity for a variety of reasons whether it’s making their caps “cute” or having a piece of graduation that they hold close to their hearts.
UTEP student Isaiah Regalado, 25, graduates with his degree in education in May. His graduation cap is filled from corner to corner with messages and signatures from people he was supported by including his family, mentors and his first group of students.
“I’ll receive my degree alone, but I never felt like I did it alone,” Regalado said. “Because of these people… I’m going to be walking that stage so I want them to be a part of it as much as they could, so what I did is I took my graduation cap and had people sign it.”
Regalado was touched by the inspiration he sparked by passing around his cap to his eighth-grade students. He says that having his students watch while he completed his degree made them feel like they could do it too.
Regalado uses his creative freedom on his graduation cap as a final expression of the love and support he received throughout college. The decorating of graduation caps doesn’t always have to carry a significant sentimental value, but it could be a simple way to express style and interests through the simple black, blue and orange graduation attire.
Denisse Romero, 22, is graduating with a bachelor’s in kinesiology. She plans to decorate her graduation cap with Hello Kitty stickers and decals. She calls herself a Hello Kitty girl at heart and says this is a fun way to show it off.
“Hello Kitty just fits my vibe,” Romero said. “I think it adds a lot of personality to just a basic black gown, and I just wanted to add personality to mine and make it more individualized.”
Romero and Regalado both believe their grad caps are a physical memento from their graduation that they can cherish for years, even with different meanings.
“I can look back at it a few years from now and be like, ‘Oh, look how cute my grad cap was!’,” Romero said.
These graduates, amongst many others, will walk the stage next month and while carrying personal mementos of themselves as their caps represent the things they love and cherish.
Jesie Garcia is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected] or on Instagram at @empanaditawrites.
