All graduates can now attend any of the five inclusive ceremonies on May 16 to celebrate their upcoming graduation. Along with the traditional graduation ceremonies, Trinity holds Kente, De Colores, Lavender, AAPI and First-Generation celebrations.
While each celebration honors the different identities that students may have, Trinity recently updated the policy to allow any student to partake in any ceremony they wish. Alicia Moreno, director of Student Inclusion and Belonging, stated that various factors contributed to this change.
“We don’t want anyone to get the impression that you have to qualify or meet certain requirements to participate. We’re clearly articulating that all students and community members can participate,” Moreno said.
In the wake of state and federal rulings dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at universities, inclusive ceremonies have been canceled at universities across the US. Catherine Zarr*, junior political science, Spanish and sociology triple major and president of PRIDE, was concerned about the future of the Lavender Graduation at Trinity.
“It does have to change in a couple of minor ways, but I don’t think in ways that are going to fundamentally change the character of Lavender,” Zarr said. “We found a way to keep having this event, abide by all the rules, but still preserve it.”
The university presented their first inclusive ceremony option in 2016 with Kente, where graduates received “Kente” stoles in front of their families and friends. De Colores started in 2018, where graduating Latinx students were presented with a colorful stole by a loved one of their choosing. This year’s is the largest De Colores ceremony in Trinity’s history, with almost 100 student participants, a large jump from 24 attendees in its first year.
There is also the Lavender ceremony, which recognizes graduating students in the LGBTQ+ community, presenting students with a symbolic lavender stole to wear at commencement. The AAPI ceremony honors graduating students of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage with a white stole. The first-generation celebration recognizes those who are the first in their families to graduate from college.
Trinity only has two commencement ceremonies for its spring graduates, so these celebrations can serve as another way for loved ones or current students to honor graduates. Jessica Montenegro, assistant director for Student Inclusion and Belonging, stated that students can invite as many people as they would like to the ceremonies because they aren’t limited by tickets like commencement is.
“This provides another opportunity for those family, friends that aren’t able to make it to commencement to celebrate this huge milestone,” Montenegro said. “We’re not only celebrating their accomplishment of graduating college, but we’re celebrating them, and who they are and how they express themselves.”
In each celebration, students help to curate the ceremony for graduates. For the De Colores ceremony, students in the Trinity University Latino Association, with assistance from MAS and SIB, help plan the event. Kay Cansino, junior sociology major, TULA co-president and De Colores event planner, addressed challenges with other inclusive celebrations.
“Logistically, it’s stressful because we’re all having to rush out. I don’t want to rush anybody. I don’t want to be rushed,” Cansino said. “We don’t want to swarm another ceremony. We have to be mindful of our time for set-up and take-down … It’s stressful, but I’m happy to be doing it.”
All of the inclusive ceremonies are open to anyone who wants to participate. The Lavender celebration has traditionally been closed to protect the queer identities of students but the university has opened it up. This year, Zarr stated that this has been a concern and she has been paying attention to it while planning.
“It does pose a little bit of a threat opening it up, just because it could invite protests, it could invite outing of students,” Zarr said. “But so far, I don’t have an indication that we are going to have massive amounts of people showing up that aren’t involved in the ceremony.”
In the planning process for each ceremony, the committees have to think about what the graduates want to see. Karenna Edwards, junior neuroscience and business double-major and AAPI council president, mentioned the challenges in planning a ceremony that encompasses many different heritages.
“There are so many different cultures on campus that are under the AAPI term. Highlighting those students and making sure that their identity matters is really important, and acknowledging this is a part of you, and that should be celebrated,” Edwards said.
Since students can choose who they want to celebrate with, each ceremony is different. Montenegro stated that there are opportunities for backgrounds that aren’t traditionally highlighted to be recognized.
“I think hosting these ceremonies really highlights Trinity’s intentional inclusion mission,” Montenegro said. “This gives that opportunity for students to feel seen, to be heard and to be celebrated and uplifted in their journey.”
*Catherine Zarr is the Editor-in-Chief of the Trinitonian.
